Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the wonderful and talented Stephenie Meyer.

Warning: This chapter contains lemons.

As summer winded down the pack had their last bonfire of summer. Bella, Emily and Sue were in charge of the food which was a big challenge. Bella had never fed the entire pack before. Paul and Jacob weren't picky eaters so she'd never had to worry about if they liked what she cooked. With only a few days until the bonfire she still didn't know what to make. Paul found her hunched over a stack of cookbooks when he came home from work.

"You know that you don't have to make a big deal out of this. They're easy to please," he said as he sat down next to her.

"I've never cooked for this many people," she said before blowing out a hug tuff of air.

"Then stick to what you know."

"I have to decide what I'm cooking in the next half an hour. Sue, Emily and I are going grocery shopping tonight."

"You have to make two things for dinner and two deserts right?"

"Yeah."

Paul shut the book in front of her and she turned to face him.

"Why not make that Tex Mex chicken pot pie thing that I like?"

"Will the others like that?"

"Babe, they'll eat anything that you bring. Jake and I have told them what a kickass cook you are. Jake would love you forever if you made cauliflower mac n' cheese."

"I could keep the desert really simple and make brownies and buy some ice cream," she thought out loud.

"That sounds like a plan."

"Thank you. You're right, I have nothing to worry about," she said before brushing her lips over his cheek.

She grabbed her keys before slipping into her shoes. She was out the door when she heard Paul tell her that she was welcome. Paul made his way to the bedroom, undressing as he walked. He was adjusting the temperature of the water when his phone rang. He ignored it figuring that it could wait.

After his shower the first thing he did was check his phone. His dad had called him. He sighed before putting the phone to his ear. He was pulling on a pair of boxer briefs when his dad finally answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Son," Tom greeted him.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to let you know that your mom was moved into a hospice today."

"I thought that you were going to hire a nurse to stay with her while you worked."

"I talked it over with her doctor and having a nurse stay with her twenty four seven while I work out of town would cost too much. Sadie and Dave are going to help me with the cost of it."

"How did she take it?"

"She went ballistic. Two nurses had to hold her down while the doctor gave her a sedative before they could transfer her to the hospice."

"So she's okay now?"

"No, she won't talk to me," he said in dismay.

"Don't worry about it. Bella and I will keep an eye on her while you're out of town."

"That's why I was calling you. Thanks, Son," Tom said gratefully.

"It's not a problem," Paul reassured him as he wrote down the name and address of the hospice.

"How are you and Bella doing?"

"We're good. We've decided to go and see her mom for Thanksgiving."

"You haven't met her mom yet?" Tom asked in concern.

"She lives in Florida and she's a teacher so she has trouble getting away."

"I'd better let you go, your mom is waking up."

Paul sat his phone on the dresser then finished getting dressed. He was glad to have a chance to rebuild his relationship with his parents but hearing someone call him 'son' again was going to take some getting used to.

XXXX

After spending a good part of Saturday cooking Bella was finally ready for everyone to eat the food that she had prepared. She was swearing off of cauliflower and brownies for the time being. If she had to steam another head of cauliflower she would throw it against the wall.

She finished getting ready while Paul loaded the truck. He had cleaned the kitchen spotless so that Bella had one less thing to do. He came back inside as she came out of the bedroom.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded as she pulled her hair into a pony tail. He crossed the room to pull her hair from its elastic before cupping her neck to pull her closer. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, putting all of his need into it. He was stingy with his time with her, he didn't like sharing her attention with others. It was one of the perks of having an imprint. She indulged him by threading her fingers into his hair. His tongue caressed hers gently eliciting a deep moan for his efforts. Bella's cell phone chirped from her pocket making her pull away.

"Don't check to see who it is, we know it's somebody wondering where we are," he said with an eye roll.

"I'm not checking my phone. We're leaving and we can pick up where we left off tonight," she promised before walking out the door.

They were pulling into a space at the parking lot in front of the beach ten minutes later. Sam, Emily, Jared and Kim were already on the beach and the guys were gathering wood to start a fire while the girls kept the food hot on portable grills. Paul went to help Sam and Jared after unloading the truck and Bella got the food on the grills.

"I was starting to think that the two of you were going to be the last to arrive," Sam teased Paul.

