When the Sun Hits
Paul woke up but didn't open his eyes. He could feel Roisin in his arms, so for the moment, he just pulled her closer, reveling in the fact that he was finally getting to live out one of his dreams of her. But then he opened his eyes and realized it was daylight. He had a vague thought that perhaps he should have messaged his dad last night, but he was often gone all night with patrols. And well, he wasn't sure he was ready to have this conversation with him just yet. He still hadn't told him about the imprint.
But more pressing than that, he was going to have to face her uncle. Shit.
He looked down, seeing Roisin still peacefully asleep. The house was quiet. So for the time being, he was content to stay where he was. Granted, that only lasted so long before he needed to get up and use the bathroom. As gently as he could, he pulled his arms from around Roisin and got up, making his way across the large room.
When he came back, Roisin was sitting up in the bed, stretching. She then looked over and smiled at him.
"Morning," she said.
"Morning," he replied, coming to a stop.
Roisin chuckled and got out of bed, walking over to him and then wrapping her arms around his neck and pecking him on the lips.
"I'm starving. Which I'm pretty sure that means you are insanely starving," she said, her eyes glinting with amusement. He just nodded.
Roisin removed her arms, which he immediately missed, and walked over, picking up his jeans and tossing them towards him.
"Not that I mind, but might need something a bit more than that," she replied, an eyebrow cocked.
He caught the jeans easily, chuckling. She had a point. He did not want to be caught in his underpants in front of her uncle - especially considering how he acted when he had picked her up for their date.
He quickly dressed and then Roisin took his hand and they walked out into the living room. Paul came to a stop. You couldn't tell that there had been a party there at all.
"Guess Mae got help cleaning up," Roisin said. He looked down at her, finding a confused look on her face.
She then shook her head and kept walking, leading him to the kitchen. When they walked in, he stopped immediately, seeing Sean at the stove. This was not good.
Roisin yanked him forward to the stools at the island that was covered in various plates of cut fruit and other food, and sat at one. She looked at him expectantly and he sat next to her, but his eyes were now fixed on Sean's back. The older man then turned around, his eyebrows raised.
"Mae?" Roisin asked.
"Still asleep," he said, turning back to whatever he was cooking on the stove.
"When did you get back?" Roisin asked.
"Not early enough," came the rueful response. "Any light you can shine on last night?"
Paul glanced at Roisin, waiting for her response. Rather than saying anything, she started filling a plate in front of her with food. He did the same, not wanting to risk his stomach growling loudly. So far, things were good and he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
"We came home early," she finally said after chewing up and swallowing a bit of melon. "I told her to cancel it and she said she would. But then she didn't."
"I gathered. She must have waited until I left. Should have known something was up when she ushered me out," Sean said, turning around with a frying pan in hand. "Eggs?"
The question was directed to Paul, which shocked him a bit. Sean definitely was different than last night. Maybe because he thought the party was a bigger problem than him staying over. But then he remembered how he had smiled just before they left. Maybe he wasn't completely against him dating Roisin. He nodded and Sean dished out some onto his plate and then put some on Roisin's. He then turned and put the pan back on the stove, turning it off. Paul started eating but kept his eyes on Sean as he turned back around and leaned on the island.
He fixed his dark eyes on Roisin, who put her fork down.
"You talk to her?" she asked.
For a moment, his eyes seemed to darken as his expression grew sterner.
"Eat and we'll discuss it later," he said, turning to walk to a cabinet. He then grabbed another plate and then walked over starting to fill it up.
Paul still felt the tension in the air, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his presence or the party. The three of them ate in uncomfortable silence. Roisin finished first and hopped off her stool.
"I'm going to take a shower. Be back," she said after kissing him on the cheek. She then walked out of the kitchen before he could protest.
He then looked back at Sean, worried he was about to get a lecture.
"Nothing happened," he said before Sean could say anything.
The older man appeared slightly amused, which was not the reaction he was expecting. He had just spent the night with his niece. In her bedroom. Unsupervised. He was expecting him to be angry. That was the normal response.
"Even if something did, it's none of my business," Sean replied easily.
Well, that was different. He must have made a disbelieving expression because Sean chuckled.
"Ro is old enough. And she has a good head on her shoulders… most of the time," he said, grabbing her plate and walking it over to the sink. "I may be her guardian, but I trust her… again… most of the time."
Paul shook his head and looked down at his plate and then back up at Sean, who was now leaning on the island again.
"Heard you got her to calm down last night," he said. Paul's eyebrows rose.
"Pretty much had to drag her away, but yea, she calmed down," Paul said. Sean nodded slowly.
"Not many people can do that," he replied.
"You mean that happens often?" Paul asked. Even though Roisin had pretty much told him that last night, he still didn't completely believe her. Sean laughed softly and nodded.
