One of these days, I'll actually update this story in a timely fashion. Not today, apparently, but oen day.

As always, thank you so much for making it this far, I appreciate it so damn much. Apologies for any mistakes, I'm honestly really struggling at the moment, but I love writing this and I don't intend to stop, so hopefully it's all okay. Either way, please enjoy, and thank you so so so much for the reviews and the follows, they make me happy dance when they pop up on my phone.

Waking that next morning and leaving Paul was, by far, one of the hardest things River had ever done. She waited for him to wake, of course, but with a few kisses and an adorably grumpy face from him, she was leaving in her truck.

Having gone back to his from the wedding together, River didn't have a change of clothes. So, for the second time, she was heading home in Paul's sweats. The difference being that she wasn't planning on arguing with anyone this time, nor did she fancy another motor incident.

The drive home wasn't too bad. She was sure that she could feel him nearby, but she didn't dare look out the window and into the woods. She wasn't quite ready to see what the other Paul looked like. The big fluffy one. He'd offered a couple of times, but had ultimately respected when she'd said that she wasn't ready for that yet. Hell, she still felt a little uneasy around the guys, or the pack, as he called them, so she definitely wasn't ready to see her Paul like that.

She was almost dreading actually going home, knowing that her parents and Brooke would know exactly what she and Paul had been doing the last couple of days. She knew she wouldn't be looking her dad in the eyes for a day or two, that was for sure.

Still, as she pulled up the long driveway, she couldn't help but grin. She loved being with Paul, but their whole relationship was a little stressful to say the least. It felt nice to be back in the one place that never seemed to change around her.

The second she opened the door, she was greeted by the smell of breakfast. A multitude of different meats frying, eggs scrambling, toast crisping under the grill. Her mother, the first to notice, swept her immediately into a hug. It was tight and maternal, inviting and just everything that she hadn't known she'd needed until she returned the embrace with quick arms. "Sit." Alma demanded after a second, stepping out of their embrace. "Nice sweats."

It only took her mother raising a single teasing brown for River's cheeks to flush as she remembered her clothes. "Shut up." She groaned playfully, tucking her chin down in light embarrassment as she slinked over to the table, seating herself beside her father, opposite Brooke.

Naturally, she regretted her seating choices as soon as she realised that her father was happy to hide behind his coffee and newspaper, not wanting to look at his eldest daughter and face what she'd been doing away from home. Brooke, however? Oh, she had no such issues. In fact, she went as far as to poke her tongue against her cheek in time with some unsavoury hand actions, silently miming at her older sister across the table for as long as their father stayed hidden in his paper and their mother's back stayed turned against the stove.

River, in turn, mimed out a whole host of different ways that she would beat her sister's ass later on, earning nothing but unintimidated snorts in response.

.

.

.

.

.

It was later the same day that River found herself laying on her bed, grinning down at her cell as she texted Paul.

"Gross." Came Brooke's voice as she hovered in the doorway, feigning disgust at the sight of her older sister clearly so infatuated.

Scoffing, the older girl rolled her eyes and locked her cell, rolling onto her front as she gently tucked it under her pillow. "Found a mirror again?" River quipped, though it was a little too slow to be considered a comeback.

The younger girl barely responded, smirking lightly as she entered her sister's room, taking a seat on her bed. "So." She started, nodding and biting her lip with an expectant look in her eyes.

Oh god, what now? "So?" River said back, rolling this time onto her side so she could raise a brow at her sister.

Brooke groaned and slumped across her sister's legs with a laugh. "Come on!" She laughed, reaching out and grabbing River's pant leg. "You ready to admit you fucked Paul Lahote now?" She couldn't contain her grin as she asked.

River, in turn, couldn't help the smirk that found her face. She shrugged non-commitally and pointed to Brooke's cell. "This better not be live streaming to Krystal." She said, only half joking, secretly pleased when Brooke literally threw her cell across the room. "Maybe." She then admitted "Once or twice." As Brooke laughed, River did too. It was weirdly infectious. It was also so damn nice to be speaking like this with literally anyone, especially Brooke.

"Was it good?" Brooke asked once their laughter had died down.

River's grin grew just a little. She tried to hide her face, to no avail though. "What's it to you?" She shot back, tonguing her teeth the try to keep her grin from ultimately taking over her face.

Scoffing, Brooke shuffled around on the bed until she was lying on her back, looking up at the hanging lightbulb that clearly was in need of a new shade as it hung from the ceiling. She'd managed to shove River onto her back, all but forcing her way between her sister's legs. It would have looked odd to anyone else, Brooke lying with her head on River's stomach, cradled in her legs, but was how they'd sat for hours at a time as kids, even before they'd left Utah. It was safe. "We're sisters, nerd." The younger girl said somewhat quietly, then speaking a little more surely. "This is what sisters do."

