Chapter 14: Sell Out

"Glad to see that you didn't crash my car on the way here," Paul said, coming around to the front of the house and joining me on the front porch.

"It's like riding a bike—you never forget how to do it," I said.

"Leah went home?"

I nodded. "She wanted me to let you know that she isn't angry with you—she was just upset."

"Yeah, I figured," he said. "I probably should've warned you that there was a death in the family recently."

"It's okay," I said. "It just caught me off guard."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," I murmured. "I should be used to it by now."

"Is Leah okay?"

"She's alright," I said. "She's going to go talk to Seth about what her dad said."

"She needed to hear it," he said quietly. "She's been blaming herself for what happened and she's been under the impression that all of us blame her for his death."

"What did happen?" I asked.

"She's the first woman to ever phase," he began to explain. "She'd slowly started showing the signs that she was going to start phasing but her parents ignored it, assuming it was just her hormones because they never would've thought she'd get the gene. She got into an especially bad argument with them and it set off her transformation. Harry ended up having a heart attack because of the shock from seeing his daughter transform instead of Seth and then…Seth ended up phasing right after.

"She's held herself responsible for Harry's death even though there wasn't any way for her to control it," he continued. "There wasn't even any way for her to guess that it was going to happen. None of us ever would've imagined that she'd phase too—we all saw the signs with Seth and anticipated it but it was a shock for all of us when it happened with Leah."

"That's awful," I said. "I can't imagine holding myself responsible like that."

"Yeah, it hasn't been easy for her and Seth," he said. "Are you ready to head back to my place?"

I nodded and the two of us went back around to Emily's backyard to say goodbye to everyone, and I noticed the slightly sour expression on Quil's face.

"Sorry, Quil," I said, thinking back to how he'd put his money on me winning the arm wrestle. "He wouldn't have won if I hadn't lost focus, if that makes you feel any better."

"That doesn't make a difference to Embry," Quil grumbled, glowering at his friend's smug expression.

"Don't worry, next time you can put your money on me," I promised.

"That's a big promise to make," Paul teased.

I rolled my eyes at him and we said our goodbyes to Emily, Embry, and Quil. We went back to his car and I tossed him his keys so he could drive back to his apartment. We were quiet as he drove, my mind reeling with the conversation that I'd had with Leah.

I'd always been too afraid to try and contact my own parents after they'd passed away, but hearing the way Leah's father had spoken about her had warmed me up to the idea a little bit more. It had made me realize how much I craved that connection to them again, to have the opportunity to speak with them again and tell them how sorry I was for what I put them through when I'd had to disappear.

"What are you thinking about?" Paul murmured, reaching over and grasping my hand.

"My parents," I said. "I've always been too afraid to try and communicate with them but after today…"

"You're considering it."

"A little bit," I admitted.

"If you need anything from me to help you, just say the word," he said.

"I appreciate that," I said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"So, I was thinking," he began. "Maybe tonight we could watch the first Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Ahh, your favourite horror movie," I said. "Let's hope it lives up to the hype."

He chuckled. "It's better than Night Crawlers, that's for sure."

We arrived back at his and Jared's apartment and I curled up next to him on the couch as the opening credits rolled on the film. Paul's excitement was palpable as Freddy Krueger began to terrorize the teenagers of Springwood. It was a fun, campy slasher flick, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was almost more fun watching Paul's reactions and how excited he was to show it to me than it was to watch the movie itself.

As the end credits rolled, Paul stretched his arms above his head and stifled a yawn.

"Tough day?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's tough work running through the forest, making sure everyone's safe," he said. "Plus, Embry and Quil are still pretty young—Leah and I basically had to babysit them today."

I laughed. "They're very sweet."

"Don't let them fool you," he said.

"Thanks, by the way," I said.

"For what?"

"You completely cut the tension in the room by bringing up our race," I explained. "You knew they wouldn't be able to resist talking about it."

"I could tell you were uncomfortable," he said gently. "I had to do something to help. How was it with Emily before I got there?"

"She's amazing," I said. "We clicked right away."

"I had a feeling you would."

