Chapter Twelve

Home and Heart

It had been a week since Paul's mother had kicked him out. Luckily, she wasn't there when Charlie drove down to the rez to talk to her, so he let the whole thing go. Paul figured she would skip town again, he just thought she would stick around long enough to make his life worse – it was what she was best at. Jared spent most nights with Paul, and Sam didn't seem to mind. It was hard to tell though, because he wouldn't stop moving long enough to talk about it. He was busy trying to get in contact with Emily who had been dodging his calls, and dealing with council matters. Luckily for Paul, the elders found a house for him, it would just take a few more days to finalize the paperwork. He was on his way to the council now, wondering why they all had to be there just for a few documents. He figured they would each want to warn him about not trashing the place – like he hadn't practically lived on his own most of his life. Once it was all official, he was going to ask Jared to move in with him. It shouldn't have been a big deal since they spent most nights together anyway, but part of Paul was worried he would say no. He worried that Jared would wake up one day and see him for the angry screw-up he was… that he would leave everything they had. It wasn't rational, and Paul knew that it wasn't like Jared, but everyone else in his life had just walked away. Jared would just be the third strike.

"Paul." Sam greeted with a tired smile as Paul walked into the Clearwater house. It seemed dangerous to talk about pack stuff where Seth could overhear since he hadn't phased yet, but it wasn't his place to tell them what to do.

"Hey man." Paul greeted as he took a seat at the table. "Why are we making such a big deal about this? It's tribal land. Isn't it just your say who gets the house?" He asked the elders.

"We wanted to talk to you about something else while you were here, Paul." Billy offered with a small smile. "As you know, we're all aware of what your mother did to you – how she almost exposed the pack to outsiders."

"Stupid woman." Old Quil gruffed from behind his pipe. "I told you she had no business being on the council. She's a Lahote by marriage. Her blood has no ties to our history."

"It was out of respect for her husband's passing." Harry sighed tiredly. It seemed this was a topic they had discussed before.

"We didn't bring Paul here to bad mouth his mother." Jackie intervened, her sharp gaze silently scolding the men. "Paul, sweetie, we brought you here because we want you to take her place."

Paul blinked as all eyes turned to him. Take her place? On the council? The thought was nearly laughable. Besides Sam, the council had always been… well, old. They were the heads of the prominent families on the rez – the ones that carried the gene. Although not many of the people in La Push knew the legends were true, they respected the council as the law around the reservation. Nothing was done on tribal land without their permission. "Me?" Paul raised an eyebrow. "On the council?"

"Close your mouth, boy. It's your birthright." Old Quil's hard eyes landed on Paul. "You were young when your father passed, and he was shit enough before your mother took over. You're a man now – going on twenty-two, aren't you?"

"Yes." Paul confirmed, frowning when Old Quil's eyes narrowed. "Yes, sir."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Paul." Sam offered, still standing behind him like the ever-watchful alpha he was. "It's your choice."

"Like hell it is." Harry was the one to speak up this time. "A Lahote has sat on this council since it was formed in the days of our ancestors. Paul is the last Lahote in his bloodline – maybe ever." He pointed out. Paul had never really thought about his future, but if his future was with Jared, there was a possibility that they wouldn't have children. Children weren't something Paul particularly wanted, but he hated the idea of the option being taken away from him.

"It would be good for everyone." Billy smiled, trying to ease the tension from the other males in the room. "You could make a real difference around the reservation, and with the pack. And we're not expecting you to do it for free. It's seen as a job with the tribe, so you'll get enough money to live on, and the house."

"You'll get the house either way." Sue added before Paul could ask. "Don't think of this as responsibility, Paul. It's an honor to be part of the council. And the fact that we're asking you to be just goes to show how much we think of you."

