All That Matters

by Hanikka

Summary (not much of a summary)

This is a short sequel to I Want You But Not Like This. I wasn't quite ready to let these guys go. The story continues six years after the last episode. I recommend reading it before this. Dark clouds are gathering over Paul'a, Bella's, Dan's, and their pack of furry babies' happy lives in Seattle. The title of this fic is as bad and unimaginative as they all are in my stores. Sorry about that. :)

Rating M for lemonns, AU.

Disclaimer:

Just to remind you, all publicly recognizable characters and situations are the property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. Just playing with words and having fun.


Chapter 1


"Is Dan ready to leave in half an hour so we can get Ross and avoid the rush hour?" Charlie asked.

"He should be," Bella answered as she finished emptying grocery bags. "He's all packed, but I don't know where Dan and Paul are. They should have come back walking the dogs by now. Let me check."

Bella texted Paul. Where are you?

"So, are you still planning to go around the Seven Lakes?"

"Yes. It's the best place to take the dogs. And fishing is great there."

"How did you make Dan accompany you on a fishing trip?" Bella chuckled. While Dan loved Charlie into distraction, he hated fishing because killing animals was cruel, and that included all animals, from cows and pigs and fish for eating purposes to the tiniest bugs and crawlers, even the ones that had invaded the living quarters of human beings.

"I explained all the natural wonders around the area and promised to surprise him. There is a cave with prehistoric paintings. I'm afraid the boy won't leave the cave," Charlie chuckled. He'd been planning this trip for a few months now. It was his late birthday present for Dan, who'd turned 18 a few months ago.

Bella's phone beeped.

Up on the roof. The discussion is on. Paul answered.

Oh, Bella felt her heart squeeze. Glancing at Charlie, she realized that getting him and Dan on the road in half an hour would be challenging. They could not definitely rush this.

Come up. Paul continued.

"I go get Dan and Paul. They are up on the terrace. But Dad, it might take a while. Make yourself comfortable. There is lasagna Paul made yesterday. And I think the Mariners game is on."

Charlie glanced at her, and Bella knew he knew what was happening.

"Sure. Don't rush him. We can leave later if needed."

Bella hugged her father tightly and left their apartment.

While waiting for the lift, Bella prepared herself for what she would find on the roof. She and Paul had waited for Dan to question why his mother was absent from his life and why the whole other half of his family didn't want anything to do with him. It broke Paul and Bella's hearts over and over again when Angela washed her hands off Dan's life, although they knew it was the best thing that had happened to Dan. But it wasn't an easy issue to deal with, having your mother abandoning you. And although they had given him all their love, it could never completely replace the mother's love he was left without. It had taken him longer, though; they had waited for this to happen earlier.

Lift binged, and the doors opened. Taking in a deep breath, Bella stepped out and walked to the door leading to the terrace. She went outside and did not see her boys or the dogs. The terrace was huge; it went around the building, so Bella turned left, hoping to find them on a sunny side with less breeze. And there they were. Bella stopped. All four dogs lifted their heads and started to flap their tails against the ground. Bella lifted her hand to sign not to come to her. She stayed there watching.

Paul and Dan sat on the bench, side by side. Dan's elbows rested on his knees, his body hunched forward as he'd buried his face in his hands. The weight of pain and hurt pressed him down like an unseen burden. Paul had his arm wrapped around his shoulders, a pained expression on his face.

Their eyes met, and as Bella's eyes welled up with tears, Paul's did too. He'd been holding up. He reached out his other arm to her, and she went to him.

Fred and George pushed their noses into her hand, tails wagging furiously, while Hagrid leaned his massive body against her side, pushing her against Paul. Little Dobby, too small to reach her, bounced excitedly on her hind legs, wiggling her body and letting out a sharp bark. She grabbed the tiny dog into her arms, knowing it was the fastest way to settle her down. She ruffled the heads of others. "Alright, alright," she murmured and sat down next to Paul, who pulled her into a tight one-arm hug, not taking the other from Dan's shoulders. Hagrid sniffed her face, leaving it sticky with warm, slimy drool. "You are disgusting, Hagrid," Bella murmured, and the dog whined.

