#The Chapter Black Saga

[bittersweetideas]

Mangá vs Anime

[alicethenobody]

“Damn it. My sword must’ve slipped.” Hiei you’re so unserious I love you.

[every-sanji]

[trendfilmsetter]

Friday Domestic Box Office: May 24th, 2024

1- 🆕 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga $10.2M

2- 🆕 The Garfield Movie $8.4M

3- IF $4.3M

4- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes $3.4M

5- The Strangers: Chapter 1 $1.6M

6- The Fall Guy $1.6M

7- 🆕 Sight $1M

8- Babes $480K

9- Challengers $438K

10- Back to Black $300K

[since0202]

Taking Time—Fifty Four

Home is a person

Word Count: 12,959

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Abortion (I will bracket where it starts and ends in an obvious manner so you can avoid if needed <3).

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Every step home has felt right so far. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been away for so long, but it feels like something has changed or shifted. And as I get closer, that feeling only gets stronger. Now, as I sink into that undeniable warmth, it’s hard to think otherwise at all. Soft, warm breath spans gently across my hair and I reach for the warm body nestled next to me. It must be Paul. How he knew I was here, I’m not sure, but in the halfway point between sleep and wake, I’m not sure of much. The soft body grunts and rolls closer to me, making soft sounds that lull me deeper into sleep. I want it always to be like this: sleepy mornings, just peace, before the sun cracks me open like an egg and burns me from the inside out. 

Maya rolled toward the low rumbling groan coupled with that hardy warmth she’d come to know so well when she was home. Paul was so soft. She ran her hands up and down his sides to a pleasant smacking sound coming from his lips. She burrowed closer for warmth, still in that holy toss between dreaming and awake and felt his warm breath flow over her hair. It almost felt wet. Maya inhaled a deep breath savoring his smell only to be met with a warm mildewy scent of dried fur and the forest. He must have only just phased back from rounds and the smell of his wolf form simply clung to him. It didn’t matter. Maya leaned her head up and was met with the his soft, warm, wet lips. Really wet. He kissed and dampened her entire face with his mouth, his tongue. 

Maya leaned back and groaned her dissent, but the onslaught kept coming, possibly even more eagerly than before, until her entire face was coated in saliva. Paul really had it coming. Maya’s face twisted into a grimace as she opened her eyes, only to be met with the towering dark frame of Leah’s german shepherd. 

“Blegh!” Maya managed before the dog continued with vigor to her dismay. She braced her arms across his chest and tried to push, but the thumping of his tail wagging only seemed to make him stronger as he continue to cover Maya’s face in fervent licks with delight that she was awake. 

Maya heard a laugh from the door before Keye said,”Yodel, that’s enough. Come here!” Yodel immediately hopped off the bed and hurtled toward Keye, standing at attention at her feet with his tongue lolling to one side. Keye dropped her hand to stroke his head affectionately, “I thought we said no more kissing dogs after that trip to Seattle when Becks convinced that forty year old bouncer she was old enough to get in by her expertise?” 

Maya rubbed her dog-drenched face on the pillow before rolling over and beginning to rub her eyes, “I remember that being you, not Becks.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Keye replied lazily as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her until now.

“Come on, Leah’s making breakfast,” Keye stated from her place leaning up against the doorframe. As she plodded away softly, Maya heard Yodel following her dutifully down the small hallway to the kitchenette.

“Okay, but you still have a lot of explaining to do,” Maya called after her as she sat up and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. She didn’t even attempt a glance at her phone. The soft, gray morning light of Seattle pulled her eyes toward the window and Maya let out a soft sigh and let the day breathe her in.

Leah’s apartment was bright and airy. The kitchen and living room sat in a lofted space with high ceilings that allowed large industrial air ducts to span it. The bright beach wood of the rafters above seemed to capture light and sprinkle it down across the warm butcher block island where she was preparing another omelet, this time for herself, after making one for Keye and Maya. They tucked in around the island on carefully crafted wooden bar stools that Maya had a sneaking suspicion were the handiwork of her boyfriend. Maya peered over shoulder to look out the floor to ceiling narrow windows covered in a gauzy, white curtain. The living room was a collection of well loved, mismatched furniture pieces, all softened by time and use. 

Maya hadn’t fully recognized the neighborhood they were in when they drove in but she wondered how close they were to Paul’s workshop. Leah was laughing at Keye as she exclaimed how she’d never thought to add spinach to an omelet, or any vegetable to any dish for that matter, when Maya zoned back into the love fest unfolding before her. 

“You need to eat more vegetables, I keep telling you, or you’ll never be able to hold up a bike at a stop light. Even a little one,” Leah’s face was all sunshine. She tore off a piece off her omelet and handed it to a waiting Yodel at her feet. 

“She’s got a thing for bikes,” Keye hummed around a bite.

“I do not,” Leah tried to bemoan, but it only came out as soft embarrassment, her neck flushing with a hint of pink. That was hard to dispute considering Leah’s apartment was stationed above a bike shop. Her bike shop in fact. 

“Crotch rockets, some call them,” Keye quipped, shooting Maya a gleeful look.  

“Stop,” Leah replied breathlessly with a laugh, “They’re not called that.”

“She rode up on one to Seth’s wedding, what was I supposed to do? Not fall in love with her?” Keye goaded, shooting a bright smile in her direction. Maya lit up at this—she wanted to know everything about how Leah and Keye met, how the imprint happened. 

“So, it was at Seth’s wedding then?” Maya leaned onto the counter, trying to quell her excitement. Leah looked down at her omelet with a soft smile as if just recalling the memory overwhelmed her with joy. Keye blushed and shoved another bite of gooey omelet in her mouth. 