"She really takes care of you guys, doesn't she?" I asked.

"She does," he confirmed. "I think she tries to make it as easy as possible for us."

"What's it like for Leah?" I asked.

"It's definitely not easy for her and we try to make her as comfortable as possible. She's like a sister to all of us," he said. "Despite her issues with Sam."

"What are her issues with Sam?"

"She and Sam used to date and then he met Emily and imprinted on her," he explained. "Emily and Leah are cousins so it was even worse. Emily felt awful about it and tried to force Sam to stay with Leah, but he wouldn't. They got into an argument and that's when he scratched her face—he phased a little too close to her.

"He wouldn't leave her side the whole time she was in the hospital. When she woke up, she knew she couldn't deny her feelings from him anymore so she stayed with him."

"That's awful," I whispered. "I can't imagine how Leah must feel…and how hard that was for Emily to go through. At least Leah and Emily seem to get along okay?"

"It's taken them awhile to get through it," he said. "If Sam had been there today, I doubt Leah would've come with us."

"I can't say I blame her," I murmured. "It wouldn't be easy for me to handle that either."

"Yeah, it can be uncomfortable for all of us," he said. "Sam tries to keep the two of them apart as often as he can, but sometimes they overlap a bit. It's uncomfortable for everyone when that happens."

"That's rough," I said. "What's it like for her, being the only woman to ever phase?"

"She hates it," he said. "We all have…issues with what we are, but for her it's worse. She feels like a complete outsider and it hasn't been an easy adjustment for her. I think it's especially hard for her to see Seth going through it so soon after Harry's death."

"Harry meant a lot to you, didn't he?" I asked, noticing the tightness in his voice when he spoke about him.

He nodded. "The Clearwaters have been really good to me. When things were getting bad with my parents, my time was basically split between Emily's house and their place. I've tried to be there for Sue and her children as much as possible, but I feel bad sometimes when I can't."

"I'm sure she appreciates your help," I said.

"She's been bugging me to meet you, just like Emily was," he warned lightly.

A smile quirked at my lips. "I'd like that."

"You're not nervous to meet her?"

"Not after today," I said. "I mean, I know I'll be anxious when the day comes to meet her, but today went better than I could've ever imagined—despite Harry's impromptu visit."

"What's it like, when that happens?" he asked.

"They just sort of…appear to me," I said. "With Harry, I heard him before I actually saw him. Sometimes I see them first, though."

"And they look normal?" he asked.

I nodded. "At first they kind of…fade in, if that makes sense? Otherwise they look like a normal person. A few times, I haven't noticed that someone's appeared to me if I'm out in public when it happens."

He laughed. "You know, you could probably help solve a lot of murder cases with a talent like that."

"I've considered it," I said. "A few times, I've left anonymous tips at police stations to help them in their investigations. I try to avoid the police as much as possible, though."

"Why's that?" he asked.

I shifted slightly. "Well, when Will and I were drinking human blood, we never knew if they launched into a full investigation. We weren't exactly careful when we hunted so the easiest thing to do was to just hope that they didn't actually investigate too in depth."

"And I assume they never did."

"Well, I haven't been arrested yet," I said, laughing weakly.

He turned and began to press kisses along my neck and jawline. Against my neck, he murmured, "Maybe I should call the cops and leave an anonymous tip for them."

"Very funny," I muttered.

"I'm serious," he said, unable to keep the teasing lilt out of his voice. "I'm harbouring a dangerous criminal here—maybe I could swindle my way into getting a nice reward for you."

"You'd sell me out?" I asked, finding it difficult to focus on his words as he continued to press his lips against my skin and his hands roamed my body.

"Oh, absolutely," he murmured. "I have bills to pay."

"I'm glad to see where your loyalty is," I said.

He gently pushed me back against the couch cushions and our bodies were perfectly aligned with one another. Desire bloomed in my chest as he trailed kisses along my collarbone, pulling my shirt off over my head as he did it. I knotted my hands in his hair and pulled his face up to mine, crushing my lips against his.

Before long, we had stripped away each other's clothing and our bodies were moving together as I made love to the man who I loved more than anything else in the world.