Bella's alarm went off way too early for anyone's liking. Paul groaned loudly. Bella wasn't crazy about mornings either, but seeing somebody else even more miserable brightened her mood. "Morning, sleepy-head!" she said to the enormous man on the floor next to her. He growled and rolled over.

"Paul, c'mon, you have school. Get up. I'll make you some breakfast really quick and then take you."

He mumbled something as she went into the kitchen to quickly scramble some eggs and make some toast for her sleepy friend.

She put everything in a container, grabbed a fork, and filled a thermos with hot chocolate before wandering back into the living room where she found Paul still face down on the carpet. "Paul, I'm trying to decide between jumping on you, or giving you a wet willy to get you to wake up."

Paul growled some more. Bella snuck over to the couch and laid down. Paul wondered what she was doing. Maybe she was going back to sleep, too. "Paaaauuuul," she said in a creepy sing-song voice again.

And then suddenly she was on him. She had rolled over off the couch and directly onto his back. She knew it wouldn't hurt him, but it would startle him hopefully enough to wake up.

"Ugh, Swan!" He did a push up to his knees and then stood up with her still clinging on to his back. "If you wanted to ride me that badly, Bella, all you had to do was ask," he grumped as he headed towards the bathroom. She quickly slid off of his back.

"Ah, and there's the Paul everyone knows! My day's barely started but already I've been able to enjoy some of your charming innuendo. I'm going out to start the truck. Your food is on the counter. Bring it with you so you can get to school on time!"

They stopped quickly at his house so he could change and brush his teeth and then she took him the rest of the way to school. When she pulled up to the school, Jacob's face lit up with a smile. "Bells!" he yelled and ran over to the truck where he pulled her out for a big hug.

"Hey, Jake!" she said, squeezing her friend back.

Paul harrumphed at the sight and suddenly felt ugly inside. "Let me know if you get cold tonight, Bella. I can always come over again to keep you warm," he leered.

By this time, the rest of the pack had joined Jacob on the driver's side of the truck around Bella. Almost in unison they growled at Paul. "What's he talking about, honey?" Jake said, keeping her wrapped in his arms.

She squirmed out. "My Dad asked Paul to stay last night when he got called out. As for the rest of it, Paul is being a jerk this morning. I had a nightmare that woke him up, so I'm sure he's just grouchy from being short on sleep."

"Are you okay, Bells?" Embry asked softly. She smiled and nodded. "It happens when I get cold. Coldness reminds me of… Well, when I kick of the covers I get nightmares. I'm fine, though. As soon as I warm up, I feel better and can fall asleep again. It's a lot better than it used to be, but I fell asleep on the couch last night, and it's colder down there than in my room."

Paul felt guilty and a little ashamed. He was jealous of her hugging Jacob when it had been his arms she'd been in for hours last night and he was the one who comforted her after her nightmare. But then she just flew into Jacob's arms as soon as he was in sight. Okay, so she hugged all the guys who were there. And why should he care anyway. It's not like she was his. They were just friends. Or something. He still didn't know how to be friends with a girl, so he was just guessing on this one. But after his dick move of two minutes ago, she probably wouldn't want him around.

The warning bell rang and all the wolves moved towards the door. "Have a good day, Paul. I'll see you tonight." He was left speechless as she jumped back in her old truck and headed back down the road to get ready for her own day of classes.

She just kept surprising him.

Do you hate me? -P

No. -B

Why not? -P

Aren't you supposed to be in class right now? -B

It's lunch. Answer the question. -P

Because as much as you try to disprove it, the good outweighs the bad. -B

I'm sorry. -P

About what? -B

you know what. -P

Doesn't count if you don't say it. -B

I'm sorry I acted like a jealous bastard today and tried to make you sound like a floozy. -P

Floozy? -B

Whore? Tramp? Want me to get out my thesaurus? -P

No. But I like that you know what a thesaurus is and how to use it. -B

Why did you act jealous? -B

Because I was. -P

Why? -B

Because sometimes it feels like you like me best. -P

And it didn't feel like that this morning? -B

Not when you jumped into Jake's arms. -P

Jake is like a hot cousin. -B

Does that mean you're going to take him to prom? ;) -P

Always with Weevil's lines. ;) -B

No. It means I love Jake. I trust Jake. I will never be able to repay everything he's done for me. But I will never be in love with Jake. -B

Does he know that? -P

Yes. -B

So you do like me best? -P

Stop fishing for compliments. -B

Are you too shy to admit you like me best? -P

I'll see you tonight. I have bio now. -B

Coward. -P

They didn't finish their conversation that night, because when Paul arrived Bella was on the phone. She was pale and shaking like a leaf. He took one look at her and rushed over to listen in.

