Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this mega long chapter makes up for it. Thank you all so, so much for your reviews and adds! They really do make my day and to know that you guys are enjoying the story so much only makes me want to write even more. Okay, I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the Twilight series.

Chapter 22

Later that night I was dozing off as I laid in bed with my arms wrapped securely around my pillow and wrapped tightly in the sheets and comforter. I had left my window cracked a bit like Paul had asked, but it was freezing out that night and it was sort of chilly in the room. I was somewhere in between asleep and awake when a burst of cold air rushed into the room. My eyes opened instantly and I raised my head to see a broad figure climbing in through the window. I figured it was Paul, but the fear settled in my chest all the same as my heart started to pound before the figure froze halfway into the room and his shadow covered head lifted and he looked in my general direction.

"It's okay, Harper; it's just me," came Paul's voice in a gentle whisper and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding until then. I glanced at my bedroom door and was even more relieved when I remembered that I had already closed it. I sat up in bed and turned on the light that rested on the nightstand while Paul finished climbing into my room and closed the window tightly behind him. I ran my hand over the top of my head, smoothing my pulled back hair down a bit, but it was pointless since it was probably a mess anyway.

"So, you're sneaking into my room now?" I asked in a whisper and he smiled at me before he raised his right index finger to his lips and quietly walked over to my bedroom door and listened carefully. "He's asleep. If we whisper, he won't hear us." Paul looked at me and smiled before he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. I felt a little exposed in the pale pink camisole I was wearing, but it wasn't any more revealing than the tank tops or bathing suit he had already seen me in. Plus, I was wearing my gray flannel pajama pants that covered Paul's favorite part of my body.

"You look better," he said softly as he reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"So do you," I said as I caught his hand in both of mine when he lowered it from my face. I settled his hand in my lap while both of my hands held onto his much larger hand rather firmly. "Jason mentioned he talked to Sam, but he didn't tell me much more than that. He came home when I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed and he had this stupid smile on his face. Do you know what happened?" Paul chuckled as he gently shook his head and turned his hand in mine and laced his fingers with my right hand while my left covered our joined hands.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Now you can't say something like that and expect me to let it go," I said and he smirked. "Come on, Paul, tell me," I said as I scooted closer to him and bit my lip as I tilted my head to the side, my ponytail falling over my shoulder. If he wouldn't out right tell me, maybe I could tease it out of him. His smirk melted from his face as his eyes moved from mine and to my lips before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You do not play fair, Harper," he said deeply and I freed my lip from my teeth as I smiled and he opened his eyes. "I was going to tell you, you know."

"Sure you were," I said as I moved even closer to him, the blankets bunching up between our bodies. "Now spill."

"Seth and Embry were at Sam's when Jason showed up," Paul said and I nodded. "Well, Seth's sister, Leah, swung by to tell Seth that their mom expected them home for dinner with her and Charlie."

"Seth has a sister?" I asked with a frown and it was Paul's turn to nod. "How come I haven't met her?"

"She doesn't come around Sam's place unless she absolutely has to," Paul said. "She and Sam were practically engaged when Sam changed." My mouth made an 'o' shape when I realized what he meant. "Emily's Seth and Leah's cousin and when Sam met Emily one day . . ." he trailed off and I understood what he was trying to say.

"Oh, that's awful," I said and Paul nodded.

"Sam felt terrible about the whole thing and at first Leah didn't know anything about the whole wolf thing yet. She pretty much became a bitter bitch," Paul said and I raised my left hand and smacked his arm. However, I think I hurt myself more than him because my hand stung like I had hit a brick wall and I shook off the pain before I settled my hand back over our still joined hands.

"That's not a nice thing to say," I chastised. "She had her heart broken."

"It's true though and she'd be the first to tell you that," he said and I rolled my eyes. "She's part of the pack too."

"Really?" I asked and he nodded. When I had wanted to learn more about the Quileute legends, the transformations only ever talked about the warriors being the ones that changed and women weren't warriors. I had just assumed that the Quileute women didn't carry the gene.

