Her present from everyone was her car. Not just any old car, not even her rusted Lassie from high school. It was her car. The very car she had almost died in, looking brand new. She had cried when she saw it, and she ran her hands over the front of it, where she knew the deer had pummeled it. "Thank you so much," she insisted.

But it was what was inside that made her heart practically explode. Little presents. Things like gift cards, an old lady wig- to which she glared at Jake – clothes, she desperately needed winter clothes. And even a series of movies to keep her occupied when she was alone. But it was the two living humans that made her really start to cry. Hayley and Stephanie. She hugged them both so tightly, she was sure they would suffocate, and didn't let go until she started to feel cold.

And then she turned and hugged every single person there, young and old, before they all went inside, out of the cold, to where dinner was served. The meal that they had all practically slaved away making. Bella had done the baking, Sue and Emily the actual meal, and Kim and Sarah had the little snacks.

It was a gourmet meal. And Bella got the scoop out of everything Stephanie and Hayley had to offer for their senior year, including who was dating who. Bella learned that Boyfriend had hit the road not long after the accident. They had their own apartment closer to campus. And that Hayley was now working at Sea World part time in transition for full.

Bella had missed them immensely. She hadn't realized how much.

"Are you staying for a while?" Bella asked.

"We're heading to New York for New Years, on the way back. We're going to try to get into Times Square." Bella felt her eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?"

Hayley grinned. "Yeah! Life's short, you know? And after the accident, well… we've decided we've got to do as much as we can. Besides, we'll go next year, once you're all better."

Next year. It seemed so far away now. "Yeah," Bella said, doing her best to give them a warm smile. "Let's."

But they were all moving on.

As everyone left, and her and the two Floridians crashed on the couch watching cheesy Christmas classics, it grew late, and cold. Bella curled up in a blanket, in the corner of the couch, with Hayley and Stephanie both clutching a pillow on the opposite ends. And soon they fell asleep, but Bella couldn't.

How could she sleep when she had been asleep for six months?

There was a light knock on the door near midnight. At first she wasn't sure she heard it, until she listened for a second, and heard it again. Hesitant, as if they didn't want to wake anyone up… as if they didn't want to be let in in the first place. Bella wasn't sure what made her convinced it was Paul, but once she convinced herself she couldn't shake it. And she untangled herself from the covers, grabbed the ridiculous walker, and moved as quickly as possible towards the door. It still took a few minutes.

She opened it and a big gust of wind blew some snow to show her Paul, in a short sleeve shirt, but not looking affected by the storm in the slightest. What she wouldn't have given to be a wolf in that moment. She must have shown him some surprise because he held up a hand to show a small wrapped present.

He brought her a present? "Come on in," Bella said quietly. "You missed dinner. But we have some left overs."

"I ate," Paul muttered. She shut the door behind him and followed him to the couch, careful to avoid Stephanie's feet. Paul glanced at the two girls worriedly, but sat beside Bella in their usual spot – the corner of the couch. She tucked her legs under her and barely had a chance to breathe because suddenly he was pressing a present towards her.

Bella took the wrapped present carefully from Paul. It wasn't very big, but she knew it had been something he had put a lot of time into. Mostly because of the way he was shifting nervously. Like he wasn't sure what she'd say. She had been careful to learn these cues when she was in high school. It was how she knew if he was close to phasing or not, or if something would trigger an episode of rage. "Your old one… uh, was a bit worn out. And I thought, you know… you'd probably like a new one. I can take it back if you don't like it-"

"Paul, I'm sure it's great." He went silent, and she chewed on her lip as she purposefully used her left hand, trying to get as much strength back into it as possible, to open the present. It was really well wrapped. It was… like professionally wrapped. "Did you wrap this yourself?"

