CHAPTER 39

NOT A SECOND TIME

Jared phased and as soon as Paul drove off with his nut job of a mother in the car, he made his way back to the road to pick up Travis' scent. Since the trail was fresh, he picked it up immediately. He followed it off the road, into the woods. Travis was a smart boy . . . he was heading for home.

It didn't take long before Jared caught a flash of blue up ahead, and realized it was Travis. Quickly phasing back into human form so Travis wouldn't be scared, he slipped on his shorts then called out, "Travis! Wait up, buddy!"

Travis stopped and turned toward Jared. He could see the relief on the little boy's face as he trotted up to him. "Jared!" Travis shouted as Jared scooped him up and said, "Man, am I happy to see you, little guy."

Travis gripped Jared's neck tightly as he cried into his shoulder. "Hey, it's OK, Trav. I'm going to take you home now. It's OK," Jared said softly to try and calm him.

Finally Travis nodded and Jared put him down. "Is Paul OK?" he asked Jared.

"Yeah, sure. He's been out looking for you."

"She . . . told me he was hurt and at the hospital. She told me she was supposed to take me to him. I was stupid, wasn't I, Jared?"

"No, buddy, you weren't stupid. She's your mom. Kids are supposed to be able to believe their moms. She's the one that was stupid to lie to you."

Travis nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I want to go home now."

Jared smiled and squatted down. "Hop on. I'll take you piggy back." Travis nodded and climbed onto Jared's back. "Now, hang on, cause I can run fast." Travis locked his arms around Jared's neck and Jared started running for Paul's.

The fire department had shown up in less than ten minutes, and they now had the fire mostly out. Luckily, it hadn't spread to the whole house, but there was a lot of smoke and water damage. The fire chief told Leah they wouldn't be allowed back in until tomorrow. Leah knew there was an insurance policy inside the metal box in Paul's closet. She would have to find that first thing in the morning and call them.

Leah had filled in the first-responder on Tyler's condition and he now had an oxygen mask on his face to help clear his lungs. Seth had thankfully run back to Sam's house and retrieved her clothes for her, so she was now fully dressed and sitting with Tyler.

Charlie Swan had shown up about the same time as the fire department along with his deputy and a state policeman. Sam had phased and stood guard over the guy that set the fire, and he handed him over to Charlie as soon as he arrived. They got out of him that Doreen had somehow come up with a fake will showing that she now owned the house, then she took out an insurance policy on it in Seattle worth $100,000. She contacted Johnny and offered him half of the money if he would help her burn it down. Apparently, calling Paul and asking for money was just a ruse to get him away from the house. How she expected to collect money from the insurance company when it was so obviously arson, Leah couldn't understand. But then, Doreen had never proved herself to be very smart. Leah shook her head when Sam filled her in. How could a mother do this to her own children?

Finally Paul arrived with Doreen, and he filled Charlie in quickly on what happened. Then he rushed around to the back of the house and asked, "Did Jared find him yet?"

Leah looked up at him. "What? Travis? Wasn't he with her?"

Paul told her how Travis escaped and Jared took off to find him. Leah stood up and wrapped her arms around Paul. When would this nightmare end?

Paul held her for a moment then he looked down at Tyler. "Oh my God, Ty. Is he OK?" he asked as he stepped back from Leah to kneel down next to his brother.

"Yes, he'll be fine. He had some smoke inhalation, so the oxygen is just helping him breathe."

Tyler removed the mask to ask Paul, "Where is he?"

Paul slid the mask back down over Tyler's nose and mouth and answered, "Jared will find him. Don't worry. Your smart little brother escaped and I am pretty sure is on his way here." Paul could see he wanted to ask another question, and he thought he knew what it was. "Jared stopped me from killing her and convinced me that we should let the cops handle this. I brought her here and handed her over to them."

Tyler closed his eyes and nodded his understanding.

"Paul! I'm here! Paul!" Paul whipped around to see Jared jog into the yard with Travis on his back. Paul grinned as he stood up and moved quickly toward Jared.