"First girl as far as the Elders know," Paul said. "It's been a long time since we all first transformed and she was still pissed about the whole thing."

"How come? She understood the whole Sam leaving her thing then didn't she?" I asked and he nodded. I knew that probably wasn't a cure for her broken heart, but it would have helped her see that Sam didn't leave her by choice. Emily was his other half and the pull was far too strong to ignore. I knew that from firsthand experience, two times over.

"Yeah, but she still didn't like it and up until this afternoon she and the rest of us were pretty much convinced that she wasn't ever going to imprint," he said as he started rubbing his thumb along my hand, just under my thumb. However, I frowned when his words sunk in.

"Wait, you said until this afternoon you guys never thought she would imprint?" I asked more than said and he nodded as the smirk returned to light up his face. Suddenly everything clicked into place and my eyes widened as a gasp escaped my lips. "You've got to be kidding me," I breathed and he shook his head negatively.

"Nope," Paul said, popping the 'p' as he did so.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "She imprinted on Jason?" I stressed and his smirk turned into a smile as he nodded. "Wow."

"I know," he said as he started laughing quietly. "Embry said her face was priceless. I wish someone would have had a camera handy because I would have loved to see her face in person, but I got to see it when I did a quick patrol with Embry."

"What happened?" I asked, still reeling from Paul's news.

"Well, from what I got from Embry when she came in through the patio door Jason and Sam were sitting at the dining room table talking while Seth and Embry were raiding the kitchen since Emily was upstairs with DJ," Paul said. He'd started calling Daniel 'DJ' thanks to me. "He looked up and she looked at him and they stared at each other for about five minutes before Leah made a noise and blushed. Your brother laid on the charm then after Sam quickly introduced them. Leah actually giggled at some lame joke he made. I mean, Leah giggled." I laughed at the perplexed look on his face.

"I take it Leah's not a giggler," I said and Paul chuckled and shook his head.

"Not by a long shot," he said. "I think the only time she ever smiled was when a smart ass comment got a rise out of someone. They're going on a date tomorrow night. Who knew your brother had game?" he asked and I rolled my head as I laughed quietly again. I did not want to think of my brother's 'game.' I was fine without knowing about it even though it was thrown in my face with Clarissa.

"So, does this mean that Jason will be let in on the secret?" I asked and he sobered up a bit as he smiled at me.

"Eventually, when Leah's ready," he said. "I had to jump the gun with you because, well, you know." I nodded and he let go of my hand only to raise his warm hand to the left side of my face. His palm covered the scar that marred my cheek and he ran his thumb under my eye. "Are we going to tell him we're seeing each other again?"

"I don't know," I said and he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. He was effectively changing the subject from Jason to us, and I'd let him.

"Remember what happened the last time we didn't?" he asked and I closed my eyes. "I don't think it will go over as easily the second time around."

"I know," I breathed as I pulled my head back from his, but he kept his hand on my face. "How about we wait until the weekend? Sam, Emily, Kim, Jared, Trevor, and Anna over for dinner on Saturday," I said. "Jason will probably invite Leah and you can tag along with Jared, act like you wanted to see me. We can play it up like we're talking things through then."

"You're going to cook for all of us?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, completely ignoring my plan. I smiled and nodded my head.

"You know I can cook," I said and he grinned.

"True, but you'll be feeding four shape shifters that could probably eat everything in your fridge and cupboards and still be hungry," he said.

"Don't worry, I'll make plenty," I said. "Now, do you think you can manage to look sheepish and ask to talk to me when you come over?" He nodded before he leaned in and kissed me chastely.

"I think I'll be able to manage that," he said before he kissed me again but not as chaste as the first kiss.

I sighed against his lips and rested my left hand on his forearm as he still held my head in his hands and brought my right hand to rest on his left shoulder. I wasn't sure how it happened, but as the kiss continued I found myself lying back on my bed with Paul's impressive form covering mine. Our clothes and the blankets remained between us, but hands were exploring and when his left hand cupped my right breast and squeezed, I gasped and pulled my lips away from his as reality came crashing down on me.

