Hi everyone! I know I say this all the time, but thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. It really means a lot to me for me to know what you guys think of the story as it goes along, and I'm glad you all are enjoying so far. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think. Happy Holidays to all of you and I hope you all have a safe and fun filled time with your families and friends.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

Chapter Five

Part of Camilla was glad to be getting ready to go home since it was almost eleven and she was beyond exhausted, but another part of her was sad to say goodbye to everyone. She had such a nice time since her small melt down on the porch with Paul, and she was certain that she had made at least two new friends in Kim and Emily.

"I'm so glad you were able to come tonight, Camilla," Emily said as Camilla pulled on her coat and Camilla smiled at the slightly older young woman.

"Thanks for letting me come," Camilla said. "I had a nice time."

"Are you sure you're okay to drive home on your own?" Emily asked. "I know it snowed a little while ago, and I don't want you to get into an accident."

"I'll be okay," Camilla said. "My dad put chains on my mom's van this morning because of the freezing rain/snow we were supposed to get today and I'm always careful."

"As long as you're sure," she said and I smiled at her.

"I'm sure," she said and Emily smiled before she hugged her. Camilla smiled fully and hugged her back.

"You have to come by again soon, okay," Emily ordered more than asked as she pulled back, making Camilla laugh light as she nodded her head.

"I'd like that," Camilla said honestly.

"Good, because the more women around here the better," Emily said. "I'm always overrun by the boys since they always end up here on their lunch break, and it'll be a nice to have a little more estrogen around." Camilla laughed and nodded her as she zipped up her jacket.

"I can understand," she said as she glanced into the room that was still filled with most over the overgrown men Camilla had gotten to know throughout the night. However, the one she was hoping to see before she left wasn't in view and she felt a little saddened that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Paul before she left. She turned her smiling face back to Emily. "Thanks again, Emily, and I've got your number, so, I'll be sure to call before I stop by."

"Okay," she said. "Drive safe."

"I will," Camilla promised before she opened the door and left. She waved as she looked over her shoulder before she made her way down the porch stairs and towards her mother's van. She reached into her coat pocket to get her keys, but found that they weren't in her right pocket. Frowning, she checked her left but they also weren't in that pocket. She didn't understand because she swore she had put her keys in her pocket when she got out of the van. She heard the sound of feet crunching on the new snow, so, she looked up and thanks to the moonlight she saw Paul standing a few feet from her wearing his light jacket.

"I knew you were getting ready to leave, so, I took your keys to warm up the van for you," he said. "I also brushed off the snow, so, you don't have to worry about it." Camilla blinked as she looked up at him before she glanced behind his right arm to see her van cleared off and running.

"Thank you," she said as she returned her eyes up to his face and he smiled before he shook his head.

"You're welcome," he said lightly and then Camilla did something that surprised not only Paul, but herself as well. She took a few steps, closing the space between them, and hugged him as best she could given her rather large stomach. Paul stiffened for a second before he put his arms around her and hugged her back, resting his chin on top of her head and fully taking in her soft scent.

"Thank you for everything tonight, Paul," she said into his chest before she slowly pulled back from him and looked up at him. It was easy for him to see her flushed cheeks in the dark as she smiled up at him.

"You don't have to thank me, Camilla; that's what are friends are for," he said as he returned her smile.

"Still, thanks," she said and he chuckled.

"You're welcome, again," he said and she laughed then.

"Well, I should get going," she said and he hesitated for a second.

"Do you want me to drive you?" he asked.

"First Emily now you," she said with a gentle laugh. "I'll be fine, I swear."

"Okay," he said softly, "just . . . drive carefully, okay?" He looked genuinely worried as he looked down at her, and Camilla was very touched by the concern she saw in his eyes as he looked down at her.

"I promise," she said. "If you want, I can call you to tell you when I get home." Paul nodded.

"Please," he said and Camilla smiled before she pulled her cell phone out of the left pocket of her jacket and handed it over to him.

"Put your number in there," she said and Paul grinned before he took the phone from her and with ease programmed his number into her phone before he handed it back. "I'll call you the moment I step inside the house."

"I'll be waiting," he said and she laughed lightly.

"Good night, Paul," she said softly as she looked up at him.

"`Night Camilla," he said back just as softly and she walked around him. She got to her mom's van and climbed inside before she fastened her seatbelt and turned on the headlights. Paul stood in the beam of her headlights and waved, so, she waved back before she started to back out of the driveway. She started her drive home, and smiled to herself as she went.

Thirty-five minutes later, Camilla was parking her mother's van next to her father's truck. The house was dark, so, she knew her parents were asleep and she was glad they didn't see the need to wait up for her. She quietly made her way inside, going through the mudroom as usual. It wasn't until she was free of her boots and jacket that she pulled out her cell phone and went through her short contact list to Paul's name before she hit the call button. It barely rang once before Paul's voice came through the other end.

