Disclaimer:
Paul: Donna does not own Twilight.
Me: Sad, but true.
P: But I love her anyway because she hasn't turned me into a pansy.
M: That qualifies as a compliment, ya softie.
AN: I hope that all of you had a wonderful, safe and happy Thanksgiving. The next few weeks leading up to Christmas will be busy for me so don't be surprised if I'm not able to update every week.
On the day that Paul and Bella were supposed to go to his parents Paul woke up with a sense of dread. Bella slept peacefully next to him and he took a few moments to watch her before deciding to face the day. He let Bo out then started a pot of coffee before getting in the shower.
By the time he got out of the shower the coffee was done and Bo was basking in the sunshine on the front porch. He made a cup of coffee before taking it into the bedroom and placing it on Bella's nightstand. He ran his fingers through her hair slowly to coax her awake. She stirred with a deep sigh before rolling onto her back. She stared up at him through bleary eyes giving him a sleepy smile.
"I made you a cup of coffee. I need to go see Sam for a little while, when I get back we'll go see my parents."
"'Kay," she said her voice still laced with sleep.
He dressed then headed to Sam's on foot. It would give him a few extra minutes to think of what he would say so that he wouldn't fly off the handle. What in the hell had Sam been thinking when he decided to go see his parents without telling him? Sam had hated his mom just as much as he did growing up. He knew that Paul wouldn't have wanted him to and yet he did it anyway.
Sam and Emily were weeding their garden when Paul made his way around back. He cast a shadow over Sam, his arms crossed behind his back. Sam looked over his shoulder and he knew instantly that Paul knew the truth.
"I'll finish my half later. Paul and I need to talk," he said as he stood.
"It's going to rain later, so don't wait too late," Emily answered, not looking from what she was doing.
Paul led the way back around the house and they sat on the porch. He was silent, giving Sam a chance to explain himself before he jumped in. After a few minutes he got restless and sighed.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"I didn't want you to go over there until you were ready."
"Well I wasn't, but I went anyway. How could you go over there without telling me?"
"Your dad needed help; that was the only reason that I went over there. I had no intention of having anything to do with her. She sought me out."
"You still could have told me. What else have you been keeping from me?"
"Nothing, I swear. Look, if it makes you feel any better I won't keep anything from you again."
"Don't patronize me Uley," Paul warned.
"I'm on your side, okay? I won't go over there again."
"That's all I'm asking for."
"Have you told them about Bella?"
"They already knew. Quil Sr. told my dad not long after we got married. Apparently no one can keep anything that has to do with me from my parents," he said darkly.
"Your dad has always worried about you. That didn't stop just because you left home."
"I was thrown out on my ass, get it right."
"Whatever. You can't hold their past actions over their heads."
"I'm trying not to," he muttered.
"It's not going to happen overnight, but things will get better. I could see that she's trying to change. Marisol is going through a lot. Even you aren't heartless enough not to cut her some slack."
"I'm just worried about what Bella will think of them."
"I was worried about bringing Emily home to meet my mom for the first time too. She was so disappointed when Leah and I broke up. She was on the verge of giving Leah the china pattern that my grandmother had given her when she married my dad," Sam said with a shake of his head.
"I didn't know that."
"Neither does Emily, so don't tell her."
Paul nodded, letting the conversation sink in. He would never understand the things Sam did sometimes. He had changed so much since joining the pack. He'd had to do a lot of maturing in the year before Paul joined. He'd kept to himself making Paul think that he was depressed about what had happened with Leah. Now that Paul knew the real reason he had more of an insight into Sam's mind set.
XXXX
Jacob woke up to a slender pair of arms wrapped securely around his waist. He stretched with a groan and Leah tightened her grip on him even more.
"Has anyone ever told you that your eyelashes are so long that when you close your eyes they reach your cheeks?" she asked, bemused.
"No," he said, blushing in embarrassment.
"It's very sexy," she affirmed.
"Yeah?" he asked with a lopsided grin.
"Oh yeah," she said with a nod.
He brushed her hair out of her eyes taking in the silence. There wasn't even the scrape of his dad's chair or his deep snoring, making him wonder where he was. He pushed the thought aside before leaning in. Her lips were warm and soft against his, molding any way he wanted them to. It wasn't very often that she let him take control.
