My love for you is true, a tattoo

And it ain't ever coming off

I stirred the sauce in the pan, keeping a close eye on the spaghetti and the garlic bread while singing along to the radio. Paul, Jared and Kim sat at the table, talking intently amongst themselves and I ignored them as I cooked. I had been in La Push for three days but it felt like a lot longer. I had settled in, smoothing everything over with Kim and Jared and getting to know the rest of the pack better. I felt as if I fit in, which was something I wasn't entire used to but I welcomed it. It was nice to walk into a room and be greeted by everyone who was in there, as I discovered yesterday when Paul and I had dropped by Sam and Emily's. I was settling in and part of me didn't want to return to my actual life in Port Angeles. I was happy here, content with spending my day with the pack and then crawling into bed with Paul at night.

"Damn something smells good." Jared muttered as he strode into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge, grabbing a beer for him and Paul and a bottle of juice for Kim. I watched him with a raised eyebrow as he slammed the fridge shut again and smiled at me. "How much longer? My stomach is digesting itself here."

"Oh my God, you had three sandwiches an hour ago!" I retorted. He had been asking me how much longer dinner was going to be since I had started cooking forty minutes ago.

"That was two hours ago and I'm hungry again. I'm a growing boy."

"If you grow any more I'm going to give you to a circus as one of their side show freaks." I chuckled. He stuck his tongue out at me and turned towards the dining room table again.

"Paul, your woman is picking on me again."

"I'm no one's woman but my own." I called out in protest. I could hear them chuckling and smiled as I finished up. "And I'm not doing the washing up again."

"That depends on how good the food is, newbie." Jared replied. "Now hurry up."

"Paul, can't you smack him or something for me?" I asked in mock annoyance as I dished up the food. I carried Paul and Jared's plates out first, setting them in front of them with an exaggerated bow. Kim giggled as the two of them dug in and I rolled my eyes in disgust. It was astounding how much the two of them could put away in one go. I had been amazed at the super sized pots and pans until Kim had explained that the only way to make food in this house was to make a lot of it.

After grabbing my own plate and Kim's, I settled into my seat, next to Paul and began to eat. Dinner was silent, as usual, until Kim and I finished.

"So what are we going to watch tonight then?" She asked me after putting our plates in the sink. Paul was on his third helping and Jared was on his fourth; neither paying us any attention as we discussed DVD options. They would regret that later when I pulled out the chick flicks, I decided wickedly.

"Not another horror. I refuse to sit through that crap anymore." I groaned. The night before Jared and Paul had picked four horror films and made us watch them back to back. My dreams were filled with terribly fake, orange blood and shrill screams. I had woke up laughing, much to Paul's confusion and my own amusement.

"Maybe we could watch that new one with Brad Pitt." Kim suggested. "I heard it was really good."

"I could watch Brad Pitt." I agreed with a smirk in Paul's direction. He was using his garlic bread to mop up the sauce left on his plate and was paying no attention to what I was saying. I rolled my eyes with a grin at Kim and she chuckled before standing. Jared immediately looked up at her from his plate and I smiled. Watching the two of them over the past few days had made me realised exactly what was in store for me and Paul in a few years. Kim and Jared were two halves of one whole, I had realised. It was as if they could read each other's minds, their actions and subsequent reactions were mirrored in the other person and they communicated without words in some ways. I had seen Kim give Jared a single look that made him stop talking and rush to her side.

Sam and Emily had the same type of relationship, maybe even closer. I had seen Sam respond to Emily without her even looking at him. They moved around each other in a type of dance, knowing each other's movements as well as they knew their own. It was disconcerting to watch and I could only hope that Paul and I had a relationship like that in time. I wanted to be able to respond to Paul without him saying a word to me. I wanted to know what he meant with a single look.

I watched Jared nod as Kim headed out the door and I smiled again. How could I have been considering turning my back on love like that? The type of love I though only existed in fairytales and Disney movies.

"You okay?"

Paul's hand felt warm on the bare skin of my shoulder and I smiled at him. He returned the smile with one of his own; a soft, lazy smile that made my stomach flutter and my insides turn to liquid. He truly was beautiful, in a completely masculine way. His hair was messy and held up in a loose ponytail, stands escaping and brushing against his copper skin. His face was so expressive, giving away his mood with a single look. His lips were curved upwards as he watched me, a flash of white teeth against the dark skin. His neck sloped down into wide, muscular shoulders and even though he wore a shirt, I could picture the perfectly defined muscles of his chest and stomach. His arms were better than any male model's I had ever seen. I had a thing for arms; had ever since high school. Men had the most amazing arms, skin covering tightly coiled muscles and sinew. Paul's were exceptionally well toned, reminding me how easily he could lift me. How easily he could hurt me if he wanted to but I took comfort in the fact that he didn't want to and so he wouldn't. He was as close to perfect as one man could get and I rested my head against his chest in a response to his question.

