Paul was still at the Swan house when Charlie and Seth arrived later. Charlie wasn't happy to find Paul, Leah, and Bella curled up together, asleep in Bella's bed. He'd woken them by throwing the door open, letting the knob soundly smack the wall.
Paul peeled his lengthy body away from Leah's backside and fought back an awkward chuckle as he stood. The young women pulled apart and sat up, both groggy - Leah, from grief and Bella from being woken yet again.
Bella nearly laughed as she noticed Charlie's annoyed expression, but then saw Seth glaring from behind them.
If looks could kill…
Charlie grumbled, "Lahote, what the hell are you doing in my house?"
"Just comforting my friends, sir. I guess we all fell asleep."
"Uh-huh." Charlie glanced toward Bella and Leah suspiciously. "Don't you think it's time to head home, son? Awfully late."
Bella sighed as she nodded toward the sunrise coming through the window. "Dad? It's morning."
Leah snorted as she tried not to laugh, and Charlie's mustache twitched as he fought back a rueful grin. But then, Leah's face fell into a scowl as she noticed Seth's suspicious glare.
"What?"
"Didn't realize you and Paul are such good friends, is all," Seth grumbled.
The sound of his voice made Bella blink in surprise. Just like the others, it had deepened exponentially, and overnight. As he stepped closer to Charlie, she realized Seth was taller than her father, now.
Wow, he's grown. Seriously… Like six inches… He definitely didn't look fourteen anymore.
Leah rolled her eyes. "We have some mutual friends, Seth. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're running with my old crew now. Not the other way around."
Charlie turned to Seth and harrumphed. "You running around with Sam, now, huh?"
Confused by Charlie's change of tone, he blanched and took a step back as he shrugged. "What's wrong with Sam?"
Leah grumbled, "I have a few answers…"
Paul's braying laugh garnered everyone's attention, making Leah smile as the sudden tension in the room dissipated.
Huh. Bella felt like she was missing something; some vital piece to explain how Paul and Leah had gotten so comfortable with each other so quickly. What they'd experienced together was one thing, but this felt… different. She slid her hand into Leah's and Leah threaded their fingers together, instinctively squeezing Bella's hand in return.
Seth still looked confused and slightly wary as Paul leaned down and hugged Leah and Bella goodbye. Charlie crossed his arms over his chest, waiting in the doorway like a prison guard, watching Paul's every move.
Ignoring Charlie's attempt to intimidate him, Paul asked, "Seth? Wanna ride back home?"
Seth sighed, his temper noticeably fading. "Yeah. I'll go back to bed at home. Charlie? Is that okay?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I'll let your mom know when she gets here. I'm sure Jake will bring Billy over soon."
Bella scowled at that but stayed silent. It wasn't the time or place for their bullshit.
Disregarding Charlie, Paul asked, "Hey, Ducky, can I have my shirt back?"
Bella shook her head, smirking as she went to her closet to retrieve it, and tossed it to him. Paul immediately peeled off his shirt to put the rooster shirt on as she tried not to laugh over Charlie's dramatic sigh. Paul threw the one he'd been wearing at her, then smelled the collar of the (as promised) unwashed shirt and winked. Without another word, and grinning like a Cheshire cat, Paul walked past a scowling Charlie and out the door.
Charlie pointed at Bella in warning behind Paul's back before he and Seth followed Paul to the front door, leaving Leah chuckling as she laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.
The next few days were filled with preparations, mostly handled at Sue's house. While those days passed quickly, Harry's actual funeral was difficult, at best.
When the Clearwaters weren't busy greeting visitors, each hurried to their respective 'person' as though the last thing they found comfort in was each other. It was the sad observation of many, whispered too loudly to ignore. None seemed able to understand that the family had already been grieving for weeks. Besides that, Sue's hand in Charlie's was like a shining beacon for the gossipers in the crowd, despite no romantic gestures between them as he comforted his lifelong friend, mourning beside her.
While she furiously bit her tongue, Bella glared down at anyone dumb enough to say something near her, and that seemed to suffice - at first.
The whispers and comments weren't all missed by Seth, who seemed unable to stop trembling and remained on edge the entire time. He snapped at everyone except Jacob, who, to Bella's discomfort, was constantly present over the last few days while everyone prepared. Thankfully, despite staring after her everywhere she went, he'd left her alone.