"Er… yeah." He gave her a shrug, like it was nothing. "I've learned over the years how to unwrap a present and then wrap it back up again so that I knew what would be inside." What a dork. That was something she could definitely picture him doing. She shot him a grin, and he flushed slightly, as if embarrassed. She adjusted herself so that she could set it on her lap, and she tugged at the wrapping again, particularly hard, and it opened the present. A book fell out. Or rather, a book revealed itself.

Her breath caught in her throat as she read the title. And she felt tears prickle her eyes. It was probably one of the most romantic things she had ever gotten. Not because of the actual book, but because of what it meant to her… to them. "Wuthering Heights?" she whispered, almost in disbelief. She glanced up and Paul winced.

"If you don't like it-"

"Paul, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." He raised an eyebrow, and she glanced back down to the book, her fingers tracing the foil cover. It was cloth, but the foils with the typography were absolutely gorgeous. She had never seen this edition before. It must have cost a lot. It was so beautiful. "Thank you." She had never said the words to him more heartfelt than she had in this moment. She glanced up and set the book aside, hauling herself forward and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened slightly. "Thank you."

"Er… you're welcome."

She pulled away, and she gave him a small smile. "Will you read it to me?"

He started. "What?"

"Like… like you did in the hospital, I guess," Bella continued self-consciously. "You know? Just…. You don't have to, but… if you'd like..." He glanced to the book on the couch and back to her hopeful expression.

"Fuck…" he muttered under his breath. "Sure, why not?"

She gave him a warm smile. "Really?"

He took one look at her, before giving a nod. "Yeah… Sure."

She just wanted to see if he'd do it. She didn't think he'd actually… But he was serious. He settled down in the couch, waiting for her to settle herself, and then he grabbed the book from the pile of paper, tossing the wrappings behind the couch to be picked up later. And she decided to be bold. She grabbed a pillow and sat as close to him as she could possibly get, her head resting on his shoulder as he opened the book. He glanced to her strangely, as if it was weird, and then glanced back to the book. "It's fucking weird that you're awake for this."

She giggled, but was secretly glad that he hadn't pulled away. "Remind me to give you your present. It's in my closet." He said nothing. Her legs curled up under her, and she leaned more into him, his fire hot skin keeping her warm in the chilly living room, and she could hear the sound of Sue's obnoxious Christmas music playing in the background. He propped up his legs on the coffee table, and the book rested on his knee. And then he began.

His voice was quiet, but he read it steadily, and his gaze never left the pages, though she knew he had most of it memorized. She could tell by the way his eyes followed the words, but barely took them in. She watched him more than she looked at the book. And every time she would glance at him, his lips would twitch so slightly that she was almost certain they hadn't at all. And he kept reading, barely stopping between breaths, but he read. And he did so so well that she found herself being lulled to sleep.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, she just knew it was on him. And that the reading never stopped. Not until the book was finished.

She woke up to the sound of a vibration. She didn't even realize that the room was empty – that Hayley and Stephanie had woken in the night and left them alone. She hummed, reaching into her pocket for her phone, without really opening her eyes, and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?" But the vibration didn't cease. And it wasn't the phone at her ear. She could definitely feel it now, against her thigh. And her eyes popped open as she realized she wasn't alone. She was laying on Paul, who was tucked into the corner of the couch and snoring slightly in his sleep. The book was digging into his stomach, tugging at the cotton shirt he was wearing. His phone lit up in his short's pocket. She carefully slipped her hand inside of the pocket, so as not to wake him, and pulled the phone out. Sam.

Probably something important, she'd venture. So she answered. "Hello?" she asked groggily.

There was a moment of silence and then, "Bella?"

"Hey, Sam… Uh, sorry… Paul's passed out on my couch, but the phone woke me up so, you know… I answered it because I don't think he noticed-" She stopped herself from rambling and hesitated. "Do you need me to wake him up?"

"Uh… no, you know what? I'll call him tomorrow." She glanced at the windows, to see that it was still dark out. "It's no big deal. Just tell him when he's up that he owes me."