His arms came around me immediately, holding me in place as we sat in silence. I could hear his heartbeat beneath his chest, strong and sure as he cradled me against him.

"You okay?" He repeated his question softly.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about the past few days." I told him truthfully. His grip tightened and his fingers began tracing a pattern against the hip of my skin that was both distracting and calming.

"Has it been too much?" He asked softly, an edge to his voice. I knew he was worried about overwhelming me again. I had seen it in his eyes, a fear that I would decide it was all too much and leave and I had tried to dispel it as much as possible.

"Yeah, but in a good way." I replied. "I really like it here." I pulled my head back to look into his eyes as I spoke, loosing myself in the darkness.

He beamed at me and I smiled, resting my head against his chest once more.

"Stop being sappy." Jared demanded as he watched us with an easy smile. I stuck my tongue out at him and he and Paul chuckled at me. "Come on, we may as well get the movie ready while Kim is in the shower."

"I'm not doing the dishes." I warned both of them as we walked down the small hallway to the living room. Paul and I claimed the seat that had become ours in the last few days, an oversized, dark green armchair. Paul tugged at my wrist until I lowered myself onto his lap, my legs hanging over the arm of the chair. His hand settled against my stomach while his other arm was wrapped around my shoulder, holding me close to him. I rested my head against his chest again, content to let his heat swirl around me.

Jared was busy fixing the DVD player when Kim returned but as I watched I knew that he knew she was back. His shoulders relaxed slightly, as if he had been holding his breath the entire time she had been gone. Which, admittedly, he probably had been. I smiled wryly at the thought and settled myself closer to Paul.

"I really don't see what you two see in this guy." Jared grumbled as Kim pretended to swoon over Brad Pitt. "Isn't he like ninety?"

"He's like a fine wine… gets better with age." I replied quickly. Paul poked me in the sides with his fingers and I stuck my tongue out at him. He grinned and shook his head.

"How could you possibly want him when you've got me?" He pouted. I chuckled and kissed him softly, ignoring Jared's gagging behind us.

"Brad Pitt's one of the unattainable." Kim spoke up. "It's alright to lust after him because you know nothing is going to happen."

"Hey, did I say you could lust after him?" Jared asked in mock outrage. Kim shot him an unimpressed look and he cowered slightly, sitting back in his seat. The movie was forgotten now as we teased each other.

"Did I ask for your permission?" She retorted.

"So who else is unattainable that you lust after then?" Jared asked, making Kim blush slightly. She looked towards me and I chuckled, holding up my fingers and counting as I spoke.

"Well, there's Johnny Depp, Josh Hartnett, Steven Strait of course, oh and Will Smith just gets better looking with age. And Slash from Guns N Roses, I've always had a huge crush on him."

Paul was looking at me in outrage and I giggled at his face.

"But it's okay, because I don't stand a chance with any of them." I assured him with a grin. "Don't you have a list of chicks you would sleep with if you could? Like famous chicks."

"No." Paul denied vehemently. I laughed and shrugged at him.

"Well you should. Everyone should have a list like that. It's healthy. Let's make one. What do you like in a woman?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you." He shook his head and pushed me off his lap. He stood quickly, towering over me and staring down. I raised an eyebrow at his sudden dark mood and took a step back.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked sharply. "It's just a little fun."

"Yeah, it's so much fun imagining you with someone else. My sides are just splitting from all the fun I'm having." He snapped. I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head, storming past him and heading for his room. If I stayed there I would say something I regretted and that could be the thing that pushed him over the edge, which was the last thing I wanted. I had been warned, by Jacob and Sam yesterday, that Paul had a short fuse and that I should try not to piss him off. It had irritated me that they had so little faith in him and I told them so but instead of looking ashamed as I had expected, they had looked more resolved. But it wasn't in me to tiptoe around someone. If Paul wanted to fight then I would fight back, especially over something as ridiculously stupid as my celebrity crushes. I mean, really. I didn't see Jared jumping at Kim if she made the comments I made.

I slammed the bedroom door loudly, grabbing my IPOD off the window ledge and putting it on as loudly as possible. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and ignoring the soft taps at the door as my mind raced.

Who did he think he was? I mean, what was with that reaction? Was he so much of a control freak that he needed to control my every thought and every action? Did he need to know every single thing I thought about every single second of the day? Couldn't he understand that a joke was a joke? He needed to get over himself, and quickly.

I sighed, knowing I was being unfair in my assessment but I was hurt and annoyed that he had embarrassed me in front of Kim and Jared, just as we were starting to relax around each other again.

