Paul

I woke up on the Black's couch and saw Jake sleeping in his dad's recliner. Quil and Embry were both here too, asleep in the floor. I didn't remember them showing up the night before, they must have come straight here when Embry got back. Carlisle had given me a shot to help me sleep since Bella was gone and I didn't remember much after that. Jake seemed to do pretty well considering his imprint had left. I wondered if he had just put on a brave face for my benefit; being rejected by a living imprint was certainly better than mourning your imprint.

Jasper told us last night that today he planned to push us as hard as he could to see what we could take. He needed to really test us to come up with a strategy for the fight this weekend. Charlotte and Leah wouldn't be there, they had volunteered to stay with Bella. Rachel needed to learn how we fought in case someone managed to find the girls this weekend. I knew in the back of my mind that they wouldn't, but nobody else knew about my deal with Bella.

It was just after 5am and I decided to grab a shower while the guys were sleeping. I helped myself to some of Jake's clothes and got in the shower. I tried not to think of Rosalie as the hot water rolled down my back, but it was difficult not to go there. I finished quickly, hoping that Esme would have breakfast ready when we got to the Cullens house. Jasper seemed to forget that we needed to eat when he got caught up in a training session.

I was about to walk out of the bathroom when I heard the front door slam. I peeked out the window to see Chief Swan's cruiser parked out front. I knew what was coming- he was upset we had argued with Bella. I sauntered slowly from the bathroom, dreading the conversation that was coming. He was already tearing in to Jake when I walked in.

"What the hell is the matter with you, son? She's pregnant and hormonal and you embarrassed her in front of everyone!" He shifted his focus to me when he noticed I'd walked in. "And you, Paul! Bella has tried so hard to support you and you gang up on her with Jacob?" His face was turning red as he spoke.

I had expected Bella to twist the story a little when she told her father, but I wondered how much of what she'd told him had actually happened. "You should know I'd have to have a good reason to agree with Jake. Did she tell you what we were upset over?" I asked him.

He sat down next to Billy. "Yeah, you're mad that she's being nice to Jasper's friend. I've met Charlotte, she's a sweet girl."

I tried to keep a straight face but I couldn't help but chuckle. We certainly wouldn't have been mad that she was friends with Charlotte. Jake met my eyes and started laughing too. "Charlie, it's not Charlotte she was getting cozy with. It's the girl from Victoria's army that Jasper is babysitting, Bree." Jake told him.

Charlie's face softened and he apologized for shouting at us. Everyone knew tensions were high and a part of me understood why Bella would lie to him now that he was in the know. Another part of me was angry with Bella for lying about our exchange when she knew we were just worried for her. I was angry that she would cause problems for me when she knows it takes all of my strength just to get through each day. I'd tell her, but not right now.

The four of us left for training. I was ready for this day to be over before it even began. I had planned to run but I saw Rosalie's car parked outside. I knew Embry had taken it but I hadn't anticipated the way I'd feel seeing it outside. He offered me the keys and I climbed in the driver's seat. He had driven it for a few days but it still smelled like her. I couldn't blame Embry for what he'd done; he truly believed she was still alive, even now. I was glad they someone had loved her enough to do what he'd done. It was nice to have him home now, though. Embry climbed in the passenger seat and Jake and Quil somehow managed to fit in the back. Embry told us all about Kate on the drive to the Cullens house. The Denali's had left a bad taste in my mouth when they blamed Rosalie for killing Laurent.

We pulled up at the Cullens house and I parked behind Bella's truck. I couldn't say I was surprised, but I didn't have the energy to fight with her. I looked back at Jacob and he just shook his head. We both agreed to avoid her, knowing we wouldn't be there long this morning anyway. Esme was setting the table when we walked in, and I ran to her side quickly to help her. She smiled softly at me as I took a bowl from her hands and sat it on the table. We worked together quietly until we were finished and she stopped me and made me promise to come see her after training. I agreed and sat down with the pack to eat.

