By the time they made it back to the truck, Anna had convinced Paul to take her to see Emmett Cullen. Paul wasn't thrilled at driving out to the leeches home. But, she wanted to see him. Paul's guilt ate at him through the drive...

The night that Paul had proposed to Anna, that was when he first collapsed in the pain of his changing body. Only hours after offering his life to her, did he get pulled into a world that he had no idea existed. And it was only the beginning of three weeks of hell.

Yet, while Paul dealt with the pain of transitioning into his wolf nature, the summer after graduation, Anna faced her own nightmares and Paul was no where around to help her. He hated himself for it.

Her step-father had used his police contacts to track down where she was sent to live. So, the step-brothers had shown up in La Push to try to make her disappear before she could testify. They found her at the grocery store and jumped her in the parking lot.

Amazingly enough, it was one of the damn Cullen's who had saved her and got her to the hospital. Paul had never really held any respect for the animal sucking vampire family that the tribe maintained a treaty with. But, the fact that Emmett Cullen had saved his imprint when Paul couldn't, that gave him room to consider being more open to them. Even the good doctor, Carlisle Cullen, was there to help Anna heal. She nearly lost the baby from the kicks to her stomach and broken ribs she sustained. Dr. Cullen, helped her more than Paul ever could.

Chief Swan, Mr. Jacobs, and the police from Oregon, where Anna had lived before, all agreed to have Anna go into a type of Witness Protection until the trial started against her step-father and step-brothers. Anna had tried to call Paul before she left, but he was fucking unavailable. Timing seriously sucked.

By the time Paul was allowed to go find her, she had already left. And, no one would tell him where or why, for her protection. But, no one knew that he had proposed to her. That he, Paul Lahote, had asked Annabell Jacobs to marry him. He had offered to help protect her and raise her baby. To make sure that no one ever questioned or ridiculed her for being a mother so young. No one would dare insult the wife of Paul Lahote. And, he knew it.

It was all he could offer. His name, his protection.

Sure, it wasn't a sexual, romantic love. Yet, he loved her all the same. She was his only real friend other than Jared. And, in the few months that they were together, Anna made him feel like he was worth something. That he was more than a walking time bomb or a manwhore. He wanted to show her that she was worth even more than he was.

But, Anna was right. As much as she loved him as a friend. He was in no real position to marry her at 18. He had no job to help support a family. And, as a new wolf, life had gotten immensely more dangerous and complicated fast. With her gone, she was far away from the damn vampire battles and shit, she was hidden from the men that wanted to hurt her, she was able to give birth to a beautiful baby girl who was adopted by a family that was kind enough to send her pictures and letters every Christmas.

That was the better option than the one he had offered. Still, it hurt. It hurt that he could not be told. It hurt that she never tried to contact him. It hurt that he could not be the one to help her.

Paul texted Jacob Black quickly to see if he could give the vampire family some warning that a human was coming for a visit. It wasn't so much that he worried they would hurt Anna, after all, they saved her life. But, vampires could move exceptionally fast and other stuff that they would not want to do openly in front of her.

Emmett was already at the door waiting for them when they drove up.

Anna beamed when she saw Emmett. There was a moment of jealousy at how bright she was when she saw Emmett. He had not seen her look so happy to see him yet. His wolf growled in his head.

Paul knew that there was nothing between the two. Emmett was in love with Rosalie. And Anna, she still didn't want any relationships… right? His wolf growled louder as he realized that they had not talked about whether or not she had dated anyone.

Anna ran up to hug the man that had saved her with a smile on her face. As the leech wrapped his arms around Anna, Paul growled from deep in his chest, he couldn't hold that one back. Emmett's brows shot up. He smirked and then kissed Anna's forehead chastely.

"Anna. It is a pleasure to see you again, under less worrisome conditions." Carlisle stepped out of the house. "Please, come in and join us."

Anna smiled at Carlisle. "I just really wanted to come back and thank you both for everything that you did."

