Hello again! This one actually hasn't been so ridiculously far apart, so I'm hoping that's a decent sign for the rest of the year perhaps. I won't ramble here for too long, I just want to thank you for reading this far and hope that you enjoy the story!
Have an awesome day!
Crazy though it may have sounded, Jacob Black imprinting on a baby had changed things for the better. No, seriously.
As quickly as the world had been falling apart, it had built itself back up again. Long gone were any moral quandries of murder and betreyal, leaving thoughts instead of blissful happiness and love.
Naturally, River found the whole thing odd. Of course she did. Jacob had, after all, imprinted on a baby, something that wasn't weirding anyone else out as badly as it was her. The thing was a freaking new born. Like, it hadn't even been alive an hour before he'd locked eyes with it and sealed the deal. Locked eyes as he was on his way to kill it, but they were all seemingly intent to gloss over that fact when anyone mentioned the whole thing.
If River was being entirely honest, she felt oddly smug about it all. After all, Jacob had been so happy to bash on the bond that a wolf shared with their imprint, yet he'd made that same bond now. She just found it a little ironic, that was all, and she couldn't wait for someone to point it out to him when he eventually left Cullen territory. If she knew Paul even half as well as she thought she did, which she was sure she did given the nature of their relationship, she reckoned she wouldn't have to wait long before he did it for her and made a show of teasing the future alpha in front of just about everyone.
While things beforehand had been a little strained with her and Paul, they were anything but strained now. Almost as soon as they'd gone home together, things had just been better. Namely, they'd both actually gotten a good night of sleep. There had been no tossing or turning, no bad dreams, not so much as a feigned smile between them. Instead, they had both slept solidly through the night, plastered to one another.
When she'd woken up the next morning, still wrapped in the strong arms of her lover, River finally felt truly rested. God, she hadn't felt like that in so long, the feeling was almost foreign.
That same feeling, the feeling of utter serenity, lasted for weeks. They stayed there, happy, together in their bubble, for weeks. The honeymoon phase was back in full swing, leaving them jumping one another just about everywhere from the side of the freaking road to every inch of Paul's place. Even the cooker, no matter how gross River found that thought once the deed was over, wasn't safe from their trysts. They both seemed to have fallen into their blissfully happy routine of waking up, fucking, eating, fucking again, doing some chores... you guessed it, almost definitely fucking again like rabbits. Just about everything they did was merely something to fill the time while they caught their breaths.
That morning though, that morning a few weeks after the whole drama, it had finally happened. That morning, for the first time, River Nivalis woke up an adult. Oh yes, it was her birthday.
It was the first birthday of her life that she wouldn't be seeing her folks, but her mind was far from that when she woke. In fact, it was a little more preoccupied with the pair of lips that she could feel dancing around her inner thighs as they waited for her to wake and give them permission to climb higher. A sleepy grin set across her face, she reached a single hand down beneath the covers, meeting Paul's head down there as he continued on his way. She tangled her fingers into his short, shaggy hair, guiding him softly to where she wanted him most.
They'd briefly spoken about what she wanted on her birthday, though Paul looked anything but impressed. He, it seemed, was ready to reach the Monroes' levels when it came to birthday celebrations. He would have invited the entire freaking tribe to celebrate all damn day if she'd let him. Of course, she told him that she would have liked to see her folks, but she didn't see that happening and she didn't want to have to be the one to go and make peace on her freaking birthday. Instead though, she told him that she wanted to go to work for the day, to eat pizza at the gym with the others, then she wanted to come home, shower, then ride him on the couch until she was too tired to move. She was a girl of simple pleasures, truly, and she didn't need a whole celebration.
Needless to say, the day was off to a good start.
Weirdly, when she finally clambered out of bed and headed toward the bathroom for a shower, she couldn't help but feel the twang of something akin to sadness in her chest as she realised that this would be her first birthday without contact with her folks. Even a glance at her cell proved her point. Not so much as a message nor a missed call from any of them, not even from Brooke who was always glued to her damn cell.
Still, she wouldn't let it get her down. No. She refused. Instead, she decided that she would have a good day.
Her shower was quick and scalding. She scrubbed herself clean under the water, toweling herself dry once she'd hopped out.
It was funny, she decided, how grown up she felt at times. After all, she had a steady job, a boyfriend, she even lived away from home. It was hard to remember sometimes that she still had another year of school to finish. Sure, she was now an adult in the eyes of the law, but she was still a kid. They all were, all the wolves and the imprints. Even Sam and Emily, though they'd taken on a parental role, were still so young. Something about the supernatural had aged them all, she figured.
Before she left for work, gym bag slung across her chest, she ate the breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon and spinach that Paul had lovingly prepared. It was overly salty and weirdly crunchy, but she could see how hard he'd tried. She thanked him profusely on her way out of the house, kissing him as deeply as she dared one final time before pulling herself away and heading to her truck with her keys in one hand and a protein shake in the other.
Driving away from the house, watching with a huge grin as Paul waved animatedly from the door, she found herself overtaken by a swell of emotions. This, right here, this was the rest of her life, wasn't it? She couldn't belive how distgustingly happy that made her. Truly. Sure, she hoped that she'd be fighting again soon, but she hadn't ever really figured out where she wanted to spend her life. It was a relief almost to know now that she not only knew where she wanted to spend it, but more so that she knew where she would spend. Knowing that she'd forever have Paul by her side certainly didn't hurt things either.
