Paul

The beginning of the day went exactly as planned. I thought that Leah had been a pain in my ass when we were kids, but nothing compared to the bridal wrath she was unleashing on the pack. It was 6am on the morning before Leah and Emmett's wedding. She had decided that we would all be included in the pictures at least, and Jasper's friends were handling patrol so the entire pack was crammed in a bridal shop being fitted for tuxes, along with Harry and the Cullens. Leah and the girls were on one side of the shop looking for her dress, but she kept running back to our side to raise hell with us. She had already made Bella cry once, which was easily done with her hormones, and started a fight with Sam. Emmett was doing a great job at calming her down, but she was really anxious for the day. I saw her coming and made my way to the door to hide in Jared's car, but she caught me right before I made it outside.

"Just where do you think you're going, Paul?" She yelled. "I haven't seen you in a tux yet!"

Before I could even turn around to respond I heard an angelic voice calling Leah's name. I turned and looked past Leah to see Rosalie in her bridesmaids dress. She had never looked more beautiful than she had in that moment. I felt my jaw drop, and I couldn't find the words I wanted to use to compliment her.

I walked back inside and sat outside of the fitting rooms. One of the girls that worked at the shop came in the room with a tray of cupcakes, offering them to us.

Quil jumped from his seat and took two. He turned to me as he shoved the first one in his mouth. "Damn, I love this place! They have hot girls and cupcakes." I slapped the back of his head and took one from the girl, thanking her and pulling Quil away. She giggled at us, and I was thankful the staff wasn't judging my immature pack brothers too harshly.

"Paul!" Leah yelled again. "Can you put your damn tux on? I want to see what the different tuxes will look like next to Rose's dress color."

Rosalie chuckled and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to the room the rest of the pack was in. Esme had convinced the owner to open early and shut the shop down for the morning so we wouldn't disturb any other shoppers, which was great because any normal person would have lost it trying to deal with the pack. I caught Jasper slipping the staff big tips every time one of the guys raised their voice or Leah screamed at us about something.

Embry, Jared, and I changed in to three different colors of tuxes. Leah wanted to compare them with the bridesmaid's dress Rosalie was wearing. She wore a very pale blush pink. Leah was torn between grey, navy, or black for the guys. We stepped out and she had each of us stand next to Rosalie to compare the colors. All of the girls had come in and were sitting among the pack, while the three of us stood at the front of the room. I wore navy and Jared wore black, and we each took Rosalie's side first.

Sue's face turned sour. "Leah, I love you, but Jared's tux looks awful." I laughed at her, knowing Jared would think she was insulting him.

Jared gasped dramatically and put his hand on his chest. "Oh, so I'm ugly Sue? I take offense to that!"

Everyone chuckled at him, including Sue. Rosalie smacked his arm playfully. "Not you, honey." Sue clarified. "I just don't think the black goes well with the blush."

"Agreed." Leah said. "I don't hate the navy though. Jared, go away you're done. Em, come stand next to Rose." Jared huffed and grumbled as he walked away from us.

Embry came to stand next to her and Leah's face lit up. She jumped out of her seat and clapped her hands. "That's it! The blush and the grey! What do you think, mom?" She turned to Sue.

"I love it!" Sue agreed. "Sorry Paul, step away from your girl."

Emmett was standing by Embry's side now and telling Leah how nice he thought the color combination looked that she picked. I hated that Embry looked better next to her than I had, even though I knew it was just the color of his tux they preferred.

Jared laughed as I walked toward him. "Ha, they kicked you off the stage too." I grimaced at him.

Rosalie didn't seem to notice the change in my mood. I changed back in to my clothes with Jared and we decided to head out and get started on the venue set up. Rosalie was still modeling her dress with Embry while everyone beamed over how great they looked, so I decided not to stick around. I knew that she was mine, but the smug look on Embry's face was infuriating. I walked out the door and toward Jared's car when I heard someone calling for me.

"Paul, wait!" Bella was running toward me in her dress. She looked beautiful, but she was no comparison to Rosalie.

I laid back against Jared's car and folded my arms. "What's up, B?"

"Come back inside, I have an idea." She had a mischievous look on her face. "I promise you'll like it." Jared shrugged and she took my hand, leading us back inside. I followed her to a dressing room where a tux in the same gray color Embry was wearing was laid out. "They need to see the best man and maid of honor together." She was beaming as she ushered me in to the room.

