Chapter 6 – Worth It

Olivia felt Jared grab her waist and slowly moved her behind him as he growled ferociously at Paul. "How dare you…"

Olivia grabbed Jared's arm. "Jared don't…It's not worth it. He's pathetic."

Paul growled. "I'm pathetic? My girl and my best friend are screwing around. I wonder what Kim would say Jared."

Jared's growl deepened. "She would say 'Hey Paul you're a pathetic asshole who left your imprint behind because you was a fuckin coward.' Or some other different versions like that."

Paul snarled. "Or I'm sure she'd say 'Jared's not man enough to satisfy me anymore, Paul why don't you come fuck me senseless.' I think that sounds more realistic."

Paul said it intentionally just to rile up Jared and it worked. Jared jumped off the porch and phased in midair, Paul who hadn't phased in two years suddenly burst into wolf form as the two former best friends began attacking each other.

"Paul! Jared! Stop it! This is ridiculous." Olivia knew she was pretty much just talking to dead air. They were pissed at each other for entirely different reasons and they wouldn't get over it until they'd wolfed out on their macho side and got their physicality done and over with.

After an hour of teeth snapping at each other and claws digging into fur, Paul pinned Jared's head to the ground with one paw and his body with another paw as he nipped at Jared's tail and tugged on it just to goat him. Jared's back paws were digging into the earth trying to get out from underneath Paul's boy weight, but nothing was budging.

Olivia sighed heavily as she walked over and grabbed a hunk of Paul's neck fur and yanked as hard as she could. "STOP IT!"

Paul yelped as he blindly turned and snapped his teeth out at whoever had pulled his fur; fully thinking it was one of his pack brothers; he'd been too busy tormenting Jared in his head to hear the voice attached to whatever had yanked on his fur roughly. His eyes widened when he noticed his empty clenched jaws were mere inches from Olivia's face.

"DON'T YOU DARE SNAP YOUR TEETH AT ME PAUL LAHOTE!" Olivia scolded. "That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my entire life! And I haven't been alive that long; that should tell you something. I don't know if being away from La Push has somehow demented your brain and lessened your IQ points, but I would NEVER do anything as stupid and selfish as sleeping with one of my best friend's husbands. I'm not some common gutter slut dick hopping around La Push and I'm not a pack whore who tries to fuck the other guys in the pack. I can't even believe you think so little of me. I can't believe you'd even think I'd do something that low and disgusting." Olivia shook her head. "And I'm supposed to be your imprint." She shook her head negatively again.

Olivia turned to go back inside the house, and stopped half way to the porch before she turned around. "And get OFF of Jared asshole! He's your best friend; how dare you treat him like some common mutt." Her eyes turned down to Jared who was still trying to fight his way out from underneath Paul's weight. "Jared. Go home to Kim. I'm sure she's worried that you're going to relapse." Olivia turned and went into the house; closing the door behind her.

'Relapse? What the hell is she talking about? Relapse for what?' Paul questioned.

Jared growled. 'You know when you left four years ago - you didn't leave just Olivia; you left everyone…including me. We've been best friends since birth practically. We've been through phasing and newborn fights and even when we both imprinted. I don't have a single childhood or teenage memory that doesn't have you in it. My adult memories leave a little more to be desired. I have the memories of your son being born and us almost losing Olivia from depression of you leaving to complications from the pregnancy. You missed my damn wedding. You were supposed to be my best man and you weren't even here for it.'

Jared finally got some leverage and got Paul off of him as he stood up straight and glared at his ex-best friend. That left a bad taste in his mouth and made his heart hurt a little more. 'All my adult memories are filled with holes where you should've been; but you wasn't. I nearly lost Kim because of you. I was so busy worrying about my best friend and pack brother; that I forgot how to act like a protector and a fiancé. And where were you? Who the fuck knows? Because you bitched out on your own pack brothers and family; fuck, screw your pack brothers and family; you bitched out on your own imprint and son. You're a lame ass piece of shit Lahote and I'm ashamed to have called you my best friend for so many years.'

Paul watched as Jared shook out his fur and took off through the trees, never looking back and blocking Paul from the remainder of his thoughts.

