Chapter Four

The Change

The instant he woke, Paul was aware of the body in the bed next to him. Ever since the movie, Paul and Jared had been spending the night at each other's place. Of course, they had before then, but it was more consistent now. They hadn't talked about what happened, or their feelings, choosing instead to just enjoy whatever this was between them. They hadn't slept together since that day either, though Paul would be lying if he said he didn't want to. He was still trying to come to terms with that little fact himself. Jared stirred beside him, his arm tightening around Paul's waist as he nuzzled into Paul's neck. Paul enjoyed moments like this – when they didn't have to pretend or worry about looking gay. His stomach clenched at the thought of the reaction they would get. It wasn't like he walked around checking out dudes. Other than Jared, Paul had never even considered being with another man. He wasn't sure what that meant for him, or them for that matter.

"What time is it?" Jared slurred as he rolled onto his back, shielding his eyes from the sun with the back of his arm.

"Like noon?" Paul guessed as he lifted his head to glance out the window. He had given up on having an alarm clock after breaking the third one. The click of the front door caused Paul to pause. "Who the fuck is that?" Paul frowned, throwing off the covers on his side of the bed as his door opened.

"Paulie-" The voice drifted off as a familiar figure emerged from the shadow of the hall. "For fuck's sake, Paul. You two are still sharing a bed?" Her head tilted to the side as she frowned at the boys. "You're getting too old for that shit, Paulie. People'll start to think you're queer."

"What are you doing here, mom?" Paul nearly growled as Jared slowly rose sleepily beside him.

"I fucking own the house, unless you forgot." She spat, straightening a little more. "The only thing your good for nothing father bothered to leave us."

"I haven't seen you in months, and the first thing you do is call me queer?" Paul sneered, both angry at the slur and at his mother for just showing up.

"I know you're not queer, Paulie." She waved her hand dismissively. "You're too much of a womanizer, just like your asshole of a father." She spat already turning her back to them as she continued on. "I just came home to grab a few things. I met this man in Tallahassee that owns his own yacht. He's taking me to the Caribbean."

Paul's shoulders shook as his mother compared him to his father – the one person he couldn't stand. "I'm nothing like that jackass!" He called, but his mother's door had already slammed shut. He was on his feet and at the door in a matter of moments, his hands shaking as he grabbed the frame. "Did you hear me!? I said I'm nothing like that son of a bitch!" He bellowed before slamming the door shut, his forehead pressing against the cool wood as his stinging eyes closed.

She always did this – disappeared for months at a time and blew back into his life like a hurricane. She left a trail of destruction in her wake. Holly Lahote was an expert at striking a nerve, and this had to be a new quickest time record. He flinched as Jared's hand landed on the middle of his back before winding around his waist. As Jared's cheek pressed into Paul's shoulder, the older male let out a shaky breath. "She's wrong." Jared's voice was soft and did nothing to stop the tears Paul was working on fighting back. "You're not him, Paul. She just says that shit to get under your skin." Jared pulled back just far enough to force Paul to turn and look at him.

"Whatever, man." Paul tried to excuse, his eyes anywhere but on Jared's soft face. He didn't want to break down – not now. "Like I give a shit about what that bitch thinks." His eyes fluttered closed as Jared's hands cupped his face, his calloused thumbs swiping under Paul's eyes.

"Don't do this, Paul. Don't let her get to you like this." He pulled Paul's face downward, his lips ghosting over the skin his thumbs had just covered. "You're an amazing person, Paul. You're twice the man he was." His lips trailed over the other side of Paul's face as a tear slipped through thick lashes. This was… new. A comfort that Paul had not expected. It didn't help the already emotionally vulnerable state he was in. Instead of voicing just how touched he was at the gesture, he simply caught Jared's lips in a silent thank you.

He couldn't help but notice they were almost the same height now. Jared had always been shorter, though not by much. He topped out around five-eleven at the age of fifteen, but seemed to close the gap on Paul's six-one frame overnight. "I told your mom we'd cut the grass today." He sighed after pulling back to ghost his lips over Jared's one last time. "If we put it off any longer, she's gonna guilt trip us all week." He smirked as he pulled out of Jared's arms. Paul had never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Even with Jared, who knew him better than anyone, he couldn't help but be guarded. It was probably the only lesson Paul's dad left him with – men are always in control. They had two emotions, pissed off and horny. Anything more, and you might as well consider yourself a woman.

