Three

Two Roads Diverged in ... La Push…

When Bella packed up her tiny hybrid that Phil insisted on gifting her with, and turned its stubby nose in the direction of the La Push reservation, she knew that there would be drama. She had mentally prepared herself for days: making lists, playing out scenarios, considering the best and worst cases possible. She had prepared for panic, disbelief, and even anger… she just never thought she would be the one going through all those emotions. The instant Jacob and Paul seemingly ripped out of their skin, leaving nothing but shreds of clothing behind, Bella's mind put it all together. She had possessed the answer all along. Even now, the book about the Quileutes and cold ones sat at the bottom of one of the few boxes she had bothered to pack. They were werewolves… Flipping werewolves!

She hadn't realized she was hyperventilating until Emily placed a light hand on her shoulder with a kind smile. She had offered to take Wyatt inside and introduce him to Mikala, for which Bella was grateful. Over the short time Wyatt had been in her life, Bella had tried to remain strong. She had to be – for him. It was the most inconceivable thing; something she would never be able to explain to someone that didn't have children. From the first instant she held him, Bella knew that she would do anything to protect him… to make sure he never cried needlessly. She would give her life for his in an instant, and destroy anyone that threatened his wellbeing. It was a borderline violent thought, but that didn't make it any less true.

While Paul and Jacob presumably destroyed each other and the woods surrounding Sam and Emily's place, the rest of the guy – no, pack – filled her in. Most of it made sense, and given her history with the Cullen's, Bella could be completely open to everything… except that one of the La Push werewolves was the father of her child. She had no right to judge – Bella reminded herself as she watched Wyatt smile up at Emily who handed him the other half of Mikala's cookie. They couldn't help what they were any more than the Cullen's could, and she had been prepared to have a life with them. The thought sent a chill down her spine. How could she have ever conceived that life? How could she have lived, forever still and unchanging… without Wyatt. It all seemed so far away, like a bad dream. However, she knew it wasn't. What had finally pushed Bella over the edge and prompted her to move back to Forks was the fact that Edward had showed up on her doorstep. He wasn't cold or callous like he had been in the woods all those years ago. It was quite the opposite. He offered to marry her – to raise Wyatt as his own. He had begged and pleaded, desperately trying to convince Bella that he had lied… that he had always loved her.

Bella didn't even consider Edward's offer before turning him away before Wyatt could see him. The problem was that he didn't seem to take no for an answer. For weeks after that, everywhere Bella went, there seemed to be a Cullen. It started with Emmett in the grocery store – which was weird but manageable. He had made a crude joke about the melons before leaving her to her shopping. Then there was Alice in the book store. That visit had been less enjoyable. It turned into Alice critiquing her and Wyatt's clothes for the better part of an hour. Finally, when Edward showed up at Wyatt's daycare the afternoon Charlie had told Bella to confront Paul, she knew it was enough.

She had planned on keeping the fact that the Cullen's were pretty much stalking her to herself, and now she was sure that was a good idea. The thought of Paul bursting into a giant animal when he found out that a vampire was out to play house with his son was enough to make Bella shiver. She assumed Paul would want to be a part of Wyatt's life. Even though he hadn't said so, she could see it in the way he watched the toddler. There was a lot of explaining that needed to be done, but neither one of them seemed to know where to begin the conversation. He seemed to find the words before she did, telling her what she already knew. Having an apology on deck, Bella began, and then… the strangest thing happened.

As she looked into Paul's deep brown eyes, she found herself at a complete loss of words. Her heart pounded in her chest and she could feel the all too familiar sensation of blood pooling in her cheeks. How long had it been since she blushed? She wasn't sure how long they sat there – staring at each other in mutual silence. Finally, Wyatt was the one that broke it.

"You're daddy!" He declared, looking up from where he finally got his shoe and sock off.

"No – Wyatt. You have to leave your socks on. I know the seam bothers you." Bella sighed as she fixed the sock back in place, trying to ignore the fact that she could feel Paul's gaze on her. "He doesn't like when the line is under his toes." She explained to fill the silence, and because he needed to know. It wasn't too late for him to jump ship. "Wyatt has a lot of quirks. He likes to sit in certain places - in certain ways, and play with certain toys during certain times of the day. He eats the same thing for every meal and throws a tantrum if anything is the slightest bit off. I thought he had OCD – probably from my side." She paused her rambling with a dry laugh. "And then I thought that he's a kid, you know? They have quirky behaviors. Just to be safe, I took him to a doctor… which led to a specialist." She took a deep breath and finally met his eyes, getting lost momentarily. "The doctor said that there's a chance Wyatt might have autism, but it's still too early to tell."

She waited, maybe even held her breath. Paul's face remained as hard and as impassive as always as his eyes slid to Wyatt's who simply stared back. Bella couldn't help but muse – even in the thick tension that surrounded them – that they were cut from the same cloth. "He knows I'm his father." Paul's voice was a deep rumble that made it clear that Wyatt's health wasn't the pressing matter of conversation at the moment.

"Yeah." Bella smiled lightly, letting Wyatt wiggle free from her hold to move to the toys that Mikala had left spewed all over the floor. "Emily posts a lot of pictures on Facebook, and I wanted Wyatt to know who you are…" She sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, Paul, but you and I weren't exactly friendly."

