A/N: Extra kudos to my beta, ShadowPast620 for helping iron out some details in this fic. Wolfy hugs and kisses to my wonderful reviewers for sharing their thoughts, concerns and support.
Paul finally broke free of his escape plan scenarios and went to make lunch for him and Urchin; just regular sandwiches, chips, dip and some oddly cut up fruit as an afterthought. Looking at the clock, he realized that Urchin had been in the shower for a really long fucking time. Not that he was about to bitch, she could stay in there for as long as she wished! But lengthy showers weren't Urchin's style and his inner whiny wolf was pacing in concern.
Paul tried to shut the howling monster up, taking extra fucking slow steps from the kitchen to the dining room and back as he set out the prepared sandwich plates and crap. He hesitated when grabbing two cans of Coke, unable to remember if he had ever seen his girl drink soda and if she even liked it.
He didn't want to dwell on this shit, the constant struggle between offering and insisting whenever it came down to something Urchin should just choose for herself. If he asked generally what she wanted, she'd never answer. He could always offer a choice, but unless he wanted to name every goddamn drinkable thing in the house, he'd still have to offer specifics for her to decide. Much more than three options and she just panicked.
Another ten minutes went by and still no sign of his girl. The water hadn't even stopped running and Paul couldn't fucking take it anymore. Fifteen hurriedly taken long ass strides and he was outside of his bathroom door, arm raised, fist clenched and ready to knock.
The water stopped.
Breathing deeply for balance, Paul left her be, waiting until she'd finally shuffle out to eat lunch with him. Fucking please, don't let her take forever to come out, he thought, taking his seat at the table and trying not to fidget in impatient frustration.
"You okay, Urchin?" Paul asked after she had taken a few bites of her sandwich. She still looked extra broken from her trip to the clinic, not meeting his eyes.
The hand holding her sandwich, hovered between her mouth and the plate, the plate finally claiming victory for placement as she set it back down.
"Come on Urchin, you don't have to stop eating when I talk to you," Paul pleaded. Leaning over the table, he gave her plate a push forward in encouragement. She still didn't look up at him, but she did pick her sandwich back up. Eventually.
"I'm really sorry about the doc visit. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he tried again, hoping to trigger whatever subject had left her feeling like this.
Paul's own sandwich tasted flavorless as he relentlessly bit, chewed and swallowed, his eyes never leaving his girl whose own bites became smaller and smaller until she gave up entirely and placed what was left, down.
More than half of it was gone and if Paul was being generous he could say that definitely more than three fourths had been consumed. True, she hadn't eaten all of the sandwich, the chips mysteriously vanishing in small intervals under the table and the fruit slightly nibbled on, but this was a start.
"Look, Urchin, we won't talk about whatever is bothering you, but I have to ask. Do you still want to go out to the movies tonight? Cause I can call dipshit an-" Paul's mouth froze open when Urchin's head jerked up. It wasn't the violent head nodding that caught his attention, it was the sight of two of the most pleading eyes he had ever seen, begging him to go.
"Ohh..okay," he finally stuttered out, amazed that he had fucking lost his ability to talk. Even after agreeing, she still continued to stare, a small burning hopefulness that nearly had him on his knees.
Her chair scratched across the tile as she pushed away from the table to stand. Like, literally, she just fucking stood there, staring at Paul and studying his face. He felt his breath catch when she started to inch towards him, pushing his own chair back and holding his arms out and open for her when she came around the table.
She stopped just out of his reach. He didn't know if it was intentional or not, if his girl had been watching him more intensely, but both seemed to be aware that he would have to slightly lunge forward if he wanted to touch her.
The wolf knew this move; the scared approach of a prey into predator's territory and he waited. Relaxing his form, Paul knew she had to be the one to make contact. If he even fucking farted, Urchin would bolt in fear.
What was going on in that closed mind? Paul thought as she tried to control her rapidly increasing heart rate by shallowly breathing. It was the wrong thing to do, but as long as she didn't completely fucking hyperventilate, he could give two shits less.
Her sudden forward motion preceded the burst of adrenaline, one small urchin wrapping her arms around his neck as she waivered between just hugging and attempting to sit in his lap. Paul didn't even have to think about moving, his arms worked on their own, encircling the figure to lift her up and hug back.
