Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Okay! A few notes before the chapter starts.

Firstly, I am so overwhelmed by the responses for the fic! This little puppy has hit one thousand plus reviews, and it really is mind-blowing to me. I never expected any of my fics to receive this much feedback, and it really is amazing, and I thank all of you for supporting and continuing to read. It makes a girl proud!

Secondly, this fic has been featured on The Fictionators website, which is another accomplishment that I would have never foreseen, and I am extremely grateful to them for that!

Thirdly, with the whole fanfiction "spring cleaning" going on at this site, I'm kind of worried for this fic and the language that has been used. Does it still warrant a T or do I need to up it to an M? I would be happy if anyone would help me with this, haha.

Fourthly, thanks so much for everyone who reviewed last chapter! I apologize for the long authors note, I just wanted to thank everyone properly because all their support means so much!

Playing With Fire
Chapter Twenty Two: Waves

The drive to the beach was longer than I remembered.

I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that Paul was still livid or the fact that I was still numb, but either way the length of the drive felt like an eternity.

Maybe it was because Embry and Angela were in the car with us as well.

I didn't have to be an expert on awkwardness to know that this was, well, awkward.

I kept feeling Angela's stare in the rearview mirror. We had to take her car, since it was the only one that could comfortably carry four people. Paul and I sat in the back, while Embry sat up front. Angela drove, though I could see that she was puzzled as to why we were going to the beach when everyone had a mini-drama session not ten minutes ago. She said nothing, though, of which I was grateful. I couldn't imagine having to explain to her everything, but I couldn't allow myself the hope that she would let it slide forever.

Embry was talking to her, something that I found myself listening to. He was rather animated, smiling every now and then and gesturing wildly with his hands. He laughed at everything she said and seemed to hang on every word. It was an odd thing to watch, but I figured that Embry was probably attracted to Angela, or something like that. It wouldn't be farfetched.

Paul grunted beside me.

"What?" I turned and looked at him.

"Nothing," he mumbled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "Nothing."

I decided to leave it at that. Ever since Riley decided to disrupt our day with the bomb to end all bombs, it seemed Paul and I had been at odds. With good reason. Frankly, I would be concerned if he actually told me to go through with it…

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. No, I thought, no thinking of that just yet. I had Paul to deal with, after all. I had a lot of things to deal with, to be frank, none of which were pleasant. Maybe a trip to the beach would clear my head. I'd always loved the beach, but something about this trip made me figure that Paul was hiding some kind of agenda. I wouldn't put it past him to rip my head off as soon as we were away from his wolf-buddy and the clueless innocent.

Angela finally turned onto the parking lot designated for the beachgoers. I sighed in relief, finding that I felt strangely light at the prospect. Suddenly I longed to sink my feet into the sand, feel the grainy texture of it between my toes, watch as the bubbly ocean water swirl around my ankles.

I was so caught up in my dream visit to the beach that I was jerked into reality by Paul elbowing me sharper than I thought was necessary. He glared at me, and I felt no reason not to glare right back at him. I got out of the car, still feeling his gaze on my back.

There was so much to consider. I was surprised I hadn't gone crazy from the massive amount of information that was pressed upon me. But still, there was Paul. And Paul was Paul, of course. He couldn't be ignored, no matter how hard I tried. The reasons for that might lean more in the direction of me not being able to ignore him. For reasons that I didn't quite yet understand.

I jerked the car door open and filed out. I watched as Embry stretched his long limbs out at his sides and inhaled the salty sea air as if he had never smelled it before. The sight was amusing, and I found myself smiling despite myself.

"Dumbass," Paul scoffed.

Embry turned around, looking offended. There was a lightness to his face that was strange, something I'd never associated with the werewolves. I then thought of Seth, hoping that the phase hadn't harmed his selfless, sweet way of viewing the world.

"Let's go," Paul said, walking toward the beach. It was clear of people. Perfect for yelling at me, I supposed. He gave a look in the direction of his pack mate that suggested he and Angela steer clear. I felt ice lodge in my veins as Embry nodded and started chatting at Angela, his face animated and clear.

