Paul drifted in and out of consciousness over the following few days. Anna had always been there. She had taken off of work to help nurse him back. Paul had tried to get her to go to work, but she refused. For all of the time that he had taken off of work to be with her in Seattle, she was determined to offer as much as she could in return.
As much as he hated taking her away from her life, he was happy that she was there. She would sleep, gently curled around him in the same bed. Her head on his shoulder. The scent of her was everywhere.
Paul woke, it was dark out and he could hear the pack down stairs eating dinner. He started to call for Anna, when he heard her laugh. She had finally ventured away from his side long enough to eat and socialize for a bit. That was good.
Once everyone got over the initial period of questions and mystery, and then got over the shock of learning just who Anna was and her past, the pack had welcomed her with open arms. Anna had slowly opened up in return. Even in Witness Protection, Anna did not try to have friends. She said that she felt wrong lying to people. So, she stayed closed off. So, it was very strange to her when so many people actually welcomed her.
Her life was hers. Not controlled by her step-father or step-brothers. Not wrapped in lies for her protection. Just hers. She could be open and honest. And, people still welcomed her. Then, after the leech attack, she opened up more. Everyone had made it clear that she was part of the family.
It filled Paul with pride that she was so well accepted. Several pack brothers had stopped by to check on him, each with nothing but compliments about Anna. Even Leah popped her head in briefly to tell Paul that he had better hurry up and heal because she wanted to steal Anna away for some kickboxing lessons. The problem was that Anna wouldn't let her until he was better.
Anna had told him that she had connected with Leah the most. Two outcasts who had a difficult time believing that they were accepted all along. Yeah, Paul could see that friendship lasting.
"Seriously Anna. That first time I met you at the cafe in Forks, I nearly peed myself laughing so hard after you and Paul took off." Kim was giggling.
"Oh. Juicy story. Do tell more." Embry jumped in.
Anna gasped in mock shock. "Calm down. I am not a girl that kisses and tells… Damn, I can't even pretend to be that innocent." She started laughing. "No. Really, Paul and I have never kissed. We can push each other's buttons and stuff, but that is all."
"No sweety. That was some seriously high level flirting." Kim corrected. "The two of you may not cross any physical lines. And, you are not staking claims. But, you are definitely in a relationship that is far more than friendship. Anyone that can call Paul Lahote insults and mean them as terms of endearment, is not just a simple friend. You and Jared are the only ones that manage that without getting bruised. Even Jared had taken a few shots for the wrong choice in words." Jared groaned in admission to that.
Kim laughed. "Oh, and Embry, what happened was that those two were nettling each other until one would crack. When Paul threatened to tickle her and didn't back down, Anna was the one to crack and went running into the woods behind the cafe. Like little kids playing a game of tag. I mean, Paul, playing a game, and laughing. I am still stunned."
The whole pack was roaring with laughter.
"Ugh. I am glad my life entertains you all." Anna grumbled half heartedly.
"Oh Anna, you got that all wrong. It is not you we are laughing about. It's Paul." Jake chimed in.
She giggled. "Then maybe I should show you this adorable picture I got of him in Seattle…"
"Anna! I heard that!" Paul couldn't take it anymore. He didn't need everyone seeing the picture of him in a feather boa and a tiara on his head.
"Busted!" Anna laughed. "And, exactly what are you going to do about it? You can't get out of bed to stop me wolf boy!" She called out to him, having become more accustomed to his hearing.
He could hear multiple snickers and muffled laughs.
"Are you seriously doing this to me when I can't move?"
"Yes! Kim reminded me that I hadn't got you back for tickling me. I did warn you."
Paul could hear the reactions of everyone looking at a photo. "Aw" and "How cute." Were muttered around.
Paul was getting worked up. How could she show them all when he had no way to defend himself. That's it. He was going to get out of the damn bed even if it killed him.
As he started to roll over, Anna stood in the doorway. "What do you think you are doing?" She scolded.
Paul growled. "What did you show them?"
She grinned wickedly. "The most adorable picture."
Anna paused in the middle of the room while she pulled up the picture again. Paul reached over with a long arm, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bed against his chest in a squeal of laughter.
"What picture Anna?" He growled again. "If it was the one with the damn feather boa and tiara…"
He was cut off with a roar of laughter from the first floor. "Now we have to see that pic!" Embry yelled.
"Fuck! You didn't show them, that one?"
Anna shook her head and held out her phone to show one that she caught while he was telling the kids stories of the wolf warriors again. It showed the joy in his face at telling the stories, and the captivated awe of the children listening. Abbie sat in his lap while Jayden leaned from the bed to rest his elbows on Paul's knees, propping his chin to look up at the man.
Paul rolled his eyes. "So, I handed them my ass, didn't I?"
"Yup." She laughed. "But, now that you told them about that pic, I really should show them."
"Damn it! You're emasculating me woman!" He groaned.
