A/N Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who help with this story. You ladies rock! Okay, hopefully you all haven't abandoned me in my absence. I am back to writing and I promise that I will finish this story. Hoping it is all done within a year of starting it. But the important thing is to finish it.

A belated reminder for last chapter, always practice safe sex. Bella and Paul are fictional characters, and things will probably work out for them. Maybe. Possibly. But unprotected sex rarely works out in real life.

Oh, and of course I own nothing.

Previously on Breath of Life:

I stifled a yawn, causing Paul to chuckle. He laid back into the nest of blankets and pillows, pulling me along with him, his now flaccid cock slipping from me. I stretched out on top of him, like a cat preparing for its nap.

I hoped I hadn't completely fucked up, but I almost didn't care if I had. I could never regret this evening.

But the repercussions of it? That was a different matter.

I hoped Paul heeded my warning that I gave him. Although I could almost see a life with him, snuggling like we were after passionate sex, I had vowed that Washington was only a temporary stop.

I drifted off to sleep to the soundtrack of his strong heartbeat, as Paul's rugged hands glided lazily up and down my back.

~B of L~

Chapter 15: Reflections

PPOV

I laid there in awe of the angel in my arms and the surreal moment we had shared.

I didn't see our hooking up tonight coming. Did I want it? Sure, I was a guy and I had wanted her practically since the moment I saw her. But tonight, I did not see this happening. I was so livid when I arrived, blaming her for shit that was not her fault. And I fucking almost phased near her. I was a hairs breadth away from it.

And it wasn't the wolf, it was me. He kept telling me to stop and refused to be released in her presence. Then later, he wanted to fix the hurt and anger on her face, in her eyes. When she had dismissed me, the poor bastard in my head rolled over and whimpered.

To put it mildly, I was confused as hell. First of all, I hadn't imprinted. Secondly, ever since I had first phased, the wolf had been silent whenever I was with a woman.

Up until Bella.

He seemed to be as infatuated with her as I was, if that was even possible. He was in a frenzy to have her.

To taste her.

To feel her. So much that I wasn't thinking and just plunged into her. Her cry of pain woke us both the fuck up, and we both freaked the fuck out at what we had done. But Bella helped us recover, calling us out on our bullshit and taking control with the same assertiveness she had shown earlier in the evening.

She had felt so good. Soooo damnnnn goooood. My wolf was practically howling, begging for even more. Things that I knew she couldn't handle.

So I just held her to me, thrusting into her as she hugged me tightly, digging her nails into my back to point it was almost painful. And when I came? I have never felt an orgasm like that. From the tip of my toes to the top of my head.

Ever.

I shook my head, and hugged Bella to me. She was absolutely amazing.

I was in serious, serious trouble.

Rubbing soothing circles on her back, I fell asleep listening to Bella's soft breaths and steady heartbeats.

I slept well, but it was marred with confusing dreams. I dreamt of my mother, her youthful cheerfulness that she had so much trouble keeping up in Portland was visible again. It made my heart ache to see her, knowing she would slip through my fingers when consciousness re-claimed me. I often wondered what life would have been like if she had not died. Would I have even phased? What would she think of Bella? Duh, I had no doubt that she would have adored her.

In my dream, Mom was giving me what had been her almost weekly speech about how to treat women. She kept hearing things about me and had been concerned. But of course, I had let it go in one ear and out the other. It was the commitment that I was scared about, and she never failed to call me out on it. Not that she was expecting me to find my soulmate at sixteen, but she wanted me to give love a chance. I had always scoffed at the thought of love. Mom and the asshole's marriage had always been rocky, and I couldn't remember a single moment of happiness that had him in it. The only healthy relationships I had been around growing up were hundreds of miles away - my grandparents, the Blacks, and the Atearas.

"You are going to find a girl one day that you are head over heels about, and she is going to be as scared of commitment as you are," Mom had prophesied. At my eye roll, she had smiled sadly, the wisdom behind her words showing on her face. "Promise me, Buddy, that when that time comes that you don't give up, no matter how much she pushes you away. If you love her, fight for her."

