Paul and Riley walked in silence as they trekked through the woods towards Sam's house. She didn't bother with asking any questions since she knew she'd get the run down once they arrived. It was nice, the comfortable silence between the two of them. Riley was just happy to still be in the woods, it had been a while since she'd been surrounded by them for this long.

She takes note of the leaves and the underbrush, how the sun that managed to make it all the way to the forest floor was minimal. Off in the distance, she could make out a larger rock formation, and her heart ached when she tried to remember the last time she went climbing. Two months ago? Probably longer.

Riley also thought about how her father was going to wonder where she'd gone off too, but he had mentioned something about going to see Billy that night earlier, so maybe he'd be gone so long he wouldn't notice her absence. That, or he would just start drinking.

It had started out as a small habit, a beer before bed. That had been normal before, but now even Riley noticed how it was never just one beer. It was the whole six-pack, sometimes more.

The sound of paws hitting the ground caught her attention, and she turned her head just in time to see a streak of grey past them. Riley took note that the lower half of the wolf was almost white. "Embry." Paul told her, the name making her smile.

She spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the softness of the woods, but a grin spread across her lips as she spoke of her friend, "He kinda looks like you."

Paul rolls his eyes, "I'm bigger."

"Your ego is definitely bigger." She mumbles it under her breath, knowing he'll hear her anyways.

Paul laughs, "Your ego would be big too if you could phase into a giant wolf."

Riley's eyebrows draw together, "I don't think it would." There's a beat of silence before she points out, "No one else really has an ego, it's kinda just you." She pats his arm with her hand, "It's gotten better though."

"Jared used to have a big ego."

"Really?"

Paul nods, "Yep, wouldn't shut the fuck up about how cool he was." Riley decided she didn't like this old version of Jared.

"Well, I'm glad he grew out of it." Her chest tightens a little at the sight of Sam and Emily's house as they made their way out of the woods into their backyard.

Kim and Emily can be seen through the kitchen window, the two of them laughing as Emily takes something out of the oven. "Chicken night." Paul tells her, practically drooling. Riley's phone buzzes in her pocket and she fishes it out, seeing a text from her dad.

He's asking where she is, and she drafts a quick lie that she decided to have dinner with Kim. Paul reads it over her shoulder and calls her out, "Liar."

"You really don't want to see how he would react if I told him I was with you," Paul deflates slightly at the comment, "plus it's not really a lie, Kim is here." She points it out happily, making one end of his mouth tug upwards.

Paul's arm goes around her shoulders as he pulls her in closer for a moment, "I'm making a rebel outta you, Ransom." Riley doesn't reply to the endearment and there's an awkward moment where Paul wonders if he's crossed the line too soon. He's saved though by Seth, who bounds out of the house and onto the back porch.

Embry is hanging onto his shoulder, a wicked grin on his face, "See! I told you they made up."

"Ugh," Seth is beaming, "Best day ever."

Jared shoves past them, rolling his eyes, "Thanks Riles," He pats her shoulder, "Now we all don't have to suffer, we thought listening to Jake throw a pity party about Bella was bad?" He opens his mouth again to speak, but Paul shoves him before he can get out another word.

Everyone makes their way inside and Riley immediately heads for the kitchen, only pausing briefly to give Sam a hug on her way by. She greets Kim and Emily, holding onto each of them just a bit longer than normal. As she sits at the counter, she keeps glancing between Emily and Sam and then Kim and Jared.

They all seem happy, genuinely happy together and so in love. But it was the imprint, Riley told herself, the imprint started it all. Maybe that was a better way to look at it, the imprint was just the start, it wasn't the whole thing. She's looking over at Paul when a soft hand on her shoulder makes her jump, "He told you, didn't he?"

It's Emily. Riley notices that she's touching her scars, one of the first people to do so. It makes her feel normal, "He did." She confirms, knowing she's noticed where Riley's attention has been since she arrived.

"Well then," Emily picks up a tray of baked chicken, offering it out to Riley to go set on the table, "now you're really part of the pack." Her words make Riley blush slightly and she ducks her head to hide it. Emily lifts it back up by putting a finger under her chin, "Now we just need to get you back to acting like yourself again." Kim smiles from her spot by the sink, "Go set that out, they'll start rioting soon if we're not quick." She gives Riley's shoulder a squeeze, officially sending her off.