The feeling of peacefulness Paul had unknowingly been missing, bloomed in abundance. All at once like an explosion, he felt the overpowering connection of being a man that held a wolf within as the two converged to rejoice in the acceptance of their mate, partner and life long companion.
"I feel so happy right now," Paul found himself whispering into Urchin's hair. He tightened his hold slightly, enough to be firmly placed against her clothed flesh and continued to marvel at the intimacy of such a simple gesture.
Urchin pulled back to look at him, her eyes once again holding a sliver of…hope? Paul couldn't get a definitive read on the emotion but it sure as fuck was one of those in a higher happy level.
"We are so going to the movies, Urchin. Tonight, tomorrow, next week, whenever you want, we're gonna go," Paul stated simply and truthfully. If his girl needed to visit a theater once a day to act like this, he'd damn well build his own fucking theater right here on the Rez!
He couldn't stop staring at the sudden change in his girl, failing to realize the importance of her happiness. He knew she was happy about the movies, it just didn't occur to him that there was a significance to it other than she wanted to go.
His girl didn't seem to mind being held and he let her stay where she was, the meal completely forgotten and irrelevant to him. Paul also couldn't seem to keep his hands to his own damn self, constantly moving them up to the nape of her neck and then trailing down her back to add a few appreciative swipes to the delectable ass.
His fingers were like memory foam, cupping those cheeks and trying to push her closer still to his own form. If Urchin felt uncomfortable at all, Paul was one clueless bastard; he and the wolf as the two unconsciously plotted a mad dash to the couch, bedroom, hell even the floor. Somewhere/anywhere were they could continue to bond with their imprint in a more intimate fashion.
Like all of his would be perfect moments, this one, too, was disrupted by his phone. Really, he could care less who the fuck was calling and tried to ignore the fucker for as long as possible. However, the constant fucking ringing must have caused his muscles to tense slightly as Urchin began to frown and tried to move off of him.
"Just ignore it," he murmured to his girl, trying to pull her body back against his. She couldn't hear the phone but she also didn't know what was causing his arms and body to harden and Paul himself was clueless to the fact that this type of reaction usually preceded violence to his girl.
When the phone finally shut the fuck up, he did relax but it was too late. Urchin wanted down and his attempts to otherwise keep her seated were beginning to panic the poor girl. With sorrowful reluctance, he dropped his arms, instantly on standby to catch her should she need assistance.
She didn't and made it back to her seat in record time. Her expression was one of confusion along with her quickly souring scent, but her eyes still held a promising gleam. It was that alone that allowed for Paul to finish eating and then get up to clear the table, once again pleasantly surprised when his girl helped and followed him to the kitchen.
He and Urchin were watching TV, well it was fucking on and she was staring at it. Paul on the other hand, was watching her, his hand leisurely stroking her leg in hopes of her clothes magically, fucking disappearing. Despite the closeness physically being broken, the haze Paul sported wasn't. At least it wasn't until the phone started to chirp again, reminding Paul he owed one sorry ass motherfucker a verbal bashing to end all. His left hand kept up its Urchin exploration mission while he reached over to grab the annoying device.
The name flashing indicated it was the exact same asshole who had called earlier, the cockroach, Brady
"Kiss your sorry ass goodbye, Fuller," Paul threatened into the receiver as a greeting.
"Paul?" The talking cockroach asked, confusion and uncertainty marring the voice.
"You know anyone else who can serve you your own ass in a body bag?" Paul asked carelessly.
Brady was taken aback by the rudeness in Paul's tone. He shouldn't have been, that was just how Paul was. But this Paul was not the same one he had witnessed coddling an imprint earlier in the day. "I…what's wrong?"
"The phone rang. Twice." If Paul was at all worried that the caller wouldn't understand that remark, it didn't show.
Brady sat on the comment for a moment, idly wondering if Paul was talking about him. Surely a man as busy as Paul got more than two phone calls within an hour of each other.
Not wanting to anger the pack psycho even more, Brady rushed forward with his reasoning. "Hey, Regina decided she wants to do dinner first. Can you meet us at Smuggler's Landing around five thirtyish?