Paul touched my elbow. I felt myself physically jolt at the contact, not used to having those fingers on me in such a gentle, yet intense way. I let him lead me down to the beach, going the opposite direction of where Embry and Angela were headed. There was a large, dead tree sitting in the sand, its roots bowed up and looking more like the grasping tentacles of an octopus than anything having to do with plant life. Paul steered me in that direction, oblivious to anything else.

Sand got in my shoes, the salty wind brushed my hair, and I didn't mind. I should have been cold, I supposed, but the proximity of Paul's body kept me from shivering. He was almost like a human space heater. The thought made me smile, and that apparently irritated the wolf beside me.

"What's that goofy grin about?" he asked, his voice unkind and rough. "Finally thrilled about gaining immortality?"

Well, that certainly wiped the smile off my face.

I turned to look at him. He had walked ahead of me, as if not even wanting to be near me, and then sat down on one of the massive roots of the tree, looking out to the ocean behind me. I walked forward with a sense of caution, bewilderment. There was nothing that I could tell him that would make him understand. Even if I told him that the immortality aspect of it wasn't appealing at all anymore, he wouldn't believe me. He'd just say I was lying, that I'd leave and find Edward as soon as I had the chance.

Which…wasn't true.

I wasn't sure why, but suddenly, that wasn't the thing I wanted most anymore. Sure, I still hurt over him, but…to turn vampire and go and find my vampire ex-boyfriend? That was a bit too stalker-y for my tastes.

And…Edward didn't want me anymore, either. Why would I burden him with my presence when I wasn't even wanted?

"I'm…not thrilled about it," I told Paul. He was pointedly not looking at me, opting to focus on the murky waves that crashed upon the beach. Without him by my side, it was shockingly cold. "But it makes the most sense."

He jerked as if electrocuted. "How the hell does that make the most sense? It makes no sense at all!" Paul finally looked at me, his eyes black and enormous in his skull. "We've been trying to preserve your life and this is how you treat that? The first vamp willing to bite you, and you're down for it?"

I shrugged. "I know the problems I've been causing you, Paul. I know that I have been more of a burden to you than anything, since you have to watch over me nonstop." I started to wring my hands, but I didn't avert my eyes. "There are pros to this, if you can see them. First and foremost, my family and friends and all the people I love will be safe. I'll be a vampire; Victoria will have no reason to come after me. She'll leave us all alone. Secondly, if she does decide to keep with her vendetta, I can defend myself."

Paul scoffed, as if he found something humorous. "Yeah? Well, see, if Victoria does keep up with her grudge against you, how are you going to defend all of your human friends? Charlie would be easy, since you live with him, and we're around his house all the time now. But all your school friends? All those fragile humans? Last time I checked, vampires don't have the ability to clone themselves. If Victoria really decided to play dirty, she could pick them off."

I tensed. I hadn't thought of that. Grasping, I said, "Riley…"

"Yeah, maybe he would help," he replied. "I'm sure that he might have some loyalties, and he seemed honest when he was talking to us. But he's a leech, and I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"I'm sure you could throw him pretty far, since you're a werewolf," the comment was out of my mouth before I had time to filter it.

A cynical smile overtook his face, but his eyes were no less fierce.

"You flatter me," he said.

"Just telling the truth," I replied. "Being supernatural has all kinds of perks."

Paul glared at me. "I've heard stories. Vampires are bloodthirsty for a good part of their first bit of existence. This can go on for months, years, until they learn to control it. That Riley kid is a freak of nature, being able to control it so well, but we can't say that you're the same kind of freak. Shit, if Victoria doesn't have the idea to go after your loved ones, you might be the one that finishes off Charlie."

My blood seemed to freeze in my veins.

Taking my silence for what it was, Paul continued, "Didn't think of that, did you?"

I hadn't.

Paul looked at me for a moment, and I thought that he might have just a bit of sympathy for my current plight. His eyes had softened, and he looked like he believed that I really hadn't thought of that.

