xA/N: oohk, so ih just wanted to say that ihm sooo sorryyy that it took me soo long to update this. ihm completely finished with chapter 18, it just takes me SOO long to type out these chapters because they're soo effing longggg :D haha. be proud of me my readers be proudd :) anywaysss, here ya goo :)x
xSeventeenxEmily POVxFast Forward to funeralx
"Vanessa, you said you'd stop this!" I hear Paul shout and a door slam. I walk out into the living room from the bathroom to find him on the couch, his head in his hands, hunched over in half.
"Paul?" I ask, going to sit next to him. "Paul, what's wrong?"
"Go ask her yourself," he grits out. I get up silently and head for the bedroom they'd been sharing.
"Nessa?" I ask, knocking on the door.
"Come in," she sniffs.
"What's wrong? Why is Paul so angry?" I ask. She merely motions for me to come closer to her. She's only wearing her new tiny black and white silk robe with a black design around the edges (the url (go check it outt) /cubecart/images/uploads/Kimonos/Kimono%20Dragon%20China%20Black% ) and her black Victoria's Secret bra and panties.
As soon as I'm next to her, she sticks her left arm out to me and looks away. I cautiously push back her sleeve and gasp. There were numerous bright pink and angry puckered cuts across her wrist.
"Vanessa Mai Rochester," I whisper, shocked. "What were you thinking? When did you start this?" I stare at the scars.
"Since the Olympics," she says quietly.
"We need to get going to the funeral, we'll talk about this later," I say and walk out to let her dress.
"Jeune fille, qu'est-ce qu'on va faire avec vous." (Young girl, what are we going to do with you.) I say softly in French before returning to getting myself ready.
xPaul POVx
As I slowly calm down, Vanessa finally emerges from the bedroom wearing a strapless, mid-thigh length black dress that cut straight across her chest. (url: .tv/Oli%20embroidered%20prom% ) she covered her arms with a simple see-through shawl, wrapped loosely around her shoulders. (url: .com/images/uploads/thumbs/thumb_ )
"Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't need to yell, but that has to stop," I tell her, encasing her in my arms. "It's not good for you," I kiss the top of her head.
"What's this?" I ask, picking at the necklace gently.
"It was Grand-méres, she gave it to me just before she died," she whispered.
"Chaton," she calls out as the kitten appears.
"Chaton?" I ask.
"Until I find her a name, it means kitten in French," she says matter of factly.
"I see," I say. Nobody around us besides Emily would know, so what the hell. It'll work. It's better than calling it cat, right?
"Come on, lets get going," she murmurs, turning and heading out of the room. I catch up easily and take her hand as we follow Emily and Sam down to our waiting taxi.
xFast Forward to funeralxVanessa POVx
I rise silently and head up t the podium. I clear my throat softly and begin to speak. I hadn't put a speech or anything together; I decidedly spoke from my heart.
"Aleah Carrie Mai Fleur," I pronounce her full name. "Grand-mére," I say softer. "She honestly was the best friend of a grandmother anybody could want. She taught me many things my parents or skating coach could not. What love really means," I begin. "How art comes from the heart and the soul, not the mind or the body." I look to the back of the church, blinking to clear my eyes. "But out of everything I've ever learned from this cherished woman, the most important lesson I'd ever could have learned from her was the lesson of life." I inhale deeply.
"Grand-mére lived life to its fullest, teaching me to do so along the way. She took everything God threw at her in good stride and took like day-by-day, never planning ahead, never dwelling what's left behind. So I leave you here today with the one and the only time she ever planned or dwelled in her life. 'I love you today,'" I quote her clearly, zeroing my focus in on Paul. "I loved you a little less yesterday, and I'll love you a little more tomorrow," I say before stepping down, fighting my already lost battle against the tears pouring down my face.
Paul's warm arms engulfed me in a gently crushing hug as he led me out to the parking lot where the rest waited.
"Ness?" Paul asks after we're seated in the back of the black Prius that led the precession to the cemetery.
"I thought black was supposed to be slimming," I mutter, resting a hand on my showing and bloated stomach. "Yet I still look chubby."
