A/N Many thanks to AugustShaffer, feebes86, and Mist for their help. Apologies to all for the delay in posting this, but I have been ill for several weeks. To help make up for it, here is a 6K word chapter. Enjoy!

Last time: "Jax, my boy, is it too soon in our relationship to tell you, I love you?"

Chapter 8: Lion or Lamb

Songs: I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack and Outta My Head by Daughtry

~B of L~

BPOV

Not surprising, I didn't see Charlie for the rest of the evening. I made dinner while gracelessly dancing around to some music on my iPod. When dinner was done, I quickly ate and rinsed my plate off in the sink. On my way to my room, I let Charlie know his dinner was warming in the oven. He just grunted an okay from the safety of his room, and I quickly brushed my teeth and got ready for bed.

I was placing the blankets for Jax at the end of my bed on the floor, while he took in his surroundings, sniffing around the room while his tail wagged happily. In my peripheral, I noticed him stop dead in his tracks, his long bushy tail stopping mid-wag, and he gave a small yip. Turning to see what clue Scooby had found, I smiled at the irony. Jax was sniffing at where my secret hiding place had been, completely forgotten for almost five years. "Jinkies, boy. What did you find?" He looked up and gave me a curious look, complete with doggy head tilt.

Stooping down, I pried the board of the hardwood floor loose that hid all my treasures of my childhood. "Good, boy!" I exclaimed while rubbing one of the dog's ears. His tail just swooshed back and forth furiously and his tongue lolled in a happy canine grin, obviously quite pleased with himself. Chuckling, I stuck my arm down to grab blindly at whatever was in reach. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as my fingers grasped an envelope that I knew I had not left.

Pulling the mystery item out, I stared in disbelief at my name written in my Gran's elegant scroll. Sitting down on the floor heavily against the bed, I carefully opened the envelope with trembling fingers to find a letter dated about a week before Gran died. She had died of a sudden brain aneurism, but I was told she had felt poorly for several weeks before that.

My Dearest Isabella,

I know you never knew that I had a clue where this cubby was. I didn't want to intrude on your privacy, so I never looked. Obviously, I had to put this letter and a few gifts in here, and I only have one question: A Playboy? Don't worry, I love you no matter what.

I couldn't help the nervous snort that came out of my nose. I'm sure she had done a double take at the Playboy. It was Quil's copy that I had stolen before he could look at it, in retaliation to something he had done to me. I hadn't paid the photos much mind, but I did find the articles entertaining. Okay, Okay, I looked a little. All I got from the experience was a hit to my self-esteem and sex tips I would never use.

Bella, you have been the biggest joy of my life. My only regret is not fighting for you harder. Unfortunately, the law gives little rights to the grandparents, but please know that if there was anything, anything Bella, that I could have done to keep you from getting on that return flight all those times, I would have.

There are so many things I never got to say to you. So many things I will never get to see you accomplish. Do me one favor and play the second song on the enclosed album? It expresses everything I have ever hoped for you, my dear.

I will always be watching over you.

Love Always,

Your Gran

With shaking hands, I removed the CD out of its jewel case and placed inside the small stereo beside my bed. I closed my eyes and listened to the lyrics as "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack started playing softly. I climbed back on my bed and leaned against the headboard, pulling my legs to my chest. By the time the song reached the chorus, tears were streaming down my face.

I missed her so damn much! So many times over the past years I needed her, needed her reassuring hugs and soft words of encouragement like oxygen. If only I would have had this letter. It would have brought me some comfort knowing she was watching over me.

Sensing my pain, Jax completely ignored my orders from earlier in the day about not getting on the furniture, and he jumped onto my bed, nudging against my arms with his cold, wet nose. Engulfing the sweet dog in a fierce hug, I violently sobbed into his warm fur. When my tears ran dry, I turned off the stereo and shut off the bedside lamp. Jax lay down with his head on the pillow beside me, and I cuddled next to him, not caring that he was shedding dog hair in my clean bed. I needed his comfort. We would go back to normal sleeping arrangements tomorrow. Yeah, I didn't believe it either.

Jax went to sleep quickly and then started to snore lightly. I found it rather soothing and quickly followed him into the blissful land of slumber as well.

