Chapter Four:

Bella's POV

I woke up and realised what day it is today. Friday. Which means my date with Murphy is today. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was around 10 o'clock. He said he would pick me up at 1. So I have time to kill.

I hopped to my closet to find an outfit for my date. I went through everything I owned and everything I bought the other day and found cream colored shorts, a white tank top, and cardigan that made me think of Arizona tea with brown leather ballet flats.

I set that down on my bed and went downstairs. I made some eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes and ate them. Charlie already left for work so I could do whatever.

I finished eating breakfast and went to the backyard. I went into the woods and stripped, tying my shorts and tank top to my legs and phased easily. I learned through the pack mind that Paul, Embry, and Quil were here.

"Hey guys." I said.

"Hey Bella." The three said.

"So how does this patrol thing work?" I asked.

"We do runs around the area to make sure that no leech gets into La Push or Forks and kills people." Paul answers.

"Sounds simple enough." I said. "Then when we catch one?"

"Rip them apart and burn the pieces to ash before they reattach themselves." Quil tells me.

"Yuck! They reattach themselves?"

"Yes." All three answered. Embry decided to show me an image of a leech putting his arm back on. "Gah! You didn't have to show me that, Em!" I say, shaking my wolf head.

"Ha ha, sorry Bells." Embry laughs. I gave a snort and rolled my eyes.

"Sure…" I trailed. Patrol went by in a breeze, but Jared showed up and released Paul. Then I heard Jared starting to sing a really annoying song.

"Put a banana in your ear (a banana in my ear?)

Put a ripe banana right into your favorite ear."

"Jared!" Embry, Quil, and I exclaim. "Shut up!"

"Fine… Why you so mean to me?" Jared whined. I quickly ran to where he was and tackled him down so he was flat on his stomach with his legs spread around him. "Ow, Jesus Bells."

"If you sing one more annoying song I swear on all that is holy, you will die and there won't be any trace of evidence left." I warned, biting his ears and pushing my paw into the back of his neck.

"Okay okay, jeez. Who pissed in your cornflakes?" Jared asked.

"You did when you started to sing songs about putting bananas in ears." I said.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Quil joined the conversation.

"Quil, shut up before I castrate you with a rusty spoon." He yelped in fear as his response and kept his mouth shut.

I leapt off of Jared and continued with the patrol until about an hour and a half passed and Seth came to release me.

"Hey Bella!" Seth said happily.

"Hey Seth!" I responded.

"Uh Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You might wanna haul ass home and get ready for your date." He said. I yelped in response and ran as fast as I could, which was pretty fast considering I'm a shapeshifter. I made it home in record time and phased quickly, yanking my clothes on as I got into the house and ran up the stairs to get ready for my date with Murphy.

I took a shower to take all the dirt, twigs, and leaves off my body and in my hair and made sure that I shaved in all the necessary places. As soon as I was finished, I put on deodorant and started to fix my hair and makeup. In the end, it came out pretty good.

Walking to my closet, I sifted through the clothes I got on my shopping trip with Vicky and Leah. I finally found what I was going to wear. I chose a white dress with lace shaped like flowers and a brown leather belt with a quarter sleeved denim jacket. I slipped on a pair of knee socks and brown knee high boots, pushing the remainder of my socks down to pile up near the top of my boots.

I reached over to my jewelry box and pulled out my dreamcatcher necklace, my silver and white moon ring, my feather earrings, and my leather cord charm bracelet. I was good to go. Just as I grabbed my grey leather shoulder bag and put my phone, wallet, pepper spray, keys, and my Taurus 24/7-PRO pistol in it, I heard the doorbell ring.

Jogging downstairs, I opened the door to see Murphy, in all his gorgeous glory, wearing dark wash jeans, his black Timberland boots, and a nice light grey button up with his short black trench coat. I saw him look at me in what I saw was awe.

"Hey." I breathed, giving him a smile. He smiled back and I felt my heart speed up, and I also heard his speed up as well.