The past hour of blissfulness projected brightly in Paul's mind, reminding him of how happy Urchin was about going to the movies. Dinner plans had never been mentioned and he was worried about rocking her already fragile state of mind.
"I don't know if that's a good idea…." Trailing off, Paul glanced at his girl. She could obviously hear the conversation with Paul sitting so close to her but if she was hearing any of it, there wasn't a damn indication.
"Come on, Paul. It's just dinner and Regina wants to get to know Arial. It's kind of hard to talk at the movies, you know?" Brady asked a bit roughly, snapping Paul out of his happy imprint place and bringing forth the wolf all knew and feared.
"Yes, dipshit, I realize that," he spit into the phone, angered beyond coherency. "You do know she doesn't talk, right? What fucking difference will it make?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Urchin flinched, increasing Paul's anger toward Brady and causing his heart to do an unusual and painful clenching.
"Look, we all have to eat," Brady explained like Paul was too dumb to understand. "Regina would like to meet the newest one to our group in a more open environment and dinner is the perfect place. What the hell could go wrong?"
Everything, Paul thought, the wolf within nodding in agreement. It hadn't been the ice cream Urchin had been excited about; it had just been the movies. That alone was enough to make Paul more than hesitant.
"Eat the fuck at home. Or take Regina to dinner and we'll meet at the movies. Either way, dinner as a group does not sound promising."
"Paul...It's not like we're going to hurt her," Brady scoffed at Paul. He knew damn well how angry the guy could get and even if he wasn't a wolf, a human Paul could probably inflict some heavy damage to a shapeshifter if the rage called for it; rage that stemmed entirely from the need to protect a girl.
Paul was really struggling here. He didn't want to hide his girl away from the world. He was damned proud to be seen with her. However, Urchin didn't seem to overly enjoy people; being around them more specifically. Paul was her wolf, though, and it was up to him to make sure that she learned how to be comfortable in these types of situations.
"Fine!" he finally snapped out, anything but pleased about the change of events. "But you two fuckers best behave, or else I'm kicking ass and leaving dead bodies in my wake."
Clicking the phone closed, Paul threw it back on the table, tense as fuck. His girl felt that shit and she tried to move away, causing the wolf to repent and beg, Paul's body losing the tension and slinking into the cushions.
His hand never left her leg and eventually Urchin went back to watching TV as his fingers moved in a restless pattern. Up to her hip and back to her knee, over and over and neither really noticing that with each pass, his fingers moved inwards just a bit.
The feeling Bella didn't know of, grew. Her body relaxed more and more while something inside tightened pleasurably. People only touched her when they expected something, but at the moment, it was Bella who wanted something she didn't recognize. Having never known love, affection or true caring, she felt scared. What if when the time came for the Paul man to get rid of her, she didn't want to go? Despite knowing how to find food and shelter in the Underground, Bella worried
This restaurant was just as loud as the other one had been and Bella plastered herself against Paul, unknowingly clutching his hand. People were staring and it made her nervous. This wasn't like before when she was living in the Underground. Then, people would look away just as quickly as they initially looked at her, not wanting to see a shabby clothed girl. Here, though, they stared longer, funny looks of surprise and awe.
The Paul man had told her there was a change of plans. He promised they'd still see a movie but before that, the Brady person wanted to eat dinner at a restaurant so Bella could meet the man's M-girlfriend. That's what the Paul man had said and she wondered if the M indicated something more than a regular girlfriend.
"You first," the Paul man said, interrupting her musings and stepping aside to let her climb into the booth.
Wearily taking one last look around her, Bella slid across the bench until she was against the wall and trapped since the Paul man was on her other side and the two strangers sat across from them. The only thing keeping Bella from making a run was that there were a lot of people here. Nobody would attack her in such a public place.
The Paul man casually gripped her hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, startling Bella. Clearing his throat, the other two looked up to stare at them.
"Urchin," he stated, squeezing her hand again and nodding in the direction of the Brady person, "that's Brady, from earlier. And with him, his girlfriend, Regina."
Trying hard not to squirm under the scrutiny, Bella did her best to look…normal. She couldn't make herself smile, but she didn't want them to think she was scared of them. Well, the Brady guy, at least. She was still waiting to see what kind of person the Regina lady was.
