Chapter 18

*Warning: Probably contains typos and an unhealthy amount of...s*

TLA

By the time Draco actually paid attention to what the shifters were talking about, it was too late. Paul stood and grabbed his legs, Jacob stood and grabbed his arms.

"What the hell are you doing!" the blonde yelled, struggling the best he could.

"Damn, you're heavy, Albino," Paul laughed. He and Jacob began walking towards the water.

"Shut up you brute! Put me down this instant!" he ordered.

They paused; the two shifters shared a smirk. "No," they said at the same time.

"Look how you're treating a cripple! Stop!"

"You're getting better," Jacob replied with a laugh. "Besides, you hate it when I treat you like a cripple."

They reached the water with Draco still struggling to get free. Jacob looked at Paul. "On the count of three," he said. "One." The walked out into the water; the waves were relatively small. The water was kind of chilly. "Two." They swung Draco's body back so on the count of three they could toss him out to sea.

"No, no, no!" Draco begged. The water's damn freezing!

The shifters laughed. "Three!" They tossed the blonde a pretty good distance.

Draco depressed himself by screaming like a pathetic little witch as he flew threw the air and into the water. But he knew how to get his revenge. I'll show them, especially Jacob. How dare he not listen to me? A bit a wandless magic (which was a lot harder than he thought it would be underwater) later and he could have stayed under water for the rest of the day if he wanted to. Let the revenge begin.

Jacob and Paul were giggling like girls.

"Did you see his face?" Jacob questioned with a laugh.

The other shifted nodded. "Priceless."

They turned to the spot where they assumed the blonde would come up for air... He didn't. It took less than a second for Jacob to go into full panic mode.

"Draco?" Where is he? Is he hurt? Did he drown? DID I JUST KILL MY MATE! His thoughts were a frantic mess. He did his best to run around in the water. "Draco? Draco!"

Paul was worried too. "Albino?" he called. He knew what it was like not to have his imprint close; he wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy so he certainly wouldn't wish that on Jacob. The other shifter was his closest friend even if they were always fighting or at odds with each other. He looked around and spotted pale skin and pale hair; the little fucker was sitting on the shoreline laughing! "Jacob."

"Hush Paul! Draco!" He's dead isn't he! He drowned! He's been taken out to sea! I'll never see him again!

"Jacob!"

"What!" Jacob exclaimed, turning to Paul angrily. The other shifter simply gestured to the beach where Draco was laughing at them. He's alive! Jacob almost walked on water to get to the blonde. His relief was so immense that he couldn't even be mad. He grabbed the blonde and pulled him close. "Don't you ever disappear like that again," he said softly but sternly.

Draco was going to retort with a snarky comment about never throwing him like that again, but he'd already gotten his point across. He wrapped his arms around the shifter's warm body. He didn't even know he was cold until he felt Jacob's warmth. "I won't disappear again," he affirmed.

Paul watched the scene and a bit of the terrible feeling he'd been feeling over the past month came back to him. He laid back in the water, letting the gentle waves rock his body as he floated there. For a split second he felt a large weight of depression push on his chest, but he remembered his dream... the warmth, the love in those green eyes, and he allowed himself to feel hope. He hoped that he and Harry could be like Jacob and Draco one day.

'Speaking of which...' he thought. He stood up in the water and made his way to the couple. He needed to see if Albino knew where- "Harry."

Harry looked right through Malfoy and his shifter, who were extremely close, and couldn't see anything else but Paul, walking out of the water. He suddenly felt very glad that Edward had been so pushy this morning. Why did everything feel so... so right all of a sudden?

Draco pushed away from Jacob and looked at Potter looking at Paul. They were just staring at each other. "Potter!" he called, trying to get the wizard's attention. "Potter!"

Harry had to force his eyes not to look at Paul's dripping body. "What do you want, Malfoy? And just how bloody close are you two?" he questioned.

Jacob felt a growl build up in his chest. He still wasn't a fan of the boy with glasses.

Draco placed a calming hand on Jacob's shoulder and looked at Harry. "Potter. We need to talk."

