Temper, Temper: Chapter Twenty Four: Home Sick

Since Paul and Alex's argument, both of them stayed out until late evening. Now living at Paul's house made the pair unable to escape each other. Alex didn't want to give Paul any other reason to upset Paul, so staying out in the woods and wolfing it up didn't even cross her mind as she walked back into the small house.

It was quiet when she entered, too quiet for Paul to be here, no doubt the xbox would be roaring the moment he plonked down heavily on the sofa. Alex had hoped he would be home when she got here, now it would be her waiting like a doting housewife for him to come home. Not her style.

With little grace Alex fell into the plump, comfortable sofa and sat there for a moment allowing her thoughts to rampage about her head randomly.

It was so lovely for the pack to offer her the mark, but when Embry referred to the Welsh pack as her old family it sparked up controversy in her head. Alex wasn't about to forget those people that had been in her life for eighteen years. Even though she had left them for Paul, they weren't going to be forgotten, Alex even hoped to get back in touch with them – once the dust had settled. How could she do that when everyone wanted her to disregard the other people in her life?

She would have thought Paul would have stuck up for as well. Obviously he wanted her become an adopted American, no way in hell that was going to happen. Alex was Welsh.

'The big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, awooo, the big bad wolf…'

Feeling vibrations in her pocket and an unfamiliar song that started up loudly, Alex smiled wildly. Jacob had a thing for stealing her phone and changing her ringtone. The others would sometimes join in but Jacob considered it a sport.

As she squeezed her phone out of the tight blue jeans she was wearing, the smile at the ironic ringtone vanished and a deep scowl replaced it when the name on the screen flashed continuously in tune with the song.

Josh.

The thought of speaking to someone from home made Alex press the accept call button after several moments of consideration. How could she ignore it? The argument had obviously triggered her homesickness, all she wanted was some comfort, and the one person nature assigned to that job was ignoring her.

"Hello?" said the voice of the person on the other end of the phone; Alex shook herself quickly and was pulled from her monologue.

"What do you want?" Alex whispered after pause.

"Just checking to see you're still playing happy families" Josh bitterly whipped out without a thought, the tone of his voice made Alex wince.

"That all?"

Josh paused and the silence on the other end of the phone started to irritate Alex.

"Stop messing around Josh" She demanded threateningly, but her harsh tone was forgotten when the front door slammed shut and in walked a very unhappy Paul.

He stood in the door frame, watching Alex with a n angry stare as her mouth popped open while she sat staring back at him. Josh had begun to talk again though, and the content of his words made Alex rewind her attention back the phone call.

"What?" She questioned in astonishment as though she had misheard him.

A sigh of irritation came down the speaker, "I said that they're back, Craig and your Dad are due back tomorrow and I thought I'd warn you before Zeus tells them all about your little adventures and a rescue party is sent out for you"

"Bu-"

The dial tone cut Alex off and she stared at her phone angrily for a moment before standing up and slowly making her way over to Paul who had kept the look of losing a pound and finding a penny the entire time he stood watching her.

"So this is gonna be the second time you run off to Wales never to return again?" Paul stated, looking her harshly in the eye and making her shrink under his gaze. Regaining the sense of confidence she had embedded into her being, Alex raised her head defiantly.

"If I want to go back I will, and I might stay there and never return – you're so right" The words between the pair started to get more heated, "Because you've made it quite clear I can't have any life outside you and your little bubble of Quilts"

Paul smashed his jaw together, rigidly he sounded out, "I never said that"

"You implied it" Stated Alex, she turned around and hid her face from Paul, she walked away through to the kitchen and made for the back door robotically.

Footsteps only made towards her as she began opening the backdoor, as her hand opened it another larger force slammed it shut. Paul rested his weight on the door, leaning on his strong hand complacently.

"So I'm gonna be kept here now, like a prison?"

"If necessary"

Alex held the bridge of her nose in exasperation, closing her eyes to get Paul's determined expression out of her vision.

"I didn't call him" Alex raised her voice and opened her eyes to enforce her anger.

Paul nodded slowly and released his force on the door, moving to his full height Paul ran his hands through his hair dramatically.

Sighing Alex turned away from him and walked back into the living room.

"I'm sleeping on the sofa" she said before collapsing into her bed for the night and ignoring Paul as he stood watching her for several moments before moving slowly away.

When Alex woke up the next day Paul wasn't there and a forceful knock was emitting from the front door. Thinking the worst Alex launched from her slumber and threw herself to the front door.

Quil was there mid pose ready to knock again; obviously Alex's lion like puff of hair stunned him into statue mode. When she saw who was at the door immediate relaxation took over Alex's body language. Of course they wouldn't have arrived by now, heck, they wouldn't even be in Wales by now.

"I need a favour" The visitor said softly.

Alex's ears perked up as she wondered what she could possibly do for Quil, a small figure poked from behind Quil's frame before darting into hiding again.

Question answered.

"Baby sitting?" Alex asked as she closed her eyes and ran a hand through her messy hair as she yawned.

"It's only because I thought I had no school today, so I offered to have her for the day, but then Embry text me saying that Mr Johnson said that if I miss another day of school that a letter would be issued an-"

"Ok, just stop talking. I'm not busy today anyway"

A smile took over Quil's face as he stepped to one side, revealing a quite toddler whose curly hair hung in tendrils over her face. A small clench grabbed Alex's heart when as Claire shyly ducked her pudgy face and struck her thumb in to her mouth for comfort.

When Quil had left and Alex was appropriately dressed to be looking after a child, both girls sat on the sofa. While Claire haphazardly hit the remote buttons, Alex couldn't help but think about Paul.

'I hope she gets that remote sticky' Alex thought playfully, Paul was such a weirdo when it came to things being sticky. She began to worry though, no matter if he was on patrol, work or had the day off, they would always share their mornings together.

"You up for a walk Princess?" Alex asked the young girl with smile.

Claire struck out her hand to hold Alex's and nodded her head enthusiastically before pulling Alex from her seat and out of the front door. In the overwhelmingly green forest, Alex held Claire's hand, protectively holding her in place if she tripped or stumbled. Her eyes darted around though, searching to see if any grey wolves sought them out.

"When Qwil back?"

"Um, in a few hours I think but, I think he told me that you have a favourite drink…now what did he say it was?" Alex put her finger animatedly to her chin in mock thought.

"Strawberry milkshake?" Alex pondered, the young girl responded with a disgusted face and dramatic shake of the head in response though. Alex laughed, "No, I remember, chocolate milkshake"

Claire beamed at Alex as though she was some sort of wizard before clapping her hands together excitedly, "Yes definitely chocolate" she confirmed to herself.

"I think we should grab two of those and maybe a cheeseburger before he comes home"

"Yes" Claire spoke with such determination that Alex's smile grew.

As they exited the forest and moved into a more open meadow, Alex froze, something wasn't right. The hand she had been holding Claire in was empty as the young child bent down to inspect a bumblebee that hummed over a bright yellow flower hypnotically.

Definitely not right. There was a familiar smell here, a very familiar one that reeked into Alex's senses dangerously. That smell meant one thing and one thing only, trouble.

"Hello Petal"