"You're gorgeous," he kisses my hair. "You're pregnant with my baby inside of you," he smiles hugely, placing a hand on top of my own. "One of the most beautiful sights in my life," he says as we reach the cemeteries burial site for my Grand-mére.
"Vanessa?" I hear a voice ask as I step out of the car. I turn to see my father walking towards me. I merely decide to ignore him like the child I am and walk towards the front of the car to meet Paul. Sam and Emily join us moments later before Sam and Paul disappear. They were my chosen Paul-bearers after all.
"Vanessa," my father reaches us. "I wanted to apologize, to ask for forgiveness; for myself, though, not your mother. She would approach you herself for that," he says. "Please, Ness, you're my little girl, you always were, and you always will be; I was just in shock. I come to visit you to find you engaged and pregnant, what else could you expect from your poor dad?" he looks into my eyes pleadingly.
"What about in the hospital in Egypt? Or those few weeks afterwards before I left?" I ask skeptically.
I notice the pack gathering behind me, ready to defend me at a moments notice.
"Guys, lay off," I snap as Embry growls quietly.
"You know how your mother gets," he says. "But I should have stuck up for you." he admits. "Je suis désolé ma petite fille." (I'm sorry my little girl.) He says in French before I cave and hug him tightly.
"Merci papa," (thank you dad,) I respond, smiling a watery smile.
"Je t'aime," (I love you.) we say at the same time before walking towards Grand-méres resting place.
Paul and Sam both walk slowly towards us, carrying Grand-mére in her casket without even breaking a sweat. They lower her into the earth and we repeat our preacher in a prayer before singing a hymn lead by Emily and I had chosen and leaving.
"Grand-mére," I whisper, fresh tears falling. "Je t'aime," I kiss my red rose before dropping it and watch as it softly floats down to lay atop her casket.
"Come on, babe," Paul whispers as I'm embraced in a humongous pack hug.
xPaul POVx
"I'll be right back," I whisper into her ear, leaving her within the trusted safety of my pack brothers and sisters.
"Mr. Rochester?" I approach Vanessa's father.
"You must be Paul," he extends his hand; I shake it.
"Yes sir," I reply. "Sir, because Vanessa has already said yes, and because I'm not willing for there to be any chances that could change her mind, I'm asking you for your blessing, for you blessing for me to take you daughters hand in marriage," I ask him very seriously.
"Glen Rochester," I hear a very stuck up voice say before the woman I recognize as her mother appears at his side. "I do not give you my blessing," she tells me coldly, staring Mr. Rochester down.
"But it is my blessing the boy has requested." He says quietly.
"Excuse me?" she demands.
"I said," he repeats himself. "He has requested my blessing for my daughters hand. Not yours, Gloria, mine."
"Why you," she glares at me before looking back to him. "Adok neked élelmiszer minden nap! adok neked egy tiszta otthon! i szült és nevelt gyermeke! i segített, hogy nem sikerült a legjobb, mielőtt lezuhant!" (I give you food every day! i give you a clean home! i bore and raised your child! i helped bring the failure to the top before she crashed!) she screams in what sounds like German.
"Je n'aime pas ce que vous en dire plus. être allé, de sortir de ma vue." (I do not care what you say any more. be gone, get out of my sight.) he responds in French before she stalks off.
"Yes," he returns to plain English. "You have my consent if you have hers, and as long as I am able to walk her down the isle," he agrees easily.
"As long as she's oohk with that," I allow, smiling and shaking his hand before heading back over to Vanessa.
xVanessa POVx
I attempt a smile for my father and Paul as they make their way over to me, smiling.
"Hey, babe," he kisses me softly.
"Hey," I say quietly.
"Are you ready to go back home?" he asks, leading me towards the car.
"Who's covering La Push?" I ask suddenly, realizing that everyone's here.
"Jack and Jason. Jack has been trying to stop phasing for two hundred years, but he just isn't able to," he tells me.
"Why?" I ask.
"He hasn't imprinted."
"Oh," I mutter. "Who's Jason?"
"New pack member; Jack has been with the La Push packs off and on so he knows the ropes and is teaching Jason. Don't worry, Jake's checking in on them every day," he tells me.