This new person was similar in looks to her Leah friend with long black hair and well tanned skin. She was certainly pretty and the Brady guy couldn't keep his hands off of her, a constant stream of giggling and lightly asked 'Stop, please!' from the attention he gave her.
It was when she whispered something in his ear, that he really did stop and then the new lady decided to talk directly to Bella.
"Leah talks a lot about you, Arial," Regina said casually, a fake smile on her face. Bella knew it was fake, her eyes looked secretive, like they were hiding something.
"I'm glad you decided to live with Paul," she continued. "That way we'll all get a chance to know you."
"Yeah," the Brady guy added. "It's about damn time someone cared enough to stick around with Paul," he joked, the Regina lady laughing quietly as well while the Paul man…did he kick the Brady guy?
"Ow!"
"Shut the fuck up and keep that shit to yourselves," the Paul man added.
"Oh, give it a rest, Paul," the Regina lady spoke up, taking a menu from the waiter Bella hadn't noticed until then.
Paul sat one down in front of Bella as well, never letting go of her hand and using his free one to open his own menu. The couple across from them was silent for a few minutes as everyone read over the lists until the Brady man hooted loudly.
"Hell yes! Extra spicy wings!"
"Brady, do not order hot wings. You know they won't even put a dent in your stomach," his girlfriend remarked, not even bothering to look up from her menu.
"Yeah, but they taste good," he answered before giving Regina a kiss on the cheek. "What are you going to have?"
"Probably a wrap." Shutting her menu, she moved sideways to return the kiss, Bella's eyes dropping in embarrassment over such a public display of affection.
Curiously, the menu caught Bella's attention. It had never occurred to her that people would need to be able to read to order food. There were several pages to it and she pretended to study the glossy leaflet.
"Do you know what you want?" The Paul man whispered to her. Without hesitation she pointed at a section of the menu, hoping it was a right choice. Now would not be the time to be picky, whatever it was she'd eat it and be happy.
The Paul man's fast forming frown told her it wasn't.
"Urchin, do you know what that is?"
Shoot, she had been caught, counting on the fact that each section was dinner options. Pulling her hand away, she searched quickly for something else, flipping the menu open and choosing a picture of a sandwich.
"That's better," he chuckled. "Your first choice was a daiquiri." His smile vanished again and he flipped the selection over before turning to face her, a look of fear on his face.
"I completely fucking forgot. Shit, urchin, why didn't you tel-"
Bella watched as he slammed his mouth closed, a funny grinding noise emitting from his jaw. He sounded scary when he decided to speak again, his lips moving but his jaw held tightly closed.
"You have no idea what the choices are, do you? It never occurred to me…" sighing heavily, his jaw relaxed as he bent his head down before looking over at Bella. "Can I tell you what they have and then you can decide what you want to eat?"
Well, that was unexpected, Bella thought. She didn't want to bother the Paul man in helping her. The sandwich looked okay and if he was upset over the idea of reading to her, she had no reason to complain. He started to read, though, before Bella could shake her head.
Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment when she caught the other couple staring her way. Like the Paul man, they probably thought this was a waste of time, no one else needing the help Bella did. She slumped just a little bit lower on the bench, unconsciously squeezing the Paul man's hand when he was reading about a hamburger and sealing her dinner choice.
Not that she cared. Hamburgers were pretty good and unlike some sandwiches, they tasted almost as good a few days later so she'd be able to save some for later. Brightening considerably, she sat back up. Everybody seemed happy about the choice and that was the most important thing.
The waiter came back with drinks Bella hadn't noticed were ordered and again she was surprised when Paul pushed a glass towards her.
"I know you like Coke, so I got us both one. Is that okay?" He whispered while the other two guests were giving their orders.
Nodding, Bella busied herself with drinking from the straw so when the waiter asked what she wanted, it looked normal for the Paul man to answer for her. She didn't care what he asked for sides or toppings and sighed in relief when the waiter left. To show appreciation, she squeezed the warm hand in her lap again and tried to give the Paul man a smile. One that he easily returned.
