AN: So sorry this is late! My brother-in-law got married yesterday (if you follow me on twitter, this is the shotgun wedding at the courthouse I was referencing), and I had to do all the decorating for my mother-in-law (let's just say I'm firmly in the 'favorite' category) ;) Anyway, here's the chapter! And I think we still have at least 1, maybe 2 more before we get to Paul phasing.

Chapter 7

July, Three and a half years later

Paul

Twelve-year-old Paul was locked in place, paralyzed like a mouse in the gaze of a cobra. The cobra in this case was a large set of fake boobs, worn by his father's latest lady friend.

"Dammit, Brenda, cover that shit up. The boy's got eyes you know," Tommy threw a shirt in her direction, without bothering to get up from the couch or re-button his own jeans.

Brenda pulled the shirt on slowly, never taking her eyes off the skinny boy in front of her. She smirked when Paul finally blinked, then looked away in embarrassment at being caught. Despite living with Tommy, he was clearly still very innocent.

"I see his eyes, Tommy," Brenda purred as she slinked closer to the still-frozen boy. She ran one long fingernail down his shoulder and laughed as he shivered. "He's a cute one—he's gonna give you some competition in a few years."

Paul felt trapped. He wanted nothing more than to escape his small home and run down to the beach where he knew she would be waiting.

Avoiding the adults' gazes, he ducked around the older woman and slipped out the back door, hoping that Brenda would distract his father for the next few hours. He doubted that she would—women didn't stick around his father for very long.

Just when he thought he'd made it, a heavy hand closed around the back of his neck and he instantly went limp. Even though he was taller now—just a few inches shorter than his father—he knew it was better to give in immediately. He would suffer less damage this way.

"Tommy?" Brenda called, unknowingly putting herself at risk from Tommy's ire. Paul's eyes widened a touch in fear for the unsuspecting woman, but Tommy just threw his head back and laughed, sending Paul out the door with a rough cuff to the back of his head. Paul took off running, taking a shortcut through the woods toward the beach.

He couldn't wait to see Bella again. For the past few years, her visits to Charlie had been bright little oases of light in his otherwise stormy life. Bella was unfailingly kind to him, accepting him into her circle just as he was, just as Charlie had done.

Slipping almost silently through the trees, Paul followed the sound of voices to the relatively crowded area of First Beach. At midmorning there were quite a few families, as well as groups of teenagers and more kids closer to his age.

He took a moment to survey the scene, spotting Charlie off to one side with Billy and Harry, no doubt comparing fish stories and arguing about sports. Their friendship was an easy one.

About fifty feet away from the adults, Bella was the reluctant center of attention, surrounded by her closest friends and a larger group of kids Paul recognized from school. Jake and Quil were throwing a football with some older boys, with Jake looking back toward Bella every few minutes to see if she was watching.

Embry and Bella were seated on a driftwood log, along with Jared and a few of the less popular kids—their mutual friends. Paul was a bit surprised to see some of the older kids hanging around their group as well. Sam Uley and Leah Clearwater were seated on an adjacent log, holding hands and sneaking kisses when Leah's father wasn't looking.

The Black twins, Rachel and Rebecca, were sitting on Leah's other side, furthest away from Bella, and from the looks they were sending her she was probably their current object of gossip. Despite Jacob's dogged devotion, his sisters had never been Bella Swan's biggest fans.

As Paul stepped out of the trees, Bella turned her head and immediately caught his eye. He couldn't hold back a smile when she jumped up—steadying herself with a hand on Embry's shoulder when she nearly fell—and ran over to give him a hug. "Hey, Paul! I was worried you weren't coming!"

He stepped back and reached up without thinking to rub at the sore spot on his head. "Yeah, I got held up," he shrugged. "My dad had some woman over."

Embry had walked up, along with Jared, and he shivered when he heard Paul's excuse. "Ugh," he groaned. "Don't talk about parents and dating…"

Bella's giggles were infectious as she reached over to punch Embry's arm. "Oh, come on, brother dear… I think it's kind of cute!"