"It's not all the time. And most of the time she can get herself under control. But sometimes her temper gets the best of her. When it gets bad, well," he stopped speaking and just shrugged. "If you could get her out of a state, then you have my respect."
Paul was a bit gobsmacked. This was not the reaction he was expecting at all.
"We're… not a normal family," Sean said.
"I gathered that," Paul admitted. He glanced through the archway towards Roisin's room and then back at him. If he was going to get answers, it might be better to ask Sean. "Last night during their argument… some things were said… is Roisin in trouble? Is someone looking for her?"
Sean didn't react. Managed to keep his expression the same. But his eyes flicked over towards the archway before landing on Paul again.
"What did she tell you?" he asked.
"That it was something you and her were dealing with and I shouldn't get involved," Paul replied. "Mae seemed to think it was nothing, but Ro… All I want is for her to be safe. And if I can help-"
"We do have it under control," Sean said, cutting him off. "Trust me. There's nothing you can do. And well, Mae doesn't know everything. But… again… nothing you should get messed up in."
Paul frowned. This was not the answer he wanted. And it confirmed to him that Roisin was in danger. They moved a lot. The thought then occurred to him that they may move away. That couldn't happen. Or well, it could. But he didn't want to be separated from her. Couldn't. He just wasn't sure how to articulate that to Sean at the moment without telling him about the imprint.
"I know that Ro and I… we just started dating, but… I care about her. And her safety. A lot. And I want to help," he said, pleading with him.
Sean studied him a few moments, his expression not changing. It made him think of vampires for a moment. How they were able to control their facial expressions so easily.
"It's up to Ro," Sean finally said, pushing off the island. "She'll tell you what she wants you to know."
He then walked out of the kitchen, leaving Paul alone and without any answers at all. Just what the hell were they running from?
OOOO
Sometime later, Sean sat on the couch while Roisin paced around the living room. Paul had just left to go home. She had left him to hopefully bond a little with Sean, but it seemed as though he hadn't been swayed by her words last night. That she and Sean had her issues under control and there was no reason for him to get involved.
Stupid, loudmouthed Mae. She hadn't wanted him to know about any of this. Now he was going to be worried and she couldn't tell him anything about the truth.
"I don't think he's going to stop asking," Sean said, sitting up and leaning on his knees as he watched Roisin pace. "Gotta come up with something, Ro."
"I know," she replied, her brow furrowed. "I need him to believe that it's nothing…"
"Or you can break things off with him," Sean suggested.
Roisin came to a stop, her eyes wide as she looked over at him and her heart starting to race slightly at the suggestion. No. She couldn't do that. Didn't want to do that. She had just agreed to be his girlfriend last night.
"Ro… are you okay?" Sean asked, standing up. He was then right in front of her, peering down into her face. "I know you like him, but he's mortal. It was going to happen sooner or later."
"I know," she said, looking away from him. "Just… not yet, okay?"
She didn't hear a response, but looked over at him, seeing that he was studying her closely.
"What is it with this one?" he asked softly.
"I honestly don't know," Roisin replied.
Before she could say more, her phone began ringing. Grateful for the distraction, she walked over and picked it up from the table, seeing that it was Trey. That was a bit odd. Usually when they all hung out, Tara or Megan called. And she was certain they were all going surfing that morning. Maybe they wanted her to come out to the beach. She wouldn't mind that right now to be honest. Anything to get out of the house.
"Hey, Trey," she said, glancing over at Sean, whose expression read that this conversation was not over.
"Ro… I… oh my god," he said, sounding distressed.
"What's wrong?" Roisin asked quickly, her heart sinking slightly.
"There's been an accident… we were trying to catch some of the swells this morning at First Beach… and, and…" he stopped talking, though Roisin could hear him trying to breathe. Oh goddess. This was bad. "I don't know what happened…"
"Trey, where are you? I'm coming right now," she said, already moving towards her room to get her bag and keys.
"Forks Hospital. Meg's here, but Tara-" he cut off again, crying. Roisin came to a stop, her eyes wide. "They can't find her…"
Immediately tears pricked at her eyes. Even though they hadn't been there all that long, she had developed a closeness with Tara, Megan and Trey. And now Tara could be gone. She looked over, seeing that Mae had just come down the stairs. Though rather than her haughty look from the night before, she appeared concerned. She must have heard Roisin's side of the conversation.
"Okay. I, I'm on my way. I'll be there soon," Roisin said, turning and continuing on into her room.
OOOO
She drove like a maniac to the hospital, not wanting to waste any time. She knew surfing could be dangerous, but it didn't seem like them at all to go out if the conditions were bad. But maybe it was just some freak thing.
Roisin did her best not to think that a fae had anything to do with this. But it was hard considering the sheer amount of fae that had been hanging around lately. She knew it was a bad idea.
