Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.
Chapter Two
Paul's POV
"What's cooking?" I asked as I walked into Sam and Emily's home.
Jared and Kim were already there, sucking face on the small couch. I smacked the back of his head as I walked by, earning a growl and a muttered curse thrown at my back.
"What? Not even a hello?" Emily scolded as she pulled something out of the oven.
"Hey, Em. What's cooking?" I smirked, plopping down at the kitchen table.
"Hi, Paul. I'm good, thanks for asking. As for lunch, well, I made sandwiches about an hour ago. Too bad you missed them," Emily informed me with fake regret.
"Now, Em, you and I both know you stashed some of them away for me. You really gonna make me sniff 'em out?" I asked.
"What else is that big thing in the middle of your face good for?" Emily shot back.
"Touché, little lady," I winked, slipping to my feet.
I nosed through the kitchen, discovering a stack of sandwiches in the back of the fridge.
"Jackpot," I grinned, pulling out the plate.
I stood in the open fridge, munching turkey and ham on white while Emily started cutting up something in a pan.
"Wha's 'at?" I asked through a mouthful of food.
"Cobbler for tonight," Emily answered absentmindedly.
"Wha's t'ni'?" I asked, stuffing in another sandwich.
"Bella Swan is coming to stay with Sam and me for a few weeks while Charlie is away in Seattle," Emily replied, putting the cobbler on a plate and wrapping it.
"The leech lover is staying here?" I gaped, my food temporarily forgotten.
"Her name is Bella, Paul, and yes, she's staying here. Sam says she's not doing well and Charlie doesn't want to leave her home alone," Emily explained harshly.
Instead of offering a response, I stuffed another sandwich in my mouth, munching as I thought on what I knew of Miss Bella Swan.
I had only seen her through Sam's thoughts, having never met her personally. Sam and I were rarely phased at the same time, usually only when I suddenly lost control of my temper, but I had phased enough over the past few months to know the night Sam found Bella in the woods haunted him.
From the images of her in Sam's thoughts I knew she was white as snow, had brown hair and eyes, was incredibly shy, and sexy as hell. Her perpetual blush that could be brought on by just a look screamed "good girl" and, well, you know what they say about good girls. They make some mighty fine women.
"What are you smirking about?" Sam glared as he walked in from the back of the house.
"Nothing," I answered quickly, shoving in my last sandwich.
"That was Charlie on the phone. He's bringing Bella by a little early so he can get to Seattle before the traffic hits," Sam told Emily, placing the phone back in its cradle.
"When will he be here?" Emily asked nervously.
"Twenty minutes, tops. Hey. Get outta the fridge," Sam snapped, shoving me out of the way as he pulled out a beer.
"Sure thing, boss," I saluted on my way to the living room, but not before grabbing a drink.
Jared and Kim had stopped sucking face and were currently watching the pre-game show for tonight's football game. Propping my feet up on the coffee table, I settled into the couch, keeping an ear out for the Chief's cruiser.
Twenty minutes later, the sound of gravel crunching had my ears twitching. The car was completely silent, not even the radio was on. Sam came into the living room as the car stopped in the drive, Emily right behind him.
"Behave," Sam warned before stepping outside.
Jared gave me the "he-was-talking-to-you" look to which I responded to with the third finger salute. Kim giggled softly, easily distracting Jared once again. I casually leaned back, internally focused on what was being said outside.
"Good afternoon, Charlie. Bella," Sam greeted.
"Sam. And this must be your Emily," Charlie responded, the sound of gravel crunching as he shifted forward.
"It's so nice to finally meet you both. Sam's told me so much about you," Emily claimed, her smile evident in her voice.
"Need any help with the bags, Charlie?" Sam asked as his and Charlie's footsteps went around to the back of the cruiser.
"Thanks," Charlie grunted, hefting a bag.
"Come on inside, Bella. I'll show you around," Emily offered, stepping closer to the silent girl.
I glanced to the door as the two sets of footsteps made their way up the stairs and into the house. Emily was smiling brightly, the perfect hostess, but my gaze was completely riveted to the tiny girl behind her.
There was no way this was the same girl from Sam's thoughts. The Bella Swan I had seen before had a quiet liveliness to her, the corners of her lips constantly turned up slightly as she watched the world around her. The girl currently standing in Sam and Emily's doorway might as well have been a million miles away. Her eyes were vacant as she followed Emily mechanically. She'd lost weight, her clothes hanging off her slight form. I worried that if Emily breathed too forcefully, Bella would just crumbled into dust at her feet.