Jacob tolerated Seth's clinginess and short temper with patience Bella had never seen. Merely laying a hand on Seth's shoulder or whispering to him seemed to help keep him calm. Jacob even seemed to usher folks away who lingered too long, upsetting Seth further with their thoughtlessly spoken observations.
If she wasn't mistaken, he did his best to steer Seth clear of her more than anyone else. It confused Bella as Seth frequently sent eye daggers at her and Charlie, and he had done so through the last few days. Bella felt certain Seth knew more than he was revealing at the moment, and the whispers among the crowd were only adding to it.
It should have come as no surprise that the rest of Sam's crew arrived together, the guys and their respective partners, sans Ellie, instantly crowding around Jacob and Seth as though the recent fight had never happened. Paul remained with them, though he occasionally smirked or winked at Bella from across the room. His sympathetic and sometimes cocky, flirtatious smile for Leah left Bella nervous - from the growing camaraderie between them but also Sam's blatant scowling.
Did e suspect something was developing between them? Bella then wondered if she suspected something was developing between Paul and Leah and was merely projecting her suspicion on Sam.
Sam angrily looked away from Paul and Leah's silent exchanges but remained silent. Still, Bella saw him watching the three of them, ignoring his girlfriend despite their clasped hands. She had little chance to examine Emily, but it surprised Bella to see the bright red scars. Emily was beautiful, regardless, and it only took a glance to see it. She quickly pushed it aside, focusing her attention on Leah instead.
Leah barely spoke a word all night, lost in her thoughts but gripping Bella's hand like a lifeline, only acknowledging a select few people. She broke out in a sweat several times and had to step away from the crowd 'to breathe.' Between stress and working doubles all week, Bella feared Leah was making herself sick. Leah's appetite was the only thing that somewhat relieved Bella's worries. She ate voraciously at the potluck dinner that afternoon, rivaling even Quil, who cheered her on, providing the only comic relief Leah and Seth had found all day.
Bella had intended to go home with Charlie after the Potluck was over, and the Clearwaters planned a bonfire for those who wanted to stick around. Charlie left, having to work the following morning, but Bella stayed behind at Leah's behest.
The last thing she expected was story hour as they sat around the fire later, listening to Billy recant the tribe's histories. She tried to ignore the many sets of eyes on her when the Cold Ones got mentioned, blushing as Billy met her gaze head-on.
Old Bird struggled to keep a straight face as those parts got elaborated. While unsaid, Bella could tell he was masking his disappointment over her involvement with their enemy.
Bella learned the full details of their treaty that night, of how the tribe believed itself descended from spirit warriors and wolves. It brought back the memory of Jacob's brief reveal of those details when they were first reacquainted. Bella finally realized why her subconscious had held on to the dreams of wolves for so long. Perhaps they'd been a warning all along?
She discreetly studied Sam and the other's faces and wondered who knew how true the Cullen stories were outside of Billy, Sue, and Old Quil. Sam's boys - including Seth and Paul, displayed their distaste for the Cullens like badges of honor, cheering over the part where the coven had left town for the second time. Quil and Embry wore sympathetic smiles for Bella instead. She knew they loathed the Cullens because of her rather than 'what' they were.
Bella had little time to wonder why rehashing their old glories was necessary as the tales turned to Harry. Memories of his ornery demeanor, sense of humor, and quick comebacks were shared among the crowd. To Bella's surprise, so were several bottles of Harry's last batch of moonshine, each delicately sipped from with care. When one bottle was passed to Bella from Leah, Bella tentatively took a sip. It burned as it went down, making Bella cough and choke as she swallowed her share.
Later, when the elders left, Sue went with them, wanting to go home and sleep. Seth was left under Jacob's observation with firm instructions to be in bed long before dawn. Bella silently waited beside Leah to see if she was ready to stay or go, assuming they would walk back to her house.
Although Leah seemed reluctant to stay, she wanted to monitor Seth for a while. She didn't have to explain how anxious his involvement with Sam made her - It made Bella nervous, too. Even if they had some of the same people in their lives, the secrecy amongst them seemed more prevalent than ever.
The friends sat on the edge of the crowd near the fire, mostly in silence, as those who remained drank more moonshine, behaving as though it were another typical beach party. Seth finally calmed down as someone else began playing rock music on their cell phone, and for a while, things were fine.