Arriving at the hospital, she got out of the car and dashed inside. She stopped for a moment to look around before heading down a hallway, remembering the room number that Trey had texted her. When she got there, she stopped before going in, seeing an older couple down the hall. Tara's parents. They were holding each other as they spoke with the police chief, tearstained faces nodding.
"We're going to do our best," the chief said. He then glanced down the hallway, seeing Roisin.
Not wanting to bring anymore attention to herself, she turned, knocking on the opened door to the room. Megan was lying in a hospital bed, a bit beaten up but otherwise okay. Trey sat in a chair next to her, holding her hand. Both of them looked like they had been crying.
"Oh, Ro…" Meg said, her face crumbling. Roisin quickly made her way over to the bed, hugging her.
"It's good to see that you're not hurt too badly," she said, her voice thick as she let go. Megan nodded and looked over at Trey, who was still in his wetsuit. Roisin pulled up a chair and sat down. "What happened?"
"I'm… not sure," Megan said, looking back over at her, eyes wide. "We were all out and the waves were good. Big, but not too big. It must have been a rip current…"
Roisin frowned slightly, not understanding.
"It's a strong current that can pull you far out into the ocean," Trey explained. Roisin nodded.
"So… that's what happened? It pulled you out?" she asked. Megan frowned, glancing at Trey nervously. He nodded to her.
"It wasn't like that at all, but that's what the police think," Megan said. "Or, I don't know. Something hit my head so the details are fuzzy, but… I swear I felt something grab my ankle and pull me under."
Roisin's eyebrows rose as she felt her heart stop for a moment.
"First, Meg went under. And then Tara. I tried to get both of them, but… they were gone too fast, and…I couldn't see..." Trey stopped speaking as he dropped his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking.
"You did the best you could," Megan said, reaching over to rub his shoulder.
Roisin looked down at her hands, hearing Megan murmur something to Trey about it not being his fault. And it wasn't. If he was going against two fae or even just one fae - which Roisin was just about convinced that's what happened - he was lucky that he got out and unscathed. That he managed to somehow get Meg away. And she knew, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that they would probably never find Tara again. If she survived the abduction, she was probably whisked away to some hidden place that the mortal police would never find because there wouldn't be a trail.
If this was anyone's fault, it was hers. She knew something was happening in Forks and La Push - something fae. And she had done nothing to find out who was behind it. Now they were taking people. Her friends. This was her fault.
But she wasn't going to let it happen again.
OOOO
"You stayed over?" Jared asked, grinning. "And nothing happened?"
"There was a party going on," Paul said with a shrug, though it only caused Jared to laugh.
"Right, like that was stopping you last time," he replied. Paul just rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch. "But her uncle was cool with it?"
"Yea, it was… not what I was expecting," he said. "Thought he would rip my head off or something."
"You seriously lucked out," Jared replied. Paul sighed, glancing over at his best friend. "Uh-oh. I know that look."
"They're running from something or someone," he said, sitting up on the sofa. "Mae didn't think it was a big deal, but Ro… she seemed legit frightened. But she and her uncle, they won't tell me what it is. Said that it's best I not get involved. That there's nothing I can do."
"Maybe it's time to come clean about everything. That way they'll know there probably is something you can do to protect her," Jared said, pushing up from the couch and heading to the kitchen. "She is your girlfriend now."
"I know," Paul said, frowning. He had thought it over on the drive back to La Push and had come to the same conclusion. The only way Roisin would come clean to him is if he came fully clean himself.
But how to do it?
"How did you tell Kim?" he asked, looking over as Jared returned with a can of soda.
"Just… took her outside. Told her. And then showed her," he said as he plopped down in the recliner that Paul's dad always used. "She freaked out at first, but she knew the stories."
"Yea, Ro doesn't," Paul replied.
"Well… tell her the stories first. Then tell her what you do. Then do it. She seems to be made of strong stuff. I doubt she'll scream for too long," Jared said casually.
"Hopefully," Paul replied.
"Seriously, you need to tell her. And sooner would be better," Jared pushed.
"I know," Paul groaned as he rubbed his face. Before he could lament further, there was a knock at the door.
Sighing, he pushed up off the couch and walked over. When he answered, he found a stone-faced Sam and Jacob on his doorstep. Immediately, he knew this couldn't be good news.
"What's going on?" he asked, letting them in. Sam glanced over, seeing Jared.
"We need to get to First Beach. There's been an accident," he said. "Some students from Forks were out surfing and got caught in a rip current. One's in the hospital, but they haven't found the other."
"Wait, so we're being pulled in for normal search and rescue now?" Jared asked, standing up. "That's not our job."
Sam looked over at Jacob and then sighed, shaking his head.