Anna kissed his cheek and jumped up from the bed. "I love you too!" Then, she bolted down the stairs.
Dead silence waited her.
"What?" She asked innocently. "So, did you want to see the pic or not?"
"I'm taking bets on how long this thing stays as just friends." Jared called out. The room erupted in people taking the bet and others wanting the see the picture.
Days later, Paul had been able to get up enough to go to the bathroom without much assistance. He still couldn't make it down the stairs. So, he could not go home yet.
Anna had finally started going back to work once she was sure he could be left unattended for hours at a time. She needed the job and it was too new of a job to ask for too much time off. Plus, she needed the money. Paul couldn't ask her to stay any longer.
He was bored out of his mind in that room. That was the down side of healing enough that he was not sleeping all day long. The only upside was that when Paul had been completely bed ridden, Anna had given him sponge baths, but let him clean more private areas himself, alone. Now that he can sort of stand with some assistance, she helped him get full showers.
Paul grinned at the memories.
She still held her walls in place, and she did not get naked. Though, she did drop down to just undergarments. God, she was beautiful. He couldn't help but react to her. The smell of her skin. The feel of her hands as she helped him sit in a chair and bath him. Her fingers running through his hair as she washed it. She tried not to look at him, but he caught her glances.
Neither of them spoke about it. The shower was something that he needed help with. And, she was willing to help. They didn't need to make it more awkward by talking about the way he reacted to it. Still, Paul wasn't sure he would ever be the same. Hell, he knew he wouldn't. The wolf was already begging for him to claim her as his mate.
After everything she had said to Sam. The way she stayed and cared for him... She was chipping away at his walls. And, he didn't think that he was ready for that.
Paul woke to the sound of someone slamming the front door of his house.
"Paul, wake up!" Jared's voice rang through the house.
Paul had finally healed enough to get home to his own bed. He still limped badly, but it was progress.
He looked at the clock. 2:17 am
Jared made his way to Paul's room. "What in the hell man. This had better be important." Paul growled.
"It is. I just got a call from Oregon Police. Jeremy Price, one of Anna's step-brothers, he escaped during a prisoner transport a few hours ago."
"Son of a bitch! So, now we have to watch for a vampire who keeps wandering back into our territory to find her, and that sadistic piece of shit who found her here once before? Fuck!"
His wolf was pacing. The need to protect her was strong. It was easy to forget that internal need when they had spent so much time together at Sam's. She was safe. He knew where she was. But, once he could go home, so did she.
"I called Chief Swan and the Cullens. Emmett still remembers the guy's scent. So, they will keep an eye out for him when they patrol for Donovan. Our police all have photos and know to patrol the Jacobs house more often. I let Sam know, especially with the increased police presence, we don't need wolves being seen."
"I want her here. Have them patrol both addresses. Jeremy would know the Jacobs address, but not mine. And, my house is more open, right across from the resort. There's more people to vere the leech away most hours."
"Yeah man. On it."
Paul's phone started ringing. He answered as soon as he saw Anna's number. "Are you alright?"
"Paul, I just got a call from Detective Ellison…" Her voice was panicked.
Paul cut her off. "I know baby. Take a deep breath for me okay? Jared is here now. Oregon called the Police station here too. But, he is going to come get you and bring you to my house. That asshole wouldn't think to look for you here."
Jared raised a brow. "Baby?"
"Shut the fuck up and go!" Paul had no patience for that shit at the moment. He needed Anna there, where he could feel her close to him and know she was safe.
It had been two weeks of increased patrols and Paul going to work with her every day. Paul was debating about selling his dad's car to help cover the loss in salary. His father drank himself into an early grave about a year earlier. So, the man didn't need it any more. And, Paul's bones hadn't really healed enough to return to work. Hell, until two days ago, Anna had to drive when they went to her job.
"Is it wrong that I keep hoping that Jeremy tried to sneak in through the woods and Donovan found him?" Anna said as she sat down next to Paul in the Library's break room.
Paul let out a good solid laugh. "Is that what you think of while you shelve books?"
She elbowed him. "I am serious. It takes care of one problem and only leaves the other. Having two different threats is…"
"Exhausting and terrifying. I know." He leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I am starting to wonder if we are ever going to get to live our lives peacefully. Sam and Emily have some peace between crisis moments. Same with Jared and Kim. But, us… we have had nearly five years of struggles." He took a deep breath.
"I am sorry Paul." She whispered.
He shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. This isn't your choice. But, damn it all, when we do get through all of this, I want us to have another talk about our future."
Anna tilted her head. Her face was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Paul turned his chair sideways, then reached over and turned Anna's to face him, hooking his hands under her knees to pull the chair as close to his as possible with her legs draped over his knees. Her eyes went wide. It would only take one more movement to pull her closer to him and she would be straddling him intimately close.