The majority of my dreams were not memorable. However, the one that did stick out was of Jax and me walking in the woods. The unnerving part was the little boy from the dream a few days ago was in the woods too. He pranced about fifty yards in front of us from tree to tree, eluding us. He never spoke his name, no matter how many times I had pleaded for him to. When we broke through the trees, we were at Second Beach in La Push but the boy was nowhere to be found.

After waking to Jax licking the tears tracks off my cheeks, I opened the door and was almost knocked down as he bolted downstairs. Mumbling, I dragged myself into the bathroom for a shower, so I could relax after my latest crying jag under the warm, cascading water. This crying shit was getting old. At least no one witnessed this one except Jax, and I was pretty sure he wasn't going to rat me out. Dogs are loyal like that.

After dressing, I made my way downstairs. I found Jax waiting patiently outside of the kitchen, nose lying on his paws as he watched Charlie sitting at the table. Charlie was reading his paper, but every thirty seconds or so he would nervously peer at the waiting canine. Paranoid, much? I guess Jax had spooked him pretty bad last night. However, Jax seemed perfectly at ease this morning, his hostility toward Charlie apparently forgotten. But judging by Charlie's tense behavior, it appeared his memory was a little better.

I had just finished drinking my coffee and was preparing to cook breakfast when Charlie finally spoke, "Why is he waiting in the hall?" His head was facing me but he hadn't taking his eyes off my furry partner in crime.

I found it too early in the morning to mess with him, so I answered honestly. "He is not allowed in the kitchen or bathroom." Or on the furniture either, I thought. No need to make Charlie privy of my already lax rules.

"Good to know. You think he will stick to the rules?" I couldn't keep the smirk off my face as I walked to the counter. A vision of Charlie moving his recliner and flat-screen into the kitchen flashed before my eyes.

"He will if he wants to be fed," I replied over my shoulder as I started pulling items out of the fridge. Charlie only grunted in reply, but I did hear a whine from my pup. Good to see I had my bluff in on him.

"How many biscuits do you want and do you want any gravy?"

Breakfast went well. We both ate our bacon, biscuits and gravy, and scrambled eggs in a comfortable silence. I was amazed at how good the meal turned out considering how quickly I had got it fixed it. I had clipped a coupon for some Pillsbury frozen biscuits to buy. I hadn't held out much hope that they would look like the picture when I pulled the white, frozen, round bricks from the package. I could make good homemade ones, but that took about an hour, and the thought of staying in the kitchen with Charlie that long made me shudder. So, frozen bricks it was, because anything that could limit my time with Charlie was money well spent. Imagine my surprise when I pulled the mouth-watering, golden biscuits out of the oven. And the taste? Hell, I would admit that they were near as good as what I could make from scratch, and I didn't get stuck with a dozen of them when I would only eat two at most.

After breakfast, Charlie thanked me and moved to the living room where I'm sure some sport program awaited him. Jax had remained obediently out of the kitchen, and as a reward I scraped the remaining gravy into his bowl in the mud room. I wouldn't feed him scraps often, but he had been good and I knew he would love it as it was made with bacon drippings.

I made quick work of the dishes and then proceeded to clean the entire kitchen again. The placement of things wasn't right, as I had put things away in stages. So, I rearranged everything so that it was easier for me to reach items often used and to put the sentimental pieces away so they wouldn't get broken. I finished by making sandwiches for lunch and placing them in the fridge.

I went up to my room and grabbed a blanket and a book and went outside to read, because the clouds were grey but not weeping. Jax followed me and lay with me for a little while, but then he made his way back inside. When I came in to start dinner, I peered into the living room to catch my father feeding MY dog a piece of leftover bacon from breakfast. Arg! That shit was low, even for Charlie. He was trying to lure Jax to his side, the Dark Side. He was trying to steal my dog! That's it! I'm fucking buying Ex-Lax tomorrow.

I hoped Mr. Swan realized that shit wouldn't work with me. I may be a bitch and I may love bacon, but that little trick wouldn't put him in my good graces at all!

After dinner, I left Charlie to do the dishes for once while Benedict Arnold and I went upstairs for the night. I relegated my traitorous pup to the foot of the bed, where I had laid one of his blankets to protect my new comforter.