Bella teetered between taking small sips and gulping down her soda. The sweet liquid was addicting to her tongue and she knew from experience that it could easily fill her up. However, that type of meal also left her feeling hungry more quickly and she wanted no reason for the Paul man to think they shouldn't see a movie because her tummy would start making noises. Instead, she chewed on the tip of the straw, poking the roof of her mouth when the Regina lady spoke.
"So, Arial, why don't you talk?" She asked, resting her elbows on the table and leaning over. "I mean, you can, right? You just don't want to."
Trying both not to panic and extract the straw from her mouth, Bella looked to her companion on the left hoping he could just nicely tell them that she preferred not to and that the Regina person would change the subject.
Such was not the case as Paul sucked in a sharp breath and Brady stilled, his own face dropping from a carefree cheerfulness to one of defense.
"You bitc-"
"PAUL!"
"What?" he snapped back disbelievingly. "I already fucking told you my girl doesn't like to talk. Didn't you tell Reggie to back the fuck off about that shit?" He asked, his eyes staring into the shocked face of Regina. The name Reggie was a pet name only Brady called her when they were alone and to hear it fall from Paul Lahote's lips was as effective as a slap.
"Stop being an overprotective asshole, Paul!" Brady demanded, his clenched fists coming to rest on the table. "Re-gin-a," he said slowly, enunciating his imprint's proper name, "was only trying to be friendly. Nobody means anything by normal questions and every time you jump our shit, it looks bad on you!"
"You're pushing too hard, too fast, Fuller. I didn't ask you to be careful just for shits and giggles. If I 6hought your tactics were worthwhile, I'd sit back and let be," Paul explained. He was deathly still, deadly calm and less than dust mite's dick width away from exploding.
Fully squishing herself into the corner of the booth, Bella didn't know what to do. The Paul man was mad and so was the new, Brady guy. Or was his name Fuller? It didn't really matter; he probably had multiple names like she did. She also wasn't upset about the talking question. There was no way to explain about the demons, even if they couldn't find her.
The table started to shake slightly and Regina realized her error instantly. Brady may be a young wolf, but he definitely had a trigger temper like Lahote did when it came to imprint disparaging.
"I didn't…Paul, I'm sorry," Regina pleaded, grabbing Brady's arm to subtly remind him now was not the time or place. "I wasn't trying to be rude; I just thought it was strange and that I'd ask."
Her words had every little affect on soothing Lahote and if his ass didn't calm down, neither would Brady's.
"Arial, please forgive me," Regina once again pleaded, hoping that if the imprint accepted the aplogy, the wolves would mellow. "I figured that there might be a reason you're choosing not to speak. I didn't mean to upset you."
Apparently her huddling mechanism was a bad idea also. The Paul man unexpectedly pulled her away from the wall and hugged her to his side; his left hand planted firmly against her tummy and his right clutching the table.
"Listen closely, family," the Paul man said, looking across the table and making Bella wonder if they were his brother and sister. "Urchin is still getting used to us. When she wants to talk, she will. Until then the subject is fucking closed."
"Fine!" Brady snapped, irritated at Paul for talking in a derogative manner to Regina. With a few more well placed sneers and humanly inaudible growls, the two wolves went back to their own little imprint bubbles.
Paul wanted nothing more than to suddenly leave and tear Fuller a new one. That was until he realized his Urchin was upset, getting worse and not calming down at all. She was already seated leg to leg against him and Paul held no qualms about hoisting her up and sitting his girl in his lap…more like straddling a single leg.
"Don't listen to their shit, Urchin," he whispered into her ear, inwardly smirking when Fuller tensed up again. "When you want to talk, you will and even if you never do, that's okay, too."
The words came easier than the reality. It wasn't like Paul was a talkative motherfucker to begin with and Urchin didn't seem to mind it, so why the fuck should he?
Because it's normal and expected to talk, that shitty inner voice piped up and making Paul shake his head slightly. He had fast as fuck healing abilities, maybe he should ask someone to perform brain surgery on him and find the source of his inner voice to surgically remove it?
It was as if Urchin could hear the shitty voice, too, because she found Paul's hand and began to rub the top of it. She couldn't grasp it completely and instead, used some weird imprint only shit to make the motion feel like fucking heaven.