Paul sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Being part of the council would mean more responsibility than he had ever had before. It would mean going to meetings, and actually knowing about what was going on around the rez. It would also mean moving forward. He had done odd jobs around the rez growing up, but most people moved away for real jobs. His family didn't own one of the stores in town like Quil's or Embry's… it might be the best option he had. Not to mention, an income meant he could afford things like electricity and water. Until his mother threw him out, they had been paying the bills with his father's life insurance money, and that was running low.

"Okay…" Paul breathed with a nod. "I'll do it."

They seemed genuinely happy at his agreement, giving him not only the house forms, but some paperwork for the council as well. Until then, Paul's signature hadn't meant much, but it seemed heavier now… more mature. Just as he was finishing up with the last of the paperwork, loud screams from the Clearwater's back yard had him and Sam looking up. As they grew louder, the humans in the room seemed to pick it up as well.

"Seth!" Sam realized with wide eyes, practically leaping over the table to get outside. Paul was on his heels, the rest of the council working to let them through.

Seth had been close to phasing, but since the redhead hadn't left a fresh trail in a week, they eased up their watch on him. Outside stood a trembling Seth and a sour-faced Leah. It was hard to tell what they were arguing about, but it seemed that Leah ate some food that Seth had been saving. To most, it would seem like a petty argument, but it was just those kinds of things that triggered the phase.

"Seth!" Harry called from the small group that stood safely behind the two wolves. "Get away from your sister!"

"She started it!" Seth yelled, his young face contorted with misplaced anger. "She knew I was saving that chicken!"

"It's just chicken, Seth!" Leah bit back before her eyes landed on Sam. "What the fuck is he doing here!?" It was then that Paul realized not only Seth, but Leah was shaking too.

"It can't be…" Sam breathed, fearful eyes on the woman he had once loved.

"That's impossible…" Harry gripped the railing of the porch as their shaking grew worse. "She can't… women can't…" Before he could form a complete thought both Seth and Leah exploded out of their skin, shaking out their new fur as they yelped in fear. Sam moved to calm the new wolves, but everyone else moved to Harry as he collapsed, hand on his chest.

This had to be the worst week of Sam's life. His imprint left him and refused to take his calls after he yelled at her for betraying Paul and Jared's trust. A council member had nearly exposed the pack to someone off of the reservation. His ex-girlfriend had phased against all reason, and could now hear his every thought… and Harry Clearwater was dead. The last one seemed to make the other things seem trivial. The reservation as a whole mourned at his funeral, not one pair of eyes dry. Harry had been like a father to Sam. He would have been his father-in-law if not for the imprint. That man had taught Sam everything there was to know about being a man… and now he was gone. What was worse was that when Leah learned it was the shock from her phase that had caused the heart attack, she shut down. Her guilt was nearly unbearable for anyone phased with her, but could they blame her? Sure, logically they all knew that Harry's heart was bad, but seeing it through Leah's eyes… it made them all feel guilty. Especially Sam. He was so busy watching Seth and avoiding watching Leah, that he missed all the signs. He missed the fact that she was taller. He blamed her anger on the way he had treated her… He was the reason Harry was so surprised.

"Hey, Sam…" Paul's voice was low as he entered the kitchen. He had gotten his own place weeks ago when Leah and Seth had phased, but he stayed at Sam's to keep him company. During the day, it was fine. The whole pack would be over, joking and laughing. Occasionally they would tell stories about Harry. Bella was over a lot, drowning them all in casseroles and condolences. She did what she could, but Charlie was pretty shaken up too. At night… it was bad. Sam tried to run as many patrols as he could, but it was hard with Leah nearly always phased. His house was empty at night, and an empty house gave him time to think.

"Jared coming over after his patrol?" Sam asked as Paul grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing one to Sam before sitting across from him at the empty table.

"Yeah, if that's cool with you." Sam shrugged. It didn't bother him when his pack brothers were over. They were family.

