AN: Hello my lovelies! After watching New Moon for the fifth time, yes it is amazing, I have finally updated!!! My main problem has been the flurry of ideas for a Bella/Jacob fic. I've never had the stomach(Bella irritates me!!!) to write a story for them, but the movie won't let me give it up. I have to write it. I'm still getting the ideas down but if I do go for it, I'll let you know. ANYWAY, back to this story. I love all the reviews, thank you all so much and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out soon. Please enjoy! :D Oh, and I have a Twitter account just to keep everyone informed about what I'm doing with my stories and what I'm stuck on at the moment, so go check it out if you're nosey like me!

Chapter Ten

Thank The Sofa

We made it back to my house after a few minutes more of comforting, She had to reassure me she was better for all of three minutes before I finally moved back to my seat and drove back home. I almost offered to have her sit in my lap while I drove, but I deduced that wouldn't be the best idea. My house was empty again, which I was thankful for since I knew Anna was already on edge and the last thing I wanted was for her to leave early, not while the tears on my shirt were still fresh.

We got out of my truck I could tell the day was really wearing Anna down. She looked like she did after she woke up from a nightmare and her massive backpack weighing her down wasn't helping. "Wanna just work on your car?" I asked pointing to the vehicle in question.

"You sure?" She asked trying, and failing, not to look hopeful.

"Yeah, I really don't wanna do my homework." I said shaking my head. I didn't have to lie one bit. I'd much rather be working on the car with her than trying to figure out math.

She nodded. "Okay," Her lips turned up into a slight smile, but I could tell she was completely relieved.

I opened the garage door and started gathering my tools, when I came out Anna was struggling with her backpack on her shoulder. It was a natural reflex that made me take the bag from her and toss it on a bin in the garage.

She blushed sheepishly and tucked her hands behind her and stood awkwardly in front of me. I couldn't stop the grin that took over my face.

"Alright, I hope you don't mind getting dirty." I said tossing her a rag.

She caught the tattered cloth and walked closer to me shaking her head. "Nope," She said surely.

"Good, because this is going to get messy." I said as I stuffed my own rag in my back pocket.

We started working as soon as I popped the hood open and I didn't have to stop once. She kept up with everything that I was doing. I started to think she knew more about cars than she led on if she didn't almost cross the brake lines. She was learning, faster than I did. Again my imprint has done nothing but amaze me.

I don't know how long we spent out there, but soon the sun had gone and when I went into the garage for extra light, I realized I was starving. I set up two extra lights and we worked for a few more minutes until my hunger became unbearable.

"Hungry? We've got loads more leftovers." I asked pointing to the house.

"Sure." She nodded, wiping her hands with the rag I had given her.

We went back into the house and she helped me re-heat some food for a quick dinner. We sat at the kitchen table and ate the mash-up of food quietly. Anna still looked tired but she wasn't tense at all. I still wanted to make her sleep for a day because of the bags under her eyes but the little twinkle in her eye made me feel better. I started to wonder if she would be any more rested tomorrow.

"You still sure about tomorrow?" I asked concerned.

She looked up from her bowl of stuffing, sweet potatoes and gravy with a slight smile. "Yeah," She answered quietly with a nod.

"Okay, but you know if you're not up to it, you don't have to come." I let her know. The last thing I wanted was for her to come out of obligation.

"I like coming here with you." She said shyly, biting her lip nervously.

I felt like the Grinch because I could have sworn my heart inflated a few sizes. Anna started blushing but didn't drop her eyes from mine. In all the time I had spent with her I have never wanted to kiss her, or just hold her, more than I do now. It's not fair that she's this perfect…

"Just so you know, tomorrow, my mom is going to be here, she wants to make a big dinner, if you don't mind." I told her unsure.

"I like your mom's cooking, too." She said smiling a little more.

"She'll like that. She likes you." I said smiling widely.

"Really?" She asked surprised.

"What's not to like?" I asked knowingly.

She smiled big enough to damn near make me swoon.

After we finished eating we went back to the garage and dark abyss that my front yard had become. "Your tools are a mess." She told me as she tried to navigate the floor that was covered in tools.

"There's nothing to stick them in so they get thrown around." I said shrugging. It was the reason my mother avoids the garage as much as she can.

Anna had a thoughtful look in her eye and a smile playing on her lips.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." She said innocently, shaking her head.

I let it go and went back to taking out a stubborn piece. If I wasn't in front of Anna I would have yanked it out but it was held in by a half-an-inch steel bolt and she'd probably get a little flustered seeing steel snapped in two. After getting it out the old fashioned way I held it over my shoulder to keep it out of my sight. "Can you hold this for me?" I asked as I felt it taken from my hand.