Paul jumped in. "Wait your turn, albino."

"Albino?" Harry and Draco both questioned, the blonde with a sneer while his fellow wizard laughed.

"I believe I've told you not to call me that," the blonde growled.

"But it fits," Harry pointed out, still laughing.

"Like you're so much darker than me, Potter."

"Shove off, Malfoy. It's funny. Admit it." The two wizards glared at each other.

And I'm trying to help this blubbering dolt!

Jacob stood and pulled Draco up with him, holding up most of his weight quite easily. "Calm down, children." Fuck! Draco's glaring at me now!

"He started it," Harry mumbled. Paul ruffled his adorable mate's hair.

"And if I weren't a damn cripple I would end it!" Draco replied. They glared at each other again.

They're worse than me and Paul! "Just accept the fact that neither of you are going to fight again. I would snap Harry's neck before that could happen."

"Like hell you would," Paul growled. Now, Jacob and Paul were glaring at each other.

Harry felt like he should know something that he clearly didn't. "Malfoy... You said we needed to talk?" He didn't like the way the two shifters were glaring at each other. They were sharing a look that screamed pain to anyone who crossed them.

Draco relaxed and sighed. "You're actually right, Potter."

"I doubt I'll ever hear that again," the black-haired boy chuckled.

"Not from me," the blonde replied, also with a chuckle.

Oh. So they can be nice. Good. They better stay that way or Paul and me are going to fight.

Draco looked at Paul. "Would you like for me to save your part of the story for you to tell?" The big guy nodded nervously. "Okay," the blonde replied. He looked at Jacob who was still holding him up. "Take me over there," he ordered, pointing towards the blanket he had been on before the shifters decided to mess with him.

"Yes, sir," Jacob replied, happy to oblige. His mate could be bossy but it was honestly really cute and maybe a bit of a turn on. But only a tiny bit. It just meant that Draco was strong enough to be bossy and that was all that mattered to Jacob.

He scooped the blonde up and felt a swell of pride in his chest (and his swim trunks) at the blush he caused on the pale skin of his mate.

Harry had decided that there was something intimate between Malfoy and the shifter holding him, very intimate. He couldn't remember one time, in all of their years at Hogwarts, that Malfoy acted even halfway decent around him. He couldn't recall a single, genuine, smile from the blonde. He had never heard a soft word come from those arrogant lips, and he had certainly never seen Draco fucking Malfoy blush. Never.

He would even go as far as to think that Malfoy looked an awful lot like Ron did after eating some love-potion-filled chocolates one year. Malfoy probably didn't even notice that his feelings for Jacob were quite obvious. Harry could almost see the bond between them.

As the blonde was placed on the blanket, sitting up, and his shifter next to him, Harry took a seat and Paul followed. Harry just grinned cheekily at the blonde and the shifter next to him, a knowing smile crinkling his green eyes.

"What are you grinning at, Potter?" Draco questioned, only a slight sneer on his face.

"Nothing," Harry replied, grin growing larger when Draco looked at Jacob.

"Well, stop. It's disturbing."

The black-haired wizard pouted slightly which caused Paul a great deal of discomfort in his wet shorts.

Harry was going to retort but the blonde held up a hand. "Really, Potter. There's some stuff that you need to know, and I know that the twinkley-eyed Dumbledore won't tell you."

Harry scoffed. "You got that right," he mumbled. Damn Dumbledore didn't tell him anything! He loved the man dearly and respected him greatly, but it got on his last damn nerve when he just threw Harry out there and expected him to know everything that he needed to know. The Sorcerer's Stone? Didn't get much help from Dumbledore. Basilisk? Nope. Fauks doesn't count. Tri-Wizard tournament? No Dumbldore. They didn't even tell him properly about Sirius! He had gone through most of the year hating the man who he now couldn't imagine living life without. And Dumbledore's Army? Whatever. So, he loved Dumbledore but the man seriously needed to share stuff with him!