I got a restful sleep during the night. After waking again to doggy slobbers, the rest of my morning was spent going through my cubby hole. Gran had left me her recipe book, a picture of us together, a ring, and about $500 in cash. The large crystal ring slipped on my right index finger as if it had been mine all along. I got dressed and made my way into work in a pair of jeans and a green polo shirt with the store's logo embroidered on the chest.

Mr. Newton showed me around the store and storage areas, commenting here and there on what would be expected of me. It looked like easy, thoughtless work. We worked out a schedule that we both could live with, but the best part of my day was learning about the employee discount.

"That's right. Employees receive a thirty-five percent discount after a two month grace period," Mr. Newton replied to my inquiry while perusing the employee manual.

"Sweet," I muttered under my breath. Then a look of disappointment crossed my face when I thought of how this might delay my plans for the summer. Mr. Newton saw my soured demeanor and quirked a brow in silent question.

"Well, I was hoping to start learning how to surf. I was going to buy a board and a wetsuit. But it can wait," I quickly explained. I didn't want him to think I thought the discount wasn't generous. It was awesome actually.

"No, now is the best time of year to learn to surf. The water will get too rough starting in September. Tell you what, I'll wave the grace period."

"No, sir," I said shaking my head. "Those are the rules and it wouldn't be fair to the other employees." He looked like he was going to argue, but I continued, "How about I buy what I need now, sans discount, and you can give me store credit at the end of the grace period for the amount of the discount. That way, it's fair to everyone."

"That sounds reasonable," he replied, nodding his head. "But you can have one of my son's old boards. He has outgrown it and I am sick of having to rescue it from the garbage truck every Wednesday morning. My wife wants it gone, and life is easier if she is happy. Anyway, there is no need to buy a board until you know surfing is your thing."

"That would be great!" I exclaimed, truly grateful not to have to buy a board. "Thank you." Mr. Newton just smiled and got me started stocking some items. After I had proved my mastery of the mundane task, he went back to his office and left me to my own devices.

I turned to finish stocking the shelf I was working on. My excitement to be doing something for me, for once, was almost palpable. Although the whole idea of me surfing practically guaranteed trauma of some kind, I couldn't care less. I came to Forks to live and dammit that was exactly what I was going to do, even if I drowned trying.

The sound of rain pattering against the pane of the glass made me turn my head to look outside. The unusual sight of my reflected, genuine smile in the window said more than words about my current state of contentment. Huh, how about that.

~B of L~

PPOV

After I watched Bella Swan drive away in her piece of shit truck the night of the bonfire, I couldn't stop thinking of her. She was out of sight, but most definitely not out of mind.

My wolf's antics in her presence had me concerned at first, but with her removal came his indifference. He didn't pine away and claw at me to get to her. It was most definitely not an imprint. Thank fuck! But I was intrigued by her, more than I ever had been with any other girl. And I felt like I was slowly going insane.

I couldn't get Bella out of my head. I tried, but she kept popping in my thoughts all the time. At first, I wasn't too worried. Once or twice, there had been a girl that had peaked my interest, and as soon as I closed the deal, the pull was gone. But this was different.

So very different.

I knew I had a serious problem when I was balls deep in Myra Collins and Bella's face crossed before my eyes. Myra was keening and mewling all sorts of shit I can't remember, but I distantly recall the roared 'Bella!' that came out of me when I nutted. Myra was less than thrilled with my faux pas, but made sure I had her number despite it. Women!

I blame the Baby Alpha for this cluster fuck. If he hadn't of told me to stay away, I wouldn't be in this situation. It was the equivalent of putting a toddler in white room with only crayons and saying 'Don't make a mess'.

Or maybe it was the way she had brushed me off. That had NEVER happened to me before. Brushing people off was my thing, my specialty. After playing the scene over in my head a hundred times, I realized I had insulted her first. She was all smiles when she approached me, but my behavior had flipped some invisible switch in her. She had talked to me afterward, and even though she hadn't been speaking down to me, it wasn't stimulating conversation either. All I really got out of it was that she didn't like Leah.

I was lying in my bed, trying to catch a little extra sleep before going out, when the roar of her truck floated its way up to my house and to my pricked ears. This was going to be my first weekend with the Sprint, and to go down and see her would jeopardize that. Jake had made that more than clear all fucking week long. Did I care?