The drive to work was peaceful. The roads were clear enough, the wind was as calm as could be expected for the time of year and the lights stayed green for as long as mattered to her.
At one point, barely a mile from the gym's parking lot, just as she was leaving the woodland roads, she could have sworn that she'd seen something. A flash of something almost silver. Fur, she'd figured. She paid it little mind though, knowing that it was possible that one of the guys had spotted her truck and was just checking in on her as she knew they did for Paul from time to time.
Almost as soon as she pulled into the parking lot, she spotted Dante and Owen. They were standing at the double-door entrance, hiding either side of the frame like little kids, heads bobbing in and out of sight as they looked for something. Weird, sure, but they kind of were keird at times.
As she parked up though, she figured it out. As soon as they spotted her truck, their heads disappeared from sight. They'd been looking for her, but why? She figured it could have been birthday related, but for what end? After all, there hadn't been any pranks or anything of the sort played on Skylar. Still, she wasn't one to ruin fun. So, as tempting as it was to sneak in through the side entrance and scare the life out of them, she instead just got out of her truck, grabbed her bag and drink, then headed toward the doors.
"Gee," She started, though no one was outside to hear. "I sure do hope no one's waiting to prank me on my birthday." The smile that crept onto her face was evident in her voice, though again, no one was around to hear it. Still, she found the whole thing amusing.
When she reached the doors and swung them open, she braced for impact. Something. Anything.
Only, nothing happened. Upon peering inside, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Skylar was doing some paperwork behind the front desk, Jet was doing a session with a customer- oh fuck, did that customer have a camera?
"Happy birthday!" Dante and Owen bellowed in unison.
Popping up from behind the desk, they both struggled far too long to pull the strings on a handful of party poppers. River stood and patiently waited, doing everything in her power to not let an amused giggle fall from her lips.
The confetti, delayed and awkward, shot into the air and fell down in small ribbons about a foot in front of River. She couldn't help but laugh at those freaking morons.
"Happy birthday!" Skylar chimed in, laughter shaking her voice. As she and River locked eyes, it was clear that they were having the same thoughts about the loveable idiots that they worked with.
The few customers that were in there stopped their workouts for long enough to look over and smile or to chime in with their own birthday wishes, as did Jet and his client as they cackled together beside their camera. Whatever they thought they'd recorded, River was just glad that they were enjoying themselves.
"I hope you two assholes aren't about to make me clean this up." River grumbled, socking Owen playfully in the shoulder as he came closer.
He clapped her arm excitedly as Dante came over and ruffled her hair. Fuck, she still needed that damn cut. "Don't worry, kid, this one's on us." Dante, in spite of his annoying hair ruffling, was her favourite in that moment as she noticed that he was already sporting a sweeping brush.
She shoved them both gently, scuffling as if they were sibling for a moment before she freed herself and let them wrestle one another. They carried on, pretending to fight over who got to clean up the small mess that they'd made together. Meanwhile, River took herself over to the front desk to clock in with Skylar. "I can't belive Jet's finally house trained those two." She mused lightly, earning a light snicker from the blonde.
"It was bound to happen eventually." She got back. Then, for just a second, Skylar reached out and laid a hand on her arm as she was writing her employee number and arrival time. "Happy birthday, Riv." The touch was only brief, but it was nice. It was nice to feel like friends again and not exes, even nicer when River realised that she could smell one of those vile candies on Skylar's breath from across the desk. It felt like them again.
After signing in, River got right to work. It may have been her birthday, but there was no rest for the wicked.
Jet had initially offered her a later starting time, telling her she could just swing by for closing and pizza, but instead she'd decided to be a little cheeky and ask for a couple extra hours at time and a half. He'd laughed and agreed, telling her that he'd do it if she came in for nine instead of one in the afternoon, which she had. Four extra hours, all paid at time and a half, was a solid birthday treat. Working a nine to five might not have been how most people would have chosen to spend their birthday, but River liked her job. She liked how mundane it all was. She liked the atmosphere. Hell, she even liked the backbreaking shit that she had to do from time to time.
The morning went by easily enough, filled with tasks left over from Owen and Dante having been on the closing shift the night before. Anywhere else, it would have bothered River if the closing shift didn't get their work done, but those guys? Well, she could forgive them. After all, they were loveable morons, she just expected them to do stupid shit. Plus, more than anything, she enjoyed her work and didn't mind doing it; it was better than sitting idle the entire shift.
That was the thing. The gym never really felt like work, so long as there was actually work to be done. That was probably why she loved it so much there.
An early close rolled around quickly enough, seeing Jet all but throwing enthusiastic gym-goers out by their scruffs. Just about all of the members were regulars and they all knew what he was like, so it all happened with smiles and ample bantering. River couldn't help but think about how damn good the day had been. Nothing had gone wrong, no one had kicked off, she'd even gotten some good sparring in during her lunch hour. Weirdly, she barely even felt like she was away from Paul, too, which was weird but a nice bonus.
With the weights reracked, the benches clean and polished, the pizza ordered and the old punching bags pulled back into the ring, it was time.
All day long, River had been looking forward to this. She didn't know if she'd go off to college, but this somehow felt like a last. It felt like the last time that thye would all do this together, so she sat beside Skylar with a somewhat sad smile on her face as they waited for the pizzas to arrive.
Sadly, Owen and Dante had some "stuff" they had to do, so they didn't have too much time.
"They've penciled one another into the ol' diary for a good railing." River joked with Skylar, watching at the two boys -no, men- turned bright red and scoffed.