I woke up to her words repeating in my head. If you love her, fight for her.

I would have said it was strange that I would dream about that conversation with Mom after meeting Bella. The one and only girl that I had ever thought anything about. But I was a fucking shapeshifter who phased into a horse-sized wolf. My entire life was filled with the strange and supernatural.

It had to be Bella, I was crazy about her and she had been playing hard to get since the moment I had met her. And I wasn't naive enough to think that I had won her after last night either.

She wasn't mine… yet.

She had been adamant about not being a permanent fixture in Forks, repeating it over and over again when all I wanted was to hear her moan my name. It was more like she was trying to convince herself rather than me.

But I couldn't ask. I was many things but clingy was not one of them. If a girl asked me the morning after where we were going, I wouldn't be able to run away fast enough. Not that I ever stayed the night anywhere, but that was beside the point.

There were rules about these things. I was supposed to be patient. Supposed to be content that she had enjoyed herself last night, which she most definitely had. But it still worried me. There was nothing keeping her here. It wasn't like she was my imprint.

I sighed.

I was really beginning to wish I had imprinted on her. What I had once thought of as a curse would only be a blessing with regard to her. She was incredible, and I was absolutely crazy about her. She already fit in with the pack, being related to Quil and Jake and friends with Embry, although I wasn't happy about him necessarily.

A life with her could be as easy as breathing. Taha Aki, I sounded like a fucking pussy.

But my life had never been easy, and I was beginning to realize that neither had hers.

The scars on her scalp concerned me. They had completely blindsided me as they really were hard to notice the way she wore her hair.

Jake and Quil never mentioned that she had been in a wreck, and that could only mean they didn't know. As close as they appeared, that really seemed weird. Were the scars why she had stayed away for so long, or was it because of her mother, like Quil had told me?

But then again, she had mentioned something about not being welcome as her reason for being gone so long. What was that about?

Women really were complicated and confusing when you started paying attention to them.

I remembered that her body had stiffened last night when she realized my hands were on her scalp, just like our first kiss. The look on her face hadn't been embarrassment, but fear. Like she didn't want anyone to know.

But why? It was really hard to notice.

Car wrecks happened all the time, unfortunately. Sarah Black had been lost in one many years ago. Even my own paternal grandparents had been killed when an elk walked in front of their car almost thirteen years ago.

But Bella was fine. She was gorgeous.

I opened my eyes slowly, stretching my large frame. I would have felt claustrophobic, perhaps, if not for the clear top of the tent. A handy little feature that allowed the stars and moon to shine through during the night, but also allowed the annoying… shit, almost afternoon sun.

I realized that I hadn't rolled over anyone. Both arms began searching over the blankets for the soft body that had fallen asleep on top of me. Disappointment filled me when I realized she was not lying beside me. And she wasn't in the tent either.

I figured this was karma. I couldn't count the number of hit and runs I had pulled over the years, sneaking out while the girl slept in sated bliss. Half the time I left as soon as the condom was...

Condom.

I bolted up into a sitting position. I don't remember putting on a condom last night. She fell asleep on me right after; I never got up to dispose of one.

Ah fuck!

Not only do I rip through her virginity, but I did it without protection.

Fuck! How did I make such a rookie mistake? I might as well have cum in my shorts when she first touched me and went for the trifecta.

'If you want to tap it, wrap it' had been my motto long before the wolf came about. I always kept them in my wallet and vehicle. A few brief encounters in Portland, but almost too many to count since coming back to La Push.

And after all my those women, last night was the first time that I didn't have protection on.

I dug my palms into my eyes. I am in so much trouble!

Obviously she was clean, and the supernatural wolf kept me as well.

But what does she think of me? Is that why she's gone?

I stepped groggily out of the tent, my ears straining to hear Bella's whereabouts that my sight could not locate. Instead of the petite brunette, my eyes landed on her trusty sidekick instead.