Leech. A girl. Cullen.

"Bella, are you still there?" the voice asked.

Bella leaned heavily on Paul. She was shaking badly now and she felt so cold. He wrapped himself around her as much as he could without laying took a deep breath in as she pressed her face into his chest.

"Yes, Alice, I'm here. Are you sure about the timing?"

"As sure as I can be. You know it all depends on people changing their minds. But she's bringing an army of newborns, Bella. We have to get you away."

"I can't leave here, Alice. What about Charlie? And what about everyone in Forks and La Push? It's not like an army of vampires will care about killing other people to get to me. I can't let that happen."

"Bella! Be reasonable!"

"Alice, no! I won't let everyone be slaughtered because of me! What happens if I decide to surrender to her?"

"No!" Both Alice and Paul shouted at once.

"Bella, who's there with you?" Alice demanded.

Bella looked up at Paul's eyes. He reached for the phone with a questioning look. She nodded and handed it to him.

"This is Paul Lahote of the La Push pack," Paul growled in a deep and authoritative voice.

"The La Push Pack?" Alice asked. "You mean the wolves are back? And Bella is around you all?"

"Please direct any further communication to our Alpha, Samuel Uley. Have your leader call him. He won't want to work with anyone but the original signatory to the treaty. His number is xxx-xxx-xxxx."

"Fine. I'll give Carlisle the message. I wasn't here when the treaty was signed. Can I talk to Bella again?" Alice asked forcefully.

Paul put his hand over the phone. "Do you want to speak with her again, or wait until after the leaders have talked?"

Bella took a deep breath and took the phone. "Alice, I will talk to you after Carlisle and Sam have a conversation. I don't want to step on the toes of the people who have been protecting me for the last year and a half."

"Bella, they're not people! They're animals! You're not safe around them!," Alice shouted.

"How dare you, Alice?" Bella said savagely. "They're not the ones who have to fight against their own nature every minute of every day to not suck me dry. They don't attack when I get a cut!"

Bella seemed to calm down. "Alice. I don't blame Jasper for that. He is what he is. I like him. I like... no. I loved all of you. But everything about my life is better now. Healthier. I'm healthier for being with the wolves. As weird as it sounds, they've reminded me what it is to be human. They've taken excellent care of me and have kept Victoria away from me for all these months. So don't ever say that I'm not safe with them."

"You're different, Bella," Alice said thoughtfully.

Bella laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah. I am." She looked into Paul's eyes. "I'll talk to you later, Alice."

Bella hung up the phone and whispered a quiet "Thanks" to Paul.

He pulled her back into his arms because she was shaking again. "I need to call Sam, but we need to get you warm. You're scaring me a little right now, Bella."

Paul effortlessly scooped her up and strode back into the couch where last night's blankets were still folded up. He sat down, grabbed a quilt and for the 2nd time in 24 hours tucked it in around her while pulling her into him. He ran his large, hot hands all over her back trying to use friction to help in the warming process.

"Did you mean what you said to the leech?" Paul asked. She was a hell of a lot healthier than she'd been when they'd been sent out to the forest to find her a year ago. And she wasn't as pale or flinchy as she was right after they left. But he'd never heard her say that she was healthier because of them.

"Which thing?" she said got out through chattering teeth. She hated being cold like this. She hated that her stupid body did this.

"That you're healthier. More human."

"Oh," Bella said. "Of course. You didn't really know me then. Like when I was with Edward. And right after. But I was this shadow. I practically ran the house for my Mom growing up. I was the grown up most of the time. And then I came here and Charlie had been a bachelor for so long HE didn't need me."

