The Painful Truth
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you all so much for the great feedback about the Paul situation! Most of you seemed to agree that his punishment was deserved, but didn't want him left out in the cold forever. I think it's time Bella stepped up to the plate, don't you? ;)
Part Twenty Five
Bella was worried about Jacob. He was running himself ragged trying to keep on top of things. With Paul no longer part of the pack it meant that they were one wolf down, and Jacob, instead of delegating, tried to take up the slack all alone. He was doing twice the patrol shifts that his brothers were. They protested, they were as concerned as Bella, but Jacob stubbornly refused to listen. He was the leader now. He had to protect Bella and their lands. No one could dissuade him. Not even Sam, who had finally returned to the fold after being tracked down by Leah. He was living apart from Emily for the moment, but they were trying to work things out. She was still his imprint after all, and her wellbeing mattered to him greatly. He had asked Emily for space and she had granted it. She loved Sam deeply and didn't want to see him suffer, but it tore her up inside to be apart from him.
"Jake, you can't go on like this." Bella watched as Jacob fell on his bed. His eyes were already closing. There were dark circles underneath them. He had been patrolling for fourteen hours straight without a rest. He had come home, exhausted. Bella wanted him to eat something, but he was too tired to even do that.
"Just come and lay next to me, honey." Jacob mumbled as he flung out one arm toward her. "I can sleep better with you beside me."
Bella knew there was no point in arguing. She wished he had enough energy left to at least eat something, but not tonight. She would make sure that he ate a big meal when he woke up instead. Bella climbed onto the bed next to Jacob and snuggled into his side as he wrapped his strong arm around her. He smiled at her tiredly before closing his eyes and falling instantly asleep. Bella lay facing him. She reached out and traced her fingers gently over his beloved face. He was so beautiful, and so determined to do right by everyone that he was forgetting about his own wellbeing. The others had come to her, concerned that he was pushing himself too hard. They hoped that she would be able to use her influence over Jacob and make him accept their help. But even her charms didn't work. Jacob still stubbornly refused to listen. "Oh, sweetheart." Bella whispered. "You can't do it all."
The door to Jacob's bedroom opened slightly and Charlie stepped inside. He was used to seeing his daughter share Jacob's bed now. She had given up all pretence of sleeping in the twin's room, and to her relief Charlie had not protested. He seemed to have come to terms with the fact that she was in a relationship with Jacob, and had put aside his qualms about them moving too fast. In fact he now slept in the twin's room instead of camping out in the front room. There had been no more talk about them finding a house to rent on the res. It seemed that they would stay at the Black's for the duration, at least until life had returned to normal. Bella prayed that would be sooner rather than later.
"Hey, kiddo." Charlie kept his voice low. "I thought I heard Jake come in. Is there any news?" He asked hopefully.
"He was too tired to talk." Bella brushed her hand over Jacob's silky hair.
"That boy needs to take a break." Charlie echoed what everyone else had been saying. "Billy is getting very worried."
"I know. We all are. But you know how stubborn he can be." Bella shrugged helplessly.
"I'm worried about you too, Bells." Charlie hunkered down next to the bed. "You haven't been resting much either."
"I know…I just worry so much when he's out there. I can't sleep or sit still." Bella confessed.
"I know, kiddo." Charlie said quietly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll let you rest now. I just wanted to tell you I'm on a night shift tonight. I won't be back until the morning."
"Be careful, dad." Bella's anxiety kicked up a notch. She hated that her father had to leave the safety of the reservation to go to work. One of the wolves would follow him, but they couldn't go with him when he had a call out.
"I'll be fine. Get some sleep." Charlie stood up and headed back toward the door. "Night, Bells."
"Goodnight, dad." Bella watched sadly as Charlie crept out of the room and shut the door. Even though she badly needed sleep, her mind kept working overtime. So much about their situation made no sense. They had little information, only a gut feeling that trouble was coming their way. They needed something more concrete to go on. Bella knew the only ones who might be able to provide answers were the Cullen's, but Jacob still refused to engage with them. Bella had tried to persuade him to listen to what the coven had to say, but Jacob was determined to keep them at a distance. Bella would never think about going behind Jacob's back to contact them, she knew it would hurt him deeply if she did that. But there was something she could do. She needed to get Paul Lahote back into the fold. With another wolf to pick up some of the slack, it would give Jacob more time to rest and think clearly. The only problem was how to achieve this without Jacob and Paul coming to blows. Bella lay awake for hours making plans, and as dawn spread its early light over La Push, she finally had an idea.