Riley smiles at the sight of all the boys in the living room. Her mind is quick to correct her though, Jacob's missing. But still, Seth and Quil are fighting over the second armchair as Sam occupies the other. Paul and Jared, as usually, are side by side on the couch, with Embry already resigned to a spot on the floor. Leah rolls her eyes from her spot on the wall beside the empty table. "Where're Collin and Brady?" Riley asks as she sets down the chicken. The sound of a plate being put down draws everyone's attention.

"Patrol." Embry says, his eyebrows raised, "Are we cleared to eat?"

Kim walks in with a basket of rolls, "Not yet, ladies first, you know the rules." Kim smirks as she walks around to the front of the table and grabs a plate before handing it to Riley, "You're the guest of honor again."

"Lucky me." Riley feels suddenly smaller as she feels everyone's eyes on her, but she goes through the line quickly, only filling up about a third of her plate before taking a seat on the couch. Kim soon joins her, choosing not to comment on the small portions her friend took. She didn't think fixing things with Paul would instantly make her completely better, but she was hoping Riley would at least eat more.

Paul isn't shy though, and he drops another piece of chicken and an additional roll onto Riley's plate before he sits down in front of her on the floor. "Paul." Her voice is barely audible.

"You're gunna eat all of it." His tone leaves no room for argument. The rest of the group makes their way in, Embry and Quil droning on about how lame it is that school starts up again in five weeks. "It's your last year," Paul chimes in, "You don't really have to do anything."

"Some of us care about grades." Embry points out.

Paul shrugs, taking a large chunk out of his chicken, "Your problem."

Riley slaps his shoulder, "Ew, don't talk with your mouth full."

"I've been telling him that for years." Emily smirks from across the room, the whole room chuckling at her comment.

It's quite for a few minutes while everyone eats, then Sam clears his throat, "Before we get started, has anyone heard from Jacob?"

Yes, Riley thinks, but she keeps her mouth shut. If Jacob wanted to talk to the pack, he'd contact them himself. For that reason, she chooses to respect his privacy and not tell the rest of them. Sam sighs at the lack of response, "He'll show up eventually." It's Jared who makes the comment, "Jake can take care of himself, we all know that."

"Yes, but we need him for when they change Bella."

"What?" Riley interrupts, "Change Bella?"

"Into a vamp." Leah spits out the words, "Leech lover wants to be one of them, that's the plan for after the wedding, is to change her."

"Does she want that?"

"It was her idea." Jared growls.

Riley's brows furrow, "I mean, I don't see the appeal at all, but if it's her choice…" She trails off.

"No." Sam tells her, "It's still breaking the treaty, they aren't allowed to change anyone. Once Edward bites her, we'll be at war."

Oh. That changes things a little bit. "Newborn vampires," Sam speaks to her like one of her teachers, "They can't control themselves, they're unpredictable. They're strongest then too, Bella could kill dozens of people in a single night without thought." And she seemed so nice, Riley thinks to herself. Now she understood why Jacob had run away.

"So, if Bella changes her mind and doesn't get changed, everything's fine?" Sam nods.

Paul's next words surprise her, "We should just run the Cullens out of town now. They taught us how to fight their kind, we could do it."

"We need Jacob."

Paul rolls his eyes, "No, we don't."

"I don't want to fight them." It's Seth. Sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the muted television, "Since the fight," Riley wonders what fight he's referring too and makes a mental note to ask Paul later, "they're our friends."

"You're friends." Paul snarls, small tremors shaking his shoulders. Riley reaches down, putting a hand on him and they stop instantly. He takes a breath, "Not all of us love them."

Seth's next words are risky, and they make Riley grip Paul's shoulder harder to remind him she's there and to keep it together, "Without Carlisle, Riley would probably be dead." Her grip breaks as he lounges forwards, a snarl passing his lips as he shoves Seth, quite literally, through the television. Kim puts as arm around Riley, pulling her into her side.

"Enough!" The alpha tone makes chills run down Riley's arms and her jaw drops as Paul stops instantly, his fist raised in the arm but refusing to come down to make impact against Seth. There's that look in his eyes again, the fury and rage that Riley's only seen a handful of times. Sam, who's standing now, looks down at Seth, "They may have been allies once, but the treaty still stands. They break it, we attack." There's a beat of silence, "All of us."

