A New Start Chapter 7, a twilight fanfic

A/N: Normally I'm not one to complain about lack of reviews, I know people have different reasons for not reviewing, but I'm losing heart here. I can see that people are reading this story, but no one seems to be interested enough to review. It's tough to keep writing when I don't know if people even like it. I'm not going to hold the next chapter hostage or anything like that, but I would like to request some feedback. Even if it's not positive; I just want to know, especially if you think I'm wasting my time writing this.

Paul's up first the week :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but if I did there would be a lot more werewolves and a lot fewer vampires.

Paul:

She stopped crying long before she let go. I concentrated on her breathing, and for a few minutes I thought she had fallen asleep. I smiled to myself. Rachel asleep in my arms would be like achieving a life-long goal I'd never known I had. As I was focusing on this she took a deep breath signifying she was still awake. I was slightly disappointed, but there was no need to rush things. We had the rest of our lives for her to sleep in my arms.

She turned her face up to look at me and there was no confusion in her eyes as I'd expected. There was no ambiguity in her expression. She was sure of something, though I wasn't sure what. I hoped it was her feelings for me but I didn't get my hopes up. She wasn't the type to get attached so quickly and I would just have to deal with that.

As she looked at me her expression changed and she leaned forward. My heart rate increased exponentially as she moved closer. She brought her lips up to graze mine, and I thought I was going to pass out. Before I knew what I was doing I pulled back to stare at her. I was in shock. She'd kissed me. She'd kissed me! I couldn't imagine a more perfect world than the one I was in right now.

She moved her gaze to the ground, feeling rejected by my sudden movement. I felt hurt that she wasn't sure of my feelings for her. I needed to show her. I put my fingers under her chin and raised her face to mine. I looked into her eyes for a moment, gauging her reaction before I moved in. I brought my lips back, moving them slightly against hers. It was better than I imagined. Her lips were softer, and tasted better than I would have thought possible. I was content to kiss her forever, but I knew that for a first kiss, this was going on a little longer than it should. She was probably wondering how much longer we were going to sit like this.

I sighed and pulled back, bringing our foreheads together. She looked sad again. I should have known better than to hope that all of her problems would be solved in one long crying jag. "Are you ok?" I asked her.

She cleared her throat after thinking for a moment. "I think so." Then her eyes were completely lost in thought. I hoped she wasn't going to reconsider her answer. I wouldn't be able to handle it if she felt worse in my presence. I pushed that thought out of my mind. I couldn't even think about it.

"Actually, I think I'm better than ok," she asserted.

I almost melted with happiness. This had been so easy. She had taken the wolf thing so much better than anyone ever had before and now even with all of her other problems, she was better than ok. I was so lucky.

I laughed to myself as I thought of poor Jared.

"What's funny?" she asked me.

"Nothing really. Jared's going to be really jealous. It took Kim a week to speak to him after he told her." I gave her a smile, letting her know how appreciative I was of her easy-going reaction.

She took another deep breath and I knew there was still something bothering her. "What's wrong?" I asked as I placed my hand on her cheek.

"I have one more question, but I'm not sure I want to ask it," she said tentatively.

"Just ask." She never had to be afraid to ask me anything. I would always tell her the truth.

"Why were you allowed to tell me about the wolves but Jake wasn't? He's my brother. Why wasn't he allowed to tell his family, but you were allowed to tell someone you just met yesterday?"

I inhaled sharply. I wasn't quite ready to answer this question. I'd been working on my wording about imprinting that didn't use the word soulmate. That was sure to freak her out. I also didn't want to mention the theory behind imprinting. She didn't need to know that the whole point of an imprint is someone best suited to carry on the wolf gene. That would be a little much this early in the relationship. That would be like proposing marriage after one date, which I hadn't entirely ruled out. Actually it was more like naming the kids on the first date, which freaked eve me out, and I was the one with all the crazy imprinting emotions flying around. It would scare the shit out of Rachel.

I calmed myself and started the best way I could. "There's this thing that werewolves do. It's called imprinting. Did you ever hear any stories about that?" I hoped she had, but I didn't get my hopes up. She shook her head.

"I didn't think so. That would have made this easier. It's not a story that's told too much anymore because no one thought it was real. Until Sam anyway." She looked annoyed, like I was keeping her in suspense. The look on her face was so cute I almost didn't want to tell her. But annoyance can morph into anger very easily. I would know.

"Ok, imprinting happens when a wolf sees a girl for the first time after he's phased. It's like the whole world shifts and all he wants to do is make her happy. There is nothing in the world as important to him as her happiness. It's painful to be away from her, even for a little while. And since an imprint is the most important person in a wolf's life, she gets to privilege of knowing everything."

I gauged her reaction. She wasn't running away, so I was making progress, but I wasn't sure if she had it all figured out.

"So what you're saying is….you imprinted on me?" She didn't miss much. I nodded while she thought.

