Chapter 6

No matter how much I tried to distract myself at Sam and Emily's, I still couldn't stop thinking about Bella. It was virtually impossible.

"Think about Bella again, Pauly?" Jared teased from the other side of the room.

I growled at him and through a cushion at him.

"Touché" Embry grinned. He got a cushion in his face too.

My phone started to ring before I could start strangling and I picked it up. Bella's name flashed on the screen and I grinned inwardly.

"Uh-oh, girlfriend alert" Emily whispered and the others laughed, I scowled at them.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" I asked.

"Okay, I'm probably being paranoid, but I think someone's been in my house and taken some of my stuff" Bella whispered, panic and fear weaving in and out of her voice, I stiffened instantly. "Stuff with my scent on it."

"On my way" I said shortly.

"Thank you" she breathed and hung up.

"Paul, what is it?" Sam demanded, taking in my expression.

"Someone's been in Bella's house and taken stuff with her scent on, and I willing to bet anything that that person was a vampire" I growled. "I'm there now."

"I'll come with you" Sam said, standing up.

"I'll call Billy and get him to call Charlie to ask him to go on a fishing trip with him" Emily said, picking up the phone and dialling his number. "At least that'll get him out of the house."

"Thank you" I told her gratefully and I and Sam ran outside before facing.

Once we were there, we made sure Charlie was gone before I rang the doorbell.

"Come in, Paul!" Bella said barely raising her voice with fear.

"Are you okay?" I said urgently, rushing into the room and to her side in record time.

"Physically" she whispered, shaking slightly "fine."

"Alright, Paul, you stay here with Bella and I'll go and investigate" Sam said. How the hell he can sound so calm when we're in this shit is beyond me. "Bella, where's the intruder's scent the worst?"

"I don't know" she admitted. Of course, with her weak senses and all. "I guess it would be my bedroom, I think. That is where all my stuff has gone missing."

Sam's eyes narrowed at the same time as mine did. He didn't like that anymore than I did. Sometimes it amuses me how protective he is of Bella and the other imprints, like they're his little sisters.

"I'll just be a minute" he murmured and ran upstairs.

I sat her down at the table and wrap my arms around her waist, reassuring myself that she wasn't in harm's way right now.

"Well" said Sam as he came back into the room with his nose wrinkled in disgust "the scent was easy enough to catch. It reeks!"

"I'll buy some air freshener" Bella muttered, her eyes fixed on the wall in front of her.

"Come on" I murmured in her ear, pulling her up. "We need to go to Sam and Emily's house so we can figure this out."

She nodded stiffly. "How are we getting there?"

"We're gonna have to run" Sam answered her apologetically. "You'll ride of Paul."

"Okay" was all she said.

"You're huge" Bella muttered to me as I came out to her in my wolf form. And I knelt down her to get on, I barked out a laugh and she rolled her eyes at me.

When we got there, the rest of the pack was already there. We entered to see Emily leaning against the counter, Jared, with Kim sitting on his lap, on wooden chairs and Jacob was sitting on an armchair that was tucking up in the corner. I pulled Bella to the sofa and sat down next to her. Emily walked towards us and sat down next to Bella, putting an arm around her. I took one of her hands tightly in both of mine, trying to calm her down. Sam moved over in front of us, leaning against the wall. The only two people who were missing were Quil and Embry who were tracking the scent.

"Okay" Sam said "let's look at this logically. What are the possibilities?"

"Victoria?" Jared suggested.

Sam shook his head. "It wasn't a scent I recognised."

"It doesn't make sense" Emily objected. "If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, you guys would know about it. He- or she- had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie, for that matter."

Bella cringed into me at her father's name.

"It's going to be fine, Bell" Emily murmured, smoothing her hair and Bella tried to relax.

"But was the point, then?" Kim wanted to know, looking frighten, even with Jared's arm wrapped protectively around her.

"Checking to see if I'm still, maybe" Bella suggested.

"What" Jared asked sharply. Took the words right out of my fucking mouth. What the hell indeed?

"When i was with Eddie, I was to become a vampire because no human is supposed to know about vampires. So they were going to change me at graduation."

Everyone in the room winced, apart from Bella. She looked indifferent. I had came that close to losing her and I didn't even know it.

"Possibly" Sam admitted reluctantly.

Suddenly, Embry burst through the front door with right behind him, making Bella jump. I rubbed soothing circles on her hand, willing her to calm down.

"Long gone, hours ago" Quil announced, sounding disappointed. "The trail went East, then South, and then disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting."

"That was bad luck" Jared muttered. "I wouldn't mind giving the leech a piece of my mind." You and me both, bro.

Bella winced again, and Emily rubbed her shoulder.

"Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it's a coincidence..." Kim began quietly, but stopped when she saw our incredulous expression. "I don't mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick Bella's house to visit at random. I mean that maybe someone was just curious. Your scents are all around her. Was he wondering what draws you there? Or maybe wondering what the awful smell was?"

"Why wouldn't he just come her, then? If he was curious?" I demanded.

"You would" Emily said, giving me a fond smile. "The others aren't always so direct. There are a great number of you- he or she might be frightened. But Charlie wasn't harmed. This doesn't have to be an enemy."

I watched Bella's lips move, but I couldn't quite tell what she was saying. She shrugged out of Emily's arms and walked towards the window, staring out with a glazed expression on her face.

"We'll extend our perimeter" Sam said. "And we can split up evenly now that Quil has joined, so we can..."

"No!" Bella cut him off sharply, spinning around the face us all again. Her expression was a mixture of horror and worry. When will she stop worrying about us? "I can't put you guys at risk because of me. I'm leaving."

"No!" I said, jumping up in horror. It was like someone had ripped open my chest and yanked out my heart before tearing it to pieces. It was almost unbearable.

"Think of Charlie, Bella" Sam tried to reason. "Think of him if you disappeared."

"I am thinking of Charlie!" Bella shouted. "He's the one I'm worried about along with you guys. What if my little guest had happened to be thirsty last night? What if Victoria suddenly decides she's had enough and fights you guys? As long as I'm around, everyone's a target. If anything happened to him, or you guys, it would be my entire fault!"

"Bella, think about this for a second, please!" Embry pleaded.

"I don't have a second. The more time I spend in Forks, the more you are all in danger" she said, grabbing her bag and turning for the door.

"Bella..." Jacob started, but she ignored him and raced out the door.

I cried out as the pain got unbearable and collapsed on the floor, curling into a ball, sobbing my heart out. Literally.

AN: POOR PAULIE! Don't forget to review. Blimey, I'm on a role today: D

Reviews:

Delilah690- I feel guilty for taking Bella away from him :( Ah well, it had to be done.

Edger2deadly- No, it's not just you. And I agree, Paul/Bella forever!

Priscina Alice Malfoy- Well, here's more for you

PEACE!

~Poison Ivey