Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Bella woke to see Paul straddling her chair. He watched her with an intense stare. He didn't look away until she sat up.
"Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep?" he asked.
"No. What did I say?"
"You said my name a lot, and you told Jake to back off."
"I don't remember what I was dreaming about," she said with a sigh.
"It couldn't have been too bad, you weren't yelling."
"How long have you been here?"
"An hour?" he guessed with a shrug.
"Do you come here a lot?"
"No."
"You can if you want. The window is always unlocked."
He nodded as he stood from the chair. He crossed the room to stand over top of her. She made room for him before patting the bed in invitation. He sat on the edge of the bed facing her.
"You know you can lie down, I don't bite," she said with a nervous laugh.
He lay next to her with his arms underneath his head. She lay on her stomach resting on her elbows, watching him.
"So it's your turn to babysit me?"
"I wouldn't call it babysitting. That makes it sound weird," he disagreed.
"Okay then, is today your day to guard me?" she asked.
"Yes it is. I like the word guard better."
"You're going to be bored. I don't have anything planned. I don't even work today."
"That's okay. I don't get bored easily."
"What do you want to do?"
"What did you and Jake do when he was here?" he asked cautiously.
"We slept most of the time since we both had school yesterday," she said honestly.
"Where did he sleep?"
"Right where you are; don't worry, he kept his hands to himself," she said with a light laugh.
"I might have a problem keeping mine to myself," he said with a smirk.
"I wouldn't complain."
He rolled over on his side before propping his head up with a hand. Bella rolled over on hers staring at him.
"I figured out what we can do," he said with finality.
"What?"
"We are gonna play twenty questions. Only I get to ask the questions," he said pointedly.
"Why am I the only one who has to give up information?" she retorted.
"I'll answer the questions that apply to me too, but there are some things that I'm not ready to
talk about yet."
"Okay," she agreed.
"Why did your parents get divorced?"
"They married too young. They weren't ready," she said with a shake of her head.
"Did they fight a lot?"
"I don't remember. I was only two when my mom moved us to Arizona," she admitted.
"You're lucky. I have nightmares about my parents arguing," he said, his eyes a mask of anguish.
"It was that bad?"
"Yeah, why did your mom move you to Arizona?"
"It's where she's originally from. Her family still lives there," she explained.
"How did your parents meet?"
"My dad went to Arizona for football camp when he was in high school. My uncle was there too, he introduced them."
"Are you allergic to anything?"
"Morphine, Codeine, and bees," she rattled off meticulously.
"I was lactose and tolerant before I phased. Now I live off pizza and ice cream. I was also dyslexic," he admitted.
"That must have been really hard for you," she said her eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"It was terrible, I hated every minute of it."
"Have you had trouble since you changed?" she asked.
"Some. What was Edward like?"
"Edward was nice. He was old fashioned, and very reserved. He didn't show his emotions unless he was angry or I was in danger."
"How old is he?"
"One hundred and elven years old," she answered with a sigh.
"No wonder he's old fashioned. He was seriously stuck in the early twentieth century."
"He was very proper, and respectful. He didn't talk like we're talking now."
"What's with the picture on the wall?" he asked looking at the picture of a grey wolf standing alone in a forest.
"My dad bought it at a flea market. He thought I would like it."
"Do you like it?"
"I do. I appreciate it more now. You only have nine more," she reminded him.
"I'll save them for later. Do you have anything to eat around here?"
"Eight more, there might be a couple frozen pizzas in the freezer."
"That last question didn't count. They have to be about you."
"You get it back on a technicality. Come on," she said taking hold of his hand.
They talked while the pizzas were cooking, but once they started eating Paul got quiet. Bella didn't want to be rude and ask why so she let silence fill the room until they were done eating. She worked on her computer while he watched college basketball in the living room. They talked during commercials, but other than that they were content to just sit next to each other.
"Why are you on that so much?" he asked, gesturing to her laptop.
"It's the only way that I can talk to my friends in Arizona. I ran up a huge cell phone bill last month talking to them. So I told my dad that I would only talk to them on the computer. Why?"
"No reason," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Are you feeling neglected?" she teased.
"Yes," he admitted darkly.
She shut down her computer a few seconds later. She placed it on the coffee table once it was off. She scooted closer to him as he rested his arm on the back of the couch. She leaned against him before turning her attention to the game.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, wanting as much contact as possible. She tentatively laid her head on his shoulder. She wasn't used to this; Edward had never let her get this close to him without her asking for permission.
"You can relax. I don't mind," he said.