Bella frowned. Owed him for what? "Alright. I'm sure he'll be pissed, but I'll tell him."

"You two… didn't sleep together, did you?"

Bella felt her eyebrows raise. "Uh, not that that's any of your business, but no?"

There was a moment of silence. "Okay, good… Just, you know, making sure you're being careful with your injuries an all." Bullshit.

"Doctor said not for another three weeks. And uh… all that happened was he read to me." She cleared her throat. Maybe that was a bit too much information. Paul probably didn't want Sam to know that. "Right, I'm tired. I'm going back to bed. Talk to you tomorrow, Sam. I'll probably see you around if you drop the kids off for the day."

"Yeah… See you tomorrow." And he hung up. She set the phone on the coffee table, next to his sprawled legs, and glanced to Paul. He hadn't woken up. He was still breathing deeply with the occasional soft snore coming from him. She gently plucked the book off his lap and then snuggled back up to his side. His arm had somehow ended up around her waist. On top of the fabric, sure, but dangerously close to her backside.

What an asshole, she thought with a smirk. And she closed her eyes, and fell back asleep.

The next time she woke up, it was because her pillow was vibrating. Not like a phone vibrate either, but annoying and growling vibration. She groaned against the warm entity and opened her eyes. "Stop growling, mutt," she muttered under her breath. And then she realized who she was laying on. And what she had just said. Shit. She jerked herself upright, gasping in alarm, and saw Paul snorting back laughter as she stared at him wide eyed, and then she noticed that they were alone. Stephanie and Hayley were no longer on the couch. "What?"

"Some things don't change," he said with a shrug and held up his arm, that had previously been around her shoulders and back, she knew, to change the station on the tv with a remote that looked like a toy in his large hand.

"What?" she asked.

"You called me mutt."

"Oh… sorry?" She wasn't sure if he was offended or not, but by the look he was giving her, she was venturing not too offended. "I don't know where that-"

He shrugged, stopping her from finishing. "It's good. Like old times."

"Why were you growling?" He rolled his eyes and focused his attention solely on the tv.

"I just do sometimes when I get lost in my head. Nothing to freak out about. I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't even hesitate before she poke. "I know you're not." She realized that she probably looked dreadful and ran her hands through her hair to try and make her look somewhat decent. "What time is it?"

"Ten. Your friends are hanging out with the twins."

"Right… The imprint they have, right?"

He glanced at her sharply. "Wait, you fucking knew about that?"

Bella glanced away from him quickly, shrugging. "I figured it out, I think. I don't know." But she quickly changed the subject. "Are you really going to watch QVC?"

"You're such a bitch." But the words weren't hateful. She could tell that almost immediately. They were grudging, reluctant. And almost like he was trying to remind her of something. Trying to help her remember who they were. God, he was breaking her heart.

"Whatever, mutt." When she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, there was a small smile on his face. And she couldn't help but grin in return. Maybe some things didn't have to change between them. Maybe there was no need for them to.

She settled into the couch for a few minutes, before leaving to go to the bathroom. And when she was finished, she went to her room and dug around in her closet for a minute before she pulled back the present. She knew he probably wouldn't come to their get together at the house. She didn't know if he had family he had spent the holiday with, or if he had done patrols, or what, but she knew he wouldn't show up for dinner. So she had saved it for later. But present in hand, she hobbled back to the couch.

He was laying down now, on his side, and a few pillows stuffed under his shoulder. As she sat down, his eyes popped open. "Wake up, sleeping beauty," she smirked. She slid the present towards him. "Merry Christmas."

"I didn't think you had actually..." He stopped himself, as if filtering. Paul and filtering was a feat in itself. "Thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "You could at least open it, you know. I had to."