She smiled widely at me. "That's pretty cool." Oh, thank god. She wasn't freaked out. She didn't think I was crazy, or overbearing, or lying to her. She was the best imprint ever. But I already knew that.

She was leaning in to kiss me again when my body betrayed my exhaustion with a yawn.

She jumped on it quickly. "Are you tired?"

"No," replied quickly, but I didn't convince her.

She looked me straight in the eyes, with a firm look. She wasn't going to let me slide on this.

"Yes you are. You need to go home and get some sleep."

I was dead tired, but I didn't want to leave. I briefly considered asking to nap on their couch but I was pretty sure I was going to be talking about her in my sleep. And that could get awkward. Especially since it was Jacob's house too.

As if to convince me, she kissed me lightly again. "Go home and come back when you're rested. I'll wait up for you," she said with a hint of sultriness. I wasn't sure if she meant to or not, but she had me exceedingly turned on. I wondered what she wanted to do when I was rested. I let my mind wander for a moment but I knew it was way too soon to be thinking about anything that involved the removal of clothing. But seriously, anything with her would be enough. I'd even pussy out for a cuddle on the couch.

"Ok," I allowed, but only because she told me to come over later. If there hadn't been that promise, there would have been no way that I would ever sleep again.

I helped her to her feet and hugged her tightly. "I'll see you later," I promised with a kiss on the cheek. I walked her back to the door and moved around to the front of the house.

Thankfully Jacob was not outside, as I'd honestly expected him to be. He would not be happy that I'd kissed Rachel, but in my own defense she kissed me first. I didn't think that would matter to him though. He'd take any excuse to remove my appendages. Preferably he'd go for arms and legs first though. I didn't want him to remove my favorite until I'd had a chance to try it out with Rachel.

I walked down to the beach to retrieve my truck which was still waiting for me where I'd left it last night. As I sat in the cab, I thought out how much my life had changed since the last time I'd been in there. God, my life was perfect.

The engine turned over, and I drove home as quickly as possible. I needed to sleep. But first I needed to eat. I walked in the front door, grabbed the half of a left over sub from yesterday (or maybe the day before but I tried not to think about how old it was) and crashed on the couch for the second time today. My eyes closed and I slipped into unconsciousness and dreams of Rachel.

Rachel:

I stayed in Paul's arms for what felt like forever. In that moment I would have liked that. Though I should have been terrified of him, I just couldn't find it in myself to be afraid. I felt safe with him. Deep down I knew he wasn't lying last night when he said he would never hurt me.

I took a deep breath before turning my face up to him. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle looking at him. I brought my head up and his eyes were swimming with so many emotions it was hard to discern what they were. There was sympathy, understanding, compassion, and above all adoration. He loved me. I was sure of it. Looking into his eyes it was hard to deny that I felt something for him too. It was absolutely crazy, this feeling settling in my stomach. That comfortable, easy feeling took hold and intensified.

I moved my lips up to graze his. He pulled back in shock, and I was instantly afraid I had misread his signals. Did he see me as more than a friend? I'd thought so, but I'd never been very good at reading people. I looked down at the ground, embarrassed at my sudden outburst, when his fingers moved from my hair to under my chin, pulling my face up to meet his.

He brought his lips back to mine, slowly, lightly. The feeling was unlike any I had ever felt before. At ease, relaxed, content to never move again. He pulled back long before I was ready, pressing his forehead to mine.

"Are you ok?" he asked, though I suspected he already knew the answer to that question.

I cleared my throat, trying to think clearly. "I think so," I said in a small voice. I thought for a moment. I hadn't felt this good in a long time. I definitely felt better than yesterday. Last week was kind of a shitty week, too. My summer was headed toward receiving the top honors as worst summer of my life, due to consisting of work and classes and nothing else. I tried to think back to a time when I felt better. I hadn't felt this relaxed and safe since before my mom died.

I shook with the realization that in less than 24 hours I went from wounded and unhappy to secure and content. My life had turned around in a matter of hours, and I was pretty sure Paul was the one responsible. I wasn't sure how he did it, all I knew was I didn't want this feeling to go away.

He looked into my eyes with concern, and I could tell he thought I was lying. "Actually, I think I'm better than ok," I assured his.

He chuckled.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Nothing really. Jared's going to be really jealous. It took Kim a week to speak to him after he told her." His wide smile warmed my heart.

This reminded me of another question I'd asked that he hadn't answered, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know. This whole werewolf thing was shocking enough. I didn't think I could take any more excitement today.

I took a deep breath and he held me tighter. "What's wrong?" he asked, moving a hand to my cheek, searching my gaze.

"I have one more question, but I'm not sure I want to ask it."

"Just ask," he instructed.

I gave him a weak smile. "Why were you allowed to tell me about the wolves but Jake wasn't? He's my brother. Why wasn't he allowed to tell his family, but you were allowed to tell someone you just met yesterday?"