Jared stopped and squatted down to let Travis off of his back, and Travis ran right at Paul, who caught him and hugged him tightly to his chest as Travis wrapped his arms around Paul's neck. "Oh my God, Travis. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Travis popped his head up to look at Paul. "No, I'm OK. I'm really, really sorry. Don't be mad at me." Tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"You're sorry? Buddy, you didn't do anything. I'm not mad at you."

"But I should have waited for Seth and Tyler. I shouldn't have gone with her. But she told me you were hurt and she was going to take me to the hospital to see you."

Paul closed his eyes and bit his lip. Then he looked at his little brother and said, "I'm sorry she lied to you, but that's not your fault, OK? Although, I think you learned a lesson here, and that is to always wait for someone you trust, like Seth or Tyler or me or Leah. Right?"

Travis nodded then asked sadly, "What happened to our house?"

"Um, there was a fire. It's out now, but we can't live there for awhile. At least not until it's fixed up."

Travis nodded and then saw Tyler on the ground with the oxygen mask. "Tyler? Is he . . . "

"He's fine, buddy. He's OK. He just breathed in some smoke, and that mask helps him breathe better. Come on, let's go see him. He's been pretty worried about you."

Paul carried Travis over to Tyler then he set him down. Travis dove to his knees next to Tyler. "Are you OK?"

Leah helped Tyler take the mask off and Tyler sat up and wrapped his arms around his little brother. "Yeah, I'm OK. Are you?"

"Yes. But I was really scared."

"Me, too." Tyler pushed him away to ask, "Was she mean to you? Did she hurt you?"

Travis shook his head. "No. But I was stupid to believe her. I shouldn't have gone with her. I'm really sorry." His little lip started to quiver and he couldn't hold back the tears. Leah put her arm around him and Travis buried his head into her shoulder.

"It's alright, honey. You're home now," she crooned to him to calm him. He flopped into her lap and she held him tight.

Seeing that the boys were taken care of, Paul made his way over to Jared and Sam. Embry and Quil had headed back to Sam's to let Emily know that everything was OK. Paul stopped in front of Jared and looked him in the eye. "Thanks, J, for having my back. I was . . . God, I was so close to . . . "

Jared put his hand on Paul's shoulder. "I know. And she deserved it, but you didn't."

Paul just nodded then he allowed Jared to pull him in for a bro hug. "And, uh, thanks, too, for finding Travis and bringing him home."

Jared grinned. "No problem. Man, I love being the hero. Feels good."

Paul rolled his eyes and had to laugh. "Yeah, well, I guess it was your turn." Then he turned to Sam. "Thanks, man, for being here."

"Hey, dude, you don't have to thank us. We're family. I know that you would do the same in a heartbeat. Go be with your family. Gather them up and bring them to my house. You're all staying with us."

Paul smiled and nodded. "Yeah, OK, I'll have to check with the boss on that one."

"Ooh, guess we know who wears the pants in that family, huh?" Jared teased as he elbowed Sam.

Paul looked at Jared and smiled. "And they cover a gorgeous ass, so yeah, I don't mind."

"Oooooo, Kayyyy," Sam said. "Let's get going, shall we?" They all shared a final laugh then walked over to Leah and the boys. Seth was still there, too, keeping a watch over Tyler, and Travis was now sitting on his lap.

"Hey, babe," Paul said as he tapped Leah's shoulder. She looked around and stood up to see what he wanted. "Sam is insisting that we all head over to his house. Is Tyler OK to go?"

"Yes. His respiration is back to where it should be, and I think he'll be fine. He's had a bottle of water and kept it down." Then Leah turned to Sam and her anger at him quickly ignited. She stalked toward him and shoved him hard with both hands on his chest. "You arrogant son of a bitch! If you wouldn't have Alpha-ordered my ass to stay still until Seth got here, I could have stopped that fucking asshole from burning our house! Do you get that? I know I haven't phased in a long time, but you should have trusted me!"

Paul took Leah by the shoulders and whispered, "Now is not the time, babe." He knew this was a conversation that shouldn't be overheard by the boys.