His head was resting on his front paws, while his back legs were stretched out behind him. His reproachful eyes watching me without apology, following my movements like a prison guard would a dangerous inmate. The intensity of his gaze was starting to make me feel uncomfortable, which I didn't need any help with today.

I growled at him in warning, trying to remind him that I was top dog around here. However, he flat out snarled at me with his hackles raised. Last night he had bolted at the first sign of aggression, and now he acted like he was ready to go fifteen rounds with me.

Quil was right; the dog was odd.

I was going to have enough problems dealing with Jake and Quil. Well, Jake at least. I was fairly certain that his wanting me to watch Bella did not entail sleeping with her. I was positive it didn't involve my taking her virginity with all the gentleness of a bulldozer.

I heard her come walking up the path. As she turned the bend into the clearing, my heart almost stopped at the vision in front of me.

Fuuuuck!

Bella stopped when she saw me standing at the campsite and stood there wearing a black bikini. Nothing else.

My dick instantly reacted.

I could hear her heart beginning to race as she approached the campsite, her hand wringing the towel that she had been drying her hair with. Her cheeks were flaming in embarrassment at my heated gaze, and as she passed briskly by me, I caught the smell of… Head and Shoulders?

She bolted into the tent and reemerged with a tank on and some kind of skin-blocking denim thing that I cursed to the fiery pits of hell. She gave me a shy smile at my blatant eye-fucking and sat down on a fallen log by the fire pit nonchalantly, as if the last five minutes hadn't happened.

She replied when I asked her where she was, taunting me playfully. And when she gave me a sexy little smirk, I couldn't stop the low growl that rumbled out of my chest.

I stalked toward my prey.

~B of L~

BPOV

I walked down the trail slowly, watching my steps carefully as I held tightly to Chase's hand, who was anxious to get to the bottom. He would point happily at Jax and laugh along with me as we watched Jax relentlessly pursue bird after bird, only getting frustration for his trouble.

When we hit the bottom, Chase dropped my hand and ran down the beach, laughing as Jax barked at him and followed happily behind. They disappeared temporarily from my sight behind a sea stack, although I could still hear the excited canine's bark.

I slipped my sandals off, burying my toes in the cool sand, and leisurely followed paw and footprints. After clearing the stack, I stopped to observe the sight before me.

I watched as Paul and Chase played happily in the surf, smiling widely as Chase's peels of laughter and Paul's boisterous guffaws reached my ears. They were so carefree and happy. The same twinkling eyes and gorgeous smiles.

"Where's your momma, son?" Paul asked as he swung Chase around.

Chase looked up at Paul's words. His eyes shining in their mirth, and gave me a wide grin. At the boy's change in attention, Paul turned and focused his dark, grey eyes on me, making my body almost buzz from the intensity of the stare.

"There she is," Paul smirked as he began walking toward me, never moving his eyes from mine. In several short strides he was before me, wrapping me protectively in his strong arms. His lips met mine in a tender but passionate kiss that had me almost weak at the knees.

"How are my girls today?" He asked as he pulled back slightly to look down at me as his hands rubbed my stomach. My hands moved to cover his large hands that almost covered my slightly swelled belly...

My eyes snapped open and I tried to stop my ragged breathing. I found myself wrapped into Paul's side, memories of last night flooding through my mind. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, but it quickly fell off when my dream came back to my head.

I wiggled my way out of Paul's arms and rolled over to stare through the clear roof of the tent. What was that?

Chase was my future child? He was my and Paul's child? It didn't make sense but then again, it did. He looked so much like Paul he could almost pass for his clone. I had always felt such a connection to the boy. It really made perfect sense.

But why dream about him?

Did my libido want me to have sex and conjured up a stalking two old to get me to have it? Plausible, but it seemed more like a deterrent really.

And why did Chase appear to me in the broad daylight? I shook my head. Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one.

I was profoundly and irrevocably screwed up.

I attempted to sit up when I felt wetness between my legs. I recalled the blood last night and I shuddered at the horrifying possibility of so much of it now. But I couldn't smell it, which i was convinced I would be able to, no matter what people said. There was a small possibility I could have started early and I shuddered at how mortifying it would be to get my period now, when tampons were the last thing I had packed.