"Oh," I rest my head on his upper arm. He swiftly picks me up and carries me to the car, bridal style.
"So help me Meraz, put me down before I moon the rest of the world," I threaten him.
"Sorry, babe," he kisses me quickly before linking out hands and leading me the rest of the way over.
"Your dad gave us his blessing today." he says. I double take; I was imagining that, right?
"What?" I ask.
"He gave us his blessing, as long as he an walk you down the isle." He says.
"How did my mom not shoot him down?" I ask, still in shock.
"She did, but by her reaction and the sound of things, he told her off." He says.
"The sound of things?" I ask.
"She yelled at him in German or something, and she responded in French." He says.
"What the fuck. She's not even German." I think… "It was probably Hungarian, because I'm half French and half Hungarian." I tell him.
He nods, appearing thoughtful. "Babe?"
"Mm?" I peek up at him.
"Are you ready to go back to La Push yet?" he asks.
"Give me a day or two," I request, yawning.
"That's fine," he drapes his arm around me, helping me snuggle further into him before falling asleep.
xPaul POVx
"That's, fine," I tell her, draping my arm around her, pulling her closer into my side as she yawns once more and falls asleep.
I smile to myself as she breathes slow, peaceful breaths. She always looks so happy asleep. We reach the hotel so I pick her up bridal style, careful to keep her dress covering her absolutely sexy ass and carry her up to our room.
"Mmm, Paul," she mumbles in her sleep as I lay her on the bed before going to order room service.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Mac n' cheese, stuffing, and a basket of dinner rolls later, I hear Vanessa getting out of bed. I wait a few minutes and am rewarded for my patience as she walks out of the bedroom wearing only a navy v-neck American eagle t-shirt (this one: .?catId=cat90030&productId=2370_9662) with little white lacy underwear that showed off her ass quite nicely.
"Hey babe," I smile. "Still hungry?" I ask.
"Yeah," she mumbles as she snatches up the room service menu from the table. She scans it quickly before picking up the phone.
Room service, I hear a male answer.
"I'd like a number sixteen sent up to suite two please; thanks," she hangs up.
I grab the menu and scan it, looking for number sixteen.
"A fruit salad babe? That's it?" I ask.
"They're good," she protests.
"You need something filling," I tell her. "Like, real food," I suggest.
"This is real food," she sticks her tongue out at me as a knock sounds at the door. She greets the maid and takes her 'food' happily. "Thanks," she hands her a bill and shuts the door.
She settles into the couch wordlessly and searches through the pay-per-view and settles on watching Sex and the City.
"Really?" I ask her.
"Don't be jealous," she laughs. I shake my head and settle in next to her, watching her instead of the movie. After she finishes her fruit, she lays down, her head on my lap, still watching the movie.
Bored, I begin to play with her hair and watch as she relaxes a little more into my lap.
xVanessa POVx
I smile to myself as Paul begins to play with my hair and I relax into him a little more.
"Holy hell," I mutter as my phone vibrates in my bra. I pull it out and answer it. "Hello?" I ask.
"Vanessa?" my fathers' voice greets me.
"Yeah dad?"
"You know, I was thinking…" he trails for a moment. "Would it be oohk if I came and lived in La Push with your? Or somewhere close?" he asks. I look to Paul, knowing he heard him.
"Forks," he says simply. I nod and turn back to my dad.
"That would be great, dad. You can't live on the rez though, you'd have to live in Forks, it's a town right there. You'd be like, fifteen minutes away." I say.
"That sounds nice. No place on the rez for your old man, huh?" he asks jokingly.
"Nah, only natives are supposed to live on the rez," I tell him.
"But you're not a native sweetie," he reminds me softly.
"I know, but Paul is," I inform him. "As is Emily," I say.
"True," he allows.
"So, Forks, huh? Can I stay with you guys until I can find a place of my own?" he asks.
I look at Paul and he shrugs. "Sure, why not," I laugh with him.
"Thanks kid," I can almost hear him smiling.
"We're all going back tomorrow via plane, oohk?"
"How about we all go on the private family one," he suggests.
"Tomorrow still?' I clarify.
"Sure," he responds easily.
"Thanks dad," I smile.