"Hey, ready to go?" He asked me. I nodded and closed the door behind me, locking up and turning back to him. He held his hand out to me and I took it without hesitation, feeling the strong warm feeling that flowed through me when our hands touched.

We both walked out and he led me to his car, opening the door for me like a gentleman. I smiled at the gesture and got in. He closed the door for me and jogged to the drivers side. Once he got in, he smiled at me and started the car, backing out of the driveway.

"Where are we going?" I asked him, curiously.

"Somewhere." He said teasingly.

"And where is this somewhere?" I asked him with a grin, batting my eyelashes.

"A place." He responded.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" I asked, not mad.

"Nope." He grinned. I laughed and leaned back in my seat, the rest of the ride was in a comfortable silence, except for Breaking Benjamin's, Diary of Jane playing softly over the radio.

I was broken out of my train of thought when the engine was cut off. I looked up to see that we were at an Italian restaurant. Thank goodness it wasn't the one that Edward first took me to, I hate that place now.

Murphy got out of the car and opened the door for me once again. Once we were both out and the car locked, Murphy wrapped his arm around my shoulder and my arm went around his waist. We both walked inside and stood in front of the front desk.

"Table for two?" The waiter asked. He was a man about thirty years old with a fatherly aura to him and a slight Italian accent.

"Yes please." Murphy said to him, in clear Italian. I understood what he said thanks to Renee's flighty mood to learn Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, and Gaelic.

"Ah, you are known to the language, si?" The man, who's tag read Carlos.

"Yes I am, as well as many other languages. I paid attention in school." Murphy said, nonchalantly as we were led to our table.

"Well that is good. Now, a waiter will be here to serve you in just a few minutes." And with that Carlos left.

"What other languages do you know?" I asked in Italian. Surprise was clear on his face before he grinned.

"English, of course, Italian, Spanish, Russian, German, Gaelic, Latin, and French." He listed them off.

"Well that is pretty impressive." I said in Gaelic next. "Because I'm fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, and Gaelic." I said. Surprise was once again on his handsome face before he leaned forward in his seat.

"Where have you been all my life?" He asked me. I smiled at him.

"Swapping from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington." I answered him. He then looked at me confused and curious.

"Why's that?"

"Parents divorced when I was a couple years old. Mom took me with her to Phoenix. Then when she remarried to a minor league baseball player, I came here to give them space and to spend time with my dad." I told him.

"Sorry to hear that. My dad left us when we were too young to remember and it was just our ma raising us. Then we came here to America, Boston to be specific. It's been about a year since we finally met our da and left Boston. Da went to reunite with ma, while Connor and I came here." I looked at him, slightly confused.

"Out of all the places in America, why come here to Forks?" I asked. He shrugged with a grin.

"Needed someplace quiet." He said, still grinning. I smiled at that and our waiter came up.

"Hello, my name is Emiel, and I will be your waiter. Can I get you started off with drinks?" He asked us as he placed two menus in front of us.

"Beer for me. Want one, Murphy?" I asked. He grinned which was all he had to do. "Two beers please?" Emiel nodded and left us.

"So Bella, tell me about yourself?" Murphy said.

"Well, I'm eighteen, a senior, but some people tell me I act more mature than my age. I love reading classic literature, my favorite of all time is Wuthering Heights. My favorite movies are Blood and Bones, Never Back Down, and Rock of Ages. I listen to classic rock and basically anything rock. I don't really like country, pop, or dubstep or hip hop very much. My dad's a cop, just saying, so yeah, he taught me how to shoot anything that takes bullets. I'm Native American and Caucasian. I love Italian food, and… Yeah. What about you?" I asked him.

"Well, I'm full blooded Irish. Connor is my fraternal twin. We lived in Boston for a few years. I also enjoy shooting. I love listening to Dropkick Murphys, Breaking Benjamin, Metallica, and Aerosmith. My favorite books are the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, War and Peace, and Robinson Crusoe. Favorite movies are Indiana Jones, Kill Bill, Rambo, and Batman. I despise stuff like Little Einsteins, hip hop, murderers, Frozen, and I was not a fan of the Great Gatsby or the Giver." He told me.