"Now's probably not the best time and/or place to go much further," I breathed as I wrapped my hand around his wrist and looked up at him. He sighed as he quickly pulled his hand away and sat up, returning to his perch on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Harper," he said as he ran his hands through his hair and looked at me with a flushed face. However, I just smiled at him and shook my head as I sat up and moved closer to him. He looked down and away from me as his breathing remained heavy and I knew he was trying to reign himself in.

"Quit saying you're sorry," I said as I raised my right hand to his face and turned his chin so he was looking at me instead of the floor. "If Jason wasn't just a hair's breath away from where we are right now, I wouldn't have stopped you." I moved even closer and brought both of my hands to his face, holding his eyes to mine. "I love you," I said smiling and he slowly smiled in return, "and since Jason will undoubtedly be occupied with Leah and his own suddenly blossoming love life, we'll have plenty of moments where it will be just you and me." I slid my hands down his face and rested them on his shoulders, holding onto the tight and firm muscles that rested there. "We'll be able to take full advantage of them."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked as his right arm wrapped around me, raising me slightly from the bed as he pressed me tightly to his chest. My smile returned as I kissed him chastely.

"Nothing really, but I'm sure we'll think of something." He chuckled before he kissed me softly and brought his left hand to the back of my head. While we kissed, he tugged at my hair and soon he had freed my hair from my hair tie and buried his fingers in my hair, which secured my face to his. I whimpered when our tongues met and he growled as he pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Okay, I should go," he said and I nodded while our heads remained pressed together. "Thanks for leaving you window open. I just had to see you again. I needed to make sure you coming to my place this morning hadn't been a dream," he said as he lifted his head from mine. I smiled at him and returned my hands to his face. I knew that if I had never met Paul that I would probably still be afraid of the world. I didn't know what I did to deserve him, so, I let him know just that.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but thank you for loving me," I said and his brow furrowed as he looked at me. It was then that I realized my vision was blurry and tears had undoubtedly lined my eyes. I blinked them away and was silently thankful that they didn't fall.

"Baby, you never have to thank me for that or for anything," he said as he slid his arm from around me and brought both his hands to my wrists. He gently pulled my hands from his face and held my hands tightly in his. "If anything, I'm the lucky bastard in this relationship." I laughed then and he smiled before he leaned in and kissed me chastely. "Get some sleep, Harper, you've got classes tomorrow," he said and I nodded. He let go of my hands and stood up from the bed. He started towards the window and paused before he turned around and looked at me with a small smile. "Love you," he said and I smiled.

"Love you too," I said back and with that he opened the window, slipped out, and closed it tightly behind him. I sighed quietly and turned off the light before I laid back down and wrapped my arms once more around my pillow. A smile tugged at my lips as I closed my eyes. Soon Jason would know everything and not only that he would undoubtedly be as happy with Leah as I was with Paul.

"Are you sure about this, Harper?" Jason asked as he picked up a piece of the sliced green pepper that rested on my cutting board and I laughed.

"It's a little late to be asking me that question, don't you think?" I asked with a small smile. "Everyone will be here any minute and I'm already elbow deep in chopping." He smiled as he shrugged and reached for another piece of pepper before I smacked his hand away. "You keep eating them and I won't have any to cook."

"Sorry," he said with a grin as he raised his hands.

"So, I finally get to meet Leah today," I said, bringing up the subject for the first time that morning. I had been giving him a hard time since they had gone out with each other every single night that week leading up to our dinner together. Jason had also started working again with Sam, which was good. He hadn't talked to Paul unless it was absolutely necessary from what Paul had told me, but he was civil with him.

"Be nice to her, Harper," Jason said with a serious look on his face and I rolled my eyes.

"She's Seth's sister," I said easily, "of course I'll be nice to her." Jason opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Get that will you? I've got to finish chopping up these vegetables." Jason sighed before he did as I asked and left the kitchen to answer the door.

"Hey Harper!" came Anna's voice as she rushed into the kitchen and I looked up from the onion I was cutting and smiled at her through the tears that filled my stinging eyes.