Suddenly, Bella screeched in surprise as warm arms wrapped around her waist from behind and hauled her to her feet. She spun around to face Paul and batted him away with her hands as he laughed. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Unable to wrestle him away, she sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Exasperatedly, against his chest, she huffed, " God, Paul…"
Raising one eyebrow, he grinned at her lasciviously and she blushed as he pecked her forehead. "Always scare so easily, Ducky?"
"You snuck up on me, Jackass."
Lowering his voice, Paul said, "Could have fooled me. I thought you were acutely aware of where I am. You only made eye contact with me 30 times tonight." He chuckled.
"I seem to recall you winking at me half the night, sir." And Leah, she thought, pointedly glancing toward their friend at their feet.
He leaned his upper body back to look Bella over, pressing his groin against her abdomen, grinning. "Mmm. I like it when you call me sir ."
Leah barked out a loud laugh from where she sat on the ground beside them, shaking her head. "Paul, you're fucking incorrigible. You can't even refrain from flirting at funerals."
He shrugged. "Well, you know what they say. I am a selfish bastard."
Bella giggled, noticing the stern glare from Sam. "Not too selfish to keep your distance in front of Charlie, though."
"Yeah. I didn't think he'd appreciate me hovering too much. He wasn't too happy about me being there."
"Could've gone worse," she teased. "He didn't escort you out at gunpoint."
"No, but he ran me off." Paul snorted. "Just protecting his little Chicklet."
Bella scowled at the reference and again, he laughed. "Do not start calling me that. You're lucky I tolerate 'Ducky."
"Wait!" Leah turned to look up at them. "What's that about?"
Jacob's chuckle at her question made it obvious he was listening. Glancing in his direction, Bella found almost everyone, even Sam's girlfriend, the traitorous cousin Emily, watching their interaction. She blushed furiously.
"Ern… Remember how I said that Paul's the reason Old Quil calls me Little Bird."
"Oh, that's just adorable," Paul teased. His braying laugh made her sigh in aggravation as she backhanded his chest, but he didn't even flinch.
She explained, "When we were kids, Paul made fun of my teeth. My top front teeth were in, and the rest were still baby teeth. Paul ran up, yanked my pigtails, told me my teeth looked like 's dentures in Dennis The Menace, and called me Chicklets. The rest of the day, I was Chickie, chickadee, Chickeroonie…"
Giving himself away, Jared cackled and yelled, "Chickeroonie?!"
Paul shrugged, grinning but keeping his eyes on Bella. "I was a kid. What do you expect?"
Bella shook her head. "Literally anything but Bella or Swan. Uncle Quil tried to cheer me up by telling me to think of it differently. Chicks are baby birds and, being a Swan, so was I. I was Little Bird after that."
Paul suddenly thrust his hips forward as he startled, bumping into her hard. He caught Bella to keep her upright as she stumbled backward and then rubbed his ass cheek with his free hand.
Turning to glare at Leah, he said, "Hey! That actually hurt. That's gonna bruise."
Quit leaned toward Embry. "Did she just pinch his ass?"
"I'd have pinched his ear if I was standing." She laughed. "You're such a brat, Paul. Goddamn. I hope your next conquest sees it and it cock blocks you."
He snorted. "Now that's just mean. You hear that shit, Ducky? Bold of her to assume I'm even looking."
Leah teased, "Aren't you always?"
Paul kept his gaze firmly locked on Bella's as he reached up to pat her cheek. "Not yet."
Bella giggled and shook her head, then blanched over the growling complaints behind her. She looked around, scowling at them.
"Don't get your panties in a wad, guys. It's just Paul." She couldn't help but notice Emily glaring at her and mentally cursed the woman's assumed judgment. She could only imagine what bullshit Sam had filled Emily's head with.
Probably thinks I'm just fucking my way through the tribe…
Paul snickered, kissed her forehead, and patted her butt before walking back to his seat beside Jared. "Ahh. I'm glad we're pals now, Ducky. You get me."
"Yeah." Bella nodded as she watched him playfully nudge Jared with his shoulder. "I think you get me too."
Leah scoffed but said nothing as she stood and stretched, raising her arms high over her head with a sigh. Her short, cotton sundress raised with it, revealing Leah's thick, flawless thighs. The soft material curved becomingly over her ass, making Bella bite her bottom lip as she blushed and looked away. Her gaze instantly connected with Emily's, the other woman curiously watching their interactions. Leah lowered her arms with a sigh and immediately grasped Bella's hand.