Paul looked between them in confusion and turned to Jared for an explanation as they started walking back toward the beach. "Oh, Embry's mom has a new boyfriend," Jared said, winking at Bella. "Apparently you're not the only one Charlie's been driving out here to see!"

A brief flare of jealousy took Paul by surprise, and he realized he might be a little too attached to Bella's father. Maybe he needed to take a step back from the man he'd grown to admire so much. Charlie deserved a good family, and a good son, and Paul didn't want to stand in his way.

A soft hand on his arm caught his attention, and he realized he'd been standing still while everyone else walked on. Bella looked up at him in worry, but he just smiled at her and shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked over to sit by Jared.

The rest of the week passed in a similar fashion, with Charlie and Bella spending most days in La Push, either fishing with the boys or playing on the beach. Some days Charlie spent his time at the Black house with Billy, and the kids would run further without adult supervision.

On Saturday afternoon, the group had mostly scattered, and Bella was sitting alone on a piece of driftwood, just watching the waves pensively. She was feeling strange this trip, and having a hard time coming to terms with that.

Over the years, she had never thought twice of playing with "her" boys—Jake, Quil, and Embry. They had been friends, almost like brothers, and that was all it was. She had begun to notice that Jacob sometimes made her uncomfortable, trying to hold her hand, or sit closer than she liked. Charlie told her that Jake was "in love" with her, but that was about the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. Jake was family.

Paul, on the other hand, made her heart do strange things. She caught herself wondering how it would feel to hold his hand, or have him put his arm around her, or some days she even thought as far as kissing Paul. Those thoughts made her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable when she saw the boy face to face.

Paul walked up and stood in front of Bella, waiting for her to notice him there. When she finally looked up, she nearly fell backwards off the log in surprise. He smiled as she blushed a deep red when he reached for her hand and pulled her steady.

"Um, hey," he stuttered, looking off toward the trees with uncharacteristic nervousness. "I was wondering if you want to walk over to the tide pools with me?"

Bella smiled and stood quickly, blushing again when she realized how close she was standing to him. "Sure," she answered, as she took a small step back. "I love seeing those!"

They walked together comfortably, and Paul reached for her hand again when she started to trip over a tree root, only this time he didn't let go. Bella looked down at their entwined fingers and sighed with a happy little smile, her heart beating furiously with excitement. "Is this okay?" he asked, and she nodded shyly.

Paul could barely think straight with her soft little hand in his. His hormone-riddled body was sending him all kinds of ideas—things he'd seen on TV, talked about with his friends, and even overheard with his father and those women who appeared in his home.

They stopped at the largest tide pool, and Bella stood there for a long time, completely mesmerized by the tiny microcosm of marine life. Paul, on the other hand, was mesmerized by Bella. The weak sunlight was filtered through the overhanging leaves, making her dark hair and pale skin almost glow.

Bella looked up and caught him watching, and he smiled as her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. He reached up without even thinking and brushed a wayward strand of her hair back out of her face, tucking it gently behind her ear with a soft caress.

The two were leaning toward each other, and Paul thought she might be wanting the same thing he did, but he thought he better make sure. "Um, Bella?" he said quietly, clearing his throat in an attempt to tamp down his nerves. "I really, um… I'd really like to kiss you right now."

Bella smiled, squeezing his fingers tightly, and gave him another shy nod. They watched each other carefully as they leaned forward, and Bella closed her eyes just as Paul's lips pressed gently against hers. The contact lasted less than a second, but it was everything she had dreamed of and more.

When Paul took her other hand in his, Bella looked away shyly and coughed in embarrassment. She hoped she had done that right, and that Paul had been pleased. It took her a minute to work up the nerve to speak. "Um, I hope that was… uh, I mean… Oh!" she finally spluttered. "I've never actually done that before—I hope that was okay…"

Paul smiled broadly and brought their joined hands up to nudge her chin up to look at him. "Bella," he said softly, willing to share his own insecurities with the beautiful girl he admired so much. "That was my first kiss too."