"Charlie called and asked us to go out. Rip current is what he told the parents and tried to get the kids to believe, but he knew immediately that wasn't it from what they told him. He said it looked like something that was 'need to know'," Sam said. Paul's eyes widened. "We think it's connected to all the graffiti, and that it's not human."
"Another leech?" Jared asked.
"I don't know, but we need to go out and check. See if we can pick up anything. Come on," he said, turning to leave. Jacob shot Paul a smug look before following him.
"Shit. I thought the graffiti was just… harmless whatever. You seriously think that this is all connected?" Jared asked. Paul just shrugged.
"I don't know, but… guess we're going to find out…"
OOOO
Roisin was back pacing in the living room after her visit to the hospital. She had just filled in Sean with everything she heard there. They needed to figure out who was doing this and fast. Before they tried to take someone else.
Fuck, why had she not looked into the graffiti?
"Who do you think it could be?" she asked, shooting a look at Sean.
"I'm not sure. Honestly, it could be just about anyone," he said.
"Sounds like Shadow Court."
Both Roisin and Sean looked over, seeing Mae walk into the living room. She came to a stop, seeming hesitant - as though she wasn't sure they would want her there.
"That's what they do. Come over, take humans, then go back and play with them," she continued, glancing at Sean. "And they are a bit on the dramatic side."
"True, but… why here?" he asked. Mae seemed to relax a bit, walking further into the room and coming to sit on the sofa next to Sean.
"Why does any of Cathal's people do what they do?" Mae replied.
"It could just as well be a solitary," Roisin said, not really wanting to think that this could be Shadow fae. That would mean there was a deeper reason behind it and she really didn't want to go down that road. "There were a lot in the area last night. Have been a lot in the area lately."
Mae winced, a guilty expression coming over her face as she turned away, not meeting Roisin's eyes. While Roisin had wanted to yell at her earlier, she found her anger was gone. She knew Mae didn't want to intentionally hurt anyone. The parties were supposed to be fun. And to get back at Roisin.
"Look, I told them all to stay here and then leave. And not to hurt anyone," she said, turning to look at Roisin, her eyes wide. "After you went to your room, whoever was still around, I told them not to hurt anyone. I… If this is one of the fae I invited, I…"
She stopped speaking as tears welled up in her eyes. Roisin sighed.
"It's okay. There's no way you could have known. And this is my fault more than anything," she said. "I knew something was going on with the graffiti and I let myself get distracted rather than find out who was behind it."
She glanced over at Sean and then back at Mae.
"Whoever this is, we need to find out fast before they take anyone else," she said firmly. "We brought them here and now it's our responsibility to protect Forks and La Push."
"Where should we start?" Mae asked, wiping her cheeks and seemingly on board.
"Where it happened. First Beach."
OOOO
"So, you're saying that it's not a vampire," Carlisle stated calmly. The entire family - save Bella and Renesmee - were gathered in the living room of the large house.
Jacob glanced around and then nodded.
"We couldn't find a scent," Jacob said. "But we did manage to find the girl's scent farther up the coast. Whatever it was that took her, it's… we couldn't track it. It just… disappeared somewhere in the woods."
Carlisle frowned and looked over at Edward, who was studying Jacob.
"You think the new people who moved into town have something to do with this," he said.
"There's something weird about them. About the people they've been inviting to their parties. They're hiding something," Jacob said.
"Someone's looking for them," Edward replied, clearly seeing the scene from last night play out in Jacob's mind. His eyes then widened. "One of yours imprinted on them."
"Which is why I wanted to bring you guys in. I can't trust Paul to stay open-minded about this and Sam trusts him. Will take whatever he says at face value," he replied. "And since Roisin's an imprint, we can't touch her."
"If it's her, you want us to take her down," Edward said grimly.
"Just what makes you think it's them?" Carlisle asked. "Do you have any evidence besides your hunch?"
"I… I don't have much. But I think if we work together on this, we can find something. I've been watching their house as much as I can, but I can't do it all the time," he said. "I've seen people coming and going… but none of them ever seem to have cars."
The Cullens were silent as they took in this news, glancing around at each other.
"And they showed up at the beach just as I was leaving," Jacob continued. "Looked like they were checking it out like we were."
"Do you think it's possible that they might be trying to find out who is behind this as well?" Carlisle suggested.
"That or returning to the scene of the crime," Jacob said dryly. "It's a thing, you know."
"I know, but I think we should keep all options on the table," Carlisle said. "We'll help, but they might not be involved." Jacob snorted.
"They know something," he said. "Even if they aren't involved, they know something about whoever is behind this - whether they are helping or not."
"I agree," Edward said. "So when do we start?"
"How about now?"
OOOO
As I've said, things are happening. And truths are about to come out. So over the next (several) chapters, hopefully everyone's questions will be answered.
Thanks for reading and following!