"No problem, kid, I'll have it ready for us at noon, oohkay?"
"Sounds good, thanks dad."
"Love you kid, see you tomorrow." He says.
"Love you too, dad. Bye," I hand up and look at Paul. "It is oohk, right?" I ask worriedly.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" he kisses me chastely.
"Just making sure," I grin. "Paul?"
"Yeah, babe," he responds easily, seeming relaxed.
"You know both of my parents, but I know nothing about yours," I begin.
"Trust me, you want it that way," his relaxed mood vanishes, a dark one taking its place.
"Paul, please?" I ask; he can't keep this all inside of him, he needs to let it out sometime, somehow, to someone…me.
"My dad's in prison for killing my mother and abusing me, and my younger sister is on the Makah rez being fostered. They told me once I'm old enough, I can have her back, as long as they find me a suitable guardian." He says in a hard voice.
"How long has she been with them?" I ask.
"Two years, she'll be turning five soon," he whispers.
"Why don't we get her, then?" I ask.
"You'd be oohk with that?" he asks.
"Of course, Paul, she's your sister," I say softly. "Why wouldn't I be oohk with that?"
"I don't know, I just…didn't want to…overwhelm you or something," he says. "I wouldn't want to force you to do anything for me that you wouldn't want to."
"But she's your family, Paul. If I wasn't oohk with kids, do you think I'd still be hanging around?" I ask.
"True, I guess," he allows.
"Come talk to me next time something big like this is going on, oohk?" I tell him.
"Yes, ma'am." He grins and kisses me chastely again.
"First thing we're doing when we get back is going to be to call foster care to find her, oohk?" I clarify.
"Of course," he grins down at me.
"Good," I smile. "We'll get to make her a room and everything; Paul, I'm so excited, I hope she likes me," I worry.
"She'll love you, I promise." He grins impishly before kissing me teasingly and slipping his oversized hand up and under my shirt… ;)
xLanding in Port AngelesxPaul POVx
"Here, Paul, this is the agency's number," she reads me off the ten digit number as I dial quickly and wait nervously as it rings.
"Foster care and adoption, this is Emmy," a female answers.
"Hi, Emmy, I'm Paul Meraz. My younger sister, Melanie Meraz was placed into a foster home two years ago until I was old enough to legally care for her," I inform her.
"Melanie in…" she pauses and I hear papers shuffling and a few clicks of a keyboard. "The Makah reservation in Washington?" she asks.
"That's the one," I say.
"Well, she is still in foster care, so would you like to go see her, or would you like us to bring her to you at your residence?" she asks as Vanessa's dad heads over to us, black Starbucks coffee in hand and double chocolate some fancy word or another for Vanessa.
"I'd like to go and see her with my fiancée, so that Melanie has the choice of coming home or staying. I don't want to force her to do anything," I tell her, hoping with all my heard that she does decide to come home.
"That sounds great," the lady says.
"When can I go see her?" I ask as her dad hands her the double chocolate thing.
"How about I call the home that she's in and ask?"
"That's fine," I allow.
"Is there any time you aren't available?" she asks.
"Nope, I'm free anytime," I tell her.
"Thank you, I'll call back soon," and with that she hands up and leaves me to my internal freak out, my fiancée, and her father. Yikes.
"Paul," Vanessa asks, coming over to me from her father, placing a hand on my bicep. "How'd it go?"
"She's got to call the place and she'll be calling back soon," I inform her.
"Ooh, oohk, well that's good," she smiles softly as my phone starts vibrating.
"Mr. Meraz?" Emmy's voice reaches my ears.
"Yes Ma'am," I respond.
"The owner of the foster home your sister is in, Mrs. Wilson, said now would be fine, as long as you're with in ten minutes."
"Damn it, we're about two hours out, we just got home from Australia, my fiancée's grandmother just passed away."
"I'm sorry, please pass my condolences. You'll just have to wait until Sunday then," she says kindly.
"But it's only Wednesday!"
"I'm sorry Mr. Meraz, but you'll just have to wait," she says.
"Oohk, thank you," I say before hanging up.
"Paul?" I look down to Vanessa, still holding onto my arm.