In that moment, Riley really wished that Jacob was there. He seemed like the one who was supposed to really tell her what her role in all of this was. Sam wouldn't say it aloud, she knew that. Paul wouldn't either, she knew the Cullens coming after her was something he never wanted to think about. But would they? If there was a war between the families?

Could Carlisle really stoop so low as to go after the imprints if they had to defeat the pack? Riley didn't think so, but then again, she also knew it would be effective.

She half watched as Seth removed himself from the shards of glass that now littered the floor, "You're cleaning that." Emily pointed to Paul.

He at least had the decency to look embarrassed, "Yes ma'am," He glanced back at his imprint, not liking the look that was on her face, "I'll buy a new one too."

Riley stood up, taking plates from Jared and Kim before making her way to the kitchen. She wordlessly started cleaning dishes at the sink. She could feel when Paul was behind her, "I'm sorry about that."

"You didn't need to shove Seth." Her words are short, her actions choppy.

"I know, but when it comes to you-"

"You don't pin this on me." She was calm in her interruption, more careful about her own temper.

"But it's the truth." Riley stops cleaning, putting the brush and plate down to turn to face him. Taking a step forward, she rests a hand on the side of his face, "If anything happened to you."

"I'm going to be fine." She assures him, "And Seth is one of my best friends. You never have to attack one of your brothers, for anything." He's looking down, "Look at me." His eyes raise and she smiles, "Go clean up the TV." Paul smiles back, leaning quickly to press a kiss to her cheek, making her blush.

He's gone quickly, Kim and Leah replacing him in the kitchen. They all chat idly about school coming up as they finish cleaning. Riley tells them about the checkup she has soon with Carlisle, hopefully she'll be cleared soon to go back to life as normal. She smiles even wider when she talks about going climbing again.

All too soon it's time to leave and Riley doesn't think twice about Paul offering to drive her home. On the ride back, her mind wanders. She wants to talk to Bella about everything, hear her side of the story. Her appointment with Carlisle gives her an idea on how to do that. "Riley?"

She looks over at Paul, "Is something wrong?" He asks, glancing away from the road for a second, "You're quiet."

"Just thinking." She tells him.

"About?"

"Nothing, really." His grip on the steering wheel tightens a little, because clearly, she's thinking of something important. But he just got her back, so he doesn't push it. "It was nice seeing you again."

The air around them is awkward, "Yeah." He's not sure what else to say. The rest of the ride is awkward but he smiles at the barking he can hear once his truck stops. "Can I see him?"

"I don't think that's the best idea." She chuckles nervously, "My dad's really not a fan of you right now."

Paul's smile falls, "Yeah, that makes sense."

"I'll talk to him." She promises, grinning shyly at Paul as she gets out of his truck.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" He asks hopefully.

Riley pauses, thinking for a few moments, "I'm working the morning shift, company would be nice."

He has patrol all night, but he's not going to pass up any time with her. Not right now, "I'll be there." They smile at one another before she closes the door, Paul idling in the street until she's made it all the way inside.

Pippen greets her at the door, his tail wagging even faster as he picks up Paul's scent, "You said you were with Kim." It's her father, sitting in his armchair in the living room.

"I was," Riley walks over to face him, her dog by her side, "then we decided to go to the Uley's house. Emily invited us." It's just close enough to the truth that Riley can pull the lie off.

"Did you know he'd be there?" He nods his head towards the front, "I don't like him. All I've seen is him hurting you."

"It won't happen again." She tells him then clarifies a beat later, "Paul hurting me."

"You don't know that." His tone gives away what he's thinking. He's thinking she's being naïve. And maybe he's right, but Riley knows Paul won't ever hurt her like he already has. Not again.

He won't hurt her intentionally either, so her words come out strong, "I do."

Her dad lets out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Let me be more clear." He starts then looks up slowly, "I don't want you seeing him."

Pippen whines from her side, nudging her hand repeatedly until Riley starts to pet him, "That's my choice."

"You're sixteen years old!" He's using what she always called his 'military voice'. It's loud and she's sure that any of the pack nearby on patrol can hear.