The boys spent the next few hours fixing up Jackie's yard. It wasn't something they had to do often thanks to the cold weather usually stunting the growth of the grass, but Paul was happy to appease the woman that had been more of a mother to him than his own. When they were done, they collapsed on Jared's couch, deciding on playing a few Xbox games until Jackie came home. Although they sat on opposite ends, their legs were thrown together in the middle, a mass of tangled limbs that Paul would have avoided only weeks earlier. There was comfort in the casual touch, but the back of Paul's mind rang with warning. What if Jackie came home and noticed the strange interaction? What if she started asking questions? Would she be sickened by the truth and throw Paul out? Jackie and Jared were the only people Paul considered family, and to lose them… it would mean truly being alone.

"Did I tell you that I saw Sam Uley again?" Jared asked, and Paul didn't need to look away from the game to know his face was twisted in displeasure. At first, they thought they had been imagining things, but now they were sure that Sam Uley was all but stalking them – more so Jared. Sure, the rez was a small place, but there was no reasonable explanation for Sam showing up everywhere. It didn't just seem like a coincidence either. It was like he was… watching them. "He's been weird as shit ever since he came back from being sick. And get this, I asked my mom what was wrong with him, since he probably went to the clinic, and she just said that 'Sam Uley is a good man'." He scoffed and threw his controller down as Paul won yet again.

"Bullshit." Paul spat, finally turning to look at him. "I don't have anything against the guy, but he's acting weird as shit. I mean, he buzzed off his hair, dumped Leah Clearwater for her cousin, and now he hardly shows up at school anymore. I thought I saw him just standing in the woods outside of the Ateara store the other day." Paul frowned. "And you were right, dude is on steroids or some shit."

"I don't know man." Jared shook his head as his frown deepened. "I feel like there is something going on. Whatever it is, I feel like my mom knows. She's been acting weird around me lately. She just… watches me, like Sam does. And she keeps asking if I feel alright." A long moment of silence passed between the boys. "I feel like everyone knows something we don't."

"It's this fucking reservation, man. I can't wait to graduate in the fall. I'm getting the fuck out of here." Paul declared. He wasn't sure if he would go to college, but he knew he needed to get out of La Push.

"I applied to UCLA." Jared admitted. They had talked about getting off the reservation when they were younger, but with graduation coming up, it was all becoming real. "I want to go somewhere sunny and far away from the idiots that live here."

Paul hummed in agreement. He hadn't given much thought to where he would go, but he knew he needed to get out. "California will be nice." He nodded in thought. He'd never been, but had heard stories of what it was like there. People were so different… so open-minded.

"You should come with me." The offer shouldn't have meant as much as it did. Of course, growing up together, they had always planned on leaving together too. They were best friends after all. But after the last few months… this seemed to hold more weight. "It'll be nice to start over somewhere new. People there… they wouldn't know us, or care about who we are… or, you know, anything." Jared shrugged his way through the broken sentence, but Paul understood. If they left together they would be free to explore whatever this was without the prying eyes of everyone they had ever known. It could give them the freedom to really understand their newfound feelings. At least… Paul had feelings.

Leaning forward, Paul's hand wound its way around Jared's neck, pulling him forward until their lips softly met. "California it is, then." He smiled lightly as they shared several small kisses. "Sun, booze, and thousands of miles between us and the rez."

"We could get a small apartment on the beach." Jared's smile was wider than Paul's as his hands found Paul's free one. "We could go surfing all year long and throw out all of our rain clothes."

It wasn't until they kissed again that it hit Paul. They were talking about running away to be together. Part of him was terrified about what that meant. What if it blew up in their faces and their friendship was permanently ruined? What if it didn't? What if this newfound arrangement between them became more serious? More permanent? They would have to return to the reservation occasionally. Would they tell Jackie? Would they endure the whispers and looks from the tribe? Would they pretend to simply be friends every time they went home? And how would they answer the inevitable questions about marriage and children? The questions that ran through Paul's mind were heavy, but they didn't need to be answered right now. All he knew was that when he was with Jared… he was happy. If running away to California meant holding onto that happiness a bit longer… well, he was willing to try.