Not even a second after she grabbed it I heard her cry out and the smell of blood hit the air.

I dropped my tools and spun to Anna. Her right hand had a cut across the palm and was bleeding freely. "Shit!" I cursed. I grabbed her hand and put as little pressure as I could on it so I wouldn't hurt her. The piece I had given her was on the ground and the end with her blood had a really sharp edge that I didn't notice. I started shaking.

"It's not that deep." Her little voice said from under me.

I looked down at her and she was looking more worried about me than her hand. I took a deep breath to try and stop my anger, but it was Anna squeezing my hand that got me to calm down. "Come on, we need to clean it out." I almost picked her up, moving her toward the garage door.

I took her straight to the kitchen sink and smacked the counter next to it. She looked at me confused so instead of speaking, which was hard for me to do at the moment, I picked her up and set her on the counter. She gasped a little but crossed her legs Indian style after a moment. I got the first aid kit from under the sink and started digging through it.

After almost snapping the box in half Anna reached out with her good hand and stopped me from shredding everything. I took in a deep breath and stared down at her small hand covering mine. Her hand was so much smaller than mine I could probably hold both of her hands with room to spare. Just looking at her thin, pale hand made me feel better, or maybe it was because she was touching me and not blushing to shying away from me. I let out a low breath and went back to taking things out of the box, without demolishing them.

I picked out the cotton swabs, alcohol and antibacterial ointment and took her sliced hand in mine. The wound was still oozing but at least wasn't very deep. "I'm sorry," I ground out as I gently poured warm water and alcohol over the slice.

"Why?" She asked softly.

"I should have told you that end was sharp." I told her, berating myself. How did I not notice that?!

"It's a stupid accident, you can't stop stupid accidents." She told me with the slightest amount of amusement in her voice.

I can sure as shit try.

I finished cleaning her hand and bandaging it without talking because I still felt like an idiot for letting her get hurt like that. "Your watching until that heals, motor oil in an open wound is not pretty." I almost ordered.

"Okay," She sighed, defeatedly.

I stood in front of her for a little longer, watching her as she tucked her hair behind her ears and flexed her fingers awkwardly. There was no more light and we had already eaten and Mom was coming home soon, it's just best to take her home. "I should probably take you home before you lose a hand." I muttered, stuffing everything back into the first aid kit and chucking it under the sink.

She nodded and slid off the counter.

We walked through the garage and shoved everything back in quickly and closed the door before we left. I'd probably park my truck in the woods after I drop her off and watch her for the rest of the night anyway.

The drive was quiet, almost painfully so, and the only thing I could smell was Anna's blood. It would be hard for me to let her go, but I'd be able to manage it. Or, I would have if I didn't pull into the driveway to hear bottles smashing and her idiot parents yelling at each other.

I leaned over Anna and pulled her door shut after she opened it a crack and spun out of the driveway and back onto the road back toward La Push in ten seconds flat. I would have done it faster but Anna didn't have her seatbelt on and I wasn't going to risk her safety for three extra seconds.

Speeding back to my house I could feel my body start to shake again. I physically couldn't leave her with them while they were fighting, not when she's already hurt. My vision was blurring from my shear frustration. Couldn't they give her one peaceful night? Or how about me?! I can't live like this! I could feel Anna looking at me like I was crazy man, which I kind of was, and I knew I'd have to explain myself. Dammit, I'm not good at this…

When I finally found my voice, it wasn't very calm or relaxed. "When I was twelve I came home from playing with my friends and it was quiet, too quiet." I started tightly.

I looked at Anna and she wasn't worried for her safety, but she was still very confused.

"My dad was in the kitchen, holding a knife to my mother's throat." I told her blankly.

Just by the look in her eyes I could tell she knew everything I had felt when it happened, and how I was feeling now.

I looked back to the road, gripping the steering wheel enough to make it creak. "I threw my baseball at his head so hard it spilt his forehead open and he dropped the knife." I said feeling a little proud of my younger self but I still had a lump in my throat from thinking about how scared my mom was. I cleared my throat and breathed deeply. "I ran up to him and told him if I ever saw him again I'd kill him myself with that knife." I continued solemnly.

Looking back to Anna I hoped she understood what I was trying to tell her, what I couldn't flat out say because if I did it would start a chain reaction that would lead me to telling her everything. She didn't look confused anymore.