Dan huffed amusement in his voice; canine antics always amused Dan, even in a situation like this, it seemed. Bella felt a flash of relief; the situation wasn't as bad as she'd feared. Paul released her from his hug but left his arm around her shoulder, kissing her on the cheek. Dan had lifted his head from its hiding place and scratched Hagrid under its chin. The drooling black Newfoundland sighed, satisfied, and lolled its tongue out. The oldies Fred and Geoge returned to their napping on the floor, and Dobby curled on Bella's lap, glancing all her humans around her from under her eyebrows before yawning and falling asleep.

They all remained silent for a while.

"Did you want me, Dad?" Dan asked, breaking the silence and startling Bella with the heavy question.

Bella squeezed Paul's hand.

"Yes, Dan, I wanted you the moment I laid my eyes on you," Paul said.

"But not before."

"You remember me telling you that the situation wasn't ideal when your mother was expecting you. We weren't together. It was very strained at best. But I wanted to be good dad for you and the moment you were born I wanted you and loved you."

"But she didn't. Did she ever love me? When I was a small kid before she knew I was gay."

Oh, how this hurt Bella's heart. Dan petted Hagrid, keeping his eyes hidden from them. His face was flushed, telling how hard it was for him to ask these questions.

"Your mum," Paul started. They had stopped making excuses for Angela or saying that she loved Dan long ago because there was nothing to prove that to be true. "While I think she did love you when you were born, she wasn't strong enough to fight for you, to be the mother you needed her to be; she wanted you to be like every other little boy. She was blind seeing the awesome kid you were, a dreamer, the smartest kid in the neighborhood. All that made her feel guilty and angry. She looked for justification for her feelings and her failure as a mother from the belief system that is hard and unyielding on certain issues. That was the background she had come from and lived with when you were a kid. What I gather she'd gone ever more deep into that well. What I think is that there is a lot of self-hate that she's not ready to deal with, and she probably never will. That is keeping her away from you and from realizing how fucking awesome a person you are."

Bella was so proud of Paul. They had spent a lot of time discussing how they would deal with this when the time came, but in the end, it's not something you can prepare yourself for. Not really.

Dan did not say anything; he just kept scratching Hagrid.

"We love you," Paul continued. "Me and Bella, we love you so damn much. Your grandfather…"

"But he's not even my grandfather. My real grandfather tried to shoot Bella."

"Well, it was me who he tried to shoot," Paul said, trying to ease the tension.

"Paul," Bella warned softly. Dan had come up with some old news about the shooting and had been very angry at them for not telling him.

"It doesn't matter which one of you he tried to shoot, but that he did. He pulled a gun and tried to kill you. He was crazy. My mother doesn't love me. My grandmother doesn't want to see me. My cousins hate me. None of my family wants to have anything to do with me because I'm gay."

The dogs whined, sensing Dan's distress. Fred and George got up to a sitting position, and Dobby woke up on Bella's lap. Hagrid tried to lick Dan's face, but he moved away from him and walked to the railing, curling his fingers around the iron as he leaned forward. He was breathing heavily.

Paul and Bella changed glances, and Bella put Dobby on the ground and got up. She went to stand next to Dan but refrained from touching him. She had guessed Dan would not be too easily talked out of his state of mind.

Paul came to stand on the other side of Dan, dogs following him. Hagrid pushed his massive head between Bella and Dan, and Dan entwined his right-hand fingers into his thick fur.

"You know, sweetheart," Bella said. "None of us had had much luck with our mothers. Mine chose a life where she could change a man every three months, travel, and express herself freely over being a mother to me. When she died three years ago, I did not mourn the mother I lost. I mourned a mother I didn't have but should have had. I know it's not the same since my mother never got tired of telling me how much she loved me. She just didn't want to have anything to do with me. And not that this is a contest about who had it the worst, but your dad has told you something about his youth, and you know what his parents were like. You and I are lucky to have the best dads in the world. And although I did not give birth to you, you are my baby in every possible way that matters."

Dan turned to her and wrapped his arms around Bella, crushing her into a tight hug. Dan was a tall, slim boy, and Bella's heart filled with the protective, adoring love she felt for him. They both cried. Paul joined them, embracing them both into his big, warm hug. The dogs were making their usual chaos whenever they saw their humans in a tight embrace. It was something that happened often in this family. Bella felt a surge of love so strong she thought her heart would burst.