Skylar regarded them for a moment, looking them both up and down for what seemed to be an uncomfortable period of time before looking back to River and shaking her head. "I think they've booked themselves in for a nice couples' massage." She teased, earning rolling eyes from the two guys.
"Maybe you need a couples' massage, Monroe!" Dante shot back awkwardly. His clumsy quip wasn't even half the jab he'd meant it to be, but it had the four of them laughing non the less as Jet rolled his eyes.
It was still mostly light out by the time the pizza arrived, reminding River of just how much of her birthday she had left. All the more time to spend with Paul, something that she was greatly looking forward to. God, she wasn't sure how she'd kept her mind busy all day, relately free of him. Only, the more she thought about him, the more she thought about what she planned to do to him. Hell, what she wanted him to do to her.
Just like that, there it was again. That sense of adulthood, of domesticity and belonging. Sure, she may have not finished high school yet, but she could see the rest of her life so very clearly. In every piece of it, Paul was beside her, cheering her on. She couldn't wait.
Jet laid the pizzas out in the middle of the triangle of punching bags that they were sat on, letting them all dive on in. No one dared to touch Skylar's abomination of pickles, olives and anchovies, leaving that deceptively small frame to annihilate... less than half? What the hell?
Now hey, it may have seemed like a normal amount, but no. "Not hungry, Sky?" River asked around a mouthful of something far safer: chicken and sausage. If there was one thing she knew, it was that the blonde's favourite thing in the entire freaking world was that pizza. Granted, the olives were a new edition, but still.
Beside her, the blonde froze like a deep caught in headlights. "What?" She mumbled, looking between Owen, Danted and Jet almost guiltily. EVen they hadn't finished their pizzas. What the...?
That was when River noticed the awkward air. Fuck, she had no idea how she'd missed it. She thought back and it had been there all damn day, from the two morons at the doors all the way until right now. "Dude, that's, like, the one thing you can't resist." She scoffed, trying not to let the confusion show on her face. "You okay?"
"So, River!" Dante's voice was higher than usual, sudden and sharp. "Plans?" He asked, arms crossed across his chest. He, too, was eyeing the others. Weird!
She blinked at them for a second, looking between each of them before looking at Skylar one last time. Blue eyes flitted around, looking anywhere but into the brown ones beside her. "What?" She asked the room, finally releasing Skylar from her scrutiny.
Dante spoke next. Or, well, he tried to. "Plans. You know, for the birthday. Do you have any-"
"God, these idiots couldn't hide a damn quarter in a coin purse." Jet cackled abruptly. River wasn't quite sure about that saying, but she got the gist. "We did a little cash whip around for you and it wasn't quite as popular as with Skylar's. I told them all not to tell you that I fattened up the pot, that's all."
Ah, shit. Money. River had been raised not to really talk about money all that much. If someone was sincerely offering, she could accept it. If they needed some, she could offer it. When it came to amounts though, she wasn't ever to look a gift horse in the mouth. Perhaps that's why she caved so quickly.
A blush tore into her, spreading like wildfire as she cleared her throat. "Jeez, Jet, you didn't have to do that." She grumbled awkwardly.
The older man waved his hand dismissively, producing an envelope from one of his pockets. He handed it to her quickly over the stack of pizza boxes, passing it from his leathery old hand into her own. "We love you here, you know that, right, kid?" His voice, for the first time in a long time, was oddly serious.
She swallowed as she took the envelope, nodding. Of course she knew that. "Yeah. Yeah, of course." She muttered back. It wasn't so much that she was feeling awkward now, more that she was feeling overwhelmed. Even in such a small moment, she could truly feel the love around her. She could feel that each and every one of them there was a family. They all loved one another, well and truly. It was almost enough already to bring a tear to her eyes. "I love you guys, too." She grumbled, grinning sheepishly.
Gift giving was over quickly, refined entirely to River opening the envelope of cash and making a point of standing up and hugging each of them individually. Jet really had made it up to the exact same amount that they'd given to Skylar, briefly making her feel like an ass for asking for time and a half.
Not much later, once the gifting was over and River had received an equally horrifying card with another sexuality joke of "Happy Bi-rthday" in sparkly letting, marking River briefly question if Dante of Owen had actually made it since she was certain no stores sold such things, Dante and Owen made their leave. They each took some pizza with them, leaving their punching bag-seat in the ring like the inconsiderate, loveable fools that they were.
"Right then." Jet was next to stand, ushering the two girls away. "Off you two go, I've got this." He spoke confidently, but River saw him eyeing the bags apprehensively. He was a scrawny guy who had lived a full life. Or, more specifically, a life full of injuries. Those bags could throw his damn back out.
So, instead of making a scene, she just scoffed and playfully pushed him a little. "Get out of here, old man." She was quick to sling Dante and Owen's bag over her shoulder with relative ease, not giving him a chance to protest as she went to the side of the ring and tossed it heavily to the ground. "Come one, this is one of the last time I'll close this place up with Skylar. Fuck off and let us be, okay?" He knew, of course, that she was kidding. He knew that she was being playful so as to not dent his pride. They both knew. She was, admittedly, wanting to get home, but she was glad when he nodded thankfully and took his leave.
While the words may have been something of a cover, they were also true. It really would be one of the last times that she and Skylar would work together, possibly ever. After all, River didn't foresee the blonde ever moving back to Fork, let alone working in the gym again. Jet's really would be a different place without her.