"It was nothing." Carlisle smiled back as he walked Anna and Paul into the home. Paul had been to that home more times than he would like to count as they worked with the leeches over the years. However, he had never been inside until then. Must be nice to have money.

"I just can't believe it Paul. You are here? In this house? Of your own free will?" Jake teased as he walked up Paul with a smile across his face.

Anna looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"It's complicated." Paul mumbled. "But, Emmett and the doc saved you. So, you should have your chance to visit."

"What? What am I missing?" Jake questioned.

Looks passed between Emmett, Carlisle, Anna and Paul.

Another voice joined in the room. That of a young woman. "Anna was attacked a few years ago. Emmett and Carlisle helped to save her. She is grateful. And Paul, well, he is protective of her."

The young woman stopped next to Jake and wound her arms around his waist as he wrapped one long arm over her shoulders.

"Anna, this is Jacob Black. He is part of that neighborhood watch group that I told you about." Paul stared Jake in the eye to make sure he understood that Anna did not know about the wolves yet. "And, with him is his girlfriend, Renesme. She is Carlisle's niece and lives here as well. So, Jakey boy tends to hang out here almost more than helping with the watch patrol."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Don't start with that again Paul."

"Uh, huh. Boys and their pissing matches. Can't say that I missed any of that." Anna stated sarcastically.

"I couldn't agree more." A tall blonde joined the group and kissed Emmett before perching herself on the edge of the couch.

Anna smiled again. "You must be Rosalie. Emmett told me a lot about you. All good things, of course."

That cracked a smile on the typically stern looking woman. "Of course it was all good." Emmett chuckled as he smiled at her in return.

"Well, I am afraid that my wife and other children are currently out. So, they won't be joining us. But, would either of you care for a beverage?" Carlisle offered.

Both declined. However, Anna found herself caught up in talking to Emmett and Rosalie while Jake and Carlisle pulled Paul off to the side.

Paul watched Anna hesitantly open up to the couple. She had not really gotten to know Emmett. But, he talked to her while they waited for the ambulance. And, he was going to testify for the upcoming trial against her step-brothers for the attack that Emmett stopped. So, Anna trusted him more than most people.

Paul's wolf was pacing at the interactions of his imprint with the leeches. However, Paul was keeping a tight control on it.

Jake was the first to open his mouth. "So, is this 'the' Anna?"

Paul nodded his head.

"If you are here and not causing a scene… does that mean that she is your imprint?" Jake waited for the answer.

Again, Paul nodded his head.

The excitement and nervous energy nearly had Jake split into several parts like a cartoon. Paul scowled at him. "Shit man, this is huge! You! With an imprint!"

Paul growled. "She always had been. So, get over it. We are just friends."

That stopped Jake in his tracks. "Seriously? Just friends? And, you are calm about it all?"

Paul growled again and did not say another word on the subject. Carlisle, however, had something to add. "Paul. I don't know how much of her past you know…"

"I know." Paul cut him off before he said anything in front of Jake. "We are just friends. And, I will protect her."

Carlisle nodded his head. "Good man. I am happy for you both."

"Hey Paul, it's Quil. Sam told me I should call you. Don't know why, but seemed important."

Paul groaned. Sam just couldn't leave things alone, could he? Hell, Anna hadn't been back a full 24 hours and more people had met her than Paul really wanted. More people knew about her than Paul was comfortable with.

"Talk to you about it another time Quil." Paul said.

"Hey. If this is about the girl that you ran after last night, maybe talking will shake things loose for you."

Paul rolled his eyes. "I don't need anyone to shake things loose. We are friends. Simple as that."

"Since when does Paul Lahote have female friends and keep it simple?" Quil scoffed.

"Since the second day I met Anna. Four years ago. This isn't new to me. Now let it go."

Paul quickly ended the call when Quil started singing his rendition of the annoying Disney song. There was something seriously wrong with that boy. He spent way too much time with little girls. With Claire.