I was still standing, and the action was surprisingly uncomfortable. I shifted from foot to foot as Paul slipped off the branch and parked it in the sand, letting his long legs stretch out in front of him as he did so. I decided to walk over there and sit down on one of the bowed up roots, just beside him, but not too close that he would feel uncomfortable. I could feel the heat radiating off of him even then, and it was surprisingly nice.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Paul spoke, his deep voice somewhat soothing despite its roughness.

"We're perfectly capable of taking her out, you know," he ventured. "It's been a while, but that doesn't mean that we won't ever get her."

He turned his eyes on me, and they were so dark that I felt myself getting sucked into them. I couldn't look away, not even if I tried.

"Have a little faith, Bells."

My heart floundered in my chest.

For a moment, I wasn't sure why, but then I realized… He called me Bells. The endearment was so familiar, but not when coming from his lips. I was used to hearing Jake and Charlie call me that, but not…not Paul. My cheeks suddenly felt hot and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Surely, Paul didn't know the effect this had on me, because he then turned his head to watch the ocean, which was roiling and bubbling, beautiful in its chaos.

"Yeah," I croaked, "I'll try."

I inhaled shakily, feeling the salty air make its way down into my lungs. It was strangely refreshing. I didn't realize I had my head in my hands until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I stiffened out of reflex. I still wasn't used to people touching me, even after all of my encounters with Jacob. But…something about this touch made me want to lean in, despite my discomfort.

I peered at Paul's face through my fingers. It did strike me as odd that he decided to physically touch me at this moment. His large hand encompassed my shoulder entirely. I knew I had lost weight since Edward's departure, but this had me wondering just how much.

"You're touching me," I said. No shit, he's touching you, a deeply sarcastic inner voice bit at me.

"No shit," he reiterated in such a similar fashion that I struggled against a smile. He pulled his hand away from my arm and I nearly let out a breath in complaint. "It's called a comforting gesture."

"That's just weird," I deadpanned. "And since when do you do comforting gestures?" I mocked.

Paul blinked, then shrugged. The picture of nonchalance. "Since never. But you're weird. You deserve to have weird stuff happen to you."

"Thanks," the venom in my voice could have killed an entire village.

We seemed to have forgotten the giant elephant in the room for a moment, and of course, things had to come back to their serious center.

"Listen," he said, standing up and brushing off the back of his pants. "I know you're stubborn as hell. I know you'll do what you think is right, no matter if it is or isn't - " I opened my mouth to protest but he kept on. " - and I know that you can make your own decisions. I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do. You wanna be a bloodsucking vamp on the off chance that it might cause Victoria to give up on you, then fine. You wanna stay human and let us protect you? That's fine, too." It looked like it physically pained him to say this, but I appreciated his words. "Just know that, from what I've seen of Victoria, she's a persistent little bitch, and she won't give up just because you can suddenly keep up."

The sun's light was dimmed behind murky looking clouds, and Paul was now standing in front of me, casting even more darkness over the spot where I sat.

I nodded. He made sense. He made too much sense. Weren't people like Paul supposed to be raving, unintelligible maniacs when angry? Since when was Paul capable of a monologue like that? I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my forearms in search of heat.

There was a pause, and then Paul said, quieter, "I know you'll think this through. I know you're not going to drop this, but…being supernatural doesn't solve anything."

There was a depth to his words, something that spoke of experience, something that made me want to reach out and take his hand. That was an urge I denied, though. I didn't think that would go over well.

The air of seriousness was suddenly gone, replaced by a lighter feeling. I knew Paul didn't want me to do this. All of the wolves viewed the vampires as evil, unholy things, but I knew differently. Sure, they had their callous moments, but I remembered Alice's kindness to me, Emmett's booming laugh, Carlisle and Esme's genuine goodness…

And then I was startled by a shout.

It was more like a holler, I supposed, but I turned quickly in the direction of it. I squinted along the shoreline and found the sheer cliff face that bordered one edge of the beach. Tiny figures hurled themselves off the edge, screaming in delight all the way down before their bodies hit the water with a barely audible splash. I found myself leaning forward, eager to see more, almost as if I were watching a fascinating movie.