"Hi," I said with a laugh and she smiled at me. "Don't mind me. The onions get me every time." She smiled and shook her head before she pulled the sleeves of her dark brown sweater up to her elbows.

"What can I do to help?" she asked and I opened my mouth to protest but she just shook her head and walked over to the sink. "No arguments. You've got a lot of people coming over and you can use a hand or two."

"Thanks," I said as I wiped at my eye with the back of my wrist and smiled at her while she washed her hands. "Would you mind checking the chicken and the potatoes for me?"

"No problem," Anna said before she set to work with me. A chuckle alerted us to the fact that we were being watched and I looked up to see Trevor standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a grin on his face. "What are you laughing at?" Anna asked when she finished her task and Trevor uncrossed his arms as he smiled at her.

"Nothing, it's just weird to see you both in the kitchen," he said. "So, what are we having? It looks like you're cooking for thirty people."

"You know Jared and Sam eat a lot, and if I remember right, you put away your fair share at the cook out," I said and Trevor had the grace blush as he smiled at me. "We're having baked barbeque chicken, sautéed vegetables, and mashed potatoes," I said and he nodded. "Why don't you go in the living room with Jason," I told him. "Isn't there a Mariners game on tonight or something?"

"Not until seven," he said through a chuckle. "It's only five, and there's really no point in watching it since they've got no chance to go to the playoffs."

"Aren't fans supposed to love their teams no matter the records?" I asked and Trevor rolled his eyes.

"Leave it to a girl to say something like that," he said before he swiped a vegetable from my cutting board and went into the living room.

"Everything looks good. The potatoes still have a little ways and the chicken is only starting to brown," Anna said with a smile on her face as she walked up to the counter next to me.

"Okay," I said before we heard another knock on the door. I put the knife down and smiled at Anna before I grabbed a paper towel and dried my hands as the two of us made our way through the kitchen and into the living room. Sam was there along with Emily who was holding DJ and another woman was with them that I didn't recognize. I assumed she was Leah.

Unlike the guys she wasn't freakishly tall, maybe an inch or so taller than me, or muscular and her silk like black hair hung down to her just above her shoulders. Her copper complexion was flawless and even though I could only see her profile, I knew she was beautiful. While Trevor greeted Emily and Sam I watched as Leah stood next to Jason, looking up at him adoringly while he smiled at her.

"Who's the girl with Jason?" Anna asked in a whisper as we stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. I looked at her and smiled.

"I think that's my brother's new girlfriend, Leah," I said and I swore Anna's eyebrows went clear up into her hair. "They met at Sam's when Jason went over to talk to him on Monday about getting back his job. They really hit it off because they've gone out every night this week. Jason didn't even get home until almost three this morning."

"How do you know?" she asked with a frown and I laughed.

"He woke me up whistling of all things," I said and Anna laughed loudly, which made our presence known. "Hi guys," I said with a bright smile before I walked over and took a squirming and well bundled DJ from Emily's arms. "How's my favorite little man?" I asked and he cooed and laughed before he clapped his covered hands. I laughed in return before I kissed his cheek and gave him back to Emily so she could get him out of his coat and things.

"Kim and Jared are running a little bit late, but they shouldn't be too long," Emily said and I nodded. "We brought his high chair and things, I hope that's okay."

"Please, Emily, it's more than okay," I said and she smiled before she walked over to the couch and laid him down to change him after setting down the diaper bag. I hugged Sam in greeting and he winked at me as he pulled away, which made me roll my eyes and laugh before he walked over to Emily, who was being assisted by Anna while Trevor stood off to the side.

"Harp," Jason said and I looked away from everyone and to my brother and Leah. Seeing her full on, I knew I had been right. She was very pretty in an exotic way that left me feeling slightly inferior. "Harper this is Leah; Leah this is my sister Harper."

"It's nice to meet you," I said as I held out my hand to her and she smiled as she shook my hand firmly. Like the guys, her skin was very, very warm.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "Seth and the guys have told me a lot about you, and of course Jason's mentioned you a time or two." I laughed and nodded. "Thanks for inviting me over."