"We have to wait," I growl.
"Until…?" she asks.
"Sunday."
"Well, that's no too bad," she says, wrapping her arms around me in an embrace. "At least it's not like, next month," she tries to raise my mood.
"Yeah, I guess," I say, hugging her back.
"We'll just have to find some other things to keep ourselves busy with until Sunday," she tells me, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh I see, and what shall we do to entertain our simple minds?" I respond impishly.
"Well…" she grins before taking off through the parking lot towards her truck, leaving myself and her father to watch her go.
"She's something, sir," I grin.
"Yeah, good luck son, good luck," he chuckles as we make our way over to her.
"I win," I growl in her ear as I grab her childish crouching form up from the side of her truck.
"Fuck," she mutters, scrunching her face up; adorably I might add.
"If you really want to here," I grin cheekily.
"Paul," she whacks my arm as her father rounds the front of the truck.
"What?" I ask innocently as she gives me her 'what if I kill you' look before hugging me close.
"Love you, Nessa," I tell her.
"Mmm, love you more," she mumbles into the soft, passionate kiss I've placed on her lips.
"Impossible," I murmur back, encasing her tightly in my arms.
"Debatable," she mutters. "And nothing's impossible, look at yourself."
"Ever tried slamming a revolving door?" I ask.
"Jerk," she sticks her tongue out at me. I smile and kiss her sweetly one last time before Sam and the pack shows up at their car across the isle from hers.
"Vanessa, we're running back, the girls can split between yours and Emily's car," Sam informs her before kissing Emily's scars before bringing his mouth to her lips.
"Alright, Val, Renesmee, Leah, Kim, who do you want to go with? My dad is coming with me, so you can figure it out," I tell them, leaning against my car beside my dad as the boys disappear.
xValerie POVx
The boys all troop out of the garage, leaving us girls and Seth behind.
"I'll see you at Emily's," Seth smiles and hugs me to his chest tightly before taking off after the other guys. As I watched him leave I found myself wishing that he would kiss me as lovingly as Sam kissed Emily, or how Paul had kissed Vanessa just a few moments ago. I sigh and turn back to the others, who were choosing who to drive home with. Vanessa and her dad were currently heading home in her truck while Emily and Kim were by Em's car. Only Leah and I were left so I looked to Leah and nodded; her pleading look clear. I smiled softly before skipping over to Emily as Leah lightly went over to stand with Vanessa and her father.
xVanessa POVx
I watched as my best friend went over to Emily's car to ride home with her as Leah came over to mine. I look to Leah questioningly before she shrugs and we all get in.
"See you at mine," Emily calls as we start our cars and pull out of the parking garage. I look over at Leah, and then in the mirror at my father, who had opted to sit in the back and let us girls 'be girls,' as he had put it.
"Vanessa," my father says suddenly from the back. "You know that you have Quiliute blood in your veins, if even only trace amounts, but you've heard the legends, correct?"
"Um…yeah."
"Well, I just wanted you to know that they're true. I knew the moment I shook that boy of yours' hand. A temperature that high means he should be dead, and who else do you know besides those boys who are that tall?" he asks.
"Um…" is all I can manage.
"I take it you didn't know," he murmurs.
"No…I do…just…wow. This will be so much easier, now that you know. And wait, you're part Quiliute?" I ask.
"Yeah, my mother was French, obviously, but my father, whom you've never met, was a full Quiliute."
"Ooh, so, this means you can live on the rez!" I exclaim. My dad can live closer to his family. The thought made me so much happier.
"Of course, we'll just have to clear it with the elders first." Leah informs us.
"Yes," dad says.
"Why did you come with me and Val go with Emily?" I ask suddenly, turning to look at Leah.
"Um…Emily and I are still kind of…uncomfortable around each other…you know…from the whole Sam thing…"she mumbles. "So Val came to my rescue." She says gratefully.
"Well that was nice of her," I smile.
"Yeah," she agrees feverishly. "I mean, we're oohk around each other, sometimes, but not enough to be in the same car for like, four hours. Especially now," Leah mutters the last part.
"Why now?" I ask.
"She's pregnant," she growls. "With Sam's baby."