I'm not sure why i'm posting this now since i'm sure all you lucky people are reading Breaking Dawn right about now but since it's not coming out over here until Monday, i figured i'd update to pass the time. Hope you all enjoy!

From my spot on Paul's lap I watched the people in the room talking and laughing, their voices getting gradually louder and louder. Paul was shouting over my head to Sam and Sam was shouting over Emily's head in reply. I caught Emily's serene gaze and realised that this was nothing new or surprising. This was simply how they were and I could easily accept that. There was something comfortable about sitting here, surrounded by so much heat and noise. It was like being a part of a very big, very loud family. It was something I had never experienced before and I was shocked to find myself liking it.

"So, Abby, what time of songs do you sing?" Kim asked from her spot beside me. I was curled up on Paul's lap, leaning back against his chest and she was in a similar position on Jared's. She was so pretty. All three of the girls here were so pretty, even Emily with her horrific scars was still beautiful. Maybe it was something in the water. All the girls were gorgeous and all the guys looked like body builders. I coughed slightly when I realised she was still waiting on me answering her question.

"Everything really. It's mainly covers but occasionally our guitarist and drummer will get together and write a song." I finally replied with a smile. Kim nodded and smiled in return.

"I've always wanted to sing in front of people like that but I don't have the balls to do it." She admitted in a soft voice. "I saw you the night you played with Paul and you were awesome. You just stood there, so calm, and sang. I could never do that."

I had never really gotten praise for my singing before and I stared at Kim in shock. Sure, people told me I had a great voice but did anyone applaud me for getting on stage and risking completely mortification by singing in front of a bunch of drunken hecklers? No. I beamed at Kim and she smiled back.

"You get used to it and learn to ignore it. If there's any really loud drunks that yell at you, you just yell back louder. But usually it's fine. We don't play too late so the people there aren't always as drunk and obnoxious as they could be."

Kim shrugged and smiled. "Still I admire you."

"Thanks." I smiled at her. Our quiet conversation had gone unnoticed by the shouting boys that surrounded us and when I pulled myself away from Kim I found that Paul was smiling at me softly. He winked at me before tightening his grip and going back to his conversation.

"So, Abby, do you have any shows coming up?" Emily asked me sweetly as she pulled Claire off the floor and on to her lap. The little girl beamed up at Emily happily and I smiled at the sight. Suddenly the attention of the group was on me and my face flushed slightly with the knowledge. Paul's breath was warm against my neck and I struggled to reply for a few seconds.

"Uh, yeah. I'm singing in a bar in Seattle on Saturday night." I finally responded.

"Oh, maybe me and Sam will come with Paul to watch." Emily smiled. "Paul has been raving about your singing for weeks now and I feel like I'm missing something, since me and Sam are the only ones who haven't seen you."

I smiled at her, at ease once more. There was something comforting about being in this room, surrounded by Paul's friends. It was like I belonged here. No one was judging me or telling me I could be better. It was as if I belonged here.

"Yeah, if you two come along then I don't have to listen to Jacob whining." Paul smiled.

"Hey." Jacob argued. Before I knew what was happening, something was sailing through the air towards us and I shrieked and covered my face with my hands as the ashtray approached.

"Jacob!" Emily scolded. I peeked through my fingers to see Paul's hand had caught the ashtray easily. I glanced back at him to see his eyes narrowed in Jacob's direction and I realised that he was shaking slightly. Now that there were no missiles heading for me I relaxed again and watched as Paul drew his hand back and aimed the ashtray at Jacob.

"Paul!" Emily complained again. "Honestly, it's like living with a pack of children."

Jacob caught the ashtray easily and sat it in it's original spot next to him with a chuckle. Paul's shaking had disappeared and his grip around me had tightened protectively.