Jasper and Emmett sat with us too, even though they weren't eating. I hadn't seen Bella since I came in and I assumed she was with Bree somewhere else in the house. Rachel and Leah were with us too, Bree was the only one of the group that was missing. Kate walked in when we were almost finished and nodded at Jasper before sitting down next to Embry. Jasper left the room, and I assumed he went to see Bella and the red eyed leech before we left.

I hated to admit it, but I really liked Kate. She reminded me of Rosalie in a lot of ways. Embry was a different man now that he'd found his imprint. I was happy for him, and I hoped Kate would mesh well with the other imprints. Emily and Kim were staying with Esme, Bella, Bree, and Leah today. The original plan was for Leah to stay with Bella at Charlie's, but they all apparently wanted to meet Kate.

Jasper came back in to the room with Bree. She stood close to him, afraid that one of us would snap at her. He asked us to follow them outside and we all agreed. I noticed that Bella still wasn't here, but Esme wasn't either now.

Jasper stood in the middle of the circle we'd formed and cleared his throat. "Kate and Bree are staying behind while we train, but Kate loves a good spar. Would anyone want to go up against her as a warm up?" Jasper smiled and looked around for a volunteer.

Nobody wanted to point out the obvious in case Embry hadn't told her about imprinting yet.

"Nobody?" Jasper questioned. "You guys scared? Leah, Sam?"

Leah laughed. "I'm not scared of any leeches. I'll do it."

Emmett sighed loudly. "Go easy on my wife, Kate." He told her.

Leah ran from us and came back as her small wolf. Jasper ushered us over to the porch and we all sat on the steps to watch. I noticed how anxious Emmett looked and it almost made me mad. Was he not confident in Leah? Why had he wanted Kate to go easy on her? I loved all of the Cullens, but none of us needed a leech to take anything easy on us. Part of me wanted to volunteer to take Leah's place, but I'd only be proving the point I was angry about.

Kate stood arrogantly across from Leah, grinning as if she was teasing her. If she loved to spar so much, why wasn't she going after Leah?

Leah was the one to break their standoff, charging toward Kate. Kate stood still but outstretched her hand as Leah got closer. Leah jumped up to knock Kate down and the second her paw made contact with Kate's hand she collapsed to the ground. I swore I saw lightning come from her hands. I ran to Leah's side, she had phased back and laid naked on the ground. Her hand was blistered and I knew it would heal in a few minutes, but I was furious.

"What the hell was that, Jasper?" I screamed. "You knew Kate would do that to her!"

Emmett came over to us and covered Leah up with a blanket. "I wasn't thrilled either, Paul. Jasper did what he did to prove a point."

To prove a point? I started shaking. "At Leah's expense? Why couldn't Kate have put him on his ass to prove his point?"

Jasper finally answered me. "The point is that you wolves fight impulsively and you need to be more strategic. You know of gifts like mine, Alice's, and Edward's, but you've never seen an offensive gift like Kate's in action. Just talking about it wouldn't have had the same effect. I didn't want my sister to be hurt, but we're all going to die if we don't work on this." His explanation did little to calm my nerves.

"What's the strongest gift you've seen? Is it worse than Kate's?" Seth asked.

"It gets a lot worse, kid." Emmett responded. "Alec and Jane of the Volturi are probably the worst. Alec can release this black smoke from his hands that strips you of all of your senses. You're completely paralyzed and vulnerable. Jane can inflict gut wrenching pain on you with as much as a thought. Nobody can stand against them."

Jasper turned to Bree. "Are there any gifts in the army that we need to know about?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "Nothing offensive like that. Riley is a tracker but he isn't very good, not like the man you guys killed. Victoria has a gift for evasion. She will be hard to catch."

"I believe we can handle that." Sam commented. "Is there anything else you can tell us that may be helpful?"

Bree looked down at her feet. "The numbers are higher than you think. They have more than 100, probably close to 200 by now."