River rolled her eyes in spite of the fact that neither of them war looking at one another. "Okay. Sure." She shrugged, thinking about Brooke's question. "Really fucking good." She announced, deciding to finally confide in her sister. After all, they used to share everything.

Neither spoke for a second, but River all but felt Brooke smirk proudly. "Good for you." She said into the air, then deciding to test the waters. What other information could she get while River was in a sharing mood? "He big?" She asked, laughing immediately when a hand came out of nowhere to warningly smack her shoulder.

"Jesus, Brooke!" River barked, blushing immediately. She was thankful that her sister couldn't see. It wasn't that she was a prude or anything. Hell, she was happy to talk about sex, but she truly hadn't expected for Brooke to just be so straight forward, not that she'd ever been anything else, really.

"That's a yes, then!" Brooke cackled.

The grin finally took over. "Shut up!" They both laughed together, making River briefly wonder if this was the start to healing their relationship once and for all.

Naturally, while her mind went in one direction, Brooke's went in another.

"Is it better than gay sex?"

River rolled her eyes. Brooke really knew how to kill a vibe. "And we're done."

Brooke shot up, spinning to face her sister with an incredulous look on her face. "What? Come on, I'm curious!" She had to admit, she was enjoying this whole thing. It wasn't even about making River squirm for once, just about actually talking about stuff for what felt like the first time in forever. "You don't know, I could be gay or something. You should be talking about all this stuff with me."

"We both know you're not gay, Brooke." River retorted, propping herself up on her elbows. She looked across the length of the bed, into Brooke's eyes. It seemed, once she got past the amused smirk, that she really was curious. What the hell, right? "It's a... different experience." She settled on, careful with her words.

Brooke nodded, turning and flopping back into her position on her sister's stomach. "Who's better, Skylar or Paul?"

River groaned. Was she really not getting it? "Brooke-"

"Okay, okay! Different experience, got it." To give her her due, she backed down quickly. Or so River thought. Of course, she was actually just choosing a new approach. "Different because you were basically a dude with Skylar and-"

"There's no dude in a lesbian relationship." River huffed, annoyed, swinging a pillow at Brooke with a playful threat of violence, but she knew that her sister was only teasing. "But yeah, if you must know. I was more, you know, dominant. But with Paul-"

"Ew." Brooke chimed in, though she actually found it weirdly sweet that River was finally confiding in her.

"He makes me feel safe. I can relax around him, explore things, that's my point." She tried desperately not to blush or feel any kind of mushy as she thought about what she'd said, but it was so true. Paul really did just make her feel safe and secure. She knew that, while he was a bit of an idiot at times, he'd never hurt her intentionally. Their relationship definitely had some room for adjustment, but that was fine, natural even.

Beside her sister, Brooke pretended to gag, but it was clear to both of them that she was happy for her big sister.

They were quiet for a while after that, both seemingly basking in the silence, thinking about what they'd both said. They smiled fondly at one another when their eyes met. They both had to admit, it really was nice to not be fighting all the time.

"So, you guys are, like, a couple now, then?" Brooke asked a moment later.

River sighed and shrugged. "We haven't really spoken about it." She admitted, suddenly feeling kind of stupid. "Guess that's something to figure out before our senior year." She added, suddenly feeling a little anxious at the thought of it all. They'd only ever really been at one another's throats at school, she really wasn't sure how that dynamic could change. Not that she'd be gunning to punch him against the lockers or anything stupid, but seriously, what was it going to be like? Was he suddenly going to bring her flowers? Ask her to dances? She almost laughed. Flowers and dances? Not only were they not things she could see crossing Paul's mind, they also weren't things she gave a damn about.

.

.

.

.

.

Groaning, Paul, in his wolf form, planted his head flat on the ground, his forehead and ears un the grass. "Jake, shut up." He begged through the pack mind.

Jacob, in true Jacob style, was flooding him and Seth with thoughts of Bella. Of Edward. Bella and Edward. Of him ripping Edward's head off. "You know it's not right!" Jake snarled, disgust in his tone as images of Swan and Cullen, wrapped up in covers, fucking, swam through all their minds.

Paul could feel poor Seth literally trying to look away from the images, not that it did the kid any good. "Jake." Paul warned. They all made a point of keeping their minds as PG-13 around Seth as possible, no exceptions.

Hell, it wasn't even Jacob's shift on patrol, he was just phasing for the sake of not wanting to suffer alone. Paul couldn't stand that shit. At least when he was moping about River, he had the decency to do quietly and alone. "At least you didn't imprint on her." Seth chimed happily, trying so very hard to brighten the mood, letting images of Jacob grinning at some faceless girl fill his mind.