"Almost seventeen."

Her dad raises his voice at her comment, "Don't be a smartass, Riley."

"I'm not!" She snaps, her tone instantly lowers when she speaks again, "I'm making a point, I'm almost an adult."

"Almost." He focuses on that, "Not yet." Neither of them says a word for several minutes, Riley's shoulders tight, her dad's brow furrowed. Then, after a while, he just says, "Go to bed."

Riley's explaining how her people used to hunt whales to a small group of tourists when Paul arrives the next morning. Pippen is up instantly, bounding over to him with his tail going a mile a minute. Riley smirks, finishing up her tale a bit faster than usual. Paul's standing by her side at the end, so to be polite, she introduces him, "This is Paul, he" she grins, "works for the tribe council."

"Oh!" A younger girl exclaims, her eyes going up and down his body, "What do you do?" She is close to Paul's age, definitely older than Riley, and seemed like she could start drooling at any moment.

His arm goes around Riley's shoulders, "Security." His gaze meets Riley's, and she can instantly see that he's exhausted. He smiles, the girl lets out a huff, and the rest of them thank Riley for her time. As soon as they're gone, his shoulders slump forwards. Riley catches his eye, "I had the overnight shift."

Riley frowns, "You could've stayed home."

"I wanted to see you."

"We could've met up later."

"I have to go buy a TV later."

She chuckles, "That's right, you do." Riley walks behind the counter, grabbing a dust rag before moving over to a display in the far room. Paul and Pippen follow, both watching her, "That girl really liked you." Riley points out.

"What girl?" Riley rolls her eyes, her movements stilling when he puts his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them softly, "I don't care about any other girls."

She just stands there for a minute, not saying anything, until suddenly, "What if I leave the reservation?" Riley turns in his arms, "To go to college." It's something she thought of last night while she was struggling to fall asleep.

"Well," he shrugs, "Right now, I can't leave." She frowns, "But we don't know what it'll be like in two years, maybe I could leave then."

Riley just nods, not looking at him as she mumbles more news, "My dad doesn't want me seeing you."

The news didn't seem to come as a shock, "Makes sense." Paul sighs, sinking down against the wall till he's sitting on the floor. Pippen is by his side in an instant, the large dog shoving his head in Paul's lap. "Any ideas on how to fix that?"

"I can talk to him again," Her sentence trails off, making him look up at her, "Or you could."

"What would I even say? I can't tell him the truth."

"I don't know, you'd have to figure that out." Paul rolls his eyes, "Maybe Sam would have some ideas."

"I'm not going to Sam for relationship advice." His eyes slip closed.

"Why not? Sam's engaged, and besides it's not really relationship advice it's more, how to lie to a girl's dad advice."

"And you're still picking Sam?"

"Yes," she says it like it's the most obvious choice, "He's your leader." Paul laughs because he really can't argue with that logic.

"Okay, I'll ask Sam what he thinks later."

"Good." Paul's eyes open when he feels her next to him, "You need to rest."

Paul lets his head fall to the side, landing gently on her shoulder, "I am." He ignores how she tenses up at his touch. It'll take time. That's what he tells himself. But he can still hear her heartbeat pick up and smell the difference in her chemical pheromones. The things she can't control that give it away. She's still afraid.

How much time? That's what he wanted to know, needed to know. Paul lets his eyes open again and he turns his head slightly, pressing a kiss to the scar that's just behind her shoulder. They'll get better, he promises himself, he'll get better.

Once again, sorry it's a bit short but I felt like the upcoming events need their own chapter (and I wanted to get something up hahaha). Thank you so much again to everyone who's favorited, followed, and/or reviewed! You guys are great, I picked this story back up just for you.

And now for a shameless self-plug (two actually): first of all. I've got an archive of our own account (same pen name) and am currently writing a HG piece that I actually really love. It's a rewrite of something I did eight years ago and it's definitely a darker vibe and will be pretty intense. If y'all wanna check it out, I highly encourage that! It's titled "Redirection" and the first two chapters are up now.

Secondly. For those in America. My heart breaks for you. What has happened is not okay, we, American women, are not free. Things will get worse from here, so take a stand for what you believe in, and stand together.