"I'll begin." Draco then proceeded to tell Harry why he and his father had come to Forks, why he was in a wheelchair, why he attended Muggle school on the Reservation, and how Jacob had been helping him get back the use of his legs. He turned to Jacob, a question in his eyes.

"You can tell him," Jacob smirked. "He'll find out soon anyway."

Draco then explained about the imprint.

"No wonder the atmosphere around the two of you is so pink. I actually thought I saw hearts floating around earlier," Harry said with a laugh.

Draco felt his skin heat up and glared at Potter. Would it ruin our budding "acquaintance-ship" if I were to hex him into the future?

He was seriously contemplating it too when he felt Jacob grab one of his hands gently and smile at him. Suddenly, he didn't care anymore that Potter was an arse. Potter actually isn't so bad with Jacob around, he thought, returning the smile that Jacob sent him.

Harry watched the two imprints, watched the smile exchange. He was letting this all sink in, and there was something else that he was realizing. Now that he knew what it was he didn't have to try and rack his brain for answers. Everything made sense. He looked at Paul curiously. "So you imprinted on me, huh?"

Paul gulped. He had been refused once... He knew he couldn't handle it again... But he nodded. "I did," he said, looking into those green eyes he had missed so much even though he had only seen them once before. "When I saw you fighting Draco." (No, Albino?) "As soon as I saw your eyes my entire being shifted. It was like everything I had ever known was a lie and you were the only truth. I no longer lived in a world that revolved around the sun, I lived in a world that revolved around you."

Harry felt his face flush and his heartbeat speed up dramatically. He never considered himself a romantic and thought new Quidditch gear was the perfect present for any date he may have, so mushy heartfelt stuff had never appealed to him. But when Paul said it... Harry felt chills as the deep rumbling voice said such beautiful words to him. He was sure that if anyone else tried to use such lines on him then he would probably laugh at them or feel uncomfortable, but Paul's words were wonderful to his ears. He was embarassed but in a pleased kind of way.

Draco and Jacob just watched the pair stare at each other. The blonde was quite stunned to hear such lovely words come from such a brute. He would have been less surprised to see the shifter sprout wings and fly. He had sounded like a damn poet! "Did you know he could talk like that?" he whispered to Jacob.

Jacob shook his head but smiled. He was surprised too, but since he had been trying for a while to make the pack see more to Paul then his anger he shouldn't have been so shocked. He knew that Paul was more than a temper; they all were.

Draco watched for another minute as the two seemed perfectly content to just look at one another. "Oh, come on!" he exclaimed, moving towards Potter and shoving him. "Kiss already!" He was very pleased with himself when he managed to push his fellow wizard's lips right onto Paul's.

Paul felt his world shifting again, everything besides his mate being tuned out. He felt like it was just him and Harry on the beach. He would be pleased to know that Harry felt similar. He pushed his smaller, paler body against the bigger teen and kissed him thoroughly. Paul was sliding his hands under the fabric of Harry's shirt when Draco interrupted.

"Stop right there!" he exclaimed, pulling Potter away. "It's just peachy that the sun is shining in Paul and Harry land, but Potter... There's something else I need to talk with you about it." He turned his silver eyes to both shifters, one rather dazed. "It's something I need to tell him privately..."

Harry snapped out of his own daze. "What is it that you can't tell them?" he questioned. Was it to do with the war?

"If you can tell Harry then you can tell me," Paul argued.

"I can tell Harry and then he can tell you later if he wants to," Draco shot back.

Paul looked like he wanted to retalliate but the blonde had a valid point. "Fine."

"So... will you tell me later?" Jacob questioned, a slight frown on his face.

Draco nodded. "Of course," he replied. "I will definitely tell you." He said this more to convince himself than Jacob.

Jacob smiled brightly. "Alright then! Do you want me and Paul to leave?"

Draco looked at Harry for a moment and noticed that he had brought a bag with him. He must have planned to spend the day on the beach... Did he really want to tell him that he could possibly be pregnant because he had a sex dream? That's definitely a day killer for a guy... He bit his lower lip. What a pain. "Don't go anywhere," he finally decided. "Potter and I can finish our discussion later." He offered everyone a smile and looked at his fellow wizard. "You should change into your swimming shorts."