"You can shoot if you want, Sky." She told the blonde once Jet was driving off in his car. He clearly had something to do too since he wasn't heading up to his apartment above the gym. "Seriously, there's barely anything for me to do here. I don't mind."
Skylar, however, wasn't like Jet. Unlike the grizzled older man, she simply scoffed and set about lifting the bag that she and River had been sharing.
From the other side of the ring, River watched with an amused smirk. She knew that Skylar could lift relatively heavy weights, but those damn bags were just freaking awkward. "Everything going okay there?" She asked teasingly as the older girl couldn't so much as lift the bag.
With a groan, Skylar admitted defeat. "Come and grab this, asshole." She laughed, letting the bag fall to the floor. River was quick to head over, slinging the bag easily from the ring before heading for the final one. "I want us to stay friends." Skylar voiced after a moment of watching.
River was shocked to say the least. "Stay friends? Sky, of course we will." She shrugged like it was the clearest thing in the world. "I mean, I know you're going off to college and all that, but I'll need all the fans I can get when I finally get a real fight." Though her tone was teasing, she hoped the blonde saw it for what it was. She cared. She truly cared and she wanted Skylar in her life even if there were states between them.
Chuckling lightly, Skylar grabbed the remaining pizza boxes and stepped down, out of the ring. "I'll be the one in the crowd with a foam finger." She assured the other girl, earning a smile and a chuckle.
They kicked the bags back under the ring's flaps, taking time to remember to turn off all of the lights and lock the windows before heading to the doors together. They both clocked out on their way out, locking the doors behind them, sharing a brief hug as they went their separate ways.
River's truck was closer to the doors than Skylar's car, so she climbed in and made a point of waiting for the blonde to get over to her car and into the driver's seat before she put her key into the ignition. She turned it just like usual, only... well, nothing.
"What the hell." She grumbled under her breath, thoughts no longer on Skylar as she turned the key back toward herself. "Just a fluke." She muttered, trying to convince herself more than anything as she then made to turn it back. It was bound to roar to life. Only, it didn't. Fuck!
A bolt of panic shot through her for a second as Skylar's headlights shot on. Sure, maybe it was nothing, but if the blonde drove off and her truck kept on failing, she'd have found herself walking home or paying for a cab.
Okay, she could sort this. She could. She feigned confidence mentally, trying the key a couple more times, becoming more and more enraged when it continued to prove useless.
In her pocket, her cell chimed. Oh!
Quickly, she grabbed at it with fumbling hands, being mindful of where Skylar was. The blonde still hadn't moved so she chanced a glance at her cell. It was a message from Paul.
"Quick run w/ Sam. Cell dying. Leaving it charging. C U soon 3"
Oh, fuck!
In a last ditch effort, she glanced at Skylar's car one last time. Could she really ask her ex to take her home to her boyfriend's place? Dammit, she could on her birthday. Quickly she reached for the horn and pressed it once... nothing. What the hell?
With confusion clouding her mind as Skylar's car began to move, she climbed out of the truck with a defeated grumble. The blonde would have to drive past her, so she wasn't too worried.
Right on time, as expected, Skylar made to leave only to stop a few feet from River and roll down her window. "Car troubles?" She asked. There was something off about her tone but River didn't notice it, or more specifically, she didn't really care about it.
Swallowing her pride, River groaned. "I don't know a freaking thing about cars. God, I'm sorry, Sky, could you take a look under my hood? Just, you know, let me know if it looks... normal?" She felt immediately stupid for not having learned about cars from her dad when she was younger, but she'd always been a biker at heart. Hell, had she not had her accident she wouldn't have even had a truck.
Chuckling, Skylar shook her head. "You think I know what it's meant to look like under there?" She laughed. All the same, she hopped out of the car and rounded the hood, motioning for River to pop it open.
Shit, she didn't even know how to pop the freaking hood. She hopped in and scrambled around for a second before finding a latch. Skylar confirmed with a laugh that yes, that in fact was the latch for the hood.
Once it was open though, well, that was where the laughter ended.
"Well, that's sure as shit not a bike." River whined pathetically. She hadn't exactly been a mechanical whiz on her bike, but she'd not been this useless. "That's the battery, right?"
Skylar followed River's finger, nodding cautiously. "Both the leads are attached." She muttered glumly. Clearly they had both been hoping for something as simple as a loose connection on the battery.
Together, they struggled. Dumb and Dumber prodded and poked at random pieces of engine with no worry as to electrocution or any other such dangers, neither one knowing what the hell they were poking. "Is that the catalytic converter?" Skylar asked.
"Uh." River had no freaking clue. "I think that's on the bottom, right?"
Fuck, it really was becoming hopeless.
From Skylar's car, her cell chimed. River immediately felt bad. It was probably Skylar's folks wondering where she was. She wasn't sure how long she'd kept them both there, but it had definitely started creeping up on a half hour.
Apologizing, Skylar trotted off to her car, sliding down into it and grabbing her cell. She looked at the message almost guiltily before looking back at River.
"You, uh, gotta go?" The taller girl asked, feeling hopeful that she was wrong.
Almost grimacing, Skylar nodded. "Come on, just get in. I'll drive you back and you can worry about that thing when it's light out." As she was speaking, she leaned across the middle of her car and pushed the passenger door open, not ready to take anything other than compliance as an answer.