Shit. That was why Sam had Quil call him. Somehow Quil managed to imprint on a two year old little girl. Of course, she was now four. And, because the wolf will be whatever the imprint needs, and the fact that she is so young that it would be supremely creepy otherwise, Quil was only her best friend. He babysat for her parents often. Fortunately, her father was on the tribal council, so they already knew about the wolves and understood Quil's need to be around her and make sure she was safe. And, hey, free babysitting didn't hurt.

Paul took a deep breath and called Quil back. Before Quil could say… or sing… anything else, Paul spit out the words he needed to say. If anyone could understand his situation, it was Quil. "She's my imprint."

Silence.

"Yeah. That seems to be the general reaction from everyone. Shock in one form or another." Paul snarled.

Quil spoke slowly. "Well, yeah. You are the one wolf that has vehemently denied wanting an imprint."

Paul dropped his head. "How was I supposed to feel about it all when the one girl that I wanted to be imprinted to left without warning or explanation? I didn't want anyone else."

"And, you say you are just friends?" Quil's voice carried his confusion.

Paul growled. "We have never kissed. We are just friends." A friend who Paul had proposed to. But, that was beside the point. "You know that I don't do romance and relationships. And, she doesn't want any relationship more than friendship, with anyone. So, no pressure. But, I care about her as my friend. I want to protect her. I always have."

Paul could hear the deep sigh over the phone. "Okay, I get it. Does she know about the pack yet?"

"No."

"You know that you will have to tell her eventually. The sooner, the better so that she does not feel so betrayed. There is a bonfire tonight, so that would be a good starting point, to hear the stories."

"Yeah."

"Listen Paul. I do get it. The need to protect her, spend time with her, and make your imprint happy is strong. And, it is easy for people to read more into something that is not happening. If you are just friends, then you are just friends. If it grows to be more eventually, then that is fine too. But, for now, I won't harass you about it. But, it would be nice to meet the girl that got Paul Lahote to want an imprint four years ago."

"Thanks Quil."

Paul quickly texted Anna to see if she would go to the bonfire that night. He had taken her home after the Cullen's so that she could get some rest and spend time with her aunt and uncle. But, Quil was right, she needed to learn. And, there was a sense of pride in the idea of showing her off to the rest of the pack. As much as he wanted to keep her hidden away and all to himself, the idea of showing her off appealed to him as well.

'Hey brat. There is a bonfire tonight with my neighborhood watch group. You could get out. Meet my other friends. Hear some of the old stories of the Tribe. Reconnect to your roots. Plus, free food. What do you say? Pick you up at 7?'

No answer. Paul paced around his house as he tried not to worry that something happened to Anna. Thirty minutes. Why didn't she answer?

Bing.

'Sure, sounds like fun.'

'U OK?'

' :) Yes Dr. Banner. I was just taking a shower. Don't go turning green.'

That brought a smile to Paul's face. He forgot about her Incredible Hulk references to his temper. He liked the way she saw him. The violent and angry man who could be calmed by a girl. Able to be more than the violence. Smart and charming when he was with her, but ready to protect and defend at the drop of a hat. She accepted both sides of him. She didn't only see one or try to change the other.

Several hours later, Paul pulled up to Mr. Jacobs house to pick up Anna. She came out in a grey long sleeved shirt layered under a loose concert t-shirt from one of her Heavy Metal bands, tight jeans tucked into knee high black leather boots. She carried a black hoody with her. Paul smiled. Always covered to hide the scars. Yet, always with a rock edge that matched her and managed to make her even more sexy.

Huh? Sexy? Paul shook his head. Those were not the kinds of thoughts that either of them needed.

'Imprint' His wolf purred.

Paul took a deep breath as he opened the door for Anna. Please gods, don't screw anything up. Anna needed to know the truth. Preferably without hating his guts for it.