Bella had never been to Paul's house before. She didn't really know much about his life outside of the pack. Jacob had told her once that Paul's father was a loser. He had walked out on his family when Paul was very young. Allison his mother, worked long hours to make ends meet. So a lot of the time Paul was left to his own devices. He had been getting into a lot of trouble at school just before he phased. Turning into a wolf had saved him. The discipline and feeling of brotherhood had calmed the hot head down and given him focus. But he had always struggled to take orders, and was good at holding onto resentment. It was this part of his nature which had led to his banishment. As Bella approached the dilapidated house that Paul lived in with his mother, she pondered the best way to approach him. She was far from his favourite person, and she wondered whether he would even speak to her, but she had to try.
Bella jogged up the porch steps and knocked on the front door, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves as she did so. She could hear loud music blaring inside the house, so she knocked louder, thumping her curled fist against the worn wood. Eventually the music was turned down. She didn't hear footsteps, if it was Paul he could move silently like the others, so Bella was startled when the door was abruptly opened and Lahote appeared. "What the fuck are you doing here, princess?" He sneered. "I thought I could smell leech stench."
"Charming as ever." Bella forced her voice to remain calm. The biggest part of her plan was not to show weakness in front of Paul, she knew he would feed on it. She had to remain strong under his barrage of insults. "We need to talk."
Paul laughed bitterly. "We really don't." He began to close the door but Bella placed herself in the doorway so he couldn't shut it in her face.
"Get out of here." Paul raised his hand as if to shove her backwards, but he seemed to think better of it and let his arm fall back to his side. "I want you to leave." He said instead.
"No, I can't." Bella's nails dug into her palms as she fought back her nerves. "I know you hate me. That's your right and I'm not going to change your mind. In fact I don't really like you much either."
Paul's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms across his chest defensively. "I couldn't give a shit what you think about me."
"Clearly." Bella continued. "But despite what we think about each other, you are part of the family, and you need to come back with me and make things right."
"Family? This isn't the fucking Brady bunch." Paul looked at Bella in disbelief.
"No, it's the wolf pack, and you are part of it. You need to come and speak to Jacob. Apologise for what you did. Explain to him what made you do it. You are not malicious, Paul. I know you were struggling with your assignments. And I think I know why."
"You know nothing." Paul snarled. "You're a spoiled princess who thinks she can manipulate everyone around her. You did it with the vamps and now you're doing it with the pack. I can see right through you. You'll string Jacob along while it suits you, then you'll dump him as soon as you get bored. People have died because of your selfishness…..Riley and Bree just being two of the latest victims."
Tears pricked at Bella's eyes as his harsh words hit her where it hurt. She couldn't deny that it was her past actions that had caused poor Riley and his innocent sister to lose their lives. She would never stop feeling guilty about that. But there was nothing she could do to change the past. It was now that mattered. "You're right, Paul. I am responsible for their deaths. It's all on me, and I have to live with that knowledge every day of my life. But I'm here now, pleading with you to make things right, because I don't want anyone else to die because of my stupidity. The pack needs you. You need them. Don't let your hatred for me cause more tragedy. Put aside your pride and reunite with your family. Please." She hadn't meant to beg, but the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She stood in front of Paul, her emotions open and raw. She was crying now, she didn't bother to hide it.
Bella's little speech had taken the wind out of Paul's sails. His anger died down and he gazed at her with a perplexed expression. He had never seen her like this before. His interactions with her had usually been frosty and forced. But she stood here now, practically begging, allowing him to see how deeply she felt about the fractured relationship between him and the pack. She hadn't made excuses, she hadn't run when he had accused of her being the reason Riley and Bree had died. He grudgingly admired her inner strength. "Alright." He said eventually.
Bella's heart began to pound in her chest as she looked at him hopefully. "You'll come back with me and make things right with Jake." She checked.
"I'll say what I need to." Paul replied coolly.
"Okay." Bella felt relief wash through her. At least he was agreeing to talk to Jacob. She just hoped Jacob would listen and not be mad at her for going behind his back. She turned away and began to walk down the porch steps.
"Does he know you came here to see me?" Paul called after her, making her pause.
"No." Bella twisted around to look back at him.
"I won't tell him." Paul said quietly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You go home and I'll be along later to speak to him."
"You don't need to do that." Bella was surprised at this concession. She thought Paul would have revelled in his victory over her. But instead he appeared as tired as she felt inside.
Paul shrugged. "You're right. I want my family back…and it seems you're gonna be a part of it whether I like it or not."
Bella fought back her tears as she tried to keep her expression composed. "Yes, you better get used to it."
"Whatever." Paul muttered as he turned away and shut the door.
Bella smiled.
A/N-thanks for reading!