I smiled as I dressed in the tux. Bella must have seen how upset I was over the attention everyone was giving to Rosalie and Embry, I just wished Rosalie was that observant. I still hadn't told Rose about my strange imprint with Bella, but I was grateful for the connection we had. I slipped on the tux and opened the door to B and Jared standing outside. I did a quick spin and chuckled. "What do you think, B?"

"You look amazing." B replied. She hugged me and whispered. "Go get your girl."

I walked back out to the room Rosalie and Embry were standing in and Sue whistled as I came in to her view. I strolled over to my girl's side and pulled her in to my arms. I kissed the top of her head and spun her around in front of me. "How do we look, guys?"

"Like a match made in heaven." Sue beamed at us.

Embry glared at me as Rosalie nestled her head in to my chest. I didn't enjoy hurting him, but she was mine. Rosalie and I sat down together and chatted with Sue while the rest of the guys were measured and the girls tried on their dresses. I was actually really glad that we were having professional pictures done of the entire pack. I just hoped that we'd all make it through for more pack weddings after our battle.

We were told the clothes would be in for everyone within a few hours. Normally it would take weeks. The pack started to file out the door and the girls were staying behind with Leah to pick her bridal dress. There was a lot to be set up on the beach before the ceremony tomorrow. I walked Rosalie over to where the others were shopping and kissed her softly before turning to leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Leah yelled behind me. "My brothers aren't going to help me pick my dress?"

Seth turned around and groaned loudly. "Lee, me and Paul don't want to look at dresses all day. You can send us pictures or something. Besides, we have to go help set up at the beach." I slapped my palm against my face. This kid was digging us a hole, and making Leah even more upset.

I patted his shoulder. "Wrong answer, kid. Of course we'll stay, LeeLee."

We walked back in the room and sat down next to Rosalie. She was up and down helping Leah and Sue pick out different options. Most of the girls had stayed, but Leah had insisted she needed all of her closest friends there. Somehow that had included me, Seth, and Jasper. Jasper had been Leah's patrol partner at one time, and I hadn't realized how much she looked up to him. He must have learned a lot about fashion from his time with Alice because he had a lot of insight and opinions. Sue and Esme followed Leah to the dressing room and Jasper stood up in front of all of us, clearing his throat.

"I have a few ground rules for everyone." He announced. "Leah reacts to every dress before we do, and we don't say anything negative about a dress she loves."

Rosalie giggled. "Jasper has been known to fight over hurting his sister's feelings."

"You definitely weren't laughing about it at the time." I reminded her, kissing her cheek. I remembered how angry she was when Jasper had broken my arm.

Rosalie leaned in to me as we watched Leah come out in different dresses. She was gorgeous in all of them, but I kept my comments to a minimum and tried to only echo what she was saying. Rose told Leah her thoughts on every dress, and Rachel was the only other soul that was brave enough to speak her mind after Jasper's warning. Leah couldn't seem to decide what style she was going for- she tried everything from ball gowns to short dresses. We encouraged her each time she came out and I think that made her more confused. Rosalie was surprisingly in a great mood, chatting with everyone and flirting with me the whole time we were sitting there. She even seemed to have made up with Rachel and the two of them were making conversation about the choices Rose would make when it was her turn.

If Jasper was a wolf, Rachel would have been his imprint. He was drawn to her the same way I was to Rosalie. I didn't know much about mating for vampires, but I could see the connection between the two of them. I was glad that he met her so soon after losing Alice. She seemed to be helping him heal.

After what felt like hours of dress shopping, one of the employees stepped out and asked for Rosalie. Rosalie followed her to Leah's dressing room and we could hear her shrieks from the lobby. She came back out and explained that Leah had found the perfect dress but decided she wanted it to be a surprise. We were about to leave as the courier arrived with all of the men's clothes and the girl's dresses, so I agreed to take them all back to La Push. The girls had two hair and makeup artists meeting them at the Cullen's house for a trial run before the wedding tomorrow and the boys needed to get to the beach to help with the set up.

Before I could leave, Rosalie pulled me aside. She lead me to the dressing rooms we'd used for the pack earlier that were on the opposite side of the store from where Leah and some of the girls still sat. The store wasn't opening to the public for about another hour, so it was still just our group inside. She pushed me down on the bench in the fitting room and started taking her clothes off.

"How promiscuous of you, Miss Hale." I teased her as I stood and removed my shirt. "What if someone catches us?"

She giggled and kissed my neck. "It's a good thing we have supernatural senses, isn't it?" She whispered in my ear.