One of his hands rested on her hip which gave her more room. Leah scooted closer to him moving one of her hands up his back to let her fingers tangle in his hair. His tongue slipped past her lips and her moaned was cut off instantly.
He pushed her tank top straps down her shoulders with his free hand. His fingers brushed the crest of her breasts making her breath hitch. She pulled away with a groan after a few seconds.
"Easy. He may not be making any noise, but Seth is in the front yard."
"Please do not do that where I can hear you again or I just might hurl. Ugh," he said with a shudder.
"Why didn't you warn me before you started with the pillow talk?"
"I like making him squirm," she said with an innocent shrug.
"Sorry, Seth," Jacob said with a chuckle.
Jacob rolled over and out of bed and Leah watched him get dressed. He was the most unashamed person she had ever met. He was comfortable sleeping naked but yet he'd had qualms phasing back to human form in front of her for nearly a month after she joined the pack. Now he was proud to show himself off to her and she appreciated the free look at his butt as he pulled on a pair of boxers.
She sat up in bed letting the sheet fall from her. Her flimsy tank top straps were falling down her arms and her breast were still exposed when he turned around. He came back to lean over her, caressing her arms before pushing the straps back up and resituating the top over her breast reluctantly.
"Someday soon you're going to undress me instead of dressing me," she said, her voice still thick with lust.
"I'm still out here," Seth muttered.
Jacob smirked before brushing her hair over her shoulder. He kissed her forehead then stood and walked from the room. She heard him open the front door and invite Seth in for breakfast before they traded shifts. She sighed heavily before pushing herself off the bed. This was one of those times when she wished that she didn't have a little brother who tended to be a buzz kill.
XXXX
Sam was sitting on the stairs when Leah and Seth walked through their yard after leaving Jacob's. Seth passed him, nodding tiredly when Sam greeted him. Leah sat on the top step next to Sam silently wondering what he had to say.
"What's going on?" she prodded.
"Do you ever wonder if Sean will one day phase?"
"I had nightmares about him finding one of us in the woods and somehow killing us for over a month," she said with a shudder.
"What about now?"
"My mom sat me down and explained to me that there wasn't any way that we could have passed on the gene to him because we aren't each other's imprint. I've been meaning to talk to you about it."
"Now that you've explained that to me it does put my mind at ease. I've been having dreams of someone who looks exactly like Seth the way he does now showing up on my doorstep demanding that I explain 'what the hell is going on'," he said using air quotes.
"I'm sorry for keeping him from you for so long. I can't imagine how much you must distrust me now," she said, her voice laced with shame.
"I don't distrust you, Leah. I questioned your character for a minute or two before explained your reason behind keeping him from me."
"That's even worse," she said with a feeble laugh.
"I trust you. That's never going to change," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
He patted her shoulder lightly before standing. She watched him leave before going inside. Seth was already asleep when she passed his door on the way to her room. She fell asleep almost instantly. The weight on her shoulders had been lifted and she was relieved that she had been able to ease Sam's fears.
XXXX
The drive to Paul's parent's house was filled with little conversation. Bella could feel the stress rolling off of Paul and she knew not to mess with him when he was like this. They pulled up into the yard and his uncles were already working on fixing the banister and repainting the door.
"I had planned on fixing that today," Paul said gesturing to the banister.
"Already taken care of," Dave said not looking up from what he was doing.
"We wanted you to have some time with your parents and Sadie," Jay said, starting to apply more paint to the door.
Paul pulled Bella up the stairs, realizing that they had already been fixed. He opened the door with trepidation. He had been hiding this side of his life from Bella since he met her and he wasn't sure how she would react.
Inside Sadie and Tom sat on the couch while Marisol sat in a recliner across the room. She was yet again propped up with pillows and her oxygen tank was resting against the chair. There were tubes running from the tank to her nose which meant that she was doing worse today than she had when Paul had seen her last.
"Don't mind me, I'm just taking my breathing treatment," Marisol explained.
"She's not having a good day today," Sadie said sadly.
"We could come back," Bella said sympathetically.
"No," Marisol said before dissolving into a coughing fit.
"She wouldn't want you to leave on her account, have a seat," Tom said gesturing to the kitchen chairs that had been brought in.
Bella sat closest to Marisol, giving her a polite smile as she sat down.
"He didn't mention that you were beautiful," Tom said, giving his son an even look.