Not one fucking bit.

I threw on the first shirt that my hands touched, bolted out of the house, and practically ran down the hill to the beach. Seconds later I stopped at the tree line behind where Bella was looking out to the sea. It was several hours until sunset, but I could still appreciate a different type of view.

I could barely make out whispered words, a song I thought. "Hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes..." She stopped abruptly and I could see her hands wiping at her face, the smell of saline was my confirmation that she was crying. She took a shuddering breath and lifted her head up to the grey sky above her, trying to soak up the phantom sunlight.

I wanted her to turn and look at me. I hadn't seen that face in almost a week and I had been craving it. Beyond all comprehension, I found myself a little envious of the horizon for stealing Bella's attention. I wanted her eyes on me, damn it! No one else was on the beach; I could have her all to myself. Maybe I could make a better impression, however un-fucking-likely.

When my willing her to turn around proved unsuccessful, I got a brilliant idea. Peeling my shirt off, I hung it from a nearby branch. Slinking back into the cover of the woods, I made a beeline for the cliffs, barreling through the trees and ferns at top speed. Not breaking my fluid strides, I launched myself into the Pacific Ocean, away from the view of the beach. Swimming under the surface with powerful strokes, I finally made my way topside when my lungs started to burn with the need for oxygen.

When my head broke the surface, I noticed that I was about a hundred yards from shore. I began swimming with long, measured strokes toward the beach. I heard the exact moment she saw me as her breathing hitched and her pulse quickened. I rose out of the water a few yards from shore and made my way to the dark-haired beauty. I was ecstatic to hear a distinct moan from the doe-eyed hottie and my dick twitched when a whispered expletive floated out of her full lips. Her nipples hardened and her cheeks flushed before my sharp vision, and I was positive that if I was downwind, I would be blessed with the scent of her arousal. No matter how much she acted otherwise, she was just as attracted to me as I was to her. I did a mental fist pump. I was still in the game!

"Bella, right?" I asked as I closed the remaining distance between us, shaking my head to remove as much water as possible.

"Hi Peter."

"Its Paul, actually," I ground out between my teeth, suppressing a growl. Where the fuck did Peter come from? Fucking woman was just trying to piss me off.

"Oh, that's right. Where are your chaperons today?" she smiled as she glanced down the beach.

"No clue." I looked around for her little dog, not wanting to have to deal with him. "Where's your little bodyguard?"

"No clue," she parroted. "He left a little while ago. Why? You two have a date later?" She cheekily quipped, her playful smirk making my cock twitch a little more.

"Funny."

"I try. Well, it was nice seeing you. But I gotta get going." She said with a smile as she turned to the sand dunes behind her.

Not ready for her to leave, I quickly jogged up beside her. "You're not waiting on your dog?"

"I'm fairly certain he is waiting for me at Old Quil's."

"What a coincidence."

"You too?"

Now I am! "Yeah, why don't we head that way together?"

She looked in the direction of her truck and worried her lip. "No, I need to make a stop first. I'll meet you there." Okaaay, not a brush off. Not a brush off.

I walked her to the edge of the parking lot, and watched as she got in her truck and drove away. I leisurely strolled back to my house, a calculating smile upon my face. I showered, dressed, and grabbed the keys to the Sprint. By the time I got to Old Quil's, Bella was there as well as Jake, Embry, and Quil.

When I entered the house, I was assaulted with not only the smell of Bella, but of food as well. Stepping over the dog in the doorway, I entered the kitchen to find Bella flitting about making something that smelled Italian, while the guys were at the table talking with Old Quil. Embry gave me annoyed look, but didn't comment. Although I hadn't been invited per se, it was a pack tradition to watch movies on Friday nights. I rarely showed, but my invitation was implied.

I waltzed over to Bella who was slicing bread, and leaned my hip against the counter. "Hey, can I help you do anything?" She looked up to me with a raised brow, but gave me a soft smile.

"Sure, set the trough. And make sure all your fellow pigs wash their hooves." I gave her my best sexy smirk and turned to walk to the others.

"Come help me Black. Everybody else, the hellcat says no one eats who doesn't wash their hands."