Biting the bullet, I moved the sheet out of my way so that I could check. My eyes shot up into my hairline.

That shouldn't be there unless...

I sucked in a deep breath. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to remember. As worked up as I was last night, it was possible that he could have put a condom on. It was possible, but the evidence at my groin made me highly doubt it.

No. No. No. Are you kidding me?

Okay, don't freak out! You wanted it. No, you needed it, I reminded myself.

And it was amazing. Not perfect, obviously, as it was a little more painful than I would have expected but really, really good.

It was good because I liked Paul, but did I like him enough to have a kid with him? Maybe, but not now. I wasn't even nineteen, and my life was one huge question mark. I wasn't sure what I wanted in life yet, or even an inkling of how to go about getting it if I did.

Did I want a family? I used to not. Eighteen years with Renee and Charlie as parents had soured me on any thought of having a family. I was only ever a burden to them, much like they were to me. My grandparents were the only sense of family that I had ever had and they were gone.

Looking at the serene face of the man snoring lightly beside me, I couldn't help but see the young boy in his features. Would Paul be so calm when he pondered what our lust-driven actions could have created? Would he be a good father?

I groaned. Instead of freaking out, like I had every right to be doing, I was more concerned if the man I just had unprotected sex with would be a good father.

I blamed Charlie.

Maybe Chase a little too. God knows that I would not be calmly thinking of getting knocked up after my first time if not for the little stalker.

What if I was pregnant? With Chase? I already felt a connection to him. How could I feel upset about the possibility of him?

I inhaled deeply, these thoughts were a little much for... whatever fucking time it was in the morning.

Carefully, I crawled toward the entrance of the tent, moaning quietly in my discomfort. I was sore as hell. I pulled Quil's shirt over my head, and slipped on my shorts from last night. Deciding to wait to finish dressing until after I was cleaned up, I rummaged through a bag for my bikini and pushed it into a ziploc bag with some toiletries.

Grabbing a towel, I tiptoed to the entrance but stopped to look back at Paul. I actually thought it would have been him slipping away from a sleeping me. I know thinking that made me a bit of a bitch and he didn't deserve for me to be so unfair to him. It wasn't that I really thought he would, there was something in his eyes that told me he wouldn't do that. The thing was that I wanted him to do it; that him sneaking out on me would show that he wasn't as interested in me as I suspected he might be. Like I was realizing I was for him.

But I needed to clean up, and think. So, I had to leave.

With one last longing glance, I quietly got out of the tent, shielding my eyes from the direct sunlight. It wasn't noon yet and already it was fairly warm with a little breeze blowing through. It was going to be really warm today.

After my vision returned, my eyes landed on Jax. "Hey boy," I said to the pup, apparently having forgiven him for abandoning me last night. Perhaps he knew I was in good hands after all.

I stepped into my sandals and walked to the edge of the cliff, breathing in the smell of the ocean. I looked down to the beach on the right, surprised that no one was here with the nice weather. But it was closed off to the public and it was a Sunday morning. The water was calm, as it always was, and looked extremely inviting. The inlet was flanked by large, towering cliffs that stretched out to the ocean. I could just jump in, like I had many times before. There were was no rush quite like jumping off a cliff into the cool Pacific ocean.

As much as I wanted to leap off the edge, I wasn't sure if it was safe anymore. Just as time changed people, it changed other things as well. Time could change the topography of the ocean, particularly rock slides. And what was once a deep little bay, perfect for diving, could be a potential nightmare in the making. As much as I longed to relive a moment of a happy part of my childhood, I wouldn't risk my life or time in the hospital.

I could see the trail meandering to the beach and then along the water until it disappeared in the rocks. I would walk along it to the water and then swim a little to 'test the waters' so to speak. Hopefully, there was a still a waterfall at the end the trail and I could wash up in it.