"So you're the cock blocker?" Paul asked with a grunt.

"No, that was Emily," he answered with a chuckle.

Paul shook his head, trying to hide a smile. He wouldn't hold it against Emily, she didn't understand things from a wolves perspective. The pack was going to have to explain things to Emily, Bella and Kim before anyone else decided to butt in. Jacob and Seth joined the group silently lending a hand while Leah helped her mom.

Once the fire was going Sue left because she didn't want to cramp the party. This bonfire was for the pack and their imprints and the elders trusted them to act sensibly. The boys were playing soccer in the surf and the girls were content to sit back and watch.

"Have you started shool yet Bella?" Kim asked.

"I start on Monday. I had wanted to take a year of and then maybe go to UDub but then I met Paul; I can't ask him to leave. I can take the same classes at the community college and if I decide that I want to get my masters Paul and I will work that out when the time comes."

"What are you going to major in?"

"I want to be a social worker, so I'll need to take a lot of Sociology classes with some psych classes mixed in."

"It's sounds like you've got you're work cut out for you," Emily observed.

"If I spread my Sociology classes out I should be able to finish in four years."

"What if you get pregnant before then?" Kim asked.

"I'm on birth control right now; we decided that we want to wait a while to have kids. Our parents had us pretty young and we want to make sure that we don't make the mistakes they did," Bella answered honestly.

Bella's eyes met Leah's and they shared a knowing look. Paul didn't want kids until he felt that he was mature and responsible enough to raise them properly. His childhood would haunt him for the rest of his life but it was also a lesson in how to not raise a child.

Paul came jogging up to them with water dripping from him. He flopped down next to her sending sand and water flying. Emily and Kim protested but Bella and Leah kept quiet because they both knew that Paul could be abrupt and aloof sometimes. Sometimes he did things that he thought were funny to him while others didn't find it funny. He gave them a sheepish look before apologizing.

Bella ran her fingers through his hair to free it of sand as Leah asked what had happened.

"Jared's a sore loser," he said with a shrug.

That was all the explanation they needed. The rest of the guys joined them and Seth asked when they were going to eat.

"Go ahead and eat," Emily said giving him permission.

He came back with a plate piled high with food plus a bowl of chicken pot pie. The smell of food wafted through the group and soon the rest of the pack made their way to the food. Emily, Bella, and Kim waited until everyone else had gotten what they wanted before eating. Most of the food was gone but Bella was able to get a piece of Emily's fried chicken, some of Sue's potato salad and a slice of the blueberry struedelle that Kim had brought. She sat between Emily and Seth and ate quietly until Jared got her attention.

"I'm not a vegetable person, but this mac n' cheese is amazing," he said in between bites.

"Thanks," Bella said with a pleased smile.

Later that night as the fire died down Bella sat with Paul watching the moons reflection dance on the water as a late tide came in. He sat behind her and she sat between his legs leaning against him. He kissed the side of her neck letting his lips linger there. Sam and Emily were gathering their things but other than that the beach was deserted.

"We're gonna take off," Sam said from a few feet away.

"See you later," Bella answered.

Once they were gone Paul tightened his grip on her. She turned her head to press her lips to his. He held her there plunging his tongue into her mouth making her gasp. She placed her hands on his shoulders to push him back onto the sand. She straddled him not breaking the kiss. His hands made their way up her arms to play with the straps of her cami. He pushed them aside to brush his fingers over her nipples through her bra. She hissed in pleasure as the sensitive buds grew under his touch.

She pulled away to pull the shirt over her head then reached around her to unhook her bra. He cupped her breast feeling the weight of them in his hands while she leaned up to yank his belt from its loops. Not only had he never seen her this eager but this was the first time that she had initiated things. He leaned up so that she could pull his shorts off content to let her take the lead.

"Are you just going to stare at me or do I have to do everything?" she asked breaking his train of thought.

He gave her an even look before sitting up with her in his lap. He pulled his shirt over his head then crushed his lips to hers. He knew that they didn't have long before someone from the pack patrolled the beach so he pushed her underwear aside and shoved three fingers into her.

"Easy," Bella said with a chuckle.

"If you want this to happen than we need to hurry. It's almost two, someone's going to be coming through here soon."