He cleared his throat, pushing himself off of the pillows and into a sitting position, before he grabbed the package. And he tore it open. He wasn't particularly gentle about it either, like she had been. And he paused as he read the lettering. "A shirt?" Bella chewed on her lip to stop from smiling. He glanced up at her, but she was staring at the package, waiting for him to actually open the damn thing so he'd read the note. He seemed to take the hint and he pulled the shirt out, seeing that there was actually a lot more in there. A DVD – the 1994 version of Wuthering Heights, and about four different sweaters.

"There's a card, too," Bella admitted, nervously as he just stared at the contents. "And… I know you don't get cold or anything, but… it's really an entirely selfish reason I got you them. I … I don't know, if you ever wore them or even if you didn't… something to hold onto if you go on patrols or something ridiculously dependent and sappy like that. You smell good." He glanced up sharply at the last sentence and quirked an eyebrow in question. "And… the movie was really like a gag, sort of, you know? Like, a way to see into my head while I was asleep so you know exactly what was playing on repeat…"

"So you want me to wear them and then give them back to you so you can be warm and smell me?"

Bella huffed. "You don't have to make me sound like I'm hopelessly desperate to have you stay with me at night, you know. I'm not. I can totally fall asleep on my own."

He smirked. "I never said anything like that."

She rolled her eyes. "If you don't want to do that, i'll just take them back-"

"And the t-shirt?" Bella glanced away innocently. "It's not going to be winter all the time, you know."

"Is this how you ask someone to spend the night?"

"No, this is how I ask someone to leave me things to cuddle with, when I'm cold," Bella returned. She crossed her arms, falling into the couch seam and hoping that it would swallow her up. "I don't know… I really didn't know what to get you and I didn't think you'd get me something so… meaningful and… I don't know."

Paul's grin vanished and he glanced down at the small box in his hands. "Thanks, Bella… I'll be sure to wear them and give 'em back."

She flushed. "The card is the real present, mutt." She huffed. "If I could walk, I'd retreat to my room and die in a hole there, but I don't feel like trying to start walking again, so you'll just have to picture me huddled in a hole and moaning in despair."

"I didn't think you wanted to moan in despair with me around. At least, that's not what you were saying the other day."

Bella shot him a smirk as she glanced up, the embarassment forgotten. "Maybe one day, James Dean."

He dug around until he found the card, setting the box aside and leaned back down onto the pillows, ripping it open to read it. "Dear Paul. Thanks for everything. Words aren't enough to tell you how much it means to me that you're doing what you can to help, and not being annoyingly overbearing about it like Emily or Jake or Angela. Stay furry? Really? You wrote stay furry?"

"If you're going to criticize what I wrote, I could easily just get Jake to wear the sweaters and be done with you all together," Bella returned, though it was playful, and not at all serious.

Paul rolled his eyes. "But Jake doesn't have the musk du Paul." Bella couldn't help but giggle, silently agreeing. "Thanks, Bells."

"Yeah, whatever," Bella said quietly. She crossed her arms and propped her feet on the coffee table. And suddenly he was reaching towards her, sliding her across the sofa towards him.

"I do mean it," he admitted.

"I'll think about forgiving you once that sweater gets some good use."

"I have plans of putting it to a lot of use," Paul admitted. "Mostly while you're wearing it, though. Preferably with it being the only thing you're wearing." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to see that he was watching her with a wolfish grin. "But I don't think you'd wear it for too long. Depends on the day, I suppose." She glanced back towards the tv, her smile peaking out no matter how hard she tried to keep a straight face.

"Is that so?"

"I might have to go out and get some more sweaters, so you have one for every day of the week-"

"You're evil."

"Born and bred."

She chewed on her lip. "How soon will the six weeks be up again?"

He snorted. "Probably the middle of January."

She sighed. "I need to start a count down… And you better have those sweaters at the ready."

He shot her a grin. "I better? Should I plug the nearest store into the GPS today to get them?"

Bella just shoved his shoulder, but let him keep his arm around her. He was warm, and though she was feeling warm herself, her skin still had goosebumps on it. Goosebumps only he could give her.

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