"What I mean is that since you have been back, I have tried to be with a woman, twice. I know you encouraged me to get out and still date. We keep saying that we want to keep things as friends. But, both of the times that I did, it just felt wrong. Neither of them were the woman that I wanted to be with. I know that you don't want anything. And, I am not trying to change where things stand between us right now. But, I am not going to pretend that I don't want a chance at a future with you."
Anna's face raced through a mix of emotions ranging from joy to fear. But, finally it settled on love.
Anna opened her mouth to say something when her supervisor walked into the break room. She quickly turned red at being caught in such an intimate position for being two people sitting on different chairs. Despite the distance between them, it was still a suggestive encounter.
"You two really are very cute. But, the Library is closed now. You can go home and do that privately." The older woman smirked as she fetched her lunch bag from the fridge.
"Oh God!" Anna buried her face in her hands. "We weren't doing anything Nancy!"
"Anna dear, if I was sitting like that with the look on my face that you had when I walked in… Trust me, I would be ready to do something about it. Go home. Make babies. Just remember to invite me to the wedding!" The woman called out as she left.
Paul grinned, trying not to laugh at Anna's horrified expression and embarrassment.
"Let's listen to your boss and get you home." He winked.
Anna growled. "There will be no baby making mister." Then, she poked him in the chest for emphasis.
"Yes ma'am." Though Paul was still happy to agree to wait, his wolf, however, was getting antsy. The weeks of soothing her emotions with Abbie. Constantly needing to be near her to make sure that she was safe under so many threats. It had taken it's toll on his walls. To Paul's growing frustration, it was harder to keep his thoughts about Anna as pure as he would prefer.
'Mine.' He growled. 'Claim her.'
Anna stopped before she got to the door. "Paul." She took a breath. "About what you said. Are you sure?" She wouldn't even look at him.
"Which part are you uncertain about?" He reached out to turn her to face him.
She pulled away at first, then looked up. Her eyes were so full of worry and indecision. "All of it. Me. A future. You not out fooling around."
Paul's face softened. "You are beautiful Anna. You make me happy in ways I can't begin to explain. You make me feel like I am worth something to someone and that you want me to be around. So, yes. I am sure about you and wanting a chance at a future with you."
Her face scrunched up as she shook her head. "That is not what I mean. Not really. It's just..." She growled at herself as she sorted through her thoughts. "You just seem like you are one extreme or the other. I know that with other girls, you are cocky and aggressive."
It was his turn to growl. "I will never hurt you Anna. I won't force sex on you, and I would make sure that I was always gentle."
She sighed. "That is the problem. You are aggressive with them and gentle with me. You treat me with kid gloves like I am super fragile. And, as a friend who is protective of me, that is perfect. I have really needed that over the past several weeks. But, if you want a future with me, then we both need to sort through the maze of what really works. I am not as delicate as you think. Shit, I broke Jake's nose the other day when he startled me. I have been training in karate and kickboxing so that I can defend myself if I need it, but also so I can learn how to take a hit without freaking out. I have been going through therapy for years. I have more reactions around the pack because they physically remind me of my past. But, even that, I am working through and getting better."
"Anna." He started, but she cut him off.
"No, Paul. Here me out." He nodded his head. "I don't want you to give up who you are for me. Ever. I like this man."
He smirked as she ran her hands over his chest and smoothed out his shirt before looking into his eyes. "I still have to find closure on my past before I can really make plans for my future. All I know right now is that my heart is in La Push. I am really finding myself and my strength there, with you. And, I know that I will never feel comfortable asking you to give up being the famous Paul Lahote for me. That would only lead to resentment. If we have a future, it will have to be all of you with all of me. No trying to tame the feral wolf within. No walking on eggshells around me. Certainly, no professing yourself ready to settle down after several weeks of crisis mode during which you had a broken pelvis that limited what was even possible for half of it. I need patience, not to be padded with bubble wrap."
"I just don't want to scare you. I don't want to be like your past, in anyway."
Anna walked into Paul to wrap her arms around his waist. He let her nuzzle into his chest and then damn near hit the roof when she turned her head and bit down on his right nipple. His knees nearly buckled and his manhood was instantly hard. "Fuck!" He moaned out.
She giggled. "Keep that memory as a reminder. I know more about you than you think. And, none of this scares me. Unleash yourself Lahote. Show me all of you."
Paul and Anna locked the Library door behind them as they headed out to his truck. Paul's pelvis had healed well enough that he could finally drive. Though he still had a slight limp, exacerbated by Anna's stunt moments before. His pants were painfully tight.
The scent of leech filled his nose, so he took a second to double check the exact scent. He let out a breath. It was just Emmett Cullen. Emmett had taken to ordering a lot of coffee over the prior few weeks. Not that he would drink it. But, he would stay at the coffee shop across from the Library during Anna's work shifts. Paul appreciated the extra protection. Maybe one day, he would actually make the effort to get to know the man.
Anna was making her way around the truck when a voice called out. "Now, it looks like the bitch has been putting out for another man. You know better than that Annabell." Jeremy Price sneered.