A/N: Sorry the update took so long, I've been a little distracted by some other things! Hopefully it's worth the wait?
"Is Rachel here now?" Jacob asked and Paul grinned, shoving the bag of chips between his back and the couch, nodding in the direction of the bathroom and Jake cocked his head, listening to the sound of the shower.
He turned back towards Paul, his attention drawn to the scrap of pink cotton poking from his shorts pocket and he frowned. "What the hell is that?"
Paul's grin turned into a knowing smirk and he cocked an eyebrow. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." He said pushing the panties deeper into the pocket.
Jacob growled and lunged, his fist connecting with Paul's nose with a rewarding crack, quickly jumping out of reach when Paul made a one handed grab for him, the other clutched to his face.
"Fuck!" He pulled his hand from his nose, smearing the blood down the front of his shirt as Jacob snatched up the chips and stashed them back in the kitchen cupboard. "You're fast kid, I'll give you that!" He winced as he twisted his nose back into place.
"You're two years older than me Paul, that doesn't give you the right to call me kid." Jacob said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the kitchen table.
"Didn't you once tell Bella Swan that your size and knowledge base makes you older than you actually are? Because by your reckoning, the fact that I'm banging your older sister gives me decades on you!" Paul guffawed as Jake lunged towards him again, quickly jumping up and out his way.
"Talk about my sister like that again and I'll rip your throat out!" Jacob growled.
"Ah, ah" Paul wagged his finger and pointed towards the bathroom, the sound of water had stopped and they could here Rachel moving about. "We're supposed to be getting along, it's bad enough you broke my nose but think about the beating you'll get if you try to kill me?"
"Trust you to go running to my sister!" He ground out.
"Hey, I'm no tattle…not this time at least." Paul smirked. "This one's just between us, next time you wont be so lucky!"
Jacob cocked an eyebrow and gave him the finger, raising it to his lip. "You got something…" He gestured and walked away as Paul chuckled, whipping his bloodied shirt over his head and wiping his face before stuffing it down the side of the couch.
"Hey Paul?" Rachel called walking down the hallway, towel wrapped around her head and washing basket in her hand.
"Yeah babe?" He smiled turning to face her.
"Uh, I was just going to put a wash on and I can't…" She trailed off and blushed under his gaze, her voice lowering to barely a whisper. "Do you know where you threw my underwear? I can't find them?"
Paul stood from the couch and walked towards her, taking the basket from her arms and stuffing his hand into his pocket, fingering the material of her panties. "No. Sorry baby, I was a little…distracted." He shrugged, she blushed deeper and he could hear Jacob growl from his room. "I'm sure they'll turn up sooner or later…Hey! You mind if I throw my shirt in here? I spilt a Big Red on it."
"Sure!" She nodded. "I didn't know we had any of those?"
"Oh no, Jake bought me one." He shrugged grabbing his shirt and burying it under the rest of the clothes. "You know, we're really getting along a lot better now! He's like the little brother I never had and I think he kinda looks up to me!"
Rachel chuckled and patted his arm. "Whatever you say, sweetie. Come on." She said heading for the utility room, Paul chuckling quietly behind her as a muffled "get out of my house!"came from Jacobs' room.
He looked on appreciatively as Rachel leaned over the washer, reaching up to grab the detergent from the shelf and exposing a small slither of skin at the small of her back, his tongue flicking out to moisten his lower lip.
Rachel turned towards him and wordlessly grabbed the basket, stuffing the clothes into the drum and slamming it shut. She flicked a dial and it hissed into life, before pulling the damp towel from her head and hanging it on an drying rack.
Paul stepped up behind her, his fingers tugging at her wet hair, exposing the column of her neck as his other hand snaked around her waist, fingers splayed over her stomach.
"Paul?" She murmured, as his lips trailed from her shoulder to her ear. "What are you up too?"
"Hmmm," he sighed gripping her hips and turning her to face him, backing her up "there's something I've always wanted to try."
A surprised yelp escaped Rachel's lips as she was lifted from the floor and placed on the top of the washer, Paul taking his place between her legs, his hands running the length of her thigh, toying momentarily with the waistband of her jeans and slipping under her vest.
"Again? Babe seriously, I think I'm in danger of friction burns if we go anymore today!" Her eye's widened slightly, as he pulled her hips forward against his growing arousal, causing a rush of her own. "Nn…not that I don't want to or anything!" She squeaked as his sucked on the skin at the curve of her neck.
Paul pulled back, his eye's mischievous and dark as he reached behind her and flicked the dial from wash to spin and Rachel jumped. "It'll be totally worth it." He grinned as she wiggled on the spot.
His mouth returned to her skin, hands running tauntingly slow up the expanse of her back as she gave herself over to him, eyes rolling back in her head. Her hands trailed blindly over his torso, fingering the small trail of hair that led from his naval and disappeared under his waistband and flicking the button.
Paul groaned and his head dropped to her shoulder. "You've gotta be kidding me!" He growled, as Rachel paused, hands halfway inside his pants and her eyebrows knitted together.
"What?" She asked breathlessly as he grabbed her wrist and tugged hand away.
"Sam." He sighed just before another howl ripped through the air, loud enough for her to hear this time.
"But, you don't have to patrol for at least a couple more hours!" Rachel exclaimed and Paul nodded.
"I know, but that was an emergency call. He wants the whole pack there." He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers one more time. "Stay right there, I'll be back as soon as I can…don't move!"
A grin split across her face and she stared up at him through her lashes, wiggling her butt on the vibrating appliance. "Oh I have no intention of moving from here until I'm done!" She cocked an eyebrow and Paul growled taking a step towards, cursing loudly when another howl stopped him in his tracks.