"Well, I thought it only fair that we meet," I said and the two of shared a look that went undetected by my brother who had wrapped his arm around Leah's waist to pull her closer him. "You've got this one acting like a kid all over again. I woke up in the middle of the night to him whis-," I started but Jason interrupted me.

"Don't you have a dinner to finish?" Jason asked quickly and I smirked at my older brother before I held up my hands in defeat.

"All right, all right," I said and Leah laughed as she put a hand on Jason's chest.

"Be nice to your sister, Jason," Leah said and Jason sighed before he nodded. I rolled my eyes and shook my head before I quickly made my way back into the kitchen to finish getting everything together.

Anna hadn't followed me, but I didn't mind. She was a guest after all and I had decided to undertake the mission of a lifetime by trying to cook for everyone. There wasn't half as many people at my place that day than what Emily used to cook for on a daily basis and I wondered all the more how she did it. I was just getting ready to brush the sauce on the chicken and throw the vegetables in the pan when Jason's raised voice cut through the happy chatter in the living room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded and I knew then that Paul had arrived along with Jared and Kim. I stopped what I was doing and walked over to the door to see Jason glaring at Paul who stood next to Jared.

"I just want to talk to her," Paul said slowly.

"You want to talk to her? Too bad, I want you-," Jason started but I interrupted.

"Jason!" I said quickly and he looked at me, hell everyone was looking at me and I blushed. "I want to talk to him too."

"What?" he asked with a frown and I let out a heavy sigh as I glanced at Paul. Everyone in the room, but Jason knew that Paul and I had already fixed things and I was doing my best acting I could muster to make it seem like it hurt to see Paul standing there. Trevor was threatening to laugh, but he stopped the second Anna raised her left hand from DJ's back and smacked Trevor's chest to get him to stop.

"I want to talk to him," I said as I returned my eyes to my brother. Jason pursed his lips but didn't argue with me. Emily was quick to my side then and took the pot holders from my hands.

"What do I need to do?" she asked in a whisper with a small smile on her face and I smiled in return.

"The vegetables in the bowl need to be sautéed, the potatoes need to be mashed and mixed and the chicken needs to be brushed with the sauce on the counter," I said and Emily nodded before she gestured to Kim for her to help. Kim nodded and slid out her coat and handed it over to Jared before walking past me with a wink and into the kitchen with Emily. I sighed and walked over to where Jared and Paul stood, grabbing my coat from the hook behind the door that Jason had put up not too long ago and went out onto the porch with Paul. "You know he's watching us," I said softly as I put my hands in my pockets and walked over to the railing of the porch and looked out at the parked cars that filled the driveway/yard.

"I know," Paul said quietly as he walked over to me and joined me in looking out at the cars.

"So, we've got to make it look like we're talking things through," I said.

"I know," he said as he raised his right hand to brush away some of the hair that had escaped my clip from my face but I pulled away and walked down the stairs before going around to the side of the house by the garage where there were no windows for Jason to watch us. Plus, I wouldn't have to act so cold to him anymore.

The second he rounded the corner of the house and joined me, I grabbed him by his unzipped coat and pulled him close to me. The shifting of his weight made him stumble into me, but he caught himself easily and put his left hand on my back as he eased me against the side of the house and held himself up by pressing his right hand against the house, right next to my head. His heat surrounded me and the chill of the air was no longer a worry as I looked up into his beautiful dark eyes.

"A little feisty today, huh?" he asked in a whisper and I smiled before I rose up on my toes and kissed him briefly.

"Just a little," I said back and he smiled back. "You know, Leah doesn't seem anything like how you described. She was really nice when I officially met her." He scoffed as he pressed against me a little tighter, eliciting a small gasp from me as I my heart started to pound yet again thanks to his closeness and the feelings that always rushed through me when he was so close.

"That's because Leah's outlook on things is completely different than it was a week ago," he said. "She has something grounding her here and showing her that there is more to life than she could have ever imagined."