"Abby." His voice was soft now, almost pleading, but I ignored it as I listened to Placebo, tapping my foot against the bed in time with the beat. I tried to concentrate on the music but I could still hear him, tapping his knuckles against the door every few minutes.

I heaved a sigh and threw my feet onto the ground, placing my IPOD in my pocket and striding towards the door. I opened it and stared up at him, my mouth twisted in a deliberate scowl. I wanted him to know how annoyed I was at his reaction and by his sheepish look, I knew he was well aware.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. I could hear the movie in the living room, along with the deep timbre of Jared's voice before the door shut and I sighed and turned back to the bed.

"Look, Paul, we need to get a few things straight. I'm a normal girl, okay? I grew up with crushes on a lot of celebrities and I joke about the crushes all the time so you can't react like that every time I bring it up. I'm a flirt, okay, and I'm always going to be a flirt so you need to get over that as well. You can't sulk every time I mention another guy because you will drive yourself, and me, insane. I was kidding, okay? Just kidding… and you almost had a fit!"

I took a deep breath and geared up to continue my rant but I was cut off by Paul lifting me, pressing my back against the wood of the door and kissing me softly. The soft, sweet kisses rapidly moved into long, slow, hot kisses that left me wondering why I was so mad in the first place as I threaded my fingers through Paul's hair and pulled him closer with my legs. He had me supported easily with one arm and his free hand was tracing the length of my jaw, his fingers warm and soft. I sighed into his mouth and he pulled away, looking into my eyes intensely. Wow he had pretty eyes.

"What was I saying?" I asked, shaking my head to clear the haze of lust that had settled over my eyes. "God you're good at that."

He chuckled and slid me down to the ground without moving back so that I felt every inch of him against me. He grinned down at me through heavy lids and I groaned.

"Not fair, dude." I ground out, pushing past him and flinging myself down on the bed again. He followed, stretching out gracefully beside me. His head rested on the palm of his hand and he stared down at me silently.

"I'm sorry, baby." He spoke softly, his husky voice playing on my nerve endings and making me shiver against him. His hand rested on my stomach, his fingers pushing my shirt up until it rested just below my bra. His fingers stroked along the koi fish that spread around my hip, tracing the outline over and over.

"What did you get this for?" He asked. My eyes had fluttered closed and I kept them shut as I answered.

"It symbolises strength and perseverance." I answered. "I got it after my dad got remarried, to remind myself that I was strong enough to handle everything."

He traced the outline once more before gently lifting me and turning me over. I folded my arms beneath my head and sighed as his fingers began tracing the flowers across my back. He pushed the top up as far as it would go, his finger tips caressing the skin that was revealed.

"What are the flowers for?"

"They're for every important event in my life, good or bad. The bright colours are for the good, the dark colours for the bad." I explained. "The black one is for when my mom died, the dark purple one is for my first break up with Alex, the blue one is for when my dad remarried. The pink one is for my first love, the yellow one is the same as my best friend Amy who moved away last year. The green one is for me joining the band, the orange one is for graduating high school. The swallows represent my freedom."

His fingers were replaced with his lips and I sighed happily as the ghosted across my skin, leaving heat in their wake.

"Do you have any tattoos?" I asked him, turning to look up at him again.

"Not yet but I could be convinced." He smirked. I felt my own lips curve upwards and reached up to tangle my hands in his hair again.

"What would you get?"

"What do you want me to get?"

"You could get a picture of my face on your ass cheek."

"Yeah, that would be something to show the guys, right?"

"Uh huh. I'll get one for you."

"Really?" He beamed at the idea and I smiled softly. He was so easy to please sometimes that it made me feel guilty for being so stubborn and hard headed.

"Really. We'll head to the tattoo shop in Seattle next week sometime and I'll get Jerry to draw me some designs."

"Awesome." He was like a kid on Christmas morning and I couldn't help but grin at his excitement. I pulled him towards me, wrapping a leg around his waist as he held himself over me with his arms. His grin was suddenly predatory and I shrieked as he attacked the skin of my neck with his teeth. He chuckled darkly against my skin and I shuddered before pulled his face to mine.

"I love you." I whispered. He smiled, his eyes bright and happy. "So no more being stupid over celebrity crushes."

He rolled his eyes and nodded. "I can't help that I'm possessive. It's the animal in me."

He deepened his voice and I began to giggle hysterically. He chuckled and began digging his fingers into my sides, tickling me.

I curled myself into a ball and tried to avoid his fingers, giggling loudly as he curled his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. I yawned suddenly, resting my head against his bicep and closing my eyes.

"Time for a nap, puppy." I breathed as he tightened his grip. He chuckled behind me, the last sound I heard before drifting off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The song belongs to Rancid. The characters you recognise belong to Stephanie Meyer.