I began walking, but stopped when I heard the familiar jingle of Jax's collar behind me. I turned and spoke softly. "You need to stay. Watch over Paul." He made a noise that I could have sworn was a snort, but I narrowed my eyes at him and ordered, "Stay." It wasn't that I didn't want him with me. But if Paul awoke before I got back, he would be less inclined to think I had bolted if my dog was still there.

Stupid? Perhaps, but it made sense to me, or rather, made me feel a little better.

It took several minutes to make my way down to the beach. Third Beach was a secluded beach that oddly faced the southwest. It partially faced the opposite side of the inlet and the open sea, as the coast receded into the mainland slightly. There were a few sea stacks perturbing out of the ocean close to the entrance of the inlet and the northern part of the entrance was a spit curving back into the bay. The beach didn't get direct waves because of its placement, just ricochets from whatever made its way into the inlet. That was why it was such a good place to swim. That and the depth of the inlet and surrounding area.

I walked along the trail past the beach for a while, until I thought it was time to brave the water. I slipped off my sandals and left them and the towel on the trail, and jumped into the cool water. It wasn't that bad, but I had been used to the protection of my springsuit. I tightly clutched the plastic bag as I slowly swam toward the entrance of the bay. When I was just below where my camp was I looked up to see Jax staring down at me. I smiled and gave him a little wave.

This was probably one of my favorite places on Earth, not that I was well traveled by any stretch of the imagination. I had spent so much time swimming here as a kid, countless hours with Jake, Quil, and Embry. We would play hide and seek, hiding in the tiny recesses and alcoves in the cliff walls. Sometimes we would swim out and hide behind the sea stacks, or at least we did until Old Quil and Papa caught us one time and we had to stay inside the house for a week.

We didn't swim out there again.

I dived under the water for a second to see if it the depth was good for diving and was glad to see it still was. I could also see an entrance to one of the many underwater caves in the vicinity. I had found them first. Well, at least out of our motley little crew; I'm sure some Quileute kid had found them at some point.

The day I made my discovery I had been the last one to jump off the cliff to hide, not really into it because I had lost every other time that day. I recall it was unusually sunny, and when I opened my eyes underwater after jumping in, I happened to notice the shadow in the cliff. Curious, I made my way to it but hesitated at the entrance, fear of what was lurking inside to make a meal out of me. But as I peered inside, I noticed some light within. Figuring where there was light there was air, I entered. I was amazed at the cave I found inside, hidden for centuries from the world. Light cascaded down from holes high on the wall of the cave, there was a little stream of fresh water that emptied into the pool. I was eleven and thought it was a magical place.

And the best part? It had put me and hide-and-seek on a whole new level. I was undefeated for quite some time until Embry cheated and followed me one day. I graciously shared my hideaway, or our new clubhouse, with my cousins and friend, and we became obsessed in finding all the caves we could.

Good times.

Continuing on, I made my way to the arch in the spit. Stepping back on the trail, I shivered slightly in the breeze. As I passed through the arch, a breathtaking waterfall became visible. The waterfall faced the ocean and was fed by the stream that ran behind the campsite. It wasn't very big, but it was beautiful.

I peeled off my clothes, not worried that anyone could see. Only a boat would be able to see me in the alcove that the waterfall resided. I highly doubted someone was anchored offshore to wait for a naked woman to bathe in the waterfall. If so, this was their lucky day.

I reveled in the feel of the water, that almost felt warm after the the cool ocean, as I washed my hair and body. It felt so good to wash the sweat off, but I sighed as I took a sniff, missing the scent of my vanilla body wash and strawberry shampoo. Perhaps Joy had had something better but I was in a hurry when I gathered things up. I would just have to smell like Quil and Old Quil for the foreseeable future.

The blood washed off easily and seemed to have stopped, but I was still sore as hell. I could see bruises on my hips, although I really couldn't remember any pain last night to cause them. I recall Paul's strong grip on me and wishing he would hold me tighter.

When I was done, I quickly put my bikini on and brushed my teeth thoroughly, upset that I didn't grab some dental floss. That would bug me all day. I carefully made my way back to the beach. The trail at times could be precarious, sometimes only a narrow ledge to navigate. When I reached my shoes and towel, I finished drying off and wrapped my head in the towel.