Leah shrugged him off and grabbed Sam's arm dragging him away from everyone else to continue her tirade. She lowered her voice and went on, "You will NEVER accept me as a full member of this pack. Why? I made one stupid fucking mistake, and you will never let me forget it, will you?"

"Leah, it's not that. I do trust you, it's . . . "

"What, Sam? What?" She held his eyes with her icy glare.

"I still care about you, OK? I didn't want to see you get hurt! And I know it's wrong, but it clouds my judgment when it comes to you." Sam hung his head, hating that he had admitted that to her.

Leah closed her eyes and sighed, "Damnit, Sam." as she turned away from him and rubbed her forehead in frustration. They had been over for a long time now. She had moved on, why couldn't he? "Look, I guess the answer is to not phase and just be the pack medic. It was stupid of me to throw you off by phasing and running here."

Sam stepped up behind her. "No it wasn't, Leah. Thank God, you did. You kept this guy from getting away and you were here for Tyler. I'm sorry. You were right. I should never have ordered you to wait."

Leah turned to face him and gave him a small smile. "OK, truce. You know Paul keeps telling me, 'we can't change what happened in the past. We just have to move forward.' So, I guess your payback is having to put up with the five of us under your roof for the next couple of months. Noah screaming in the middle of the night, the boys fighting, Paul eating you out of house and home . . ."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, that will be payback alright. But I deserve it, so I think we'll manage."

Leah rolled her eyes then nodded toward the others. "Let's go."

Leah walked over to Paul and apologized. "Hey, it's OK. He probably deserved whatever you were screaming at him about. Fill me in later, alright?"

Leah nodded and bent to help Tyler to his feet. Travis climbed off of Seth's lap to take Tyler's hand.

Paul stood there and gazed at his little family. This day had turned into a nightmare . . . one he never wanted to repeat. Looking up at his house, his grandmother's house . . . he felt the fury build again. His grandmother had loved this house so much. His grandpa had built if just for her. Paul shook his head and hoped that his mother would rot in jail for what she had done and they would never hear from her again. Because next time, if there was a next time, he would not hesitate to kill her.

It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to all settle into Sam and Emily's house. As word got round, things started pouring in for Paul and his family. Clothes, coats, pajamas, tons of food, a crib for the baby, diapers and baby clothes . . . the pack stuck together and took care of their own, and right now, Paul and Leah were very grateful.

As soon as Sue heard, she made a beeline to Sam and Emily's and hugged each and every one of them, Travis a little longer than the rest. He even sat on her lap and told her all about his escape.

"Oh, honey, you were so brave!" Sue told him with a squeeze. "I am so proud of you." Leah smiled and felt her heart swell even more for her mom. She and Seth were so lucky to have her as a mother. She felt very strongly about that now, seeing what hell Paul's mother had put them through. Sue was a grizzly . . . she took care of her cubs. Those that were hers, and those that she adopted. Leah hoped with all her heart that she would be as good a mother as Sue Clearwater.

Noah loved all of the attention he was getting from Emily and Sue and it allowed Leah to get some rest. She was emotionally and physically exhausted from the day's events. She had excused herself from everyone and entered the bedroom she and Paul would be using to lay down for awhile. She wasn't alone long as Paul found her there and laid down beside her to pull her into his arms.

Paul noticed she still smelled like smoke as he buried his face into her hair. As he lay there, all of the emotions he had been holding in came pouring out and he couldn't stop himself from crying. Tears poured down his face as he struggled to hold in the sobs. Leah sat up and looked at him and then pulled him into her arms. "It's OK, Paul. It's just the two of us. Let it out," she told him softly

So he did. For what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, he let out all of his anger and worry and frustration. He even grieved for his grandma's house, knowing how much it meant to her. He knew it could be repaired, but it wouldn't be the same house. Leah let her own tears fall as she ran her hand gently through his hair and just held him until finally he pulled in a few breaths to calm himself and sat up and wiped his eyes. "God, I'm sorry," he said.

