A/N: Just wanted to let you guys know, I've changed the genre of this story. Instead of Romance and Hurt/Comfort, it's now Family and Hurt/Comfort. As I'm writing, I'm realizing there's less romance and more focus on family. Don't worry, though! The romance won't be completely gone as I hope to reassure you guys in this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Eight

Paul's POV

Sweat dripped into my eyes despite the cool temperature. My muscles were beginning to protest the heavy work I'd put them through, but I refused to stop. The stress of the past few weeks had finally caught up with me and the only way I could release the tension was to just keep working.

The sound of hammer hitting nail echoed off the trees behind me, the rhythmic pounding an exact match to the heartbeat coming from inside the house. I knew she was starting to worry. Her heartbeat would increase at random intervals, causing my hammer to swing faster. So far, though, she hadn't ventured outside. For that, I was grateful. I didn't want her to see me like this, so close to the edge.

The only thing keeping me from going over was the sound of her heartbeat and the monotony of the hammer on nail.

Sam's POV

"Bella? You here?" I called as I walked into her and Paul's three room house.

The faint sound of hammer hitting nail came from out back, but before I could move towards the backdoor, Bella came hurrying to meet me from the bedroom.

"Thank God. Sam, I don't know what to do. He's been out there for almost… fifteen hours," Bella told me after checking the time.

"What happened?" I asked, urging her to sit on the couch.

"I don't know. We came back after I broke the imprint with Jake. He was completely normal until we got ready to go for bed. He said he was going to go for a quick run, but never came back to bed. When I got up around two to look for him, I found him out back, cutting wood. He's been working on that deck he promised he'd build ever since," Bella explained, wringing her hands.

Taking her hands in mine, I forced her to meet my gaze and waited for her to voice the fears I knew plagued her now more than ever.

"I know he's… thinking about her. Sometimes, at night, he'll say her name. And it breaks my heart because he sounds so… angry, so frustrated. And other times, it's like he's given up hope of ever finding her. I want to help him, but I don't know how," Bella whispered brokenly.

"There isn't much you can do, Bella, beside just be there when he needs you. And remember that he chose you. We'll find Rachel soon and figure out a way to break the imprint, possibly without her even knowing about it," I tried to assure her.

"How?" Bella asked, a few tears escaping from her eyes.

"You let us worry about that. I promise, though, we'll take care of it," I smiled, wiping away the wet trail along her cheek.

"Could you… Could you go talk to him? Please? I know he doesn't want me to see him like that. It's why I haven't gone back there yet, but if you could get him to come inside… He needs to eat something," Bella pleaded, clasping my hands desperately.

"I'll go talk to him," I agreed, kissing her forehead as I stood up.

"Thank you, Sam," Bella said as I walked outside.

I nodded in response, the wolf feeling at peace after checking in on our most vulnerable pack mate. As soon as I stepped outside, though, he was all business.

Paul's POV

I heard Sam come out of the house, jumping down the demolished back steps before making his way over to where I was setting up the framework for the back deck my mate wanted.

"Paul," Sam said, causing me to falter in my rhythm.

For the first time since I had started, I wasn't working in time with Bella's heart and it made the wolf a little nervous.

"What?" I snapped, anxiously listening for her heartbeat so I could get back on track.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam asked, distracting me further.

"Building a deck. What the hell does it look like?" I growled, picking up on the pitter-patter I had been straining to hear.

"Looks like your avoiding Bella," Sam sighed, leaning against a post in the ground.

I spun towards him, snarling aggressively at his outrageous suggestion.

"I'm trying to protect her," I spat as tremors worked through my body.

"And you think this is protecting her? Paul, when will you learn? Bella is a worrier. Do you think she got any sleep last night with you out here 'trying to protect her'?" Sam pressed, pushing the wolf.

"Back off, Uley," I warned, not wanting to hear about how much I was hurting my Swan by staying away from her.

"She knows what's going on with you. She knows you're constantly thinking about how to break the imprint with Rachel. She needs you to talk to her, though. This whole closing yourself off from her is only going to end up pushing her away. Is that what you want? Cause the way you're acting, you might as well have just let Jacob have her," Sam continued, headless of my warning.