"Bella, this is Jared and Kim and Paul's over on the couch. Everyone, this is Bella Swan," Emily made the introductions.
Bella turned, but didn't so much as blink at any of us. Kim and Jared stared, clearly worried and weirded out by the girl in front of them. Neither made a move to greet her. Taking a sip of my drink, I smirked at the tiny slip of a woman.
"'Sup, Swan. Damn, you look like hell," I commented, absently scratching my chest.
"Paul!" Emily reprimanded just before Charlie and Sam walked back in.
"Well, she does. What're you trying to do, become the sickliest looking person alive? Cause I gotta tell you, the whole emaciated look is not really working for you," I told Bella regretfully.
I heard Sam growl, Charlie drop the luggage, Kim gasp, and Jared groan, but I just stared at Bella.
"Paul, stop it," Emily warned dangerously.
"It's clearly not bothering her. Don't worry, Bella, you don't have to pretend with me. Hey, you wanna kill yourself? You should try jumping the cliffs during a storm. If you're lucky, you'll hit the rocks and knock yourself out before you drown, but seriously. It's a damned better idea than slowly starving yourself. Drowning doesn't take nearly as long," I informed her.
The Chief made a choking noise and Sam barked my name, but I ignored them as Bella's eyes finally shifted to me. I nearly choked, unable to breathe as I met her gaze, amazed at how fucking beautiful she was, even like this. My chest physically ached as I realize how sick she clearly was.
Instead of showing my confusion and worry, I gave her a smirk and raised my drink in a salute.
"Hell, Swan, it might even get rid of that stink hanging around you," I said, wrinkling my nose, hoping to see something in her eyes.
"Alright, Paul, enough. Take a walk," Sam ordered, though it lacked the Alpha command.
"Sure thing, boss. See you later, Swan. Remember what I said," I winked, nudging her chin with my fist as I walked past.
Charlie sputtered angrily as I walked by and I bowed my head to hide my smile. Yeah, I might be a bastard, but something told me that's exactly what I needed to be for Bella. She needed someone who didn't coddle her and I was just the guy to do it.
As the door swung shut behind me, I grinned as Emily rushed Bella to the guest room and Sam hurried to reassure a cursing Charlie.
Oh, yeah. I was definitely a bastard.
Emily's POV
As I urged Bella down the hallway to show her the guest room, I internally winced at Chief Swan's raised voice. Sam was doing his best to calm the furious man, but Paul had definitely done his best to stir up trouble.
But, then, that was Paul. He strived to cause trouble for others, taking delight in the small amount of havoc he managed to wreak on people's lives. That's not to say he was heartless. Paul was very loyal to those closest to him, as evidenced by the way he always took care of Kim and I.
If there was a light that needed changing or a sink that needed fixing, Paul took care of it without being asked. He made sure Kim had a ride to and from school on days Jared patrolled and couldn't take her. If one of us needed to run to Port Angeles to do a little shopping, Paul went and carried the bags without complaint. I knew Paul did it for Jared and Sam, helping to put their minds at ease when they couldn't be with Kim and I. Paul truly saw the two of them as his brothers and would do anything for them.
So I couldn't figure out why he had been so crude to Bella when he knew how Sam felt about the girl.
"I apologize for Paul's behavior. He's not usually so callous," I told Bella as we walked down the hallway.
There was no response as she walked slightly behind me and to my side, her eyes staring blankly ahead. The emptiness within those brown orbs sent shivers down my spine. I just barely managed to resist rubbing my arms in an effort to ward of the internal chill.
"This will be your room," I showed her, opening the door.
She walked by me, her steps a slow shuffling across the hardwood floors. I followed her, watching as she moved straight to the bed and climbed beneath the covers. My heart broke as she laid there, staring up at the ceiling, arms by her side. I felt as though the cozy room of soft greens and warm browns had transformed into a room as cold as any hospital.
"Holler for me if you need anything, sweetheart. I'll come check on you in a bit," I murmured, unwilling to raise my voice above a whisper, as if I were actually in a sickroom at a hospital.
I received no response as I backed out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind me. I waited there for a few minutes, listening for any movement and hearing none.