They split from their heated kiss as the lock of the front door twisted. They jumped to opposite ends of the couch as Jackie entered, shaking the rain from her hair with a smile. "Thank you boys for taking care of the yard. I'm sure it wasn't easy in this weather." Hanging up her coat, she turned to look at them. "So, who's hungry?"

After dinner and a lengthy conversation about upcoming midterms, the boys helped clean up the kitchen before heading to Jared's room. It was always hard to fall asleep on Sunday night, knowing that they had school early the next morning. Jackie's rule about 'lights out' at eight PM did nothing to help, especially over the last few months. Instead of lying awake to talk in hushed whispers, they spent the last week tangled together in the dark, their lips and hands exploring new territory. School was always harder. They had to be particularly careful there, especially with Sam Uley's prying eyes around every corner. This time when Paul took Jared, it was… different. Instead of facing away, Jared was sprawled on his back, their lips pressed together as Paul moved slowly inside of him. Watching Jared's face as he came undone proved to be enough for Paul to tumble over the edge after him. They hadn't spoken the entire time – which was new for Paul. Usually he used dirty words to further his and his partner's pleasure, but in this instance, no words were needed. It had been the single most emotional night of Paul's life, though he kept that bit to himself as they finally drifted off to sleep.

They parted ways at school the next morning, and it wasn't until around lunch that Paul heard from Jared again. Frowning at the text to meet him in the west-side boys bathroom, Paul casually made his way from the cafeteria. The west side of the campus was practically abandoned thanks to a malfunction with the heating in that building. They had moved all the classes to portables just outside, but hadn't bothered to lock up the doors.

"Jare?" Paul called as he entered the freezing bathroom, his breath appearing in a puff before him. "What's up man?" He eyed Jared carefully as the younger man grasped the sink with both hands, his arms shaking.

"Did you fuck Marie Hunt last week?" He asked in what almost sounded like a growl as his angry eyes found Paul's in the mirror.

Paul paused, Jared's hostility a surprise. He had noticed Jared's temper growing lately, but this was completely out of character for the younger male. "No?" It came out as a question as Paul took a tentative step forward. "You know I spent last week at your house, man. What's with you?"

Jared spun around to face him so quickly, Paul nearly jumped – not a fact he was proud of. "Well she's telling everyone you did!" Jared's voice seemed to echo off of the cooled tile before settling around them.

"So the fuck what? It wouldn't be the first time a girl lied about fucking me to seem cool to her friends, and it doesn't exactly hurt our situation." Paul felt his own anger peak. Why was Jared getting so bent out of shape about this? It wasn't like they were… together. Not really, anyway. And it wasn't like Paul had started the rumor.

"What is our situation, Paul?" Jared barked out, causing Paul to freeze. "See, there you go again! If you have to so much as think about the truth for a minute, you close up! Are you that worried about what people would think?" He spat, his shoulders shaking now too. "Are you that fucking ashamed of me? Of yourself?"

Paul took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't see the need to tell anyone, Jare! We don't even talk about it!"

"That's my point, Paul!" Jared through his hands up before leveling Paul with a glare that looked very out of place on his usual smiling face. "You know what, maybe we just shouldn't talk at all!" He barked before pushing past Paul, his hot, vibrating shoulder bumping him along the way.

Paul watched Jared retreat in surprise. What had just happened? Jared wasn't one to get angry or act irrationally about anything. Paul held his hand out, Jared's name caught in his throat. With a sigh, he let his arm fall as he looked towards the closed door. He would let Jared cool off. By tomorrow they would be back to normal… right?

AN: Just wanted to give you guys a heads up that the time lines will be a little skewed as far as the guys phasing. Basically, I'm going to have Jacob, Embry and Quil phase in 'Twilight' time instead of 'New Moon'. So they will be phasing sooner rather than later, and the whole shit with Bella going zombie will happen a while after the fact.

Special thanks to everyone that took time to review! YaleAceBella12 & LuvinTwilight143 – thanks so much for enjoying the story!

Maxsmomma – I'm so glad you said that! I was totally going for more of this otherworldly kind of sensuality than raw sexual energy. I really wanted this to be completely new and almost magical for them, because it makes it nearly impossible for the boys to just walk away from :D