"I didn't like those books either. And you're right to not like Little Einsteins, the song annoys me." He laughed and nodded in agreement.

The whole night was just about us talking, laughing, eating, and sharing stories, the sad and funny ones. What broke my heart was when Murphy told me about his friend Rocco who was killed.

"Rocco's boss, Papa Joe, shot 'im dead right in front of Connor and I. After he took his last breath, Connor and I had to say our father's family prayer to give him the right of passage into the next life. That was when our father found us, and recited the prayer. Rocco was family to Connor and I. He helped through a whole lot of shit and we did the same for him. We looked out for each other as if we were actually triplets." He said in a sad voice. I reached over and took his hand in my own.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that. I can tell just by hearing your voice and seeing the look in your eyes that you really loved him like a brother. If I were in your position and one of my family died, I'd probably be torn apart and feel like there was nothing to live for. You probably felt that way then, but you should know that Rocco is watching over you, probably right now." I paused and sent him a grin. "And by what you've told me about Rocco, I bet his spirit is saying to you right now: 'Murphy, quit moping like a little pussy and man the fuck up. I'm fine now, with my dead family and living the dream getting piss faced drunk on the flip side.'" He laughed really hard and nodded.

"That sounds like him." His laughing died down and he sent me a soft smile. "Thanks Bella, I needed that." He paused again. "But seriously, where have you been all my life?" We both laughed and finished dinner.

Murphy paid like the gentleman he is and as we walked out, Carlos, the manager and a waiter said to us: "Arrivederci!" We returned the saying and Murphy suggested we go for a bit of a walk. I agreed and we ended up right near a park under the light of a full moon. I laughed at the irony and Murphy caught it, raising an eyebrow.

"What is it?" He asked.

"In the Quileute legends, the wolf was a very praised animal spirit adored by all of the people. Me being Quileute and right now standing under a full moon, it's kind of ironic. I feel like a wolf right now." Obviously, I kept out the part of me actually being a wolf. He grinned and threw his head back, howling to the moon. I laughed and shook my head, covering his mouth. "We're gonna get in trouble." I said, laughing still.

"Well I can't exactly help it, I'm over the moon because I'm on a date with the most beautiful girl standing right in front of me." I blushed and looked down, my hair becoming a curtain to cover my red face.

I felt his hand push my hair behind my ear and got lost in his eyes, just like the first time I saw him and imprinted. His eyes were just so beautiful, yet held so many emotions, pain, anger, sorrow, love, mirth, and anything inbetween. Before I could blink, I felt warm lips gently press against mine in a heart stopping kiss. I eagerly responded and pressed my hands to his muscular chest. His large hands grabbed my hips and pulled me close so I was flush up against him.

By the mother of Taha Aki, this kiss was one of the greatest experiences in the world, It was as if everything around us disappeared so that it was just Murphy and I. I could see our future together flashing right before our eyes. Me, the woman in white, walking down the aisle to stand before the handsome man in a tux. Our children growing up to be protectors of the tribe alongside Leah and Connor's children. And just everything that I ever wanted ever since I imprinted on the man kissing me right now.

And my goodness, he was an amazing kisser. So much better that Douchewad ever was. Murphy didn't hold back the passion and fierceness he put into the kiss. God, he is so amazing.

Soon, the both of us pulled away for much needed oxygen and I just looked up into his eyes. I bet I was grinning like a fool, because he was.

"Holy shit." He whispered.

"You can say that again." I said quietly.

"Holy shit." He repeated. I laughed and shook my head, looking him in the eye once again.

"This date just keeps getting better and better." I told him, meaning every word.

"Hell yeah it is." He agreed and pulled me close. I rest my head on his chest and we just stayed like that, not even wanting to go anywhere or move from our spot.

In this moment (A/N: Teehee, love that band!), there was no place I'd rather be than in Murphy's arms. We didn't say anything at the moment, because neither of us wanted to ruin this perfect moment.