"Sorry, I've never done this before."
"I can tell," he said with a laugh.
After a few minutes she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"What time is your dad supposed to get home?"
"Not until tonight. Is someone outside?"
"I'll go check it out."
She let go of him before getting off the couch. She went to get them something to drink while Paul checked outside. She looked out the window seeing Embry and Sam in the yard with Paul. Paul came inside a few seconds later.
"They caught the redheads scent. Embry is going to stay with you. I'll be back as soon as I can," he said hugging her quickly.
"Be careful," she called after him.
Embry came in a few seconds later and took Paul's spot on the couch. Bella made him something to eat while he talked trash at the TV.
"Here," she said handing him a plate loaded with sandwiches.
"Bless you," he said as he started to eat.
They talked while he ate and he caught her up on what they had found.
"She was just standing on the beach?"
"Yeah, it was like she wanted us to find her. Sam sent Jared and Jake ahead of him so that he could get Paul."
"I hope they catch her."
"Me too, she has all of us on edge," he said nervously.
"This is my fault," she admitted sadly.
"What is?"
"You, Jacob, and Jared changed because she is here. She is here because of me."
"Don't talk like that. None of this is your fault," he admonished.
"Then whose fault is it?"
"I blame the Cullen's. The girl wouldn't be here if Edward hadn't killed her mate. Her mate wouldn't have come after you if Edward hadn't brought you with him that night," he stated.
"That's your theory."
"That's the whole packs theory. Edward was irresponsible," he admonished.
She hadn't realized that the pack felt that way. She would have to have a talk with them. Edward had done everything he could to protect her until the day he left. She was alive because of him.
XXXX
Bella was at work the next day when Jacob came in. He leaned over the counter to see what she was working on.
"It's Calculus."
"No wonder I didn't understand it," he said with a laugh.
"I called you because I wanted to ask you to talk to Sam about having the pack come over to my
house tonight."
"What for?" he questioned curiously.
"There are some things that you all need to know about Edward. I was talking to Embry the other day; all of you are blaming the wrong person," she stated.
"He told me that you thought it was your fault. You're wrong," he said flatly.
"Well so are all of you," she said with a sigh.
They talked for a few more minutes before the bell jingled. Paul made his way towards them.
"What is he doing here?" Jacob asked.
"I asked him to come."
"I can give you a ride home."
"I didn't ask you to. I drove today, but thank you," she said politely.
"I'll talk to Sam, what time do you want us there?"
"I'm not sure what time my dad goes in tonight. I'll call you and let you know."
Jacob nodded before walking away. Paul waved as he passed him. Jacob nodded in acknowledgment before walking out the door. Paul stood at the counter while Bella gathered her stuff.
"Are you still here Bella?" Mike called from the back.
"I'm still here."
He came from the back hall and made his way towards her. He made eye contact with Paul for a split second before looking away.
"I was wondering if I could trade shifts with you this weekend," he broached.
"That's fine. I can come in on Sunday," she agreed.
"Thanks a lot."
"This is Paul," she said, introducing him.
"Hi, I'm Mike."
Paul nodded with a tight lipped smile. Bella lifted the partition and walked around to Paul. She took his hand, pulling him up the stairs. Once they were outside he let go of her hand then wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Who is he?"
"Mike? We go to school together, we're friends."
"He didn't seem to like me very much."
"He saw you the day that you were watching me from outside. He doesn't know what to think of you," she answered honestly.
"He didn't like my stalking idea?"
"No, he wasn't a fan. It creeped him out," she admitted.
"What a wuss," he said with a clipped laugh.
"Jake calls him a Marshmallow."
"So he's not well liked?"
"Just by you and Jake, everybody else I know gets along with him."
"Did Edward?"
"They never talked, but Mike didn't like that I dated Edward. He had a crush on me when we first met," she admitted.
He opened the driver's side door for her before jogging to the other side. She turned to face him before starting the truck.
"Why don't you drive?"
"I don't know how," he mumbled.
"You don't know how to drive?"
"No one has ever taught me," he answered a little, adding a shrug.
"We're going to change that. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't get in here and just drive. Sometimes I'll drive and I won't have a destination. I'll just point the truck and go."
"You would do that?"
"Sure. No one has ever offered?"
"No. My old man didn't have time for that, my mom doesn't drive. I wanted to ask Sam, but I was embarrassed," he admitted.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed. Since my Saturday is free, do you want your first lesson then?"
"It takes longer than a day?" he asked cautiously.
"It took me nearly a week to learn everything. I got lucky, my stepdad's pretty patient."