Paul was in awe of this kid, so positive and bubbly. Jacob, however, groaned. "It's more than that." He whined, making Paul's thoughts turn even more sour. More than that? More than what? Jake really thought his crush on that leech lover was more than his imprint? A growl began to grow in his chest, but Jake ignored it all. "I love her." He said, speaking as if that would change anything.

Scoffing, Paul shook his head. "You don't even know what love is, Jake." He grumbled, keeping his tone level. Sam had been pretty clear on the fact that everyone needed to give Jake a little leeway, but seriously, he clearly hadn't thought about the fact that Jake was being an bitchy little asshole.

Flashes of River burst into the pack mind, though not from Paul. These thoughts, these memories, they weren't his. He watched, through Jake's eyes, as he called her all kinds of horrible names, as he shoved her into the lockers, as she cussed him out, as he pushed her motorcycle over and laughed as she struggled to pick it back up. "And you do?" Jake sneered.

"Enough!" Paul boomed, rage coursing through his veins. He could feel it racing and bubbling in him, telling him to find Jacob and to beat his ass until he shut the hell up.

Still, the future chief didn't stop, instead doing his best to remember every little aggression between Paul and River over the years. "You love her? Then where were you? When she fell off her bike, where were you? Come on, because you weren't sitting in the hospital-"

"Jake!" This time, it was Seth who spoke up. it was clear from his thoughts that he was appalled. "Dude, I know you're mad about Bella- and sad, but... come on. We're brothers." Seth's efforts, however, were futile.

Paul was already charging through the woods. He was going to hunt Jacob down and his give the beating of a lifetime.

He couldn't exactly argue. He hadn't been at the hospital and he hated himself for it, but it hadn't been something he could help. He'd felt it when it had happened. He'd been outside Sam and Em's, grinning, about to tell Sam what had happened, then he'd felt it; his imprint in pain. He'd felt as she'd collided with something, as it had broken her, as he hadn't been there to catch or save her. The pain had exploded in his body, practically forcing him to phase on the spot, he even phased through one of the support beams on Sam's porch, missing Em by mere inches as the alpha instinctively swung her out of the way.

He'd spent what felt like years unable to phase back as his mind raced, terrified. The wolf had been unable to relinquish control, assuring the man in him that this was the form that could protect River. He had warred internally with himself until he'd finally been able to change back, by which time she'd left the hospital.

He hated himself for not being there when she'd needed him, but he wasn't ever going to make that mistake again.

So, this time, when the threat was one of his own brothers questioning what he and his damn mate had, he sure as shit wasn't going to stand for it.

He heard Seth's pleas as they both caught sight of Jacob, clearly both running at him from opposite directions, directly toward Sam's place. he knew, of course, that Jake had run back that way so he could cry to Sam about big, bad Paul and get him in trouble, but he didn't care. He wanted his pound of flesh.

Jake may have been fast, but he wasn't the fastest. Sure, he was ordinarily faster than Paul was, though not as strong, but today? Today he'd poked the bear one time too many. He'd insulted the bond that he and River shared and that simply wasn't going to stand.

He caught up to his so-called brother less than two seconds before Seth did. There was no denying that Jake had been a natural at being a wolf, but Paul? He sometimes felt more wolf than man. So, when Jake spun to dodge whatever attack was coming for him, Paul simply lowered his head, booming "Bite!" into the pack mind, watching Jacob dodge a bite that never came, instead ploughing into him with all the force in his entire body.

It was easy to trick his brothers, Paul knew that. The pack mind was a hell of a thing.

As Jake flew and crashed a few feet from Sam's place, Paul knew he wouldn't have long to land his blows before they were ordered apart, so he wasted no time.

As poor Seth debated how best to stop this fight, Paul and Jake were already at one another, this time with teeth and claws. There were sickening thuds as they smashed into one another, biting and scratching, each trying to draw blood.

Paul could feel Jacob trying desperately to probe his mind, to look for any kind of hint as to his next attacks, but that was the thing about rabid, feral attacks. There was no planning. He just wanted to make this asshole hurt.

As expected, Same was quick out of the house, taking in the scene before him, as was Emily.

Poor Set cowered as their alpha leapt off the porch, holding protective hand out in Em's direction. "Enough!" He boomed, finally using his power as alpha to stop them.

They stilled. Sam's order, though not specific, was enough to have them both almost shaking, wanting nothing more than to immediately drop one another. Snarling, Paul, with his teeth in Jacob's shoulder, made a point of Shaking his head just a little before eventually giving in to the order, all but falling away from the russet wolf.

"Phase back, right the hell now." Sam growled, stalking over to both of them.