I took my time walking back, half wanting to give Paul more time to sleep and the other half hoping he had fled in my absence. Yes, I was the Coward of Clallam County. When I got to the top of the cliff and into the clearing I looked up to see him staring at me.

Crap! Why didn't I take more clothes down there?

I quickly walked past him with crimson cheeks and a racing heart, practically diving into the tent out of embarrassment. Why did he get under my skin so bad? I threw the plastic bag of toiletries on my bag, and pulled out a tank and a pair of overall shorts and quickly put them on. I faked a breezy demeanor and walked outside and sat down on a log by Jax, scratching behind his ears. I looked up to see Paul still watching me with a strange look on his face, glued in his spot.

"Where have you been?" he questioned, his tone short and clipped. I raised a brow at him.

"Cleaning up in the waterfall." To my delight, he groaned slightly. "Why, miss me?" I smiled at him.

In three short strides, he was in front of me, pulling me up into his arms and crashing his mouth on mine. I melted into the kiss, and moaned as his tongue darted into my mouth.

I could feel myself getting lost into the kiss, him. He had that effect on me, making every molecule in me buzz with an electricity that I had never known before. Then he began kissing down my neck and was paying extra attention to the spot where my shoulder and neck met, making my stomach clench with need.

If I didn't stop us now, I never would.

Panting loudly, I pulled away and looked up into his dark eyes. "I think we have a little bit to discuss, don't you?"

The smoldering look on his face faded and he gave a short nod. I couldn't help the feeling of loss that passed through me when he placed my feet back on the ground and took a reluctant step back.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to begin but was interrupted.

"Bella, I am so sorry. I didn't intend for that to happen, you have to know that." I'm sure he could see the hurt look on my face, and he quickly added. "No. Don't think that. I wanted it. I want you, but I need you to understand that was not why I came here last night."

He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to find his next words. "Bella, I did something stupid…"

"I know."

"I am sorry. I have never not used one before," he implored. "I don't know what to say. I just… I just got lost in you." Swoon!

"Its okay Paul. There were two of us there. I didn't think of it either."

"It won't happen again," he assured me. "Hopefully the birth control…"

I gave him a sheepish look. "I'm not taking any. But I think we will be okay; my periods are fairly irregular and I'm due to start soon." I internally groaned, not believing the shit coming out of my mouth. Let's just go ahead and tell him if you are a pad or tampon kind of girl and describe your cramps to him. Men love that, I thought to myself.

"You aren't on the pill?" he wheezed, his eyes widening in panic. My questions to his feelings towards fatherhood essentially answered.

"Why would I be?" I asked rhetorically, trying to subtly remind him that I had not been sexually active.

"You said you weren't regular. Doesn't the pill help with that?"

I huffed at the fact he knew that and I didn't.

"I don't like doctors, and again, I never felt I needed any. Obviously, I wish I would have thought about it beforehand, but hindsight is always 20/20." I gritted out trying to stop the uncomfortable conversation.

I succeeded, but an unbearable silence fell between us.

He turned around like he heard something, giving me an unobstructed view of his chiseled, unmarked back. There had been a little blood under my nails earlier when I washed up. But his back looked as smooth as a baby's bottom. I didn't expect it to stay marked up for a week, but at least longer than eight, ten hours.

Strange.

"I thought you said you didn't have a phone," he suddenly said with a scowl on his face, breaking me out of my reverie. I quirked my brow at his random statement, but watched as he nodded his head toward my stuff. It must have been ringing, even though I couldn't hear it.

Paul seemed somewhat put out that he didn't know about it. I had realized that my staying with Charlie was extremely short term and I needed something simple that people could leave messages on if needed. And although I loved my truck, she was probably on her last leg; I needed a way to contact someone if she broke down. Old Quil had happened to see the phone box in my truck and had pried the number from me. Demanding old coot.

"I didn't at the time. I just got it earlier in the week." I made my way to the tent, still not hearing anything.