Quil stood up and started walking away from us.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Sam called after him.

He turned around and stared directly at his alpha. "Home. We can't face 200 leeches! Stop kidding yourselves! I only have two days left with my family, I'm not wasting it training to fight a battle we'll lose anyway."

Nobody said a word as he walked away. Sam may have wanted to argue with him or order him to come back, but he didn't. How could we? Quil wasn't wrong. There was no way we could take on 200 leeches, especially now with our numbers dwindling. Morale across the pack was so low that Jasper decided to cancel our morning training session and we all agreed to meet back up at 5pm in the clearing.

I had my own plan in mind. I was going to Seattle to lower their numbers. Jasper wouldn't agree, but I knew who would. I started with Peter. He had been in favor of this plan the first time around. Then I went to my next closest allies; Jared and Embry. Of course with Embry came Kate, and with Peter came Charlotte. There was one more person I needed to make this work, but I wasn't so sure they'd be as easily convinced. And I'd have to see Bella to get to them.

I walked up the steps of the Cullen's house to the room I knew Bella and the other girls were in. I wasn't sure what they were doing so I knocked before opening the door. Someone called for me to come in, but I wasn't sure who. I peeked in the door but was careful not to look for Bella. I saw Esme and locked my eyes on hers.

"Esme, could you send Bree downstairs?" I asked.

Esme smiled softly back at me. "Of course, Paul."

Bree followed me out to the garage where the rest of my group was waiting.

"We're going to Seattle to lower their numbers and we need your help." I told her bluntly. "Are you in?"

She nodded eagerly. "Of course. I told you, I'm on your side now."

"I'm coming too." I looked around and saw Seth leaning against the door to the house.

"Sorry little brother, you've got to sit this one out. Leah will kill me if anything happens to you." I told him.

He pushed himself away from the door and strolled over to me. "I wasn't asking. What are you going to do? I notice Sam, Jake, and Jasper are conveniently not a part of this group. You're not going to blow up your secret plan to keep me out of it." He glanced back nervously at Bree before crossing his arms and glaring at me. His lack of confidence was amusing, but he made a good point.

"Fine." I agreed. "We're driving there. Embry is taking Rosalie's car and I'm taking Emmett's jeep. Let's go."

"Wait." Peter stopped us. "We should wait until tonight. They'll be out hunting. It's broad daylight now, we won't be able to find many of them."

"Will we come across too many of them at night though? There aren't many of us." Jared pointed out.

Bree spoke up. "I say we go now. I can show you were a few smaller groups hide and we can take them all out."

Kate walked toward her, electricity crackling from her palm. "If you double cross us, I will not hesitate to kill you. If we die you will die with us."

Bree nodded. "I promise, you can trust me. Let me prove it to you."

"We can always go back tonight if we're successful today." Charlotte added.

We all loaded up in our cars. Jared, Seth, and Bree rode with me. Peter and Charlotte rode with Embry and Kate in Rosalie's car. We only had about ten hours to get there and back before training. I had almost taken Rosalie's car myself, but her scent brought me more grief and I needed a clear head today.

The drive passed quickly, though I noticed more then once that Seth and Bree were sitting awfully close to each other. Jared talked about his job a lot and told me he planned to stay on after this mess was all over if he made it through. He really loved being a cop, and I was glad that one positive thing came out of this whole mess.

We arrived and I decided to let Bree take the lead. She knew these newborns and had experience with them. She told us they fed on homeless people, which was even more disgusting to me. They were targeting the most vulnerable population. I wondered how many of them had upbringings like mine; with one abusive addict parent and another one that escaped and left them behind. I probably wouldn't have survived this far if not for the Clearwaters.

Bree told us to disguise ourselves as homeless people and a small group of them would show up, and that's what we did. She took us to a bridge that they often hunted under and I offered all of the homeless people some cash to leave for the day. They all accepted and we just had to wait. I had tried to keep a clear head today, but my thoughts had drifted back to Rosalie and my parents.