"Can I introduce you to all of her before you start to embarrass me?"
"Go ahead," Sadie urged.
"These are my parents Tom and Marisol and my aunt Sadie, the two outside are my uncle's Jay and Dave. Everybody, this is Bella."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Bella said politely.
"How long have you two been together?" Sadie asked.
"Four months," Bella said, looking at Paul with a smile.
"And how long have you been married?" she questioned.
"Two weeks," Paul said, knowing what was coming next.
"How old are you Bella?"
"I'll be nineteen in September."
"Uh huh," Sadie said in understanding.
"Aww Sadie, leave them alone. You were only a year older than her when you got married and the two of you had only been dating for a month," Tom chided.
Sadie smiled shyly before brushing her hair behind her ear.
"What do your parents do, Bella?" Marisol asked once her breathing treatment was finished.
"My dad is the Chief of Police for Forks and my mom is a preschool teacher who lives in Florida."
"You're Charlie's daughter?" Tom asked.
"You know him?"
"I've run into him with Billy a couple of times over the years."
"They've been best friends since they were kids."
"What kind of work would you like to do?" Sadie asked.
"I was thinking maybe I could go to school to become a social worker or maybe a grief counselor."
"So you do plan on going to school?"
"Sadie, ease up," Paul warned.
"Marrying young is not for everyone. Your uncle and I struggled for years before we finally got it right."
"You don't understand the relationship that Paul and I have and you are not the first person to doubt that we can make things work," Bella pointed out.
"I don't doubt that you are a nice girl, but I want what's best for him just like his parents do."
"We have no problems with them being together. Do we Mar?"
"No. Sadie, leave them alone."
"I'll check on lunch while the four of you talk."
Sadie rose from the couch silently and Tom patted the couch while looking at Bella. Bella took her seat and Tom turned towards her.
"Sorry for the Sadie inquisition. We're all very protective of Paul. He deserves to have someone who will treat him right."
"She doesn't know the legend of the tribe," Marisol explained.
"The less people who know the better," Tom said with a nod.
"It's fine."
"I should have warned you," Paul said with a slow shake of his head.
"I understand. Paul had to go through the same thing with my dad and best friend."
"I'm still going through it," he said with a sigh.
"My dad will come around."
"How does your mother feel about the situation?" Marisol asked.
"She didn't know about Paul until after we were married. She was hurt that I didn't tell her, but she understands. She knows that I wouldn't be with someone if I didn't believe that we could make it work."
Tom nodded before reaching under the coffee table in front of them.
"Oh no," Paul said with a groan.
"Do you want to see what he looks like with a lip and earrings?" Tom asked with a sneaky smile.
"No, she doesn't," Paul answered quickly.
"Sure, I do."
"Don't encourage him," Paul said, groaning again.
"My mom will probably do the same thing when you meet her. Let me have a few laughs at your expense," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Paul gestured for his dad to go ahead with a sigh. He opened the book and a smiling baby version of Paul stared back at them.
"What a cutie," Bella said with a smile.
"Just know that pay back is hell," Paul said flatly.
"We had that done for his first Christmas," Tom said proudly.
"Show her the one after he got his tongue ring," Marisol offered.
"She doesn't want to see that," Paul said with a roll of his eyes.
"You're gonna love this," Tom said, flipping through the book.
She stared at a picture of Paul in his mid-teens. Jay was holding his tongue out while Paul gave the camera a dark look. His tongue was swollen to twice its size and he looked miserable.
"Jay warned him what would happen if he got another piercing. He learned his lesson after that," Tom said with a laugh.
"I had just gotten it two hours before."
"You screamed like a little girl," Sadie said from the kitchen with a laugh.
"It hurt!" Paul said in defense.
"Did they close after you phased?" Bella asked after Sadie went outside to tell the guys that lunch was ready.
Paul nodded; glad that she was taking everything in stride. She was the first girl that he had brought home or even mentioned being interested in to his parents and they were welcoming her with open arms. He had been nervous about what their reactions to her would be His granddad hadn't agreed with his parents marrying because his mom was Native American and his dad was Welsh. Everyone on the reservation had welcomed his dad and aunt and uncle when they lived there and he himself hadn't been treated differently just because he was mixed. His parent's acceptance of others had always been something that made him proud.