Searching through my backpack, I found the cell and noticed it was on vibrate. I had several missed calls earlier this morning from Old Quil. I had one voicemail as well and apparently a text. I hadn't even realized I had text on my plan. I looked at the text from Old Quil and smiled brightly.

Looking up into the Paul's eyes, I said "Makala is awake."

~B of L~

A half hour later we walked briskly into Forks General. Paul seemed to be a little out of it, tense and distant, so I gripped his hand tightly to drag him inside.

His concern for his sister was apparent, but he lingered outside of her door pushing me inside first, like he was afraid to face the nine year old.

Makala was sitting up, leaning against a nest of pillows. She looked up at our entrance, her eyes widened.

"Bella," she whispered, giving me a frightened look, but when she saw Paul standing behind me it was replaced with relief. A brilliant smile graced her face and she opened her arms wide for her big brother to hug her.

He crossed the room in four short strides and hugged her tightly, making the girl giggle. "You scared us," I heard him whisper in her ear.

"Sorry." She apologized sheepishly, as if she could have avoided anything that had happened to her.

"It's okay, Max. Just please, don't do it again." He smiled down at her, then ruffled her hair. She tried to slap at his hand, but he dodged her and stepped back.

"What do you remember?"

"I was running away from the big wave one minute, then the next thing I remember I am on the beach." She looked apprehensively at her brother. "I thought I saw Momma." Paul tensed imperceptibly, but she didn't notice. "She smiled at me, but I didn't get to talk to her before I feel asleep. Then, I woke up here."

"That's good, Sis," Paul said with a tight smile. I could tell he was uncomfortable.

Makala caught my eyes for a moment, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. After her deliberation was over, she finally spoke. "I talked with a lady, while I was sleeping. She was very nice, asking me what I like to do." She looked at me curiously. "We spoke about you, I think she knows you."

My curiosity was peaked. You always hear about people having strange dreams in near death situations. It had never happened to me, but that didn't mean I didn't believe it. Kind of like the whole theory of multiple orgasms.

Boy, I really hope that one is true.

Gran and Nanna both spoke a lot about dreams, saying that they were the subconscious trying to be heard. Doris and Molly went a little farther and said dreams were the Spirits trying to get in touch with us.

For the life of me, I'm not sure what the two-year-old of my dreams was trying to convey to me.

"She wanted me to ask you something," Makala continued.

"Oh, really? What?"

"Something about dancing. Did you go dancing, or maybe if you like dancing? I can't remember exactly what though."

I smiled, my heart swelling with love and memories of Gran. My Gran talking to the girl about me didn't seem so odd considering the last couple of weeks, hell days. She was looking out for me like she promised, and I couldn't help the sense of hope rising up in me.

"Do you know what she was talking about? Do you know her?" Makala's wide eyes were fixed with me, waiting on my answer.

"Yes honey, I do. I know her very well. Thanks for sending the message."

I gave her shoulders a squeeze and backed up into a strong, muscular wall. Paul wrapped his arms around me and looked down at me curiously. I shook my head and mouthed "Later" to him to appease him. But I was sure he would ask about it later.

And for the first time in a long time, I thought I might actually open up to somebody again.

~B of L~

"Can you take me by Charlie's?" I asked as we waited to pull out of the hospital's parking lot later that evening.

"Sure. Why?"

"I need to pick some things up. It won't take long."

"No problem," Paul said as he pulled onto the street. Minutes later he pulled onto Charlie's street, and I groaned when I saw the cruiser in the driveway.

Damn it!

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just hoping I could avoid him, at least for today." I opened the door slowly, dreading the coming, sure to be, awkward conversation. Before jumping out, I looked at Paul's questioning face. The last thing I needed was to mix him and Charlie right now. My intuition told me that they would get along about as well as oil and water. "I normally would invite you in, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"You sure? I could help."

"No, I just had a bad fight with him yesterday, and things could be... tense. I don't want you to get uncomfortable if we get into it again. Stay out here, and I will be as quick as I can. I'll cook something for you when we get to the reservation."