River pondered for a single second. Paul didn't have his cell so he couldn't ask Sam or Em to come and get her, she didn't want to call either of her parents or Brooke since they hadn't so much as messaged her on her birthday. Cabs in Forks were scarce, even more so when asked to drive to the Res, so she didn't have too many options. Quickly, not wasting time, she closed her truck up completely and manually locked each of the doors with the key, then rounded Skylar's car and climbed on in. She tried not to remember about the last time that they'd been in there together, hoping that Skylar simply somehow didn't remember how they'd gone down on one another in the backseat.
"Thanks, Sky." She grumbled, smiling awkwardly.
There was an odd look in the blonde's eyes, making her think that Skylar had thought about the same encounter that she had. "Don't mention it." Oh, she wouldn't.
They peeled out of the lot together, headed in the direction of home. Of Paul.
Admittedly, the drive wasn't all that awkward. Once River got over her embarrassment of the situation that had left her feeling powerless, the conversation began to flow pretty well.
They talked about Skylar's choice of college. They talked about the kind of dorm she'd chosen, about how anxious she was to have a roommate for the first time, even about her worries around dating in a new city. Through it all, River found herself truly realising how much she would miss her. As sad as it may have sounded, Skylar had been the closest thing she'd had to a best friend all these years, she'd be naturally sad to see her go.
The roads were kind to them, delivering green traffic lights one after the other. Before long, Forks was in the rearview and the Res was fast approaching.
Skylar popped a ridiculous number of the vile candies that River had gotten her into her mouth as she drove. If River had been paying attention, she'd have wondered if the other girl was nervous, but she paid it no mind.
On the back seat, the remainders of their pizzas slid around, loosely protected by the greasy boxes they'd been delivered in.
River directed Skylar the last couple of miles through the woods, laughing to herself at Skylar's expense as the blonde questioned multiple times if they were definitely going the right way. Of course, not all of the homes on the Res were quite as well hidden as Paul's was, so the roads were a little tougher on cars and their drivers, but Skylar held out like a champ and managed to tough it.
Once they were finally pulling in, Skylar spoke. "Riv, I've gotta ask you something." She stated, immediately having the undivided attention of the younger girl. "I know it's awkward but can I use your bathroom?" That was it?
A single glance at the house, dark and empty, told River that Paul wasn't home. There was no risk of him being naked on the couch or anything stupid like that, she immediately she nodded. "Yeah, of course. Come on."
Okay, sure, it was a little awkward, but a bathroom was a bathroom. If Paul asked about any scents later, she'd just tell him what happened. Hell, she'd tell him anyway, but still.
They hopped out of the car together and headed for the door. It was a little awkward having Skylar here of all places, kind of like having Paul at the gym, but she wasn't going to let it get to her. After all, Skylar just needed to pee.
"You're my hero, Riv." The blonde told her happily.
Chuckling, River reached out for the door handle. "Yeah, I know." She shrugged, both of them laughing together as she swung the door open. She stepped in and reached for the light switch. "It's just the second door on the-"
"Surprise!"
Startled, panicked, she jumped practically backwards into Skylar.
The lights flickered on just in time for laughter to spring from multiple points inside the freaking house.
As quickly as the lights had come on, everyone inside came into view. "What the-"
"Happy birthday, nerd." Brooke, standing a few feet away in a tacky party hat, was the first person River locked eyes on.
Quickly, so quickly that the younger sister couldn't get away, River shot forward and dragged her into a hug. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed loudly, hearing bursts of laughter from around the room.
"Language." Her mother chastised mildly, grinning beautifully over Brooke's shoulder. She reached forward and laid an adoring hand on her eldest daughter's shoulder, waiting her turn for a hug.
River was embraced by her parents quickly as soon as she released Brooke. Though she and her dad still hadn't talked, she hugged him back as tightly as she dared, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" She all but choked out when they finally pulled back.
Smiling softly, her dad chuckled. "You really thought we'd miss your eighteenth birthday?"
Dotted around the room was most of the pack and their imprints. Sue, Billy, Jet, Owen, Dante and, of course, Paul. She couldn't see Seth, Leah or Jacob, but that was okay, she figured she knew where they were. They didn't matter though, only he did. Paul Lahote, resident asshole, loving boyfriend.
He stood at the far end of the room, a smug look on his face that made River's insides twist and turn with pure love and adoration. It was immediately clear to her that he had been the one to set this whole thing up. He approached once the family's hug fest was over, quickly throwing an arm over his imprint's shoulders and pulling her into his side, laying a kiss on the side of her head. "You asshole." She grumbled as she quickly returned his embrace, finally letting a happy tear fall with a laugh.
Around them, everyone else followed suit, chuckling.
Paul simply beamed down at her. "Well, I couldn't have done it without my accomplice." He stated with a squeeze of her shoulders.
Of course! Skylar!
River spun to face the other girl, finally realising why she, Jet, Dante and Owen had been acting so weird all day. "You!" She barked accusingly.
Skylar, in turn, laughed and held her hands up in a feigned surrender. "Me!" She shot back comically.
Briefly, River wondered if anyone had ever been as content and as loved as she was in that moment. She figured not.
There wasn't much space inside for them all, even less space for them to actually sit, so it wasn't long before they all headed outside. Out back of the house, unseen from the front, a whole bunch of logs were laid down as seating around a huge pile of firewood that was already perfectly stacked and waiting to burn. A tall wooden frame around them lit up, glittering, covered in fairy lights, immediately telling River what Paul and the pack had been doing all day. She figured now that the wolf she'd seen at the start of her day must have been confirming to the others that it was safe to start tearing up the ground without fear that she'd turn around for anything.