He took in a sharp breath. He didn't want to answer it any more than I wanted to ask it. This must be really bad, though honestly I couldn't come up with any possible reasons why he was allowed to tell me when Jake wasn't. If it was just because he had a crush on me, then that was pretty weak. I knew that I loved my brother more than I loved him, and I was much more inclined to keep this secret for Jake's sake than Paul's.

"There's this thing that werewolves do. It's called imprinting. Did you ever hear any stories about that?" he asked me. I searched my memory but I didn't recall ever hearing anything about imprinting. I shook my head.

"I didn't think so. That would have made this easier. It's not a story that's told too much anymore because no one thought it was real. Until Sam anyway." Could he just tell me already? It's like he was trying to build the suspense.

"So what you're saying is….you imprinted on me?" I asked hesitantly.

He nodded once and waited for me to let it sink in. So my happiness is important to him. I guess that's not such a bad thing. I had to say he was doing a good job so far. It was painful for him to be away from me? Right now I couldn't think of anywhere else I would rather be than in his arms. And I was the most important person in his life. I would mind being first for once. I was sick of taking a backseat to everyone else. I wanted to be the center of attention. And it looked like Paul was giving me that. I smiled at him.

"That's pretty cool," I told him.

His smile became wider than I had ever seen it. He was so happy. I felt that warm feeling in my stomach again.

I was about to kiss him again when a yawn snuck through.

"Are you tired?" I asked.

"No," he replied quickly, but I knew he was just covering.

I gave him a stern look. "Yes you are. You need to go home and get some sleep."

He gave me a look, telling me he didn't want to leave. In truth I didn't want him to go either but he needed to sleep. It wasn't fair of me to keep him awake like this.

I brushed my lips lightly against his. "Go home and come back when you're rested. I'll wait up for you," I promised.

"Ok," he agreed. I moved out of his arms and he helped me to my feet. He pulled me into a tight hug. "I'll see you later." He kissed my cheek and walked me back to the house before heading home.

As I walked in the door, I moved past Jake's questioning eyes. "I just need to think for awhile," I informed nodded.

"If you want to talk I'm here," he offered.

"Thanks," I responded as I walked into my room. I closed the door and sank onto my bed.

I had so many questions, and now that I was outside of Paul's arms it was much easier to think. The heat that emanated from his body clouded my thoughts. Was that high body heat a werewolf trait? Was that what caused their 'growth spurts'?

I had so many questions about so many different subjects. I wanted to know what it meant to be a werewolf. What was their exact job description? I needed to know if vampires were real too. I hoped they weren't but Paul did say all the stories were true. I believed him. He wouldn't lie to me. At least I didn't think he would lie to me, but I really didn't know him all that well.

Then I focused on the whole imprinting thing. It was the only thing I hadn't heard of before, and I didn't know what to make of it. It seemed completely off the wall. I didn't understand the purpose. He was supposed to make me happy? What did he get out of it? I didn't understand in the slightest bit.

Slowly I put the pieces together. Paul saw me at the bonfire and immediately liked me. After he'd made it clear that he liked me, Jake saw what he was trying to do and tried to stop him. Jake seemed angrier than he normally did when someone showed interest in one of his sisters, and I couldn't really fathom why, if Paul was just meant to make me happy. Wouldn't Jake want me to be happy?

Then I came to my conclusion. I was never much of a conspiracy theorist, but this was just too easy to see. Yes, they were werewolves, which just meant they spent of lot of time together and that would mean that Jake knew what lines Paul used on girls. I had to admit that imprinting was quite the good pick up line. If I responded to lines like that he would have achieved his goal, which I'm sure was to get in my pants before I left to go back to school.

I almost felt bad that he had wasted his time on me. I laughed to myself as I imagined Paul giving that line to Becca instead. There would have been flying clothes almost immediately. Becca was always a sucker for that kind of thing. Paul had definitely picked the wrong twin in that respect. (Though Becca was married now; it wouldn't have worked quite as easily. And I don't think her husband would have appreciated that very much.)

So that left me with my previous thoughts that I loved him. Obviously I was on an adrenaline high from the whole werewolf thing. Now that I was away from him and thinking clearly I could now see that the warm feeling I was having was probably just from Paul's arms wrapped around me.

It was ridiculous for me to be in love after talking to someone twice. Especially when I had realized years ago that I would never fall in love. It just wasn't meant to be. I'd accepted it, and now Paul was trying to change my mind just to get some. I was more than mildly annoyed but I could see how he might think he could change my mind. He'd probably changed more than one girl's mind before. He couldn't know that I was different; completely emotionally cut-off from the rest of the human population. I laughed to myself as again I almost felt sympathy for his poor choice of target.

But then I realized that he probably used imprinting regularly. There were probably other girls who had fallen for this line. And that was inexcusable. He was going to pay for what he did to those other girls and what he had done to me. When he came over later, I was going to have some fun with him.