"Can I ask you a question, Paul?" Sam asked, his eyes staring a hole into the table as his fingers traces the peeling label of the beer bottle. "How did you… how did you know that it was worth trying with Jared? With the imprint and everything… weren't you afraid?" His eyes finally moved to Paul's face. Sam had been thinking a lot about Leah before she phased. He had been thinking about how easy things had been with her. How yes, they fought, but they would make up an hour later. With Emily there was never ever any fighting… but was that a good thing? Was it good to avoid fights?

"I was terrified, man." Paul laughed without humor. "After Jared found Kim… it was easier to try and tell myself that I didn't love him, you know? Because if I admitted it and he chose her, it would hurt more – at least that's what I thought. But being apart from him… that hurt worse than anything I've ever felt." His eyes seemed to glaze over as he thought back to that time. Had it really been over a year already? And nearly three since Paul phased. They hadn't aged since then, and time just seemed to keep moving forward. Four years… it had been four years since Sam left Leah for Emily, and he still thought about her when the house was dark and his mind was unguarded. He still saw her smiling face… how happy they were.

"But… how did you know you loved him? How did you know it was the real deal?" He asked, taking a swig of beer as his mouth went dry. Had he made a mistake? Had he been too emotional from the phase to think clearly? Had he let the stories and council impact his choice? Had he thrown away the best thing that had ever happened to him…

"It's hard to describe." Paul seemed to think about it for a minute. "It was more than just sex, you know? I missed him." Paul began, unaware that Jared had entered behind him, seemingly in a trance as he listened to Paul talk. "I missed waking up next to him and calling him when something good happened, because Jare is the first person I always want to call when something happens. I missed the way the corner of his eyes would crinkle when he laughed, or how just the tips of his ears would get red when he was angry. I missed having my best friend. I think once he imprinted on Kim, I realized it was more than that. I wanted Jared to be happy – more than I wanted him to be with me. And that's how you know, right? When you want the best for the other person even if it makes you miserable." Leah's face flashed through Sam's mind. He had avoided her after the shift because he was afraid of hurting her. He didn't avoid Emily though, and she wore the scars to prove it. Behind Paul, Jared leaned against the doorframe, his eyes looking glassier than normal. "But I'm happy he chose me. I'm a screw-up, and I get angry without any good reason, and I can't cook for shit… but I… I need him. It's not even a want like it was in the beginning. It's like without Jared... there is no me. I can't even imagine a world where I don't wake up next to him every morning. The thought of ever being with anyone else... It's just impossible."

Jared inhaled slowly, though it sounded suspiciously like a sniffle. Paul turned, going a bit red himself as he scratched the back of his head. "How much of that did you hear?" He asked sheepishly. Paul wasn't a man that often voiced his feelings, so it was probably the first time Jared got to really hear the extent of them.

Jared's face remained soft as he searched Paul's eyes. Sam thought that he should leave, but that would probably just interrupt whatever moment they were having. With a deep, uneven breath, Jared blinked. "Marry me?" He breathed.

AN: A bit of a cliffhanger, I know! The idea came to me yesterday – the last bit, and I couldn't resist. There was a lot of internal screaming. Spontaneous proposals are my all time favorite kind. I know a lot of people will be upset that I killed Harry off anyway (and for those of you that haven't read the book, that was actually what caused his heart attack, not Victoria. It's part of the reason Leah is so bitter), but I felt it was important to the story.

As always, super special giant thank you to everyone that reviewed! YaleAceBella12, Braddox, and LuvinTwilight143!

Braddox: I know, I lowkey hate Emily now – oops lol. I know it seemed a bit off for Bella, but I wanted her to be more level-headed in this AU. Since I stretched out the plot the Cullen's have actually been gone for like a year, so she's had time to slowly come to terms with everything. I should have made the timeline clearer.

LuvinTwilight143: I know, I legit hate Holly. I was going to have her basically just leave and never come back, but the evil plot bunnies in my head had a better idea. We haven't seen the last of her, and let's just say, the next time Paul sees her will be even worse!