A small host of cars was parked around them, a little way off in the night. The cars of everyone there, so carefully hidden from view from the front of the house.
"When did you even have time for this?" She asked no one in particular, turning on the spot and taking it all in.
A chuckle came from Sam of all people. "He's had us working like dogs all day." He told her, eliciting a laugh from most of the pack at his dog joke.
As everyone got seated and set about starting the fire, River found herself and Paul pulled to one side by her parents and Brooke.
Though she knew the guys would all be able to hear, she didn't care. "I thought you guys weren't going to text me." She admitted before either of them could start talking.
The sadness in her mother's eyes was clear. The no contact before the event, it seemed, hadn't been her idea. "Oh, River, my sweet girl." Ever Alma, she rushed forward and swept River into yet another hug. Naturally, it was a welcome embrace for them both. Soon enough though, it was over and they were pulling back. "Nothing in the entire world could have stopped me from seeing you today. Nothing at all." She understood the implication. Even if Dick had refused, she would have gone with Brooke or even alone.
"River," Her father's voice, something she hadn't heard in so long, brought her eyes immediately to his face. He still looked so very kind and loving, still the man who had raised her. Only, now, she couldn't help but look for anger in his eyes. She found none, but that didn't help things. "I wanted to apologize to you." Oh.
Immediately, she prickled. "I don't know if now's the right time, Dad." She grumbled, feeling awkward.
Paul's hand on her back kept her calm and grounded, but her dad didn't seem ready to drop this.
Sighing, he smiled sadly down at her. "A father's job is to look out for his children. To prepare them for the world and keep them safe while they learn and grow." Oh fuck, was this really happening? She hoped not. She hoped that this wasn't about to turn into another weird fucking lecture on today of all days. "I failed you, both of you, and I'm so incredibly sorry. I made you feel unsafe in your own home. I made you feel unwanted in your own family. I made you question my love for you. None of those things, none of them, are things that I ever wanted to do and yet I did them.."
Huh, okay. So not a lecture?
Still, Dick continued. "I won't ask you to come home, especially not now that we've seen how happy, safe and loved you are here. I will ask that we see you both a little more though, you and Paul, maybe for dinner every now and then?"
There was something so very real about the way that he spoke, about the things that he said. Only, there was something missing. "Do you know what you did wrong?" River asked in spite of how badly she wanted to simply say yes. A glance at Brooke was all it took to see love and admiration in her sister's eyes.
There was a single second of silence before Dick spoke again. "I treated my two girls, who I love more than anything in this world, like my possessions." He started immediately, a solemn look on his face. "I decided that you both needed to do as I said simply because I said it. I disregarded your opinions and your feelings, I disrespected you both -and you, Paul- and I created a hostile environment at home. I was intolerant and I was vile. I wasn't anything that a man should be, least of all a father and I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that you had Paul here to take care of my little girl."
River's tears fell immediately. She launched herself at her father quickly, catching him off guard as she crashed into him. She'd have knocked them both to the ground if not for Brooke throwing herself equally hard and fast into his back. They seemed to equal one another out as they hugged their father, soon joined by their ever emotional mother as she openly bawled.
"Come on." Dick chuckled, making some kind of motion with one of his hands. "Bring it in, son."
River didn't have time to question though before she felt it. Paul. His huge frame, for a brief moment, joined in their family hug. He was so much larger than them all, engulfing them immediately. It felt right. It felt complete.
When they all fell apart, River found herself back under Paul's arms, receiving yet another kiss on the head from him. Gods, she wanted nothing more than to pull him down and kiss him, but she would wait.
The five of them made their way back to the fire that was now happily roaring thanks to the speedy efforts of the others, thankful that everyone was doing a brilliant job of acting like they hadn't been listening the entire time.
Around the fire, everyone seemed to get into the groups that they knew. With Skylar sitting beside the guys from the gym, the pack all sitting together, leaving Billy and Jet as barriers, the chatter was lively. Brooke took a seat beside Skylar, leaving River's parents to sit beside her on the other side. River sat next to her dad with Paul on her other side, meaning he completed the circle with Quil starting the pack at his side.
At some point or another, Emily came over, gushing to Alma about something. She was quickly introduced to Skylar before she made her way over to hug River, wishing her a happy birthday.
As the night grew colder, the fire kept them all nice and warm. Homemade food was handed out, helping their souls to match their bodies. River recognized Harry Clearwater's fish fry anywhere, as did the others by the looks of how quickly the freshly fished fish was devoured. There was a whole bunch off different foods, all pulled almost comedically out from behind the logs in some grand reveal.
Somehow or other, Skylar ended up chatting with Emily, Brooke, Alma and Kim while River and Paul ripped the shit out of Quil with the guys over some stupid stuff he'd been caught doing.
"Okay, if I may!" It was a little later in the night that Dick had drank a couple beers more than he otherwise would have. He stood and made a clinking sound against the glass bottle with his wedding ring to get everyone's attention.
Tucked into Paul's side, River perked up a little.
Once they'd all eaten, she'd taken herself over to where the entirety of the female population had put themselves. In spite of seating herself beside Skylar, she hadn't minded when Paul had followed her and wrapped a warm arm around her.