I had always thought of myself as being independent. I had never really needed anyone to take care of me, especially not boyfriends. If I got into trouble, I got myself out of it. Sure, Alex defended me a few times in bars but usually he was too drunk to even realise what was happening, let alone do anything about it. And the guys I had spent my time with after Alex certainly weren't the type to fight my fights for me. If a guy in a bar felt me up, I dealt with it myself and I had gotten used to that.

Paul, on the other hand, was the type of guy that never left his girlfriend unprotected. He was always hovering nearby to make sure I was okay; that I was safe. It was something I had never needed before but I don't think I could go without it now. There was a real comfort in knowing that someone was on your side, ready to fight for you.

"Hey, you want to head home?" Paul asked softly in my ear. I shivered against him at the sensation of the hot breath on the shell of my ear and he chuckled huskily. I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them I locked gazes with Emily. She smirked at me knowingly, raising an eyebrow in Paul's direction as we stood up.

"You guys heading out?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Abby needs an early night. She's exhausted." Paul answered for me. Normally a guy answering for me would bother me but it was so natural for Paul to be doing it that I just smiled in agreement. Emily and Sam walked us out to the car and we stood for a few minutes, chatting idly about the weather.

"Abby, we'll definitely be up on Saturday to watch you play." Emily told me. I smiled at her and reached out for a hug. I had a feeling that if Paul and I lasted for a while, Emily and I would be good friends. There was just something so likeable about her calm, happy demeanour.

"You should. And get Paul to give you my number, we should hang out sometime."

"I'd like that." She smiled. We said a final goodbye and climbed into the car. I immediately switched the radio on, smiling as the music spilled through the air. I watched Paul as he climbed in, a small smile on his face. I continued to watch him as he drove. I watched how he concentrated on the road, a small frown on his face, and how he glanced over his shoulder before swinging the car into another lane. The song on the radio changed and I leant back and sighed, singing along. Paul had told me a week after meeting me that he loved listening to me singing. It was something I relished in. Alex had hated me singing when I wasn't on stage. He had told me to save my voice for people who cared. I was still singing when we pulled onto the road that led to my apartment. The song had changed to a an old, sultry ballad that made me smile.

Tonight you're mine, completely

You give you're love so sweetly

Tonight the light of love is in your eyes

Will you still love me tomorrow?

I could feel Paul's gaze on my face for a few seconds as I sang. I opened my eyes to see him reaching for the volume button. At my raised eyebrow he grinned.

"I'd rather hear you than them."

Is this a lasting treasure?

Or just a moment's pleasure?

Can I believe the magic in your sighs?

Will you still love me tomorrow?

Tonight with words unspoken,

You said that I'm the only one

But will my heart be broken?

When the night meets the morning sun?

His gaze on my face was heated as he pulled into the parking lot. We sat there as the song continued, me singing and him watching. I opened my eyes and sang to him, watching the light in his eyes shift. His eyes were always so expressive. They were dark pools of endless emotions and I knew for a fact that I could easily drown in them if I let myself. I could see the fear that was there, swirling together with the heat and the love. It still scared me slightly that he loved me but I knew without a doubt that he did. But I also knew he was hiding something from me. Until he had announced we were going to meet his friends, who he had referred to as his family, I had been sure he was secretly married with three kids.

I'd like to know that your love

Is love I can be sure of

So tell me now and I won't ask again

Will you still love me tomorrow?

Paul gaze was on my lips as I finished singing and the heat was so intense I could almost feel it from where I was sitting. If there was one way to describe Paul it was fiery. Everything about him was like fire. His eyes, his skin, his touch. Even his attitude. Before I could continue my thoughts his lips were on mine, soft and insistent. I sighed and leant towards him, smiling as his hands lifted me across the car and onto his lap.

I could feel the muscles of his chest and stomach against my own as I leant against him. He pushed my cardigan off my shoulders and threw it into the back seat without breaking contact with me. When Paul kissed me it was as if he took completely control of me. It wasn't something I was used to but it was something I liked. Especially when he bit down on my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth slightly just like… that. I groaned and rested my forehead against his as he pulled away, his eyes smouldering.