Leah smiled and ran her hand down his cheek. "What? For being human? Oh yeah, it's disgusting," she teased.

"Yeah, I hate that," Paul admitted with a smile.

Pushing him back against the pillows, Leah leaned over him. "You can be human around me, OK? I won't tell anyone. You can keep your rep as the big bad wolf in tact."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Paul asked as he brushed her hair away from her eyes.

"Hmm, I think you've mentioned it a couple of times," Leah answered with a smile.

"I would be fucking lost without you, Leah," Paul stated seriously. "Especially today."

"I know. Me, too." With that, Leah laid her head down on Paul's chest and listened to his heartbeat. They laid there together and took strength from each other until there was a knock on the door.

Leah sat up and called out, "Come in."

The door opened and Travis stood there. "I . . . um, I . . . " He tried to talk, but he couldn't get the words out.

"Come here, little man," Leah said softly.

Travis ran for the bed and Paul lifted him up and plopped him right in between him and Leah. "You scared?" Paul asked.

Travis just nodded. Paul wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. "It's OK. Don't tell anyone, especially Ty, but . . . " he put his mouth to Travis' ear and whispered, "I just cried all over Leah."

Travis' eyes grew wide as he asked, "You did?"

Paul nodded. "Even big guys like me get scared sometimes. Leah told me it was OK to let it out." Leah smiled at him as he glanced at her.

Travis settled into Paul's arms and Leah laid down beside them both. "Do you want to talk about it?" Paul asked him.

Travis shook his head. "Not right now."

"OK, I get that. Maybe tomorrow," Paul told him.

They all laid there for awhile until they heard, "Um, can I come in?"

Paul glanced over to see Tyler standing in the door way. He smiled and motioned with his arm, "Sure. Come join the party!"

Leah sat up and made room for him as he crawled onto the end of the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked Tyler.

"Better since I had a shower. But these jeans are too big and they keep falling down!" Everyone laughed at that then Paul said, "I guess we all should get cleaned up."

"I still smell like smoke," Leah observed.

"How long will we have to stay here?" Tyler asked.

Paul shook his head. "I don't know. We'll have to call the insurance company tomorrow, and they'll send someone out to look at the house. Then I guess I'll have Chuck walk through with me and we'll see what all needs to be done. Once we get the money from the insurance company, we can start work, but it will probably be a couple of months before we can live there again."

They all sat there and thought about that. It had only been a few weeks that they had all lived there together, but they had bonded quickly as a family, and now, that was taken away from them.

"Can we get our stuff out of there?" Travis asked.

"The fireman told me we could go back tomorrow. But some of it will be ruined from the smoke and water," Leah told him.

Leah glanced over at Tyler and could see anger creeping over his face. "God, I hate her! Look what she took away from us!"

Paul sat up and put his hand on Tyler's shoulder. "I know. I'm pissed as hell, too. But at least you weren't hurt or killed in that fire, and we have Travis back. Let's just concentrate on the good things for now, OK?"

Tyler sighed and nodded. Then a smile broke out on his face as he said, "Guess what Seth told me?" He hesitated then said, "Cristy asked him to take me to the dance on Friday night for her. Isn't that awesome? She really does like me."

Leah laughed as Paul tousled Tyler's hair. "Look at you, Romeo," Paul said. "Just remember, you're not 13 yet."

"Yeah, Ty, you have to be 13 to kiss her!" Travis added excitedly.

"Three more weeks, then watch out!" Tyler replied wickedly. That made them all laugh heartily.

"So, this is where the party moved to. How's come no one invited me?" Seth asked at the door.

"We would, but I don't think this bed will hold one more person," Leah said.

Seth pouted and Travis called out, "Come on, Seth!"

Leah watched as Seth grinned and then flopped on the bed on top of Tyler. They all waited to see if the bed would come crashing down, but luckily it held. Peals of laughter floated out into the other room to Sue as she rocked Noah. She smiled down at him and said softly, "You have a crazy family, little one. Isn't that great?"