I lifted her and pushed her up against the wall of the dressing room. She wrapped her legs around me and moaned loudly as I entered her. "Someone must want to get caught."

Our supernatural hearing was certainly useful when we heard someone coming toward us. We quickly got dressed and heard the store attendant asking if anyone was back there. We emerged from the room and Rosalie told the lady I had left my wallet behind when we were trying on tuxes earlier. We walked outside and she looked at me and burst in to laughter.

Leah came out with the rest of the girls and we all took off toward home. Jasper took me and Seth with him since we were all headed to the reservation. I took the back seat and let Seth sit up front with Jasper. He was more cordial toward me since Alice died, but it was clear that he was only tolerating me for Rosalie's sake. Seth picked some music and was pretty quiet until we were almost home.

"Can I ask you something, Jasper?" Seth turned the music down and turned toward him.

Jasper thought very highly of Seth, but the two weren't very close. "Of course you can." He replied.

Seth shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Are we all going to die? Be honest with me." Jasper pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the car. "I know we are strong Jas, but 100 newborns? Even with Peter and Charlotte... Please, just tell me how I can keep my sister safe."

Jasper asked us to get out of the car and walk with him. We were in Forks, not far from the rez. We walked in to the woods a short way before he finally turned around to face us. "I don't know, Seth. I wish I had the answers for you but I don't. I won't lie to you, we can't handle an assault of this magnitude and there will be losses. I don't know how many and I can't figure out a way to mitigate our risk with such low numbers." He ran his hands through his hair. "I'd like to send the girls away for the weekend. Someplace far from here, where they'll be safe."

He turned to look at me, as if waiting for my feedback. "I think that's a good idea, but will the army even show up without B close by?" I wondered. I know we had killed their tracker, but with this many newborns they were bound to have a new one.

"As long as everyone thought she was." Jasper replied. He had a sinister look on his face that made me uneasy. "Edward is going by what he can hear in our thoughts now that Alice can't see anything or feed him intel. As long as we all think that she is nearby, he won't know the difference until it's too late. Is there anyone in the pack that can hide their thoughts well?"

Seth looked at me with the same look Jasper had. They both knew that was me. "I can't make everyone's imprints disappear without telling them." I was disgusted by the thought. "I won't betray my brothers like that."

Jasper was glaring at me now. "Then I guess they'll all die." He said coldly. "Let's go Seth, we have things to do for Emmett."

I was angry. I didn't want to carry the burden of lying to all of my brothers, and it was wrong of Jasper to expect that of me. Seth looked at me with tears in his eyes and shook his head. I couldn't blame him for being upset with me. He was going to blame me now if anything happened to our sister. Jasper had already started walking toward the car and Seth ran behind him, away from me. How could I even pull this off? I didn't have Jasper's resources. How was I supposed to send everyone away without telling any other Cullens?

I wanted to talk to Rosalie, but I knew she was busy with Leah. I called Jared to pick me up and reflected on what he'd said while I waited. Was it really the best idea? What if someone was injured and we needed their imprint to get back quickly? Or what if we died? I'd have to have a human that would be far away from the action in on our plan. I hated the thought of it, but if Jasper had already accepted our impending defeat it may be a good idea. I didn't want to even imagine the argument I'd have with Rosalie or Leah about them leaving along with the rest of the girls.

The worst part was that I couldn't discuss my dilemma with anyone since their thoughts weren't safe from Edward. Jared pulled up to get me and I put the issue of where the girls would be during the fight out of my mind. He drove us back to the beach where most of the setup was already done. Emmett had asked the photographer to come out today and get some pictures of us guys together. I was his best man, he said Jasper had stood next to him dozens of times before.

Time with my pack brothers was exactly what I needed to ease my anxiety. We took pictures as a group and then tons of shots of each of us in different groups and alone. I insisted that Jake take one with me so Bella would have it if she lost both of us. Emmett was on cloud nine while we waited for the girls to be ready. The photographer finished our shots and left to take pictures of Leah for her trial hair and makeup. I noticed Emmett standing alone at the water's edge and walked over to check on him.

"You okay, Em?" I asked him. He wasn't wearing his normal enthusiastic expression, which was odd since this was the day before his wedding.

He looked back at me with a half smile that didn't meet his eyes. "I'm fine. Just thinking about everything that's coming."

I patted his shoulder. "We are going to be just fine. Don't let that get you down, not now."