"You're right," she said with a mournful sigh.

She let him roll them over and he leaned on his elbows to take her in. She was as close to perfect as perfect could get to him. She didn't think she was anything special and she was quick to point out her flaws but he always reassured her that she was imagining things. She looked up at him, quirking her lips into a smile and he leaned down to brush his lips to her forehead. He pushed his boxers down with one hand and she leaned up to shimmy out of her underwear.

He plunged into her with a guttural growl of satisfaction. Bella wrapped her legs around his back so that he could enter her easier and he sank into her to the hilt. He started a steady pace, not caring that it would be over soon, he would make up for it during round two when they got home.

Bella panted quickly as she tried to keep up with Paul's pace. She could feel her climax building and she knew that she wouldn't last long. He spilled his seed into her and she followed soon after with a loud gasp.

"We're going home, now," he said pointedly, his voice thick with lust.

They dressed quickly and Paul prayed that they could make it home before he tore her clothes off of her. At the house he shoved her against the front door and she gasped in surprise. He looked her directly in the eye giving her a lustful look as he unbuttoned her shorts and slipped them and her underwear down her legs. She kicked off her shoes as Paul bunched her shirt in his hands. He shoved it up to expose her torso before kneeling down. He placed a few kisses on her stomach before making his way down to her thighs.

His fingers stroked her folds gently, driving her crazy with want. She moved against his hand, silently begging him to hurry things along. His going slow was the sweetest torture she had ever experienced. She resigned her efforts knowing that it wouldn't do any good. Once Paul put his mind to something nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted. Not that she would stop him.

His tongue snaked it's way to her pleasure spot making her moan in pleasure. His lips pulled into a smile against her mound proud to know that he could elicit that kind of reaction out of her. She grabbed hold of his shoulders, fisting his shirt in her hands when he sped up his efforts. Her orgasm swept over her without warning and she hummed in delight. Paul drank everything she gave him before standing up. He slowly pulled his shirt over his head and Bella pulled hers off along with her bra. Her flesh felt heated already and she knew that the night was far from over.

Once he was undressed he gathered her in his arms and carried her into the room, shutting the door behind him with his foot. Bo scratched at the door but he didn't make any other noise. If he had Paul would have shot him. Paul turned down the bed before placing Bella down. He was on top of her before she could get situated. His mouth claimed hers in a battle for dominance that Bella would gladly let him win. Even though he told her that he loved her everyday it was nice for him to show it in different ways.

XXXX

Bella came home to find a note saying that dinner was in the microwave. Paul had to be out of the house by six so that he could meet Sam at the job site the next morning. They hadn't seen much of each other since she had started school that week. She was looking forward to the weekend so that they could have some alone time. If she had a night where she didn't have school than he was working late because the people they were working for had changed the finish date for the third time.

She knew that every couple faced challenges so she wasn't worried that they would be able to make it through the hard times. Neither of them were the type to give up when things got tough.

Once she was done eating she tiptoed into the bedroom to be greeted by Bo. She ruffled his fur and scratched behind his ears before stripping down to her bra and panties. She climbed into bed gingerly, not wanting to wake Paul up. She rolled over onto her side and draped an arm over his stomach then placed her head on his chest. She was lulled to sleep by his slow, steady heartbeat. She couldn't think of a better ending to her crazy, hectic day.

Five thirty came too early and the both of them were woken up by the alarm clock. Bo sighed loudly from the floor as Paul scrubbed a hand over his face. Bella propped herself up on a elbow before raking a hand through her hair.

"Go back to sleep," Paul said, his voice thick with sleep.

"This will be the only time I get to spend with you today," she said with a sigh.

"Bella, go back to sleep," he said flatly.

"Give me a kiss," she said with a sigh.

"Is that they way you ask for something?" he teased.

"Give me a kiss, now," she demanded.

"Much better," he said with a dry chuckle.

He leaned over her, slipping a hand beneath the sheet to pull her closer to him. He kissed her gently then pulled away. She fell back against the pillows with a satisfied smile. His fingers brushed her cheek before getting out of bed. Bella was asleep before he got into the shower.

He had plans for Bella that weekend that called for them to be left alone. He would spread the word and if anyone bothered them there would be hell to pay.