Jake and I set the table in silence and then sat down with the others waiting for Bella to finish cooking. I watched Bella in what was clearly her element. Jake raised a brow at me and whispered lowly, "Careful Lahote." I just rolled my eyes.

After eating the best fucking lasagna I had ever had in my life, I was prepared to hand the keys to the Sprint back to Jake. This girl was the entire package.

She forced Quil and Embry to clean the kitchen while Jake got the first movie set up, Van Helsing. I caught Bella snickering at the choice as well. Jared, Kim, Sam, and Emily came shortly after that from their double date. Collin and Brady were patrolling, and thankfully Leah had to work at the diner with Seth.

I had managed to claim a seat on the couch with Bella, while Embry practically dove for the other side. Bella's beautiful laugh filled the room as we all made fun of the movie. However, I was not impressed by her and the other girls giggled comments about how sexy Hugh, girly-man, Jackman was. I kill vampires for real dammit!

We were just getting ready to watch National Treasure, when the Clearwaters came barreling in and Leah threw herself into Quil's arms. Apparently it was a slow night at the diner and Sue had let them leave early. Bella tensed a little but kept up her discussion with Embry about how unbelievable the previous movie was.

At the sound of Bella's voice, Leah whipped her head and leveled her eyes on brunette beside me. She huffed and whisper-growled to Quil, "What is she doing here?"

"Grandpa invited her over. She made dinner for some of us," he replied quietly to her.

"But why is she STILL here? The movies are for pack only. No one imprinted on her. She doesn't belong here," Leah whined.

"Shut the hell up, Leah," Jake growled lowly from beside Quil, sick and tired of her never-ending bitching about one thing or the other. Quil gave Jake a hard look but didn't comment.

Two hours passed with little drama; everyone was enjoying the movie. Jake had moved to sit in front of Bella's legs and they were laughing at some of their childhood antics. Apparently, they had swore as children that they were going to find D.B. Cooper's loot, and Jake was now devising a plan for Quil, Embry, Bella, and himself to go scouting again since they were older. Bella insisted she wasn't needed and would only slow their trip down. The guys all insisted that without her, they may starve, and therefore she would be as valuable to them as a compass. Not that wolves would ever need a compass, but she didn't know that.

Leah's eyes were near green with envy at the easy banter the friends shared and was preparing to strike. There were no Elders here; Old Quil was on the other side of the house somewhere. Young Quil realized the same thing, but his quiet attempts to divert the coming shitstorm were thwarted by his imprint.

"Why are you even here?" she snarled to Bella. "Didn't you graduate already? You're the same age as me." This peaked everybody's interest. Why was she going to school in Forks if she graduated? Better yet, why hadn't she graduated if she was nineteen like Leah? Both Quil and Jake said she was extremely intelligent and I knew that I hadn't met many people with as quick of a wit as hers.

"All the moving around made my transcripts impossible to read. They didn't count my credits correctly and didn't let me know until right before graduation. I didn't want to fuck anymore with the bastards, so I declined taking summer classes and moved up here." She said the words with sincerity and kept her eyes locked on Leah the whole time. I detected a small hint of a lie somewhere in her statement, and when I caught Jake's eyes I could tell he got the same impression.

"I figure you got knocked up and spit out a kid or two. That's probably why Charlie never talks about you; he's too ashamed he has a whore like you for a daughter." Emily and Kim gasped and the rest of our mouths dropped to the floor at Leah's biting words.

Bella laughed heartily at that, eyes almost shining with tears. I recognized the gesture for what it was, a distraction.

"What's got your panties in a twist? Couldn't you find any small animals to sacrifice today?" I almost spewed my drink out at Bella's retort. Jared didn't fare as well and sprayed Kim in the back, as she was sitting on his lap.

Leah was vibrating in her anger and seethed, "I don't want you here. Nobody wants you here."

"Story of my fucking life," Bella quietly said, shaking her head. She looked back up at Leah and smiled coyly, "But I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be. So don't worry. As soon as I can, I'll pull a Kaiser Soze." She finished by bringing her delicate fingers to her full lips, kissing them, and then pulling them back in a silent 'poof' gesture.