He chuckled and looked back out at the water. "I know you're planning to propose soon, but why wait? We aren't. Go now, we might not have time for you to wait."

Emmett was really excited about my plan to propose to Rosalie, but I didn't share his confidence. I knew she loved me, but I worried she may not be ready for that kind of commitment. I wasn't ready to do it today, but seeing Emmett so concerned for our fate was changing my stance.

"Take Jared with you, it will be fine. I'd go but you know- bad luck if I see Leah's look for tomorrow and all. We don't need any more of that with a whole damn army coming to kill us already." He turned around and hugged me. "Rosie is going to love it. Don't worry."

Emmett wasn't normally this much of a hugger, and I wondered if he knew something the rest of us didn't. I wanted so badly to talk to Emmett, Sam, or Jared about the predicament I was in. I knew they'd know the right answers, but none of their thoughts were safe. I wanted my head to be clear before I proposed to her. I tried to think of someone, anyone, that Edward wouldn't be able to hear. I could go to the council but they wouldn't understand. Billy Black would be my best bet, but he wasn't my biggest fan since I wasn't exactly kind to any of his children. That was when I remembered; Edward had never been able to hear Bella's thoughts. As much as I didn't want to stress her out, I needed to talk to someone and she was the best possible option.

I looked back at Emmett. "Why don't we have a bonfire tonight? Normally we'd be doing a rehearsal dinner right?"

His face lit up. "That's a great idea! And the photographer can get some casual pictures of everyone. The way we would really want to be remembered."

"I can propose to her in front of the pack tonight then." I told him.

Emmett agreed to the plan and called Leah to tell her what we were doing. She told him that her and Rosalie were still busy but she would send the rest of the girls our way. While we waited for them, we all went back to Sam's to change out of our suits.

Jared wanted to go cliff diving, so Emmett asked the girls to meet us at the top of the cliff. I really admired Jared's optimism. He had been thrown in to becoming a cop in the middle of the pack's fight with Victoria to protect Charlie and he was by far the most positive of all of us. Kim matched his energy- she was on cloud nine being with him. They were truly perfect for each other and I hoped he would make it out of the fight unscathed. I hated that Kim had been thrown into the supernatural world, but I appreciated that she gave Jared something to right for.

I didn't feel like jumping, so I sat back while everyone else did. I thought about what I was going to do. I watched all of the couples together and the more I saw the less I wanted to hide the imprints. I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if I found out one of my brothers sent Rosalie away and didn't tell me. Jacob walked past me carrying Bella bridal style and laughing with her and I couldn't bear the thought of hiding her from him. I knew it was for their safety, and probably in their best interest, but I couldn't be the one to do it. I saw the joy on Bella's face as they jumped off the cliff together and I decided I wouldn't take that away by burdening her with this.

I needed to come up with a proposal plan, so I went down to the spot on the beach that we came up to after jumping. Rachel was sitting at the edge of the water after jumping with Jasper, so I recruited her for my plan. We went to a small florist in Forks and got a few dozen roses and some small candles. We planted each rose individually and created a heart. In between each rose was a candle, and in the middle of the heart we spelled out "Marry me?". It was gorgeous. I thanked Rachel for her help and ran to the top of the cliff to wait for Rosalie. We had done it far enough back from the shore that it shouldn't be washed away. I felt my anxiety climbing as I waited for her and Leah to get there.

Jared and Kim were walking toward me when I saw Leah's car pull up. Rosalie got out and ran to me, jumping in to my arms.

"Do you feel like jumping, babe?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm honestly ready to go start the fire if that's okay?"

My heart started pounding. If she didn't jump, I'd have no reason to take her to that part of the beach. Jared knew what I was doing and chimed in. "Come on, Hale, don't be such a wuss."

She turned and glared at him. "I'll show you a wuss, Cameron."

I laughed at their bickering. "Well now you have to do it babe. If nothing else we need to prove Jared wrong."

She rolled her eyes and nodded her head, agreeing with me. Jared and Kim jumped first, and I gave him a few minutes to gather the pack on the beach.

Rosalie looked up at me. "I love you, Paul. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am for you." She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me slowly. "I don't know what I did to make the spirits think I deserved you, but I thank them every single day."

I smiled at her. "I love you, Rosalie. You're my world, I hope you know that."

Our moment came to an end when I heard Jared screaming. "Did you wuss out already, Hale?" Rosalie laughed and rolled her eyes. I picked her up and ran to the edge of the cliff, jumping off with her.