They both did as they were told, Paul never once taking his eyes off Jake, even while they were naked and uncomfortably close. Hell, he'd have laid his damn dick on Jake's leg if he'd had to, he just wanted to be in his face while he told Sam exactly what he'd said.

Seth, nearer to Em, phased back, too, visibly shaken. Sure, Paul and Jake fighting wasn't uncommon, but they never brought imprints into things. "Seth, honey?" Emily's voice was soft and sweet as she called out to the shaken teen, catching his attention with a warm smile. "Come inside, sweetie." She told him, holding a comforting hand out, encouraging him with a nod of her head.

Seth followed his cousin, accepting a pair of Sam's shorts from her as she placed a maternal hand on his shoulder and ushered him inside, leaving a pointed glare on the two morons who had only been fighting a few seconds ago.

Sam reached the two of them in record time, stepping quickly between them, not caring in the slightest about the fact that they were both buck naked. Of course, they were all used to it, but they didn't make a habit of getting in one another's faces while their pants were off. "Inside. Sit down." He growled, fixing his eyes down the inch or two he had on Paul.

Alas, the young wolf didn't budge, looking practically through Sam at Jacob. "Him first." He hissed, still shaking.

"No, Paul." Sam grumbled, planting a fist on his brother's chest with force. "You. Now." There was no threat, just the tone of what sounded like a worried father who had been pushed too far. Paul almost felt bad for him, but this? This, for once, wasn't on him.

With his teeth bared, he stepped back. "Good luck talking your way out of this, bitch." He bit out, his words clearly directed at Jacob.

With that, he turned and stormed across the yard and into the house, yanking the elasticated cord from his leg that had a pair or cotton sleep shorts tied in small bundle. He was usually a fan or cargo shorts and the like, but these were lighter and less likely to fall out of the elastic while running.

He pulled them on as he walked through the door, seeing Seth almost with tears in his eyes at the wooden kitchen table. Emily, a few feet away, was heating a helping of something for the kid, pointedly looking at Paul with a raised brow. "Are you happy, Paul?" She asked, gesturing to Seth. "Look at the state you've gotten him into. Happy?" Jeez, it was a cold day in Hell that even Em was mad at him.

Still, he shrugged and slumped into a chair. "Wasn't my fault." He grunted, turning his attention to Seth. "Hey." He tried to get the younger boy's attention, but to no avail. He rolled his eyes and reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "Seth." This time, the boy looked back. "You're okay. Just breathe." He tried to sound reassuring, but realistically he knew he probably sounded condescending.

Emily, upon placing a plate in front of Seth, rounded the table and gently slapped Paul upside the head. It wasn't meant to hurt, not that she could have hurt him if she'd tried, but it was clear that she was trying to gently sold. "Be nice."

Moments later, Sam appeared in the door with a huff, followed by a sigh as he walked over and planted a kiss on Em's cheeks, both the clear side and the scarred one.

"Where's Jake?" Paul demanded, ready to raise Hell if he'd been let off with nothing.

Sighing, Sam parted from his imprint and turned his attention to his third-in-command. "I've sent him home." He replied firmly, practically daring Paul to kick up a fuss. When Paul went to open his mouth though, Sam was quick to keep talking. "I've sent him home and I'm going to call Billy, have him have a talk with him. He'll take your patrols for a couple of weeks, plus whatever Billy deems fit."

Paul, for the first time, was stunned to silence. Had Jacob, king on the world, really just actually been reprimanded? Holy shit. "He told you what he said?" Paul asked, suspicious. They'd barely been out there two minutes.

Sam nodded, taking a seat, keeping a hand on Em's hip. She clasped it and sank onto his knee, running her fingers fondly through his hair. "Kid wouldn't stop yapping the second I asked what had happened. Said he tried to piss you off and it worked." There was a look in Sam's eyes, almost an amused look. "What's it you kids say? Fuck about and find out?"

Paul actually laughed at that. It was easy to forget sometimes that Sam was a few years older than he was. He could feel the tension leaving his body at the realisation that he wasn't in trouble. Not only that, but that Jacob was. he had to admit, he liked that.

Okay, admittedly a bit of a nothing chapter, but I realised that I've sucked massively at showing anything other than River and Paul. I get that they're the base of the story, but I want to show as much of the little world that I'm seeing as possible.

Obviously hoping you have a great day, hope that everything is going well and whatnot. Also, happy holidays! Please review if you've enjoyed this, feel free to follow me or my stories as well, I'll do my best to get better at updating, but honestly all I can promise right now is that I absolutely will finish this, I just don't know when. On the upside, I have a more solid idea of where this is all going, a few ups and down etc, so it should be easier for me to get it all done. Anyways, have a great day and thank you for reading!