"Want to go inside?"

"No, I want to stay out here and let me neighbours watch me making out with the hot Native guy that's always hanging around these days."

"Oh, well in that case."

He dropped his lips onto my collarbone and I moaned loud enough that I should have been embarrassed but I couldn't bring myself to be. His breath was hot against the skin and his teeth were nipping slightly. My skin was beginning to burn and suddenly my clothes were too tight; too restrictive. I couldn't touch enough of his skin; running my hands up and down his huge arms wasn't enough. I needed to touch more.

I pulled myself back with a gasp, looking down into those bottomless pools. I felt like I was drowning in them, in the swirl of emotions. Love and lust were the clearest and I opened the door of the car, letting the icy wind blast against the bare skin of my arms. I shivered and he wrapped an arm around me from behind, one of his large hands resting against my stomach underneath the fabric of my shirt. He led me towards the apartment, never more than a foot behind me. I unlocked the door with shaking hands, suddenly nervous.

He pressed me against the wall as soon as we were inside, his large body covering mine easily as he picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. With one hand on the small of my back and the other holding my head to his, Paul walked us backwards, towards the bedroom. His kisses were getting more and more urgent and when he finally lay me on the bed I gasped for air. He leant over me, holding the majority of his weight on his arms, and just stared. His eyes drank in my face before moving further down and I could feel my skin flush pink.

Before I realised what he was doing, he had slipped my shirt over my head and his hands were currently unbuttoning my jeans. I arched my hips against his hot hand as it rested against my stomach and he chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes at him and, deciding that he was wearing far too much clothing to be fair, pulled his white undershirt over his head. Once again I was taken back by the sight of so much perfect copper coloured skin covering the perfectly defined muscles. I scraped my nails across his stomach and he hissed, his eyes closing briefly. When he opened them again I was taken back by how dark they were now. They were practically black as he lifted me up to unhook my bra and I sighed as his hands rested against my back. He rolled us over so that I was on top of him and I ran one nail down the centre of his chest and stomach, enjoying the way his eyes closed and his mouth dropped open. I ran the nail along the edge of his cut off jeans and bit my lip to avoid crying out when his hips shot up against mine.

He switched us again so that I was lying on the bed and he was resting between my raised knees. He sat up and shrugged off the cut offs. He didn't wear any sort of boxers and I felt my mouth water at the sight of so much uninterrupted flesh.

"Are you sure?" His mouth was right next to my ear, his voice a low growl that was more animalistic than human and I could only lift my hips as an answer. If I had opened my mouth the only thing that would have come out would have been a loud moan.

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It was hours later when I woke. Paul had pulled the blankets up over us and I was just warm enough to be comfortable. I could hear the rain lashing against the windows and smiled, closing my eyes and shifting so that my back was right against Paul's body. His arm automatically curled around me, his hand flat on my stomach. He kissed my shoulder sleepily and muttered something against my skin.

"Huh?"

"Said you smell so good." He repeated, his sleepy voice making me shiver against him. His grip on me tightened and I smiled. "Go back to sleep, baby."

His breath was even and deep against my skin and as I lay there, cradled in his arms, I knew somehow that Paul was something special. Something I should hold on to. With that thought came the realisation that i didn't mind if he looked at me with all that love in his eyes. He made me feel safe; he comforted me in a way no one else could and he made me feel things i had never felt before. I turned in his arms and looked up at his face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep that i couldn't help but trace a finger over his features. He groaned and placed his hand on the small of my back, pulling me against him. We fit perfectly, one of his long legs over my hips and his arms tightly around me and i smiled. I had been nervous that sleeping with him would make a huge difference in our relationship but suddenly i realised that was a silly thought. Paul hadn't wanted me for sex, he wanted me for me.

I closed me eyes and sighed, smiling as his grip tightened.