Harry looked around. "I need a restroom or something." He was quite relieved that he and Malfoy could finish later. If it had to do with the war then he would much rather enjoy the day instead of agonizing over his role in saving the damn world.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Really, Potter," he said, pulling out his wand, "Can't even do simple magic." He did an easy spell that changed the boy's regular pants to his swimsuit. "Damn, Potter! Could you have gotten this any tighter?"

Harry felt his face heat up. If it would do any damage he would wring Alice's neck! She had sent him a tight, dark green pair of shiny briefs! "Shove off, Malfoy," he exclaimed, trying to cover himself. He pulled out his own wand. Sure, he didn't know the little spell that the blonde had done but after years of being around Mrs. Weasely and growing children, he knew his own little clothing spells. He flicked his wand and smirked when the other wizard gasped. "Now you have no room to talk," he smirked triumphantly.

Draco's already rather tight black shorts were even tighter and shorter. They looked like Potter's with the exception of the color. "Bloody hell," he growled, tossing his wand aside. Stupid Potter. He jumped at the black-haired wizard the best he could, and then began a wrestling match as Harry tossed his wand aside as well.

Jacob was torn between pulling them apart and watching Draco's ass as he rolled around on the ground with the other wizard. When he looked at Paul it seemed he had the same problem with Harry.

"Should we stop them?" he questioned Paul softly. He didn't get any bad vibes from either of the wizards and the only thing he could smell in the air was friendly competition. He wasn't worried like he had been when they first met the boy with glasses.

Paul watched his imprint wrestle with albino. Harry was slightly darker than the blonde and slightly smaller. He didn't have the definition that albino had but Paul still found his body amazing. It looked so soft... And those damn shorts were delicious. First his dream and now this?

Wait.

Was he still dreaming?

No, he couldn't be. He would never dream of albino in a pair of shorts that short. He would admit though that watching the two wizards roll around on the ground was a turn on... It was like watching two sexy half-naked girls wrestling in a pool of jello, except they weren't half naked girls and there was no jello, but the idea was there.

He turned his brown eyes to Jake. "Do you really wanna stop them?" he questioned with a raised brow. "They'll stop on their own," he added.

Jake chuckled. "I guess you're right." He leaned back and propped himself up on his elbows. "They would probably get pissed if we interrupted anyway."

Draco managed to pin Potter beneath him. "Hah!" he exclaimed in triumph, trying not to show how tired he was. Damn, his legs were really wearing him out. He probably wouldn't be able to stand up later.

"Don't get so cocky, Malfoy," Harry shot out. He quickly switched their positions. "Now who's laughing?"

Draco mustered up some strength and switched their positions again. "Ha. Ha." He made sure he had a firm grip on Potter's arms and kept most of his weight on the slightly smaller teen. He won.

Harry tried to move but couldn't. Damn! But then an idea struck and he smirked. "You win, Malfoy," he pouted.

"That's what I thoug-"

Harry disappeared with a pop and the blonde nearly got a mouthful of sand. Then, he felt a weight on his back and his face actually did land in the sand this time. He groaned.

"Nevermind, Malfoy," Harry laughed. "I win."

Draco rolled over but Potter was still on top of him. He looked up at those annoying green eyes and developed his own plan. He grabbed the boy's hands. "Do you like swimming, Potter?" He would not admit defeat.

Harry shrugged. "It's alright. It's really cold here," he pointed out. He tried to pull his hands free, but Malfoy wouldn't let him go. It was then that he recognized the smirk on the blonde's face and understood the blonde's question. "You'll get wet too!" he exclaimed, trying harder to pull free.

"I've been in once today," the blonde smiled evilly. "Thank the shifters for that one, so I don't getting wet again."

"Don't you dare!"

That's what I said earlier. This was a lot of fun.

"Paul!" Harry called. "Save me!"