"Camilla?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a light laugh at the worry she heard in his tone. "I promised I'd call when I got home, and I'm home; safe and sound."

"Good," he said relieved and she smiled.

"Well, good night Paul," she said repeating her words from earlier.

"Hey, Camilla, wait," he said quickly and she kept the phone to her ear.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I'm off on Wednesday, would it be all right if I came over?" he asked and she smiled.

"I'd like that," she said and he was silent for a beat.

"Great, okay; so, I'll see you Wednesday," he said.

"See you Wednesday," she said lightly.

"Good night Camilla," he said and she laughed softly.

"Good night Paul," she repeated before she hung up her phone as she stood in the dark kitchen before she made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She had a wonderful time, and she was looking forward to seeing Paul on Wednesday and everyone else again in the near future.

"Did you have a nice time last night?" Teresa asked Camilla as the Monroe family sat down for breakfast the following morning and Camilla smiled as Teresa sat a plate of her delicious vanilla French toast in front of her.

"Yeah," Camilla said. "Everyone wanted me to thank you for the cookies. They went fast." Teresa smiled as she sat a plate down for herself and Peter before she took her usual seat at the other end of the small table in the kitchen. "Although, I'm not sure how Sue and Charlie are just going to manage with only a three tier cake. I have never seen a small group of people eat so much food before in my life."

"Oh, I've heard," Teresa said with a chuckle. "Sue wants a nice wedding cake for her and Charlie; but Emily is making a bunch of cupcakes for the reception. Sue said she would have ordered them from me, but that she wouldn't have been able to afford them all." Camilla laughed as she poured a little bit of syrup on her French toast and tucked into her food. She was surprisingly hungry that morning and it didn't hurt that Teresa had made Camilla's favorite breakfast food.

"So, did you make any new friends while you were at the Uley's?" Peter asked Camilla and she nodded while she chewed on the bite she had put in her mouth.

"I think so," Camilla said. "I got along really well with Emily, who's having a baby in the spring by the way, and one of Seth and Paul's friend's girlfriend, Kim, was really nice. Before I left, I promised Emily I'd visit again." She opted to leave out the fact that Paul would be coming by again later in the week. Teresa had already expressed her concern, and she really didn't want her mother to worry because Teresa would assume that there was more going on between the pair than there really was.

"I'm glad you made some new friends," Teresa said and Camilla smiled at her mother.

"Yeah, me too," Camilla said and Teresa smiled back before they continued to eat their breakfast in a comfortable silence.

Sunday had passed by uneventfully, as did Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday Camilla found herself standing in front of her closet at a loss for what she should wear that day. She had no idea why she was fussing about it because it wasn't like she was actually looking her best lately and it wasn't like Paul was interested in her. Plus, she wasn't interested in him in the least bit other than friendship; at least that was what she was telling herself every time her thoughts had strayed to him over the last few days. They were becoming friends, that was it, and she was acting silly that morning.

Rolling her eyes at herself she grabbed a dark blue NYU sweatshirt from her closet before tossing it onto her bed and closing her closet doors. She went over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of charcoal gray sweats before she finally dressed, hanging her bathrobe on the back of her bedroom door. Her hair was still a bit damp from her shower earlier that morning, but it had thankfully air dried nicely in its natural gentle curls.

Grabbing a pair of socks from her dresser she sat down on her bed to put them on, but it was impossible given that she couldn't get around her protruding stomach. Sighing in defeat, she stood from the bed and folded her socks together before she tossed them onto her dresser. She winced as she started for her bedroom door at the pain that rippled through her back and pressed her right hand to her mid-back and rubbed at the spasming muscles. That wasn't the first time that had happened that morning and she blamed it on the fact that she had woken up in a strange position after finally finding a comfortable way to sleep the night before.

After rubbing her back for a few minutes until the pain dissipated she was just making her way downstairs when there was a stiff knock on the door. Thanking whoever was listening that she had managed to get dressed before Paul showed up, she walked over to the door before she opened it. Just as she expected Paul was standing on the porch, smiling as he looked down at her.

"Hi," he said and she smiled up at him.

"Hi," she said back before she stepped to the side and opened the door a little more. Paul walked in, her movement as much as an invitation as he needed. "How've you been?" she asked as she looked up at him and closed the door.

"Good, you?" he asked as he started to take off his jacket and books.