I hadn't wanted to believe Sam when he told me Bella was bad off. I couldn't wrap my mind around the thought of someone just sitting in bed day in and day out, not saying a word, just staring ahead. I thought, surely, there must be some point in which Bella spoke or moved, did something other than just breathe. From what I had seen so far, I was beginning to realize Sam had been telling me the absolute truth.
Not that he would ever lie to me, but I had thought he was exaggerating at least a little.
Something had clearly traumatized the poor girl to leave her so broken. And there was no doubt in my mind about that.
Bella Swan was completely broken.
I stood by Sam's side, waiting as Charlie bid his daughter goodbye. From the way he was twitching, I could tell Sam was eager to chase after Paul and set him straight. Only my hand in his kept him calm enough to remain human while we waited.
Jared and Kim sat silently in the living room, pretending to pay attention to the pre-game show on TV. From the way Jared kept nuzzling Kim's neck, I could tell he was deeply troubled by what had just occurred between his pack mate and the girl in our guest room.
Charlie's heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway. As one, Sam and I turned to face him.
"Thanks again for doing this," Charlie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"It's no problem, Charlie. We'll take good care of her, I promise," I reassured him.
He gave a weak smile in response.
"Don't worry about Paul, Chief. I'll make sure he realizes the gravity of the situation before we let him near Bella again," Sam promised the man.
Charlie swallowed thickly before answering.
"Did… Did you see her? She… She looked… She looked right at him," Charlie whispered brokenly.
My hand tightened around Sam's uncertainly.
"She hasn't looked at… anyone. Not since he left," Charlie continued warily.
"That's good, then. She's getting better," I said hopefully.
"Maybe," Charlie nodded slowly, running his fingers through his hair.
"We'll take care of her, Charlie. And if anything happens, good or bad, we'll call you," Sam promised.
Charlie rubbed his face vigorously before nodding again.
"I'd best be heading out. I'll call tonight to check in on her," Charlie informed us.
"Try not to worry about her too much, Chief," Sam said, clapping a hand on the older man's shoulder.
"Right," Charlie laughed humorlessly.
I watched as Sam walked Charlie out, nervously twisting my engagement ring.
"Kim, will you come help me in the kitchen?" I requested, knowing Sam would want Jared for a pack meeting.
"Sure," Kim agreed quietly, following me from the living room.
Shortly after we stepped into the kitchen, I heard the front door close as Jared went outside to meet Sam.
"So… that was weird," Kim began, hopping up on the counter.
"Which part?" I asked with a small smile.
"All of it," Kim snorted.
"That poor girl. I had no idea she was so bad off. Sam told me she wasn't doing well, but I had no idea the damage was this severe," I sighed, pushing hair out of my face.
"I know. Did you see her eyes when she walked in? Talk about creepy! I've never seen someone look so… empty," Kim claimed, voice hushed, eyes wide.
I nodded absently, preparing to make a few loafs of bread for dinner later.
"What did Sam say happened to her?" Kim asked, watching as I started mixing.
"From what he could gather, Bella and the Cullen boy left her house at some point after coming home from school. She left a note on the kitchen table telling Charlie they were going for a walk in the woods and would be back shortly. When she didn't show up, Charlie got worried and called in a search team. Of course, Billy Black was one of the first people Charlie called and he called Sam who called Jared and Paul. When Sam found her, she was freezing, wet, and completely unresponsive. He took her back to her house, but they couldn't find anything wrong. She just retreated into her mind and won't come out," I explained, separating the dough.
"So, obviously, something happened out in those woods that she's not telling," Kim frowned.
"Of course, but no one can get her to speak. Charlie's tried everything. She won't talk. Today was the first day she'd even made eye contact with someone," I informed her.
"Wow. Can you imagine? To be that messed up? I mean, she's acting like someone died, but worse, you know? I mean, even when my grandpa died, my grandma wasn't anywhere near as messed up as that and they'd been together for over fifty years!" Kim insisted.
"I hope she comes out of it soon. Sam says Charlie's really worried about her not making it to the end of the year. She's losing too much weight," I sighed.
"Maybe being here will help," Kim shrugged.
"Maybe," I agreed softly, beginning to lose myself in the kneading.
Bread was easy, simple. If it tore, all you had to do was knead the tear into the middle and it knit itself back together. If only people were so easy to fix.
The response to last chapter was phenomenal! I'm so glad you guys are into this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter since we got to see Paul! Yay!
Chapter Three will be posted in a week. See you guys then!