"Fuck you!" I roared, leaping for him.

My fist hit him in the jaw, sending him to the ground. He dragged me with him, easily flipping us over so he was on top. He didn't strike me, though, simply used his Alpha strength to pin me down.

"Wake up, Paul! That girl loves you, so you better damn well start taking better care of her!" Sam insisted with a quiet intensity.

I glared up at him, knowing he was right, but unwilling to admit it. Even though I had been taking good physical care of her, I had been slacking with my emotional support, which she needed from me with all her hormones going whacky.

Her doubts and fears were haunting her and I often woke to find her crying desperately for me in her sleep. Until the fucking imprint was broken, she won't be able to relax and that meant stress on her and the baby.

Instantly, my wolf calmed, allowing me to calm as well. Neither of us wanted to risk our pup or our mate. Sam released me, sensing my wolf backing down.

"Sorry," I mumbled, rising to my feet.

"S'alright. Go see to your woman," Sam said, clapping me on the shoulder.

I didn't bother responding as I made my way back into the house I had left the night before. Bella sat in the kitchen, a cup of tea in her hands. She looked up when I walked in, but didn't move to greet me. Instead, she looked back down at her cup and I realized just how much I had hurt her by keeping her out.

"Bella," I sighed, moving to kneel beside her.

"Don't. Please," Bella whispered, refusing to meet my gaze.

"No. You need to hear this and I… I should've said it before now," I insisted, turning her chair so she was facing me.

Her hands began trembling as I cupped them in my own, bringing them to my lips to kiss each finger.

"I have dreams about her. Nightmares, really, where she comes back. She won't leave us alone, constantly hanging around, trying to trip me into being with her. And you… you end up leaving me. No matter how hard I try to hold you, no matter how much I tell you I love you… you just leave… taking our baby with you and I… I lose it. I completely fucking lose it without you and I'm… terrified that dream, that nightmare, is going to become my reality. I don't want to become lost to the wolf," I admitted, resting my forehead against our joined hands.

"And last night…?" Bella trailed off.

"Last night was all me. I was angry that you're now free to be mine completely, but I still can't be yours. You… you broke the imprint, but I'm still searching for mine. And even when I find her… I don't know how I'll be able to break it. This, our relationship, has never happened before in the history of the tribe. And I can't marry you or mark you until I can be yours completely. But I want to so badly. The imprint keeps me from doing it, though, and it makes me that much angrier. At her. At being a wolf. At imprinting. It just builds and builds until I feel like I'm going to combust. Last night, it was as worse as it's even been. I knew I needed a release, but I didn't want to leave you alone. The next best thing was manual labor. And you did make me promise to build you that deck," I explained, looking up at her as I finished.

I was surprised to see tears falling down her cheeks, having not smelled the salt or heard the change in her breathing. Leaning up towards her, I wiped away the tears, kissing the trails left behind. Her arms wrapped around my neck, holding me tightly as mine wrapped around her waist. I easily lifted her, taking her place in the chair and placing her on my lap.

"I love you so much. I just want us to be together without this hanging over our heads," I murmured, nuzzling her cheek.

"I know. I want that, too," Bella sniffled, turning to rub our noses together.

Smiling softly at her display, I couldn't resist pressing my lips to hers. There was no intensity to the kiss, just a simple show of affection between two people who knew each other as intimately as possible and still enjoyed being with each other.

This is what mating was supposed to be like. The magic of imprinting couldn't compare to the magic I found in her touch, in the feel of her.

I would never give it up.

Alright, my darlings! What do we think of this chapter? We got to see a little more of the difficulties Paul is facing and how he and Bella are handling it.

Now, I know we're eight chapters in and there hasn't really been any "bow-chicka-bow-wow" (so to say). So far I haven't been able to write one that fits with what's going on in the story. I just can't make it come together. Believe me, I've tried.

But, for those of you craving some lemon-y goodness, you can check out my newest project Bella's Lemonade Stand. It's an anthology of short stories and one-shots all based around Bella and other various partners. Check it out, if you so desire.

Next chapter will being coming to you guys within the next few days!