"Who's Kaiser Soze?" Kim whispered to Emily. Emily just shrugged her shoulders while EVERY guy in the room rolled their eyes. Figures the girls wouldn't know that reference from one of the greatest movies of all time.

Leah was not satisfied though, her eyes nearly on fire in her rage. "Your skanky white ass has no business on this reservation. You should keep your pale face in Forks." The cunt had no idea of the hurt she was causing her own imprint, her part-white imprint. Bella's eyes met Jake and Quil's eyes and she gave a sympathetic smile at Leah's Freudian slip. Most people wouldn't say anything regarding the fact that neither was full blood Quileute. Jake was next in line to be Chief and Quil was next in line to be Shaman. Most people had the good sense not to bring it up because it didn't matter.

But like I've said before, Leah is a fucking bitch. Quil definitely deserved better. As annoying as he could be, he was a really likable guy.

But of course, Leah didn't know when to shut the fuck up and continued to spew her venom, "Your kind only brings trouble here, just like your whore of a mother." Bella seemed to be unfazed by that comment, if not accepting of it. I, for one, would have been seething at any derogatory comment about my Mom. Leah also noticed Bella's lack of response to her comment and an evil smirk appeared on her face, "and your holier-than-thou grandmother too!" Bella's head shot up instantly, her eyes filled with fire and promise of violence as they landed on her prey. I heard a muttered 'fuck' from Jake who clearly knew what was about to go down.

And then the tiger pounced!

With a quickness of an Olympic hurdler, Bella lunged for the harpy, claws drawn and snarling profanities that would make any pirate proud. Leah's eyes went wide with fright, realization dawning a little late that she had gone too far. Before any shape-shifters could react to the shock of the situation and end the very lop-sided fight, Swan had one hand completely entrenched in Leah's black hair while the other was pulled back to deliver another punch. In that moment, I'm pretty sure I had never seen anyone more beautiful than Bella Swan.

My attention was pulled from the goddess by the unmistakable sound of tearing cloth and cracking bones. A vicious growl rose from young Seth Clearwater, a volatile young wolf of a little over three weeks. Fuck! His yellow eyes were fixed on the brunette, his lips raised to bare his sharp, salivating teeth. He lowered down into a crouch, preparing to kill the girl brazen enough to be beating the shit out of his shrew of a sister.

Whether it was an attempt at keeping a feral Seth from sinking his teeth into Bella or he was merely removing a threat from his imprint, Quil leapt into the fray, shoved Bella away from Leah, and moved to intercept Seth's attack. The hellcat flew through the air, limbs flailing, several feet toward the opposite wall, hitting it with a sickening thud and then crumbling like a sheet of paper to the floor.

Ignoring the others, I cleared my head and ran to her. I barely registered the sounds of Seth and Quil being forcibly removed from the house by Jake, Jared, and Embry over her soft whimpers. Not thirty seconds followed the sound of the screen door slamming shut after their exit, until I heard an anguished howl.

"Bella, Bella baby. Open your eyes." I could smell the fear and confusion rolling off her in waves as she lay in front of me. Her breathing was hard and her heart was hammering in her chest. She finally opened her eyes, her deep, brown eyes swimming with a thousand questions I was not able to answer.

"Let's take you to the clinic and get you checked out," I begged as I caught her elbow in an attempt to steady her. She was shaking uncontrollably and my wolf was whining in my head, clearly anxious about her condition.

"I'm okay."

"Your nose is bleeding Swan. You're not fine." She closed her eyes and raised a shaking hand to her nose. Bella looked at the crimson liquid on her index finger, and I watched as several emotions flitted across her face. I doubt I would have registered them all if I was merely human.

"No, I'm fine. I'm prone to nose bleeds from time to time. It'll pass in a few minutes. No biggie."

She got up slowly, legs shaking like a newborn fawn and she leaned against the wall for support. At my concerned look she said, "It's nothing. I ... just don't like the sight of blood."

"What the hell is going on?" Old Quil shouted from the doorway, his eyes bouncing between the remaining people in the room.

Sam looked around the room, anxious at how much Bella may have seen and not certain what to tell the wise old man. "Uhhh..."