"Is that how you feel when you're with me?" I asked softly as I moved my hands inside his jacket and pressed my palms against his t-shirt clad chest.

"It's a little deeper than that now because we've been together for so long, but yeah," he said with a smile after he took a slow deep breath. He moved his right hand from the wall next to my head and brought it to the side of my face. He ran his thumb along my scar, his eyes looking at it with an expression I couldn't quite read before his eyes returned to mine. He looked at me for the longest time and just when I had been about to say something, he spoke again. "Marry me," he breathed and my heart spluttered while my tongue suddenly felt too big for my mouth.

"What?" I asked in a whisper, finally finding my voice after several long seconds of just staring at each other.

"I want to marry you, Harper," he elaborated. "Don't you want to marry me?"

"Of course I do," I said quickly, surprising myself with the fierceness of my tone. "I just . . . you're asking me now?"

"It felt right," he said with a shrug, but thankfully he hadn't moved away. The shock of the question finally wore off, and a small smile made its way across my lips.

"Do you even have a ring for me?" I asked and he frowned before he shook his head negatively as he lowered his right hand from my face and rested it on my hip.

"Do you want one?" he asked.

"It would be nice," I said as I slid my hands up his chest and neck to his face. "You know my answer already, however," I paused and ran my thumbs along his cheeks, wondering how I ended up being so lucky, "I want you to ask me that question again when you have a ring and Jason's permission to ask me."

"You're kidding," he said his brown eyes wide and I laughed lightly as I looked up at him. "You did see the way he was looking at me in there? I'm lucky I was able to walk away still intact."

"You know as well as I do that soon he'll know everything," I said. "He'll understand everything and there will be no reason in the world for him to deny you what you want. Plus, I'm not even half way through my senior year of high school and you're trying to tie me down with the old ball and chain." He raised an eyebrow at my joke, but nodded. He knew that I would say yes to him in a heartbeat, but it really wasn't the time for us to be taking that step. We'd only just patched things up after his brief moment in the land of the stupid, and I didn't want anything to complicate it even more.

"Oh, I'll tie you down all right," he said with a grin before both I found myself off the ground. Yet again, my legs wrapped around his waist on instinct and my hands moved from his face to his shoulders. I gasped when his body pressed against mine tightly as he pinned me hard to the wall behind me and kissed me with such fire that I was pretty sure I forgot my own name for a second or two.

"Whoa," a deep voice said and Paul pulled his lips from mine and the two of us looked in the direction of the voice to see a smiling yet blushing Trevor standing there. "Um," he said before he cleared his throat and gestured towards the house. "Jason's about ready to come out and see what's going on, so, you guys might want to wrap it up." I blushed deeply when I finally remembered that I had a houseful of guests.

"Right," I breathed. "Paul, put me down." I tapped his shoulders and he looked at me. The love and lust in his eyes wanted me to kick everyone, Jason included, out of the house and lock the two of us in my bedroom; but that was never going to happen. I swallowed hard and forced a smile. "Come on, Paul, before Jason comes out." He sighed heavily before he lifted up slightly from me, which allowed me to settle my legs on the ground. They felt like jelly as I tried to walk, but I pushed through it and started towards Trevor, who was smiling at me. "What?" I hissed as I came to a stop in front of him while Paul stayed back. I knew he had to calm himself down, so, we were going to wait.

"Nothing," he said with a grin and I rolled my eyes as Paul came up to us and took my hand into his.

"All right, let's get inside," Paul said and the three of us headed towards the front of the house, but Paul leaned down and whispered quietly in my ear. "After dinner, Leah's going to ask Jason to go see a movie with her in Port Angeles," he whispered and I slowed my pace as we drew closer to the stairs. "I'll come over when their gone if that's okay." I looked up at him and smiled. I was tired of starting and stopping. I needed him. I needed all of him, and I was tired of waiting.

"You better," I whispered before I turned my eyes ahead and walked up the porch steps. Paul's grip on my hand became like iron and the low groan I heard rumble from his throat only made me more anxious for the night to come.