My heart pounded in my chest as I came out of the water. Jared met me at the shore and slipped the ring in my had. I had barely made it before her and I turned around just in time to see her face as she took in the display. I knelt in front of her.

"Rosalie, you are my entire world. I don't know why I was blessed with you because I certainly didn't deserve you. I know we've had so many ups and downs already but you're the best part of my life. Will you marry me, babe?"

She cupped her face in her hands and started nodding. She would have been crying if she could. I stood up and slid the ring on her finger. The pack started cheering behind us as she kissed me. "I'll never take this off." She whispered in my ear as she hugged me.

The party was in full swing before we knew it. Esme, Sue, and Emily made food for everyone and the pack played football. The girls did a few more jumps from the cliff before settling in to watch us. This was exactly how I wanted to remember everyone if things went south this weekend. Billy Black and the other tribal elders even joined us, taking their seats around the fire and preparing to tell the legends. I never got tired of hearing them.

We finished our game and sat down to eat. Rosalie had made plates for me and Jared and brought them over to us. Billy and Charlie had brought some liquor and Rachel was getting drunk and making a fool of herself. Jasper kept trying to calm her down, but she was not having it. Rosalie came over to me and told me she was going back to our place to get something she'd gotten for Leah. I hugged her tightly before watching her run away from me.

Rachel was making a scene and Jasper looked so embarrassed. I sat down across from Bella as both of Rachel's brothers left to help Jasper calm her down. Bella was chucking quietly and giving me her commentary on what was happening behind me. Leah joined me as well and we all made jokes at Rachel's expense. This party felt like the ones we'd had before any of us phased. All of the rez kids hanging out around a bonfire and joking with each other. Before we were a pack, we had mostly all been friends. Jasper finally picked Rachel up and carried her home, something I thought he should have done before she embarrassed herself the way she had. Rosalie was taking a while to come back, so Billy suggested we start the telling of the legends without her.

We were halfway through the legends when I felt this unbearable pain in my chest. It was like the wind had been knocked out of me. I fell off the log I was sitting on and kneeled on the ground, clutching my chest with both hands. Something had to be wrong with Rosalie. Leah and Bella got down next to me and kept asking me if I was okay. I was in absolute agony. Billy had stopped taking and Carlisle came over to me and placed his stethoscope on my back. I couldn't find the strength to speak to any of them.

Bella was crying. "Where is Rosalie?" She asked through her tears. I didn't want to know the answer.

"Paul! Emmett!" I heard Jasper screaming. Nobody responded, and he continued to scream as he got closer. "It's Rosalie!" My heart sank at his words and the entire world around me faded to black.

I'll never forget the sounds I heard that night. Even above the sirens of Charlie's cruiser, I could hear Leah's screams and the pained howls of the pack as they arrived at the place I had called home for such a short time. Emmett had carried me here, the pain still too overwhelming for me to walk. I can still see the way the light had left his eyes and the broken expression that Jasper wore as we watched the flames climb through the night sky. Embry had crumbled next to me, collapsing to the ground as his sorrow overcame him. Jared was trying to put on a brave face for me, but I could hear his soft cries and quickened breaths. I felt frozen, unable to process the scene in front of me.

I should have been searching the woods, seeking another answer. I should have been trying to find Edward. I should have been doing anything other than standing in that spot, watching our house burn. Seth had refused to accept what the rest of us had realized. He was running desperately through the woods behind us, trying to follow a dead end scent trail. Every one lead back to our home.

I didn't need the hint of purple lacing the black smoke in the air to confirm my fears. The gentle pull of our imprint had been replaced by a gaping hole in my chest.

Embry stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked at Jared, and then back to me. "No matter what happens, I'm going to kill Edward Cullen." He announced between his sobs.

I watched as the fire department finally arrived and started working. The rest of the pack appeared at my side, but I remained frozen in that spot. Sue and Harry pulled up and tried to console Leah, to no avail. Bella approached my side and laced her fingers with mine. Her touch didn't bring me any solace.

Carlisle's soft voice brought me back to reality and I felt his cold, gentle touch on my shoulder. I shuddered because of how eerily similar it felt to the touch I craved so badly. "I'm so sorry, son." He slipped something in my hand and I felt the warm metal of her engagement ring, something she never would have left behind. She had only worn it for such a short time. This confirmation of her demise destroyed the last sliver of hope that I had.

I pushed Bella away from me and exploded in to my wolf, running away from my burning house and my love's remains.