Emily's scarred mouth looked more like a grimace as she smirked at Bella knowingly, but one glance toward a fearsome-looking Sam made her roll her eyes. Before Bella could overthink the exchange, Leah tugged her hand.
"Are you staying at my house tonight?"
"Of course, if that's what you want."
"Besides, I need to get used to bunking with you if we're going on this damn trip…"
Bella gaped at her in delight as she fought the urge to dance in place. She caught several heads whipping toward them in her peripheral vision, however.
As Bella said, "You're coming with me?" Seth and Paul both grumbled, "What trip?!"
"Yeah." Leah nodded, more to herself than anyone else as she bit back a laugh. "I think so. You don't need to travel alone, and I could use the break." Leah looked around the wide space and scoffed. "Don't look so disappointed, guys." Bella followed her gaze, noting several clearly disapproving faces.
Embry asked, "Bells? Are you going to visit your mom?"
"Yeah. As soon as I've solidified all my plans, anyway."
Jared asked, "Where does your mom live, Bella?"
"Florida. I'm sure Embry, Quil, and Jacob could fill you in. We used to talk about this trip a lot. It's been a long time coming."
Bella refused to look toward Jacob, not wanting to see his expression over the mention. Bella didn't know how he felt about those memories anymore and she didn't want to. Quil and Embry looked somewhat disappointed, though. They truly wanted to take the trip with her, once.
Leah yawned, pulling Bella's attention. "Well… I have to get home to bed. Back to work in the morning…"
Bella shrugged. "Let's go, then…"
Leah tried not to grin as she teased, "Sure you don't wanna stay? I'm sure Paul would be more than happy to walk you back later."
Bella snorted at Jared's laugh but refused to look at anyone else. She had no expectations of Paul. She certainly didn't need a babysitter.
Surprisingly, Sam said, "Someone probably should walk them home. It's really fucking dark out here tonight… might be safer to have someone with them."
Leah frowned and Bella could see the anger instantly building behind her eyes as she looked up at him and shuddered. Leah grumbled, "Thanks, but I can protect myself, Sam. Everyone out here knows me."
"You're not the one I'm concerned about," Sam muttered, making everyone - every sound except the flames licking the driftwood - go still. In a swift movement that made Bella's head spin, Leah grabbed her by the waist and shoved her behind her.
"What is that supposed to mean? What the hell is your problem with Bella anyway, Sam? First, you tried to keep everyone away from her, then you came up with that cockamamie bullshit about her and Embry. You destroyed her and Jake's fucking friendship. You clearly don't want Paul involved with her, even if you defended Paul - and don't think I haven't seen you side-eyeing her all night like an obsessed little puppy. What the hell is that about? Planning on stealing another best friend for me or what? Why can't you just leave her alone?"
Wait… Leah thought Sam had been looking at her? Bella had watched his gaze wonder behind Leah several times, despite Emily's presence at his side. She'd assumed it was merely the awkwardness of their situation, having other, more important issues on her mind, such as the hushed comments about Charlie and Sue, and Seth's resulting temper.
Bella shook her head as she tugged on Leah's hand. "Let's go, Lee. It's not worth the fight. Not today, okay? Let's just go home."
Leah turned around to face Bella, her furious eyes welled with tears. Lowering her voice, she said, "You might not have been worth the fight for some of these other motherfuckers, but you're worth it to me. Okay?"
Bella released Leah's hand to rub her upper arms as she nodded. "I believe you… but today is my turn to support you, okay? You can fight for me another day. How does that sound?"
Leah scoffed and laughed simultaneously as she reached up to flick tears away before they could spill over, then sighed. "Yeah, Swan. Fine. Next time, then."
As they turned to leave, Bella caught Jacob's gaze. He gave her the same sweet smile that once drove the clouds away for her, filling her with hope instead of trepidation and pain. Instead of returning his smile as she'd always been wont to do, a fresh ache erupted in her chest and she stumbled over her own feet. Leah chuckled as Bella caught herself and kept walking, increasing her steps to keep up with the long-legged beauty.
Bella couldn't help but wonder why Ellie hadn't been at Jacob's side all night as his smile haunted her the entire way to the house.