With all eyes on him, Hugh continued. "I'd like to make a toast. Just a small one." He wasn't drunk, but the flush in his cheeks was a clear sign that he was somewhere between tipsy and merry. "Everyone, please raise your drinks- Quil, that's a piece of fish... you know what, it doesn't matter. Raise your glasses or your fish skeletons. Here's to my eldest daughter, River Nivalis. You've shown us all what it means to live and to love as wholly as possible. Your mother and I are so proud of you, sweetheart. I, for one, can't wait to see what the future holds for you."
There were tears all round following Dick's speech. Some, of course, were of laughter as Quil excitedly raised his fish bones and cheered loudly, but it was the sentiment that counted.
Before long, Skylar and the other gym guys had to head off, so River stood to hug them each again. They had the furthest to drive since they had to head back toward Forks, so it was hardly a shock. What was a shock though was when Skylar pulled a parcel out from behind the long that she'd been sitting on.
"It's from all of us!" Owen chimed in, seemingly unable to keep quiet.
Shaking her head, River beamed. She protested weakly, accepting it all the same as Skylar excitedly thrust it towards her. "You guys already gave me something." She reminded them, trying not to focus on the eyes that fell on her from everyone around.
With jet practically rattling with excitement, she opened the parcel. Inside, a manila envelope sat proudly. She reached for it-
"Wait!" Alma blurted out, clasping her husband's arm. "Ours has to come- our gift has to come first!" She scurried around, anxiously looking for something for far too long before Dick reached behind himself and immediately pulled yet another box out.
Holy shit, it was like Christmas. Or, you know, like a birthday. Whatever.
Now with a new box thrust toward her, silence fell over them all as River accepted the new box and began to open it.
Inside, once the paper was ripped away and the lips of the box were pried open, she could see exactly what was in there. "You guys!" Okay, so maybe that was all she could seem to say this evening, but seriously! A new pair of boxing gloves, hand wraps, shorts, shoes and headgear waited for her inside. It was all the same shade as a number of things back at home. "Oh my god, did Grandma Kima make these?" She demanded immediately, all but tearing a glove from the box.
Laughing, caught, Dick and Alma nodded. "She didn't make them but we sent everything to her first and she and Grandpa Akir dyed everything for you." The colors had tears stinging her eyes immediately. It was so very home. Something Cahnol in a place that was anything but. "Okay, now theirs!"
While she wasn't sure that anything else could so much as hold a candle to that gift, she still took the envelope back from where Paul had been holding it safely for her.
Not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes, she gently peeled it open, slipping out the piece of paper that was inside.
"No way. You guys..." She breathed out in disbelief as she read it. "Holy shit!" She then immediately barked.
"Language!" Alma laughed heartily, but it was too late. River had thrown herself at Jet, Owen and Dante and was hugging them for all their worth, managing to pull poor Skylar into the whole affair too.
Just as quickly, she pulled back and looked intently at her parents. "Is this real?" She demanded, looking between them.
With a deep breath, Dick nodded first. Beside him, Alma squealed excitedly just as River practically threw herself at them, too.
"Holy shit!" She yelped as she collided with them, almost tackling them from the log. "Are you guys for real?" She demanded once more, earning yet more laughter and nods from her parents.
She, River Nivalis, had her first ever fight scheduled. It was months away, giving her plenty of time to train hard and get her confidence back, but it was happening! More impressively, her parents had given Jet the go-ahead to find her a fight before she'd graduated, as if that hadn't been their only rule. To say that she was ecstatic would have been an understatement.
Once the crew from the gym had all gone on their way, after being attacked by River with more hugs, things settled down into a far more calm and familial affair. Sure, they'd been family too, but there had been an odd pressure about bringing those sides of her life together.
It wasn't much later on that a few of the guys from the pack peeled off, then eventually everyone but River, Paul, Brooke, Dick and Alma was gone.
"What did you do to my truck?" River eventually asked when they'd all moved into the comforts of the house. She was curled up on the armchair, leaving her parents on the couch, Brooke on the arm of the couch and Paul sitting happily at the foot of her chair. She absently ran her fingers through his hair as they all chatted, not caring what her folks thought of it all.
With a smile, Dick chortled. "Skylar texted Paul when you guys closed the gym up. I gave him a battery from and old cruiser that's been rotting for the better side of two decades and he swapped it out while you weren't looking." So that's why she'd been feeling so at ease all damn day! He'd been nearby, lurking in the woods, leaving the rest of the guys to work on the yard and get it all ready. It kind of made her want to ask if he'd do that every time she went to work, though she knew that wasn't plausible.
Paul grinned up at her, a mix of guilt and arrogance on his handsome face. Fuck, she wanted him.
The five of them, weirdly enough, weren't even remotely awkward. The conversation flowed well, made funny every now and then by how thoroughly drunk Dick was getting. There was such a light, warm air to it all. There was no pressure, no expectation. It was just nice.
Eventually, as midnight itself began to draw near, Dick announced that there was one final gift.
Alone, he lead her outside and walked her to Brooke's car. River didn't envy her sister having to drive their tipsy parents home later on.
"Here." In his outstretched hand, he held a key. A key that she'd seen a thousand times.
"What?" She couldn't believe her eyes as she eagerly took it and followed her dad around the side of Brooke's car.
There, in all its former glory, sat her bike. It was sitting proudly on a polished stand, completely rebuilt. It was still covered in scratches and a couple of small dents, but it was mechanically sound once more and had a whole host of new parts that she'd lost to her crash all that time ago. "Dad!" River exclaimed, unable to believe what she was seeing.