"You like to help people," he said. Yeah. She liked to help. That's what he was, too. Just another project. Someone for her to help. His mind was starting to go back to dark places when he smelled her tears. "Hey!" he crooned. "Hey, it's okay. I've got you, Bella. Shhh."

He was rocking her. Bella melted into him. Nuzzled her face into his chest and gripped on to the front of his t-shirt. Being with Paul like this felt so right. She wished she could touch him whenever she wanted and it didn't require a crisis. "The Cullens just started making decisions for me. About me. And I let them. It was so much easier for a time. But all of their decisions hurt people. Including me."

Paul was noticing how good she smelled. His nose was practically buried on top of her head and he rocked, and crooned, and inhaled, and then...kissed. Just a soft, caring kiss on top of her head.

Bella sighed and lifted her head back with a small smile. Paul tentatively brushed her hair off her forehead and placed slow kisses along her hairline. Forehead kisses were innocent, right? He'd never kissed in a caring or tender way, so this was new territory for him. He heard her heart start racing. "Are you okay?" he whispered, hoarsely.

Bella burst into a huge grin. "You know, you'd think the knowledge that there's a vampire army coming and a family of vampires, including my uber moody and undead ex, are about to come back to town would be more distressing. Right? But I am having a hard time thinking about that right now."

Paul was a little confused, until Bella threw her arms around him in a hug. "I love you, Paul." She gave both of his cheeks a smacking kiss, bit his chin, and climbed out of his lap. "C'mon, let's get up to Sam's. But bring your books, just in case. We'll study on the rez if there's down time."

Now Paul was a lot confused. She'd said she loved him. But then she jumped off of him. Okay. First she'd hugged and kissed him. THEN she'd jumped off of him. Paul was uncomfortable not knowing where he stood with a female.

She went into the kitchen to put her books in her backpack. "I need to leave a note for Charlie," she mumbled while tearing out a piece of notebook paper and grabbing a pencil.

"Just text him like a normal person," Paul said coming in from the living room.

"Oh, I will," Bella said, "But I always leave him a note if I won't be here when he gets home."

Paul watched as she wrote, "Love you, Dad" on the notebook paper and tacked it above the small table by the phone. It made something in Paul's chest clench. Nobody had ever written him a note like that. He'd heard the words "I love you" a few times from very drunk girls, but he knew they didn't mean anything to them or him. But Bella had just said it, too, hadn't she. And what the hell did that mean?

Bella turned around and seeing his face, misinterpreted the look there. "I have a lot to make up for with Charlie. I was horrible to him when the Cullens were part of my life. I always justified it to myself as for his own good. But that's bull. I did it because I wanted what I wanted...which was actually whatever Edward wanted. So I try to atone for it every day. I know Charlie loves me no matter what, but I want to be worthy of his love. So, even though I can't be entirely honest with him since I can't say anything about the pack, I try really hard in every other way."

She was looking down at her fingers as she twisted them nervously again. Paul put his larger, darker, warmer hand over them to still them. Bella looked up in question. "Let's go," was all he said before hoisting her backpack and his over his shoulder.

"Paul?" Bella whispered as he started to walk out the back door. "You really are the one I like best. My favorite."

Paul froze. His back to her. Oh, no. Had she said the wrong thing? Bella was suddenly afraid that she'd just ruined everything.

"I'm your favorite what?" Paul asked suspiciously.

Bella breathed nervously. "Um, my favorite wolf. My favorite human, most days. My favorite study buddy. My favorite hot guy….both literally and figuratively. Just my favorite," she shrugged. "But it's okay, if you don't feel like that. I just wanted you to know since you weren't sure this morning. Just like I don't want my Dad to wonder how I feel, I don't want you to have to wonder either."

"You're something else, Swan," Paul said, shaking his head. "Don't you have any sense of self-preservation?"

"I don't know what you mean…" but before she could finish the thought, Paul had dropped their bookbags with a thud and gathered her up in his arms again in a giant hug.

"You're my favorite human, too," he whispered into her hair. He smiled as she squeezed him tighter.