He snorted and leaned back, his eyes moving from Wyatt to Bella. "Are you staying for good?" The question was asked through gritted teeth, as if it was painful for him. Bella was almost offended. She wouldn't come all the way to La Push to wave his son in his face and tear him away.

"I'm going to stay with Charlie and Sue until I can get my own place in town." She offered as an answer. "I already got a job at the Fork's Library, so it shouldn't take long."

They were silent for a long moment as they listened to Wyatt offer the mangled stuffed bear next to him some tea. "Move in with me." He suggested casually, though Bella couldn't help but notice it wasn't exactly a question.

"We hardly know each other, Paul. I don-"

"I have a spare room." He cut off the beginnings of her flustered rant with an amused smirk. "Two, actually. You would have your own room, and so would Wyatt. It would give me a chance to get to know him and you would always have a babysitter with the pack around."

Bella brought her thumb up to her mouth to nibble on the corner. Was she actually considering this? It was a crazy proposition! Yes, she wanted Paul to get to know his son, but before she moved, she and Paul could hardly stand to be in the same room. How was she supposed to live with the guy? On the other hand, Sue and Charlie were freshly married, and Leah and Seth had just gotten their own place. Bella felt like a burden staying with them, and this would give her a viable out…

"I want you to stay with me." Paul's frown deepened. Bella nearly cursed the way her heart seemed to speed at his words, even though she knew the intent of them. "Wyatt is half Quileute." He tried with a small sigh. "He should be on the reservation."

Bella's shoulders fell in defeat. "Okay, but I'm paying rent and utilities. I don't want to be burden."

He waved her off, a triumphant smirk on his full lips. Bella watched as he slid from the couch to the floor, asking Wyatt if he could play with him. It warmed her in a way she couldn't describe to watch Paul interact with his son. He didn't even complain or make a face when Wyatt handed him a tiny pink teacup. Instead Paul smiled and lifted a pinky as he dutifully sipped the non-existent tea. His eyes flickered upwards to meet Bella's and there was a moment of understanding between them. Just like her, he wanted what was best for Wyatt. With that common ground, they could begin to heal.

The majority of the next day consisted of moving boxes back and forth, and listening to Charlie brayed her about the fact that Paul Lahote of all people was Wyatt's father. Eventually, he calmed down enough to tell her that he was only up the road if she ever needed anything. Another perk to living with Paul was knowing that the Cullen's couldn't follow her onto the reservation. Embry had been quick to explain that the reason the Cullen's never entered native land was because they weren't allowed to. It was odd that a superficial line and an ancient treaty could make Bella feel so safe. Even if they managed to get onto the reservation, they would have a whole pack of wolves to go through. That was an oddly satisfying thought too.

Bella fixed a quick dinner as Paul ran his patrol, making sure to count out Wyatt's grapes so he wouldn't have one of his meltdowns. Until she knew exactly what she was dealing with as far as his health went, Bella would toe the line carefully. She had managed to set up his bed, but had decided to do the rest later on. She was surprised to find after dinner that the bookshelves had already been put up, and the dressers were already wedged against the far wall. She smiled lightly to herself as she tucked Wyatt in. It was odd having someone else around to help with him, but it was… nice.

"Hey, you're back." Bella whispered with an unsure smile as she stepped into the kitchen to find Paul hunching over the pot she had left on the stove, wooden spoon in hand and mouth full of pasta and meat. "I could fix you a plate?" She offered tentatively.

"This is fucking amazing." He nearly groaned as he shoved another spoonful in his mouth. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"All over I guess." Bella shrugged as she pushed past him, her arm tingling as it brushed his. Grabbing a plate from the cabinet she handed it to him. As he scooped out the remainder of the pot, she grabbed him a drink, making a mental note to cook more from now on. Emily had mentioned something about wolves and their appetite. "Mostly cooking shows and books. If you have any preferences you can just let me know and I'll make them." She offered, shifting awkwardly. She didn't know how to be around Paul. He was the father of her child, but he was also a complete stranger. "Thank you, by the way… for fixing up Wyatt's room."

Paul simply shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "He's my kid too. I wanted to do it." Those impossibly dark eyes moved to her again, and Bella felt her body catch fire. "Do you need help with your bed?" He offered, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

"No. Thanks though." Bella rolled her eyes. "I was thinking that we should probably sit down and talk tomorrow… about everything?"

Paul sighed as he turned back to his plate. "Sure thing, babe." He offered in an impassive tone. Hearing him call her 'babe' brought back memories of that night.

Suddenly feeling too hot, Bella straightened. "I'm going to take a shower. Have a good night, Paul."

"You too!" He called in between bites.

Bella closed her eyes as she entered her new bedroom, leaning against the door. She forgot to take one thing into account when she agreed to move in with Paul. She was still very much attracted to him. This is the path you chose, Bella – she mentally scolded as she got her things together. Just stay the course.

AN: Special thanks to Belladcmum for helping me out with Wyatt's mannerisms and such! I know next to nothing about children, and too much Googling of '3 year old' will land you on a very special list. I'll be working on getting him down, but it might take a little while! Thanks again to everyone that reviewed! The support has been overwhelming!