"Oh no you don't!" Draco exclaimed right before the two of them disappeared with a pop.

"Where did they go!" Paul yelled, having decided to save his mate.

Jacob looked towards the water when he heard a loud pop a slight distance from the shore. The wizards appeared a few feet above the water. Harry yelled and Draco was laughing. "Right there!" he exclaimed as they hit the water.

Paul and Jacob went out to their mates. Paul got an armful of a seriously pissed off black-haired boy while Jacob got an armful of one laughing Draco Malfoy.

Harry glared even though he was sure that his chattering teeth made him look foolish. He sent a large splash of water towards Malfoy and Jacob while staying as close to Paul as he could. The shifter was really warm. Paul laughed when albino got a mouthful of seawater.

The four of them began a large water fight. Paul and Harry versus Jacob and Draco. One of the shifter's suggested a game of chicken which neither of the wizards knew how to play. That had been fun. Draco only lost because he was distracted by the warm body of the shifter between his thighs. And actually, it wasn't warm; it was hot. He couldn't think of anything besides the heat.

Paul couldn't have been any happier had he found a pot of gold at the end of a damn rainbow. He had gone from seriously hurt and depressed to fucking amazing all in one day! Anf night... That dream had done wonders for him when he'd gotten up in the morning. Harry was so cute! And so real!

And it wasn't a dream. His happiness wasn't a dream this time which made it that much better.

They had been playing around for hours and were all spread out on the blanket that Draco spelled to fit them all lying down. Paul and Harry were holding hands. He turned his head to Harry. "You're very accepting," he pointed out. Those big green eyes turned towards him and smiled.

"I'm used to unexpected things," Harry replied with a chuckle. "At least this time it's something good that I've been tossed into."

Paul lightly squeezed his imprint's hand. Albino had told him about the war and how everyone expected Harry to be a savior. He had been told that Harry was often thrown into situations where he was in over his head. He was often caught off gaurd. Paul was just glad that his imprint didn't consider their pairing to be a bad thing he had to deal with. He was glad that Harry thought it was something good.

Jacob and Draco were in a similar position, holding hands. Draco was busy keeping his damn blushing in check. As soon as Jacob had grabbed his hand his cheeks wanted to flame; he was trying his best to keep his cool. He didn't want to look like a blushing schoolgirl around Potter. Jacob had other ideas.

He's trying not to, but he's blushing. So cute! Jacob inched closer to the blonde and changed positions to be on his side instead of on his back like the others. Try to fight it now, he thought as he pulled up Draco's hand and kissed his knuckles. He smiled against the pale skin when the blonde's silver eyes got bigger and his pale face flamed red. But he didn't say anything. Still trying to keep his cool, I see. Let's fix that. While he kept one of his hands with the blonde's near his face, he let his other hand trace small little designs on Draco's side.

Okay, this is getting dangerous! Draco sat up abruptly and pulled his hand away from Jacob. His shorts were too tight and too small for Jacob to be rubbing on him. Let's see how he likes it. He pushed the shifter back onto his back and then straddled him. Now it was Jacob's turn to be surprised; Draco smirked.

Jacob held his breath as he looked up at his mate's face. He felt the blonde's hands on his shoulders and then moving down his chest.

Draco smiled innocently as he traced Jacob's abs. "I'm not make you uncomfortable am I?" he questioned.

Jacob smiled as well. "You're not," he assured.

"Are you sure?" the blonde replied. "You feel kind of... stiff..." The shifter blushed at his implications. Yes! Mission accomplished!

"You may not be making him uncomfortable, but maybe you could stop for us over here," Harry said. He and Paul were sitting up now, staring at them.

Draco slid off of the shifter, pleased to see that Jacob sat up with his hands in his lap. Victory is mine. He looked at Potter. "We still need to talk," he said. If it didn't happen today then it was not likely to happen anytime soon.

Harry nodded. "Alright. Do you wanna go with me back to the Cullens'?" He was not going to go to Lucius Malfoy's house. He wouldn't do it.