"Don't ever forget that so many people love you unconditionally," Bella said. "And you are adult enough to understand that your mother might someday find her courage to face her failure and try to make amends, but it might never happen. Don't waste your life waiting for that. But know that the best thing she ever made was to let you stay with us and become the young man you are today. That is a form of love, too. If she'd insisted on being your mother, I'm afraid you wouldn't be as happy and brilliant in everything as you are now. And she knew that."

"Listen to Bella Dan, isn't she the best!" Paul said, his voice thick with emotion, giving her a deep kiss.

"Oh, hell no, Dad, please don't do that," Dan said, releasing himself from their embrace. The dogs started to whine and bark.

Bella and Paul laughed. And Dan joined in.

"Your grandfather is waiting to leave. Are you up to go?" Bella asked.

Dan nodded. "Yeah. I would not miss it in the world. Grandpa has made such an effort, and it will be great to be in the wilderness for a while."

"Okay, let's go. Charlie is ready to hit the road," Bella said.

As soon as they entered their home, Dan followed the noise of Charlie's shouting at the players. Paul grabbed Bella into a tight hug. "I need you," he whispered, "bad."

Bella captured his lips into a sweet kiss. "Soon," she whispered.

They followed Dan to the living room and found him and Charlie hugging. Charlie whispered something to Dan, who nodded. Tears were falling down Charlie's cheeks. Bella's heart melted for the hundredth time today. They really were such crybabies, the lot of them.

Bella and Paul helped Charlie and Dan get the dogs settled into Charlie's big van and stayed to watch as the car disappeared into traffic.

They rushed inside, and when they stepped into the lift, Paul pressed Bella against the lift's wall, kissing her hungrily, desperately.

The lift reached their floor, and they tumbled inside kissing, and as soon the door was closed, Paul pulled his T-shirt over his head. "Baby, I need you so bad," he murmured. Bella kissed his chest, her hands moving to open his jeans. She cupped him; he was already hard. She bit his left nipple hard, and Paul hissed, leaning his head back. Bella moved down on her knees and freed Paul's cock from his jeans. She licked the top and sucked him into her mouth.

"Fuck Bella," Paul groaned and entwined his fingers into her hair. He pulled her hair, and her whole body trembled with arousal. Paul kept her head in place and started to fuck her mouth. She moved her hands to his ass, pressing her nails into his skin. She knew he wanted to feel as much as possible, in every way possible.

"Suck harder," Paul grunted. And she did and moaned while Paul kept thrusting his hips against her face, with shallow movements, never making her gag. Bella skimmed her hands to his side, scraping her nails on his skin, feeling the muscle flex his whole body trembling while keeping himself in check. He had been emotionally whiplashed, and he needed an outlet to get back in balance. She was the outlet, and she was in for a hard fuck. She moaned again, dripping with want and need. Growling, Paul pulled Bella up from the floor. He crashed his mouth on hers and ripped her soft lounge pants and panties off as he moved them to the closest wall and impaled himself inside her in one hard thrust. He learned to suck his mark on her shoulder, and Bella came moaning loudly. She pulsed furiously around his cock, her whole body arching against him.

"Fuck, baby. Suck me hard!" Paul grunted as he started to fuck her.

It was fast and hard. It was glorious! Bella came hard, and Paul followed her, arching his back and letting out the most animalistic sound Bella had heard in a long time.

Paul leaned his forehead against hers, and they stayed like that, catching their breaths.

"Damn, Bella, sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No," Bella said with a deeply satisfied sigh. "It was wonderful."

Paul smiled lazily, his eyes heavy-lidded. All was good with him again.

He carried her to their bedroom, where they made love slowly and without the desperation from before.

Afterward, they stayed on the bed, holding each other. "What brought it on?" Bella asked, nuzzling into Paul's neck and kissing the spot sporting her teeth marks. Hell, she should be the one asking if Paul had been hurt.

"Ross called and told him what her mother had made them for the camping trip. And that set him off asking about Angela."

Oh. Such a small everyday thing.

Paul's phone rang.

"It's Sam," Paul said and answered the phone, putting it on speaker. "What's up, Sam?" "Hi, Sam!" Bella quipped as he hugged Paul tighter.

"Paul, you need to come to La Push. We got a leech situation."


AN:

This sequel will probably have around 10 chapters max. I have an idea, but I am not sure at all what will happen. Let me know your thoughts. As always, hearing from the readers is the most motivating thing for us poor story-makers. ;)