"Geez, having a normal life must be awesome," I heard Paul complain.

I found myself ignoring the jibe at my constant company, and spinning around, I said, interested, "Cliff diving?"

"Looks fun, don't it?" he said casually.

I remembered a conversation I had with Jake, just before he phased for the first time. Cliff diving. The idea still appealed to me, and I wondered if Paul would be as warily in awe about my interest as Jake had been. I was less of an adrenaline junkie, but still, I figured it would be a fun - albeit dangerous - experience.

"Care to take me sometime?" I turned, pointing to the cliff and the howling non-wolfy members of La Push atop it.

Paul cocked his head to the side, an amused smile slowly making its way over his features. "I don't see why not." He pointed to the highest peak. "When we have enough time," his voice was silky, "we get to jump from the highest bit, right there. It's pretty amazing." He then added, "Maybe, if it was at the right time of day, and you had us with you, you could jump from the top as well."

I nodded. It was a strange kind of thing, hearing Paul being so…upbeat about potentially dangerous situations when I had people who protected me from them on a daily basis.

I hadn't noticed I'd walked so close to the water until it lapped up my ankles, soaking the fabric of my jeans. The cold was shocking, but I didn't mind. I squinted upward, watching as the last member of the pack hurled himself off the cliff - I think there were about three up there. I couldn't begrudge them their fun, though. It was moments like these, with no Victoria sighting in so long, that they were probably able to let off some steam. And doing that was a prime way to help relieve stress, I supposed.

I stepped forward once more, but somehow my pants leg got caught underfoot, and I fell.

Of course, I thought, wincing as my bottom came into contact with the water. Immediately after that, a wave came up and barreled over me, soaking me to the bone. My hair stuck to my neck like a clawing hand, and I fought back a yelp as I brushed it away. Struggling to get up, I once again was mashed into the sand by another wave. I managed to make it on my knees this time, and was shocked at what I heard.

Paul. Laughing.

I shouldn't have been shocked, but it was an odd thing to hear, a laugh from him that didn't sound cynical or self-deprecating. My wet tangle of hair had now moved to block my vision, so I slung it so it hung down my back. A third time, I tried to get up. I ended up in a kind of crouch, and even then the wet sand was more like quicksand. The salt water stung my eyes and I couldn't find a way out -

A strong hand grabbed my wrist and pulled. My feet were free of the sand, and I was whirled away from the ocean that now seemed more of a deathtrap than ever.

My head knocked against the sculpted musculature of Paul's chest, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. I felt his booming laughter resonate against me, like a shouted voice in a cave. Moments ago, I had been in the freezing ocean, and the heat emanating from his body was almost enough to make me break a sweat.

And then I realized I was laughing with him.

To see his guard down, to see him laughing so freely like this, to be pressed so close to him that I could feel the contours of his chest…it was so intimate that it bordered on suffocating.

The moment was gone as quickly as it happened. He released my wrist and I pulled away from him, not wanting to be seen as clingy and disrespectful, though I did linger a bit longer than necessary, breathing in the scent of earth and spice that was distinctly Paul.

Paul looked down at me, and there was a moment in which his eyes were heartbreakingly tender. Again, that moment passed quickly as he roughly flicked a patch of hair away from where it had settled against my cheek. I felt my cheeks heat.

"C'mon," he said gently, so gently that my heart was in my throat. "Let's go, klutz. I'm sure dying of pneumonia isn't in your plans."

I nodded, and we started to walk down the shoreline.

I shivered, my teeth chattering, and then tensed when Paul wrapped his arm around my shoulders. The warmth flooded through me, and I relaxed.

"No funny business, Swan," he said threateningly, though his voice was strangely rough.

"I wouldn't dare," I joked, but I did take advantage of the fact that Paul was willing to be so close by leaning my head against his body as we walked.

He scoffed, and as we walked, that rumbling sound mixed in with the waves around us, and I had a fleeting thought that maybe - just maybe - everything really would be alright.

Being so close to Paul and feeling so safe, it was hard to imagine otherwise.

End Chapter Twenty Two.