"After Mom pulled me away she took me to Seth's parent's house for the night and the next day we went home and he was gone, with all his stuff." I finished, feeling a lot calmer.

Anna slid over, just enough so she was next to me but not touching me, and put her hand on my hand, which was still clenching the seat of my truck. To say I was surprised was an understatement. This wasn't the Anna I first imprinted on, but that's something I'm totally fine with because this Anna is starting to accept physical contact.

"Thanks," She murmured quietly.

I turned my hand and held the dainty hand that had been resting on top of mine carefully. Anna looked down at our hands, conflicted for a moment before gripping my fingers comfortably. I almost sighed in relief. I wasn't feeling any residual anger now, the only thing I was feeling was utter happiness.

I had no problem driving back home one-handed and Anna didn't seem too flustered with me taking her back. Mom was of course home and Anna got a little nervous seeing her car so I held her hand a little tighter. She gave me a small smile and we got out of the truck and walked into the house.

"Paul?" Mom asked confused, walking from the kitchen.

"Her parents were fighting." I said simply.

"Ah," I knew she wouldn't have to know more than that and that I wouldn't have to tell her that I wasn't leaving Anna's side for the night. "You don't mind the couch do you? It's more comfortable than Paul's bed anyway." Mom asked as she went to the hall closet to pull out an extra pillow and comforter for the couch.

"You don't have to do that." Anna said going up to her and try and help.

"It's no problem. And I can get to you school in the morning, it's on my way as it is." Mom said walking around her with the pillow and comforter and dropping them on the couch.

Anna looked between me and my mom and I could see in her eyes she knew she was trapped. She sighed and nodded. "Okay," She said with a small shrug.

I had the same triumphant smile on my face my mom had as Anna dropped her backpack and sat on the couch.

We filled the rest of the night with mindless television and little bits of conversation. At around eleven Mom 'went to bed' and half an hour later when Anna started yawning I was ready to 'pass out' and left her alone in the living room. We were both spying from our rooms. By midnight Anna was asleep and I was leaning against the closest wall, watching her sleep. It felt odd being in the same room with her and not having to worry about her catching me.

I barely noticed Mom come out of her room and touch my shoulder. "Paul, can we talk?" She asked quietly.

I didn't want to leave Anna, even for the slightest moment because I had no idea when I'd have this opportunity again, but my mom sounded urgent. "Yeah," I murmured and walked with her to the front porch.

"I got offered a promotion today." She said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Awesome," I said suspiciously.

"It's in Seattle." She said carefully.

It felt like the world dropped out from under me. I couldn't leave La Push, my entire life is here. Literally. I could feel myself start to shake violently at the thought of leaving. "Mom, I can't move to Seattle, the pack, Anna!" I bellowed, pointing to the living room window were Anna slept soundly. I had to start pacing to keep myself from phasing.

"Do you honestly think I would do that to you?" She asked incredulously.

I stopped and looked at my mother like she was ten feet tall and spoke Japanese. What the hell is she talking about?

"The mortgage on this place was paid off five years ago and I figure you can handle the little bit of utilities there are on your own, maybe get a roommate." She explained with a sly grin.

"You'd move out, by yourself?" I asked stupidly.

"I'm a big girl Paul." She laughed. She had a point. "And you're a grown man. Think of it as a birthday present." She added, brushing my hair from my forehead.

I was a new level of conflicted. The thought of having a place to myself was great, but I really didn't want to lose my mom. Who else will cook for me when I don't want to go to Sam's? "When would you go?" I asked trying not to frown too much.

"Not until after Christmas." She assured me.

I thought about it. Mom had really been focusing on me and work ever since my jackass father left, well ever since I threatened him, so I guess moving out to Seattle might be a good thing for her. Give her a life of her own kind of thing, I guess…

"Don't worry, this will be a good thing. I'll still be close by and I won't cramp your style." She said patting my face. "But I will be coming back on the weekends and my house better be intact." She ordered sternly.

"Depends on my roommate." I said grinning.

She huffed and went back into the house. I followed but stopped in the living room. Anna was still sound asleep and looking more like an angel every second. There was something so different about the way she slept in front of me from how she slept in her shed. There was no tossing or turning or nightmares. If there was a way, I'd keep her right there, asleep on my couch for the rest of eternity just because she's so at peace there. She's protected.

I walked up to the couch and crouched down in front of her, carefully leaning over and pressing a long kiss to the corner of her mouth. It killed me not to be able to actually kiss her, but it still started a fire in my chest. It still gave me peace of mind in my turbulent world.

AN: Review!!!