Rosalie laid her her on my chest and snuggled up to me. We had just made love and she turned on her favorite movie. We were only ten minutes in when she paused it and sat up.

"I have a question." She told me.

"You can ask me anything babe." I responded.

She paused for a second. "What happened to your parents? You told me they were awful and you told me the Clearwaters basically raised you, but you've never told me where they are now."

I hesitated. My parents were such a sore subject for me, but I knew Rosalie hadn't brought them up to hurt me. She deserved to know what I knew. "I'm honestly not completely sure where either of them are. My mom left when I was younger. My dad was either drunk or high all the time, but a few months before I phased the first time he told Harry he was moving to the Makah rez with his girlfriend and he wouldn't be back. I haven't seen or heard from either of them in a long time."

Her face dropped. "I hope your mom is okay. I don't agree with her leaving you behind, but she must have been really afraid of your dad to disappear like that."

"I know." I told her. "I think about her a lot, but she knows where I am. If she wanted to contact me she would."

I decided I'd look for my mom when this was all over. She probably didn't even know my dad had left La Push.

Just like Bree had told us, a group of newborns showed up. There were about twelve of them, something we could handle easily. We made quick work of killing and burning them and moved on to the next spot Bree suggested. Our routine was simple; one of us would distract them by drawing our blood, Kate would kill whoever got to us first and everyone else would phase. It almost felt too easy. Bree took us to five locations before we decided we needed to leave for training.

"What's our final count, Paul?" Jared asked me as we were walking back to our cars.

"It's 72." Embry replied. "We definitely did some damage."

Seth groaned. "I'm too tired for training now. Can we not be exempt? I think we did our part."

Embry scoffed. "Good luck telling Sam about this."

"We have to tell them." I told him. "Besides, if we could get him, Jake, and Emmett here tonight we could probably take out the whole damn army."

"I wouldn't do that." Bree spoke up. "They're going to be suspicious after today. We should probably lay low."

I knew she was right, but I had really hoped we could take more of them out before the fight. Charlotte came up to me and rested her hand on my shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Paul. We took out close to half of them. We can do this, the numbers are better now." She told me. I nodded and got in the car. Jared was driving us back.

When we pulled up at the Cullens house everyone was standing outside waiting on us. The entire pack, the imprints, all of the Cullens, even Charlie Swan was here.

Jared glared at me. "Some grand plan you had, Paul." He grumbled as he got out of the car.

We all walked over to them and Sam was more angry than I've ever seen him. "Where the hell have you been?" He screamed at us. "We have been worried sick about you!"

"Funny story about tha-" I kicked Seth before he could keep talking.

"I can explain." I told him.

Jasper was by his side a second later. "Start talking."

"We went to Seattle to take care of some of the leeches." I said simply. There wasn't much more to say, that was what we'd done.

Sam's hand started shaking. "I'm sorry, you did what?"

"If it makes it any better, Sam, we killed 72 of them." Embry added.

Sam looked like he was going to explode. "That doesn't make anything better. You all put yourselves at risk and didn't tell any of us what your plan was!" He screamed.

"Actually, I disagree with you." Jasper told Sam. "72? That gives us an edge that we needed. Are you sure there were 200 when you left, Bree?"

She shook her head. "At last count the day before I left there were 153." She told him.

"So that would leave 80 if the 153 included you." Jasper stated. "That gives us much better odds."

Quil ran up to us in wolf form as we were talking. He phased and slipped his clothes on there in front of everyone. "The odds are about to get even better." He announced. "I went to Seattle today too, but I spied on Riley and Victoria. There was a fight between two groups of the army last night. They lost 40 of them."

Jasper had a new gleam of hope in his eyes. "That means they're down to 40 and they don't have time to turn new ones before the weekend. Sam, we could win this thing. We could even come out with no casualties."

Sam smiled back at him. "We better start training then."