She hugged Dick tightly, waiting for him to return her hug before she practically threw herself onto the bike. Her bike.
She all but melted into the seat, hands clasping the handlebars. Emotion welled up in her chest. Ironically, of everything that she'd been given on such an amazing day of giving, this one seemed to hit the hardest. "How?" Was all she managed to get out.
Hugging his daughter into his side, Dick smiled. "I've been working on it around work. Still some prettying up to be done, but it runs fine. I had the guys at the station look at it for me, apparently it's near enough a new bike now for you, kiddo."
She couldn't even begin to express how freaking grateful she was, but damn if she didn't try.
All the way up until her folks left, she continued to thank them over and over.
.
.
.
.
.
Later on in the night, as she and Paul waved her folks away, cuddled up to one another in the doorway, her mind was elsewhere.
She'd been waiting all freaking day. All day long, since she'd left home with her protein shake and gym kit, she'd been thinking about him. She'd wanted him for so freaking long now. Sure, it hadn't been as intense as it sometimes was thanks to the fact that he'd been nearby, but the time after work? The time in which she'd expected to be able to just jump him? Well, as thankful as she was to have seen everyone, she was equally certain that she hadn't been hiding her wants as well as she'd hoped.
As the door slid shut behind them, the shift in the air was instant. Immediately, the rest of the evening faded away. Nothing else mattered. No one else mattered, only them. "Hey." Paul's voice was rough and thick. He, it seemed, was feeling exactly what she was feeling as they both heard Brooke's car pulling away, finally leaving them alone.
His eyes followed her as she backed away from him until the back of her legs hit the dining table, a deep smirk rooting itself on his handsome face. Cocky. "Hey." She spoke back as levelly as she could, but the twitch in his smirk was evidence enough that she hadn't done a good job. "Come here." She didn't attempt to keep the wanting note from her voice. There was no one to hide it from now.
Always happy to oblige, Paul was stalking over to her in an instant, animalistic and predatory. The t-shirt that he'd managed to keep on all evening was a prison, she knew that, so her hands went quickly to the hem to start tugging it up. With his arms lifted obediently into the air, the offending item of clothing was slid off with ease and cast aside to be picked up another time.
Hungrily, River ran her hands from the height of Paul's still-lifted arms, down over the firm triceps, around and onto his chest. His arms fell slowly to hold her to him, gripping her sides firmly. "Hey." He finally grumbled back to her. His voice heavy and thick with wanting, something that she had been waiting all day to hear. With the length of his body slowly smothering her own, she was trapped, helpless, against the dining table behind her. "I've been thinking about having you alone all day. God, watching you working out earlier..." Those eyes pinned her immediately. Inside them, she could see her own desperation staring back at her.
Chuckling breathily, she gave a slight push against his chest. "You were watching me working out? Creep." She teased lightly, oddly affected by the way his stony body didn't give so much as an inch.
She knew he could hear the excited thrumming of her heart, probably as loud as it was in her own ears.
He was getting closer somehow, pressing her so very firmly into the table as he leaned over her. His frame was an iron cage that she was glad to be locked in as he began to lean down, his lips nearing her own. Had it really been so long since they had kissed? It felt like a lifetime.
Just as she began to tilt her head in his direction, to close her eyes and wait, one of his hands moved and took her jaw carefully into his impossibly strong grip. A light gasp fell from her as he turned her head easily to one side, granting himself access to the bare skin of her neck.
Soft lips met the pulse point behind her ear, pressing hotly and wetly into her. With her hands trapped against his chest, she could do little more than simply close her eyes and hum her enthusiasm. She gripped at him as well as she could, needing something to brace against. He was all too happy to allow it. His hand stayed firm on her jaw, holding her still as he continued his assault on the delicate skin laid before him. "You're so fucking beautiful." His words against her skin were practically a moan.
A shaky breath fell from her lips, desperate and wanting.
Needless to say, it wasn't long at all before they were both naked and stumbling in the direction of the bedroom.
To River's complete shock, stilling her as soon as they fell through the door, the room was lit entirely by candle. Scented candles. "Don't these smell too strong for you?" While she, of course, wanted to have her way with him, she didn't want him to get a freaking headache from overly strong scents.
Looking nothing short of sensational, filling the doorway with his hulking frame, Paul simply laughed heartily and shook his head. "All I smell is you." He told her gruffly, breathing in deeply with a groan. "You smell incredible."
Okay, so enough talking.
They all but launched at one another, colliding almost painfully.
The rest of the night was spent exactly as either of them would have expected, leaving them both beyond satisfied. To say that this had been River's best birthday yet would have been an understatement. What was even better, though, was knowing that this was it. This was her forever. Every single one of her birthdays to come would be spent near enough the same, all starting and ending with Paul.
Okay, I won't lie, I initially planned to write something a little steamier for that last section back there, but my mind was all tied up and the words weren't flowing, so I apologize if the end seems a little abrupt! I tried to round things off nicely enough after a pretty pleasant chapter. I don't imagine there'll be too much more story to tell now to be honest, I'm mostly just wanting to do a few more chapters (maybe five or so) of them back at school, another few as they graduate/navigate life, then a look into the future. I'm pretty conscious of the fact that, as much as I love writing these two, they may be getting a little mundane now. That being said, I foresee at least another ten chapters at the very least, so if you're enjoying, PLEASE let me know!
Have a brilliant day and let me know what you're thinking/feeling!