Old Quil shook his head. Frustrated, he sighed and looked intently to eldest in the room and spoke, "Sam, make sure everyone gets home. I expect you to meet with me and the other Elders tomorrow to explain what happened." Sam bowed his head in acquiescence to the older man's edict. Sam may be Alpha, but even he wouldn't disobey an order from the Shaman. He picked up the wailing Leah and made his way out the door, Emily and Kim following sheepishly behind him.

Old Quil's eyes softened when he looked at Bella, lifting his wrinkled hand to cup her cheek. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"The boys were just rough housing and my lack of self-preservation got me caught in the middle," Bella answered, her eyes begging me to keep quiet. I didn't know what she knew or remembered, but it was enough that she didn't want to discuss it. I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. "I'm tired; I think I'm going to go home."

"Okay, dear. I'm going to have Paul here drive you." At the scowl marring her face, he elaborated, "It's no trouble for Paul I'm sure. He is just going to put the bike in the bed, and he can do whatever it is that he does at night after you're safely home. No arguments, young lady."

"Fine, old man," she quipped, but I could tell she was not pleased. "Wait, what about my..."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. I just made me some tea. Why don't you sit at the table and drink a cup while young Paul and I get everything situated."

I watched the little hellcat walk unsteadily into the kitchen, and then I turned to face the Shaman. Surely he didn't think he could help load that bike. He did a small eye roll as if he knew what I was thinking and started outside.

"What happened?" he asked as he opened the tail gate. He tugged a surf board out of the bed and leaned it against the side of the truck. I wheeled the bike over to the truck and easily lifted the motorcycle into the bed. I tied it down for appearances sake and closed the tail gate after Jax jumped in at Old Quil's insistence.

"Short answer is Leah's a bitch." I didn't care that she was his future granddaughter-in-law or that he was the Shaman of the tribe. Some things just are what they are. He took it well, giving me a sly little grin and then handed me the board and motioned for me to follow him. When we made it to his detached garage, he pointed out where he wanted me to set it.

As if he knew I was dying to find out what the board was for, he answered my unasked question, "She wants to learn how to surf. I have granted her permission to go to Second Beach." Woah! You have to have special permission from an Elder to go to that beach if you aren't part of the tribe. Her Grandmother Helen had access to the entire reservation, but she had done a lot of charity work with the elderly and disadvantaged.

I smiled; I could use this to my advantage. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"No, we agreed to it earlier before you hoodlums got here. Why?"

"You mind not telling the other guys about this yet?" The old man just gave me a crooked smile like he knew I was up to something and nodded.

After going inside to retrieve Tyson, we loaded into the truck and started making our way to Forks. Bella was not in a good mood, offended that she was being driven home against her will. Her attitude didn't faze me in the least, I was enjoying her scent in the small cab of the truck. Her strawberry-vanilla scent was mouth-watering and had me wanting to see if the taste of her skin would be as good.

When we pulled into her driveway, Jax jumped off the side of the truck and ran toward the back of the house. Bella opened and closed the tail gate, after I unloaded the Sprint. After an awkward silence, Bella finally said, "Thanks, I guess, for the ride. I'll see you later." She turned to leave but I caught her elbow, halting her movement. She turned and unleashed those wide, doe-like eyes on me.

"Hey, wait! Can I have your number? You know, in case your self-preservation gets you in trouble again," I smirked at her, leaning into her wonderful scent, wanting to kiss her so bad I could almost taste it.

She seemed as affected as me for a second until she shook her head and took a step back, "Sorry, I don't have a phone." Say what?

Who the hell doesn't have a phone? Sam required us all to have one in case anyone was out of howl range. "No phone?" I asked incredulously. "You have an iPod, but no phone?" I gestured to the iPod in her pocket that I had seen her get out of the glove box before exiting the truck.

"I've never needed a phone. The iPod was a gift anyway." She didn't say anything else but made her way up to her porch. After unlocking the door, she turned and gave me a sweet smile. "Goodnight, Paul," she whispered, so softly that I'm sure I was not supposed to hear it. After a small wave of her hand, my view was obstructed when she slowly closed the door.

"Goodnight, gorgeous," I whispered back as I kick started the Sprint.

I had planning to do.

A/N Thanks for reading!

A little longer than usual. Thanks to all for all the support you have been showing lately. You guys are awesome!