"No, he doesn't," Jacob replied firmly. No way is Draco going to a house full of vampires.

"He doesn't?" Harry questioned as Draco said, "I don't?"

Paul winced in sympathy as the two wizards glared at his fellow shifter. He had made the mistake of trying to keep Harry away from the leeches and that resulted in a month-long heart ache. He didn't like it one bit; in fact, the thought of his mate returning to that house was enough to make the wolf in him tremble, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He held his tongue.

"Did you just say that I wasn't going?" the blonde questioned. Since when did being an imprint mean being a slave?

Jacob knew by the tone of Draco's voice that he had messed up. Hurry! Save your ass, Jacob! "No, no, no! I just..." He looked to Paul for help, but the bastard just grimaced and shook his head. He growled and his hands started to tremble. "Fine... Go."

Draco sighed and put a hand on Jacob's cheek. "Calm down," he soothed. He ran his hand though the wolf's short hair. "Potter has been there for a month and he's fine. They won't hurt me."

Jacob leaned in to the touch and felt the tremors in his hands calm. "They better not," he mumbled but Draco's fingers were distracting him from his earlier anger.

"They won't," Draco smiled. He released the shifter and turned to smile at Potter. "When do you want to leave? Are we apparating?"

"Definitely not!" Harry exclaimed with a laugh. "I don't want to catch them off gaurd, especially Rosalie and Emmett. Edward says that they have sex all of the time and I would hate to apparate right in the middle of that. You go with Jacob and get your clothes on." He turned to Paul. "I'll go with you and maybe borrow your phone?"

Paul grinned. "Sure you can come to my place."

"It's settled then!" Harry exclaimed. He smiled at Paul and then turned to Jacob. "Give me your phone number and then I'll call you when it's time for me and Draco to leave."

About an hour later Harry was pushing Draco in his wheelchair down the Reservation mainroad. Edward Cullen was coming to pick them up and couldn't come onto the Reservation to get them so they had to walk. Or at least Harry had to walk.

"Damn, Malfoy," Harry growled as he pushed the blonde, "Could you have transfigured a heavier chair?"

Draco smirked. "I thought this one was enough."

"And why in the hell am I pushing you? Why didn't you let Jacob come so he could do it?"

"Because I wanted you to do it, Potter," the blonde laughed.

"Slimey git," Harry mumbled, but he had come to the surprising conclusion that Draco wasn't too bad. He was actually kind of fun. Not that he would ever tell the blonde that.

"Is that him?" Draco suddenly questioned, looking at a silver car parked at the end of the road.

"Yeah," Harry replied. He recognized the Volvo easily. "I'll warn you now that he reads minds. So if you don't want him to know, don't think about it."

Draco laughed. "He won't be able to read my mind, but thanks for the heads up, Harry."

"Harry? Have you gone soft on me, Malfoy?" Harry questioned with a smirk.

"Shut up, Potter."

They finally reached the end of the road and Draco found himself looking at a very beautiful guy. He had seen vampires before around the Dark Lord but this one... This one had warm golden eyes and not evil blood-colored eyes. While the other vampires clearly looked like monsters, this one looked almost... angelic... Not evil at all.

"Hello," the creature greeted. "I'm Edward."

"Draco," the blonde replied.

Edward suddenly stiffened and his smile slipped slightly.

"What is it, Edward?" Harry questioned, worried.

"Your dogs are watching," the vampire replied.

Oh shit.

"Jacob Black," Draco called out towards the forrest. "You better not let me see you right now or you can bet that you won't be seeing me for month."

They all heard a whine and some scampering.

Edward chuckled. "They left. It's nice to meet you, Draco. I like you."

The blonde smiled. "Let's go then."

TLA

SaunaruTLA: I was gonna keep going but I thought I would update instead! ^.^

I think I might start giving you a heads up on what's coming!

Ch. 19: The Cullen house! Harry gets The Talk from Draco heeheehee! Jacob and Paul hang out! The Dark Lord calls... Who answers him? Etc.

Please review! 600! Eight more reviews! ^^ You can do it!