Paul's eyes brightened at the mention of food. I gave him a smile and made my way into the house.

Stepping inside and shutting the door, I looked around at the house I had left roughly thirty-six hours earlier. I was amazed at how much things had changed in such a short amount of time. I had went through the entire plethora of human emotions, and I was exhausted.

I felt like a totally different person.

I eased my way into the entryway of the living room, peering inside to find Charlie looking, for a change, outside rather than the baseball game on the flat screen.

"I thought you weren't moving out until the end of the month," he said looking out the front window, eyeing Paul suspiciously.

"I'm only here for a few things. Do you need me to fix anything for you to eat?" I offered as I walked back to the mudroom to grab Jax's food bowls. When I turned around and started back to the kitchen so I could empty the water, Charlie was standing in the hallway solemnly watching me.

He shook his head, looking at me sadly. "I would like to talk."

"Well, I'm pretty tired after spending all day with Makala. And I don't want to keep Paul waiting," I said, eyeing the stairs longingly.

"Okay. But there are things I need to let you know about. Just don't do anything long term before we can talk. Please."

I gave him a curious look, but fought the urge to ask. Instead, I climbed the stairs to my room and quickly gathered a sack full of clothes and somemore toiletries. As I made my way down, I watched as Charlie glared silently at Paul from the front door.

"Bella, wait," he said as he caught my arm as I passed him. "I know you have been spending time with Lahote…"

Not this shit again. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to swallow his foot.

I didn't have to wait long.

"You don't know him very well, but he has a bit of a reputation." I rolled my eyes. I knew Paul a hell of a lot better than I knew him. "Like father, like son," he muttered lowly at the end, not thinking that I would hear.

My blood boiled at the audacity of the man in front of me. Again, I was flabbergasted that he was Gran and Pa's son. "I know that you're apparent disdain of Paul is not based on his father. That would mean that you didn't learn a damn thing from the conservation we had yesterday. God forbid people made presumptions about me." Of course that had already happened, but I was of the opinion that the Clearwaters could not be classified as people. "What would they accuse me of, Chief Swan?" I asked rhetorically.

Shaking my head, I walked out to my truck and jumped in, leaving the sperm donor alone to ponder that question.

Paul was quiet for a long time. He opened his mouth a couple times as if to say something, but closed it promptly. Finally, something got its way out, "Good visit?"

"About what I expected."

"He doesn't seem to like me too much."

"Charlie doesn't like anything that isn't beer, the Mariners, or fishing."

"He seems to like you." He observed as he drove.

I looked at him, unsure exactly what my expression portrayed. Biting my tongue to keep from saying too much, I just turned back and sighed. I leaned my head against the window and stared blankly at nothing, neither meeting the sorrow in the reflection of my eyes nor the green blur passing quickly behind the glass.

A/N Thanks for reading! And thanks for sticking with the story while I battled to get the next chapter out. Ch 16 & 17 are nearly written so they will be coming soon. I really appreciate everyone's reviews, follows, favorites and most of all, patience. Means a lot.

Been a long time since I have gave recommendations. Below are only a few of some of the great stories out in the fandom.

Atonement by BetterinTexas Garrett/Bella

Picture Perfect by PurplePixie143 Peter/Bella

Haven't Met You Yet by Hanane EL Mokkadem Jasper/Bella Peter/Leah

The Devil You Know by Unseelie Sidhe Paul/Bella

The Godparents by abbymickey24 Jasper/Bella

Troth by 0acadiaelle0 Carlisle/Bella

Temptation by Lolita The Gothic Aro/Bella

The Arrangement by PurplePixie143 Emmett/Bella

Tall, Dark and Deadly by Vampire-Addict-22 Felix/Bella

An Innocent Touch by LilyAurora Paul/Bella

Circumvention by wanderinginmoonlight Sam/Bella

and

Just A Fool by feebes86. A Sam/Leah one shot that Feebes wrote for me for a Tricky Raven challenge. She absolutely nailed it, but I am greedy and want more. Please read and let her know you want more too. Hugs, Reign