Paul's blackened eyes looked towards the small house. He sighed heavily as he walked over to the driver's side door of his pick up and grabbed the handle with his mouth and was able to maneuver it open as he phased back; he grabbed his spare set of jeans and a t-shirt, he grabbed his spare sneakers and slipped his feet into them.

Olivia's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she watched a completely naked Paul get dressed; she was pretty sure he didn't realize the driver side door to his truck was facing her house, but shielding him from anyone who drive by. Wow he still had the BEST backside she'd ever seen; naked or clothed. She was almost half temped to run out and attack him, but had to pretend her feet were nailed to the floor. She watched as he turned and headed to the front door. She knew he couldn't help coming to the door, no doubt he had more he wanted to say to her.

Olivia opened the front door and closed it behind her as she stepped out onto the porch. "What do you want Paul?"

Paul shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Clearly we have a kid together; I can't ignore that. I would like to get to know him."

Olivia scoffed. "Oh you can't ignore our kid but you can ignore me for four years? That felt good really."

Paul frowned. "That's not what I said or what I meant. Livy if I could take it all back I would, but I can't say I would do things differently. I realize that I saved your life that day and unbeknownst to either of us, I saved our son too. But the guilt of killing a human being ate away at me. I spent two years in wolf form Olivia, because I didn't know what to do with myself. I contemplated going to Charlie Swan and turning myself in for killing him. I know he was a monster, but he was a different kind of monster; one I never had training against; one I didn't know how to handle. Killing a human being in cold blood is a lot more different then killing a vampire and I realize the two were one in the same that day, but you have no idea what it felt like to kill someone and have their blood matted in your fur, with little pieces of his flesh stuck between your teeth. I felt his heart stop beating when I clamped my jaws around it through his chest cavity. Vampires are already dead. I took a human life Olivia and there's no way to undo what I did."

Olivia shook her head. "I can't imagine what you had to go through or what you even went through. I can't get inside your head like your pack brothers. But I was your imprint; you know you guys spend a lot of time telling your imprints that you'll protect them at any cost and that you will be whatever we want. You protected me from a monster and granted it wasn't a conventional monster that you're used to; he was still a monster nonetheless. I can't even fathom what he would've done had you not shown up. I don't know what happened in your mind to cause you to run from me and from La Push. I just wish you would've put a little faith in me. I would've done anything to help you through it and not just because you saved my life, but because I loved you so much."

Olivia blinked and couldn't stop the tears. "I thought we were going to get married after graduation and start a family and just live happily ever after. Instead, I have my boyfriend's baby nine months after he disappears and suddenly four years later he pops up like nothing ever happened. I really wish you wouldn't have run from me – from us; from everyone and everything that was important to you."

Paul's frown deepened. "I will make it up to you Olivia, I swear on my life. I'll make it up to you and to our son. I don't care how long it takes or what the cost. I will make it up to you. I never stopped loving you Livy; never."

Olivia whipped her eyes. "Well then you need to extend your love to your son; because right now he's the most important person in my life. He knows about you because I couldn't stop showing your picture to him. He asks about you all the time; I just didn't have any answers for him."

Paul nodded. "I would want any kids we have to be the most important people in our lives, so I understand. I take it Emily stays with her when you're at work?"

"I work at a hair salon in Forks, ten hours a day four days a week, which leaves three days for me to go crazy with Jr. I love spending my days off with him; you have no idea how remarkable he is. He's the most amazing four year old and he's so smart…so smart. He loves and adores all his uncles and aunts. The guys are constantly telling him stories about when you were younger. And your mom, she absolutely can't get enough of him. She said he reminds her of you at that age." Olivia couldn't stop smiling when she talked about Jr.

Paul watched as she pushed the front door open slightly and grabbed something as she turned and held out a stack of five DVD cases. "Here; get to know your son, get to know the amazing little man we created and brought into the world." She started to go in the house as she stopped and looked back at Paul. "And you might want to go and talk to Jared. He took your disappearing act almost as hard as me."

Paul nodded in understanding as he turned and got in his truck. He definitely had his work cut out for him. But if he could get his imprint and son into his life and get his pack brothers back then it would all be worth it.