"Outside of the usual, I don't have too much to complain about," she said and he chuckled as he hung up his jacket and turned back to face her. "So, are you excited for Christmas Eve tomorrow?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I'm actually not doing much of anything tomorrow," Paul said as Camilla led him into the living room. "My parents are spending Christmas Eve with some friends of theirs since we do our family thing on Christmas Day. I'll probably just sit around my place and relax," he said as they both sat down on the sofa.

"You're going to be alone on Christmas Eve?" she asked and Paul turned his eyes to her, to see her looking at him with sad green eyes and a small tilt to her head as her lips were curved down in a slight frown.

"I could hang out with the guys, but I see them enough as it is," he said, trying to get the sadness out of her eyes, and it worked because she laughed softly and smiled at him.

"If I wasn't being dragged to my aunt's house in Port Angeles with my parents tomorrow, I would have asked you to come over to spend the day with m-us," Camilla said, stopping herself from saying 'me' and including her parents into it as well. However, Paul noticed the slip up and kept his grin to himself and elected to change the topic for her when he saw her blush as she looked away from him.

"You have family in Port Angeles?" he asked, drawing her eyes back to him and she nodded, smiling at him once more.

"My Aunt Tori, my mom's older sister, and her husband, my Uncle Geoffrey," Camilla said. "They have three kids who will be coming in from D.C., Orlando, and Dallas with their own families in tow. I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing my cousins, well my cousin Gretchen mostly."

"What's wrong with your cousin Gretchen?" he asked with a small frown.

"She's . . . she's not as supportive of my 'mistakes in life' as my parents are," Camilla said, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she returned her eyes to her hands, which were resting on her stomach. Without really thinking, Paul reached over and took hold of her left hand, gently wrapping her much smaller and much softer hand within his fingers. She looked at him then and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he smiled softly at her.

"Don't let whatever she has to say get to you, Camilla," he told her, his eyes never wavering from hers.

"I won't," she said.

"Really?" he asked with a raise eyebrow and Camilla nodded. "Well, if while you're there you need a little pep talk, you have my number. Call me. No matter what time it is or what I'm doing, I'll answer."

"Thanks," she said softly as she looked at him, and he smiled once more and nodded his head. He did not let go of her hand and he rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. If Camilla noticed the gentle touch, she didn't show it as they simply just looked at each other and he was glad because it allowed him to hold her hand. However, he didn't get to hold it for long because she gasped and winced before she pulled her hand from his and moved her hand to her back as she sat forward slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly as he closed the small distance between them on the sofa and looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm okay," she said as she gave him a small smile. "I've just been having muscle spasms in my back all morning. I slept at a weird angle last night and my muscles aren't very happy with me today."

"You sure it's just spasms because I read that contractions can be in the back," Paul said and Camilla blinked at him and just looked at him for a moment. Paul felt his cheeks pink slightly as she gave him a look of surprise. Over the last few days he'd read several baby books, thanks to Emily's rather large collection that she already had acquired, because he figured since Camilla's baby was due soon he should probably read up on a few things to make sure he'd know what to do.

"I'm sure," she said, a small smile quirking the corners of her lips. "I'm not due for another six weeks and the pains are in my mid and upper back not my lower." He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, his shoulders slumping in relief. "My shower this morning helped relax my muscles, but they're only tightening again."

"Trust me?" he asked, his eyes holding hers.

"You haven't given me a reason not to yet," she said and he smiled at her.

"Turn so your back is to me," he said and slowly she did as he instructed, bending her right leg slightly so it was resting on the couch in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Paul closed his eyes to calm his suddenly shaking hands before he opened his eyes and brought his hands to Camilla's shoulders.

Camilla gasped quietly as Paul's strong and hot hands began rubbing her shoulders and the tight muscles of her upper back. She hadn't meant to but as his magic fingers loosened and unwound the tight muscles of her back, she moaned as she let out a slow and soft sigh. Paul's fingers faltered for only a second when he heard Camilla moan and as he rubbed his hands down her back, he thought of everything under the sun except for the woman in front of him. His body, which seemed to be in tune to her and her alone whenever they were within fifty feet of each other, had instantly reacted to the sound of her soft moan and the gentle whimpers of contentment that were escaping her lips.

"Have you done this before?" she asked him, her normally light and airy tone sounded lower to his ears and it truly wasn't helping his condition in any way.

"No, but it's not that hard," he said, trying to keep his voice even, and Camilla hummed quietly in contentment.

"Well, you're good at it," she said through another sigh and Paul smiled as he continued to massage her back.

"Thanks," he said quietly. He was pretty sure he was going to go to hell for all the images and thoughts that were running around his head as he sat there rubbing her back, but he didn't really care at that moment. He knew that someday those images would be a reality, and Camilla would be making those noises for completely different reasons but he was most definitely going to be the one to cause them.