Imagine what it'll feel like on your dick! Horny Paul popped up out of fucking nowhere.
Lost to both the ideas and feelings, Paul dropped his head forward into Urchin's hair. It was loose and slightly tangled, giving Paul enough pause to wonder if she had brushed it again after her second shower or forgot about it. Whatever, she looked fuck hot and he could care less. When they got home, he could always suggest brushing it for her, not because the task was overtly sexually but because it meant she'd sit in between his legs and start to relax. If he kept up the motion long enough, she'd probably fall asleep against him and yeah! That shit was a bonus.
When the waiter arrived with the food, Paul slid Urchin back to his side, keeping a firm grasp on her hand and eating with the other. Keenly aware, the wolf noted how much she enjoyed the hamburger. The thing looked huge, her slim fingers trying to keep the thing together when she took small bites. To help her out, Paul causally cut it into quarters, Urchin's eyes wide and a bit scared looking at first but relaxing when he set the knife down away from her.
He really didn't give a flying fuck that Regina seemed to be pouting, all silent and sullen and shit as Brady kept up a steady stream of conversation meant for her only. Paul wanted urchin to feel like she had friends but clearly regina wouldn't be one of those. If this shit kept up, he'd talk to Leah. Alpha's Imprint kept the rest of the girls in a line and for once, Paul was going to take advantage of it.
"Are you done eating?" Paul whispered to his girl when he noticed she hadn't moved to take any more bites after some time.
She blinked once before nodding, pushing her plate away slightly to give him a look of…Paul had no idea. She didn't appear to be upset or nervous but she wasn't real happy either.
"As soon as we pay, we're gonna go to the movies like I promised, okay?" he reassured the delicate form.
That comment did earn him a smile and a wave of her excitement, causing Paul to relax again and enjoy the company. Fuck, he felt like a wuss, sitting here grinning and shit. The bigger part of him, though, felt like he ruled the world by making his Urchin happy.
"Would you like a take home box?" the waiter asked, causing Paul's stupid grin to slowly bleed away.
"Geez, Paul. I can't believe there's something to take home. Are you feeling sick?" Brady asked snidely. He meant to lighten the mood, but was still slightly enraged himself.
"Ha ha, Fuller," Paul said, forgetting all about the earlier incident. "Shut the fuck up before I kick you where it counts." Turning to address the waiter, his tone was just as light. "No, no box, just the check."
Sadly, Bella stared at her half eaten burger as it was taken away, pulling her free hand back under the table before she could grab it. She had tried to eat more than normal, but it was a really big burger. Plus, she had gotten French fries! They tasted a lot better warm, unlike the cold ones she had found on occasion in discarded bags and more filling than suspected.
"Urchin, were you still eating? I asked if you were done," The Paul man whispered, startled at her behavior.
He didn't seem to be upset that good food she had been unable to finish was going to waste and Bella tried to plaster a smile on her face while agreeing that she had been done. He looked like he didn't believe it, though, but thankfully let the incident pass without further comment.
"Paul?" Regina questioned hesitantly as the group stood up to leave. "Did you guys have a preference to what movie we see?"
Double shitters! In all the excitement Urchin had exuded over going out and even though he had tried to ask her what type of movies she liked, Paul hadn't actually looked up to see what the titles were and ask Urchin if she had a preference.
'I don't know," he tried to remark casually. It wasn't like he had a burning desire to see anything specific; whatever shit his girl wanted to watch was good enough for him. "I suppose whatever is playing soon."
Casting a sly glance at Urchin, he was pleased to see that she was still looking slightly happy. It also added a layer of doubt to his thinking. Was she really that excited just to go and didn't really care what the movie was as long as she could watch something?
"Right," Regina agreed softly, noticing Arial giving Paul a look of adoration. "There's a family movie starting in twenty movies, we'll go see it." She gave a hard pinch to Brady when he started to groan. Her man had been so hopeful that Paul would demand to see some guy flick and leaving the girls vetoed in movie choices.
Maybe Paul's imprint was a good thing? Regina questioned as they exited the restaurant. In the few short years she had known Lahote, he had never agreed to watch a family movie, not even when Sam demanded it on pack get-togethers.