Bella started the truck, looking behind her before pulling out of the tight space. The ride to her house was filled with silence. Once they were at her house her dad was outside washing his cruiser. He gave Paul a once over as he got out of the truck. Bella gave him a warning look before turning her attention to Paul.
"Paul, this is my dad, Charlie. Dad, this is Paul."
"Hi," Paul said with a nod.
"Hi," Charlie said with a nod of his own.
"We're going to go inside. We'll be in the living room if you need me," Bella said as she walked up the walkway.
"I'll let you know."
Inside Paul sat on the couch while Bella went upstairs. She came back down with a small, long, thin book. She handed it to him before sitting down. It was a driver's manual.
"If I'm going to teach you to drive you need to read that and know the basics."
He nodded as he opened the book to the first page. He hated reading, but this was something that he needed to know.
"Are you even reading?" she asked as he flipped through the pages quickly.
"I'll read it later," he promised.
"Tell me what the first sentence says."
He sighed before going back to page one. The letters were jumbled in his mind, bringing on a migraine. He was trying too hard and thinking the worst. He was still getting used to the fact that his dyslexia wasn't holding him back any longer. This is what always happened. He took a deep calming breath as the migraine subsided.
"This book will help you on your journey to the open road."
"Okay so you can read it. What's going on?"
"I'm not used to being able to read without any problems yet," he said with a sigh.
"Okay, so we'll work through it."
"Does nothing ever stop you? Haven't you ever had a problem that you couldn't solve?" he asked in a stressed tone.
"I'm just trying to help," she said holding up her hands in surrender.
"And I'm not used to people I hardly know helping me," he admitted.
"Then you'll just have to get used to it. Hand me the book," she said holding out her hand.
He handed it to her and she started reading aloud. He sat back, trying to take in what she said. At the end of the every section she would ask him questions about what they had gone over. He was able to answer them easily. Charlie came in half way through the first half of the book.
"Did you want me to make dinner?"
"That's okay. I've got to be at work in half an hour."
"I'll make you something that you can take with you."
"That sounds good."
She waited until he went upstairs before turning her attention back to Paul.
"Why can't you just let me help you?" she ventured.
"Can we not talk about this now?"
"As long as you promise that we'll talk about it eventually," she bargained.
"Fine," he said, giving in.
He had been scared to tell her. His mom hadn't helped by telling him that he was stupid when he was in school. He had graduated only because he had paid smart kids to do his homework and he had been smart enough not to get caught cheating.
He felt that he had imprinted on her for a reason. They both came from backgrounds that were hard to adapt to. She had turned out completely different than he had, and that was the kind of person that he needed. Someone that would understand what he had been through and was patient enough help him through his issues.
XXXX
The pack sat in the living room after Bella had made them dinner. They all watched her with curious eyes as she stood in the middle of the room.
"I'm going to make this quick because I know that Jared and Jake need to patrol. Edward is not the person that all of you think he is. He made the mistake of leaving, but all of the other things he did outweigh that."
"What did he do?" Paul asked.
"I wasn't lying when I told you that you weren't the first person to attack me. Neither was Laurent. Edward saved my life three times in the time that I knew him. I was almost crushed by an out of control van. He repelled it with his hand. I was cornered by a group of guys who planned on raping me. Edward saved me then too."
"What happened the last time?" Jacob asked worriedly.
"That's where Victoria and Laurent come in. There was another member of their clan. James was a Tracker, someone who hunts humans. He smelled me and then came after me. Edward convinced his entire family to help me. Do you see this?" she asked, pushing up her sleeve then holding up her wrist. "James bit me. I would have died if Edward hadn't sucked the venom out. He is not a bad person; I am alive because of him."
"So who is to blame? It sure as hell isn't you, and I know it's not us," Paul stated in anger.
"Victoria," Bella said looking him in the eye.
"That makes sense. If Edward hadn't saved her, you wouldn't have imprinted on her," Jared said.
"Jared, Jake, you two need to head out. Thank you for telling us about Edward, Bella," Sam said as he stood.
Bella nodded as everyone except Paul filed out of the room. She sat next to him before turning to face him. He took hold of her arm, turning it over to look at her scar.
"Is it always this cold?"
"Yes," she said looking down at her hands.
"You don't have to be ashamed."
Her eyes met his and she smiled feebly. He was right; she shouldn't feel ashamed. She hadn't asked James to bite her, then again she hadn't asked for anything that had happened since she had moved back to Forks. She was on edge because Victoria was still after her. Once Victoria was out of the picture she would be able to relax.