His eyes never left her face as he yanked the zipper of his shorts down and let them drop to the floor, Rachel's cheeks tingeing pink as her eyes roamed perversely over his naked form. "May as well give you a visual to work with." He smirked, throwing his shorts at her and darting across the hall and out of her bedroom window.
Rachel sucked in a shuddering breath and slipped from the washer, Paul's discarded shorts slipping to the floor. She knelt down to retrieve them her mouth falling open as the contents of his pocket fell at her feet. "My panties! You pervert!"
Paul sighed, arching his back and popping his shoulders as he settled back on to two feet again. He wondered along the tree line, searching for the emergency clothes he'd stashed in the trees surrounding the Black's home, pulling the knotted plastic bag from it's place on a branch a ripping it to get to the pants inside.
It hadn't exactly been a long day but it had certainly felt like one. He'd phased back once after Jake had been to the Cullen's, letting Rachel and Billy know he was still in one piece and that the treaty was still in tact and then shifted back to join the pack, instantly wishing he hadn't when he heard what Jacob had to say.
That little nugget of information had made him physically sick - he could still taste the bile on his tongue.
He padded silently around the house, not surprised to find it in darkness, it was nearing three a.m. but he was surprised to find Billy sitting on the porch.
"Rachel's asleep." He said gruffly, his eye's never leaving the trees.
"Yeah I guessed she would be." Paul nodded and shuffled. "I just wanted to check on her, make sure she was okay."
"I understand." Billy turned to face him. "Anymore news on Jake?"
Paul sighed and scratched at the back of his neck nervously. "He's gone, he split from the pack."
"He what?" Billy leaned forward against the porch railing. "How?"
"Pulled his rank." Paul shrugged. "Sam gave a command he didn't particularly like and I guess he finally decided to channel his Alpha."
"He challenged Sam?" He asked and Paul shook his head.
"No, he made it pretty clear he didn't want to be head of the pack, he just didn't want to be a part of it anymore and we can't hear him anymore." He swallowed "I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't have done the same if I was in his place, I mean it goes against everything we stand for but Sam…"
"What are you talking about?" Billy asked cutting him off mid ramble. "What goes against everything you stand for?"
"Killing another human." Paul mumbled, glancing up at Billy's face and registering the shock that passed through his tired eye's. "Bella isn't sick, she's knocked up - with the leeches kid or spawn or whatever you want to call it…We can't let it be born."
"That's impossible!" Billy exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Paul snorted humorlessly "I thought that about Werewolves and Vampires and look where it got me!"
"What are Sam's plans?" Billy asked, frowning.
"Listen, the last thing I want to do is disrespect you but I really don't want to talk about this anymore…I've had nothing but that in my head for the past four hours and all I want to do right now is check on Rach and go home and sleep." He blew out a breath. "Sam's wants to meet with you and the other elders in the morning anyway, you'll find everything out then."
Billy nodded and pursed his lips. "Where did Jake go?"
Paul cocked an eyebrow. "Take a wild guess."
"Alone?" He blanched. "What the hell was he thinking?"
"He's not alone." Paul offered. "Seth went after him…We can't hear him either."
Billy gritted his teeth and ran a hand down his face before turning back to Paul. "Help me back inside? I don't think I have it left in me to move anymore tonight."
Paul's eyes widened minutely at the request but he nodded and quickly jumped the rail, propping open the screen door and pushing the older man inside.
"Listen kid," Billy whispered as they stopped in front of his door, and Paul could hear Rachel's soft breathing across the hall. "I've been thinking about…well a lot things recently. Her sister Rebecca has her family, away from all this and I'm pretty sure Jacob can take care of himself, he just has a tendency to get stuck inside his own problems, but she -" He pointed to Rachel's door. "only has me and I'm an old man. I think I already know that you'll look after her but I need to hear it, I need you to promise me that if…"
"I'd give my life for her, sir." Paul cut in. "That should tell you everything you need to know."
"It does, and less of the sir, Billy will do." He smiled. "Now get to bed before you fall down."
Paul nodded and watched him roll himself into his room before quietly opening Rachel's door and stepping inside. He chuckled at her, curled up into a ball and tightly wrapped up in her sheets.
Rachel protested as he pulled them away and replaced them with his body, instantly relaxing against him and her eyes fluttering.
"I missed you." She whispered and he smiled, pressing his lips to the back of her head.
"I missed you too." He replied and she slowly turned in his arms, her droopy eye's meeting his with a half smile.
She hummed, hooking her legs over his. "I love you Paul."
His breath hitched in his throat and her eyes fell closed again, burrowing her face against his chest. "I….I…" He stammered.
Paul slipped away from her and off the bed, sinking to his knees. "Rach? Rachel, wake up?" He shook her shoulder and she frowned almost jumping up and rubbing her eye's.
"What?" She stared down at him. "What was so important you had to wake me up at - three in the morning? When did you get here?"
"You've been asleep this whole time?" He asked and she nodded her frown deepening. "What…what we're you dreaming about?"
"I don't know I…" She shrugged and then paused, and even in the darkness Paul could see the slight color in the apple of her cheeks. "You. Maybe…Why, what happened?"
Paul chuckled and shook his head. "It's nothing, don't worry." He climbed back behind her and she curled into his heat. "Sorry I woke you up baby, go back to sleep."
"Paul?" She asked and he hummed in response. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is perfect baby." He tightened his arms around her and breathed deeply, letting his eyes fall shut.