“Yeah, it was at Seth’s wedding,” Leah started softly, “Gah, I still can’t believe that little twerp is married. I swear I was helping him with his homework only last week,” she shook her head, still lost in her moment of nostalgia. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you were helping him with his homework last week, babe. You guys were debating the merit of classic authors still being considered the classic norm in a postmodern world in this very kitchen.” Maya giggled at that and Leah looked up at Keye with such soft eyes that Maya thought she’d explode on the spot. Keye held her gaze for as long as she could before blushing and looking back down at her omelet, playing coy while continuing to eat. 

Oh, so it was that kind of imprint. 

“Yes, we met at Seth’s wedding,” Keye continued for her after a few bites as Leah started cleaning up. Keye launched into the story like it was well known and been written down for years. 

She said it was instantaneous. Much like Maya and Paul had, Leah and Keye and locked eyes and that was it. But most of the guests had been distracted and the pack was thoroughly drunk on special Quileute brewed beer so no one was really paying them any attention. No one had even really realized, except for Keye and Leah. They had sat there and stared at each other, across the dance floor for a cool minute or two. It could have been eons for all Keye knew. 

Leah’s face, which had been schooled in a cool complacency for most of the night as she muscled through her baby brother’s wedding, had shifted to something bright and surprised. Breathless, she had strode across the dance floor in her pale cream suit, sparkling under the carefully hung lights as she weaved her way through couples. Her eyes never left Keye’s and Keye had stayed glued to the spot, her heart beating wildly. Nothing would stop Leah from getting to her, and as she startled to a stop in front of her, Keye let out a loud exhale as if breathing again for the first time. 

“It’s you,” Leah had said, so surprised yet relieved, “It’s you. Y-you…you are so…you’re my—,” 

“Keye,” she interjected, relieving the stuttering Leah. She held her hand out somewhat awkwardly, but it had felt like the only thing she could do. “I’m Keye,” she said again. 

Leah slipped her hand into Keye’s, not shaking it, but just holding it there for a moment before threading her fingers purposefully through hers and nodding. “Yes, you are.” Leah’s whole face brightened into one of incandescent happiness as light tears shone in her dark eyes. Keye was on the verge of losing it and letting this wave of joy rush over her and spill from her tear ducts. 

There she was.

Shortly after, Keye skipped town that night with Leah and sealed her fate. She just disappeared. No one even realized she was gone, and her parents just thought that she went back to campus early. Leah was prone to disappearing spells, so there was no connection made there either apparently. 

Maya’s head swum up out of the story and looked over at Leah who was leaning against the sink with her hands outstretched next to her, smiling softly at Keye. 

“And after I moved in, I took this semester off—” Keye continued after a moment.

“Wait what?!” Maya snapped out of it and jerked her head toward Keye, her eyes wide with shock.  

“My, come on,” Keye groaned, “What is it with you and school? It’s not that big a deal.” Keye said half heartedly. 

Just because Maya had a vice grip on school didn’t mean everyone else needed to maintain that level of intensity to make school an important part of their lives. Just look at what it did to her and Paul. She willed her body to relax as she shook her head, glancing quickly at Leah for any back up and finding none.

“No, no,” Maya tried backpedaling, controlling the features on her face to remain impassive, “I just mean, I didn’t realize! I should have realized.” 

Keye leveled her with an expectant stare, a small smile on her face. Maya was trying to keep her lips clamped shut so she didn’t ask the question she really wanted to ask. 

After about thirty seconds though, Maya burst: “But why though?!” 

So much for self control.

Keye couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. Leah looked on with a bit of concern on her face. 

“Sometimes, things just work out that way, My. But don’t worry, I’ll go back and finish up,” Keye proclaimed, “Just for you.” 

Maya smiled and shook her head. That soft concerned look was still pulling at Leah’s features as she continued to watch Keye carefully. 

Maya spent the day putzing around Seattle with Leah and Keye visiting some of their favorite local haunts. They even stopped in a few local bookshops and let Maya wander for as long as she liked. She discovered some old chemistry books that she fell in love with and was thoroughly brightened despite the low hanging clouds over Seattle as they walked down hidden side streets. 

The three grabbed lunch at a little sandwich shop not far from Leah’s bike shop. When Keye got up to use the bathroom, Maya casually stayed behind to Keye’s chagrin. Leah was trying to stuff the butt end of her meatball sub fully into her mouth, sauce dripping down her chin in an endearing way as she hunched her shoulders over the low table. 

Leah had been pretty tight lipped about her estrangement from the pack but now that Maya had her alone, she wondered if without Keye’s constant frown whenever the pack was brought up, she could ask her about it. 

“What?” Leah said around her mouthful. Maya hadn’t realized she had been staring, marveling even at this intensely, wonderful woman who had captured Keye’s heart and taken care of her best friend so completely. 

“Nothing, sorry, I—” Maya stumbled and ran a hand through her shaggy hair, frizzed by the gentle rain they had walked through to get here. Maya exhaled through her nose trying to gather her thoughts about how to ask but instead, Leah spoke: 

“You’re sure you want to go back?” Leah chewed valiantly and Maya couldn’t help but let her mouth hang open a bit in surprise. That wasn’t…. “No offense, but you seem torn. And I never try to make hard decisions when I’m on the fence.”

Maya closed her mouth abruptly and shook her head to try and clear any confusion that Leah could see in her eyes, “No, I…I need to go home. It’s time to go home. Not forever, but..just for now.” 

“Tortured him enough, then?” 

Maya’s eyes shot up to meet Leah’s in shock, but that feeling quickly faded when she saw that gleam of mischief in Leah’s eyes. She hadn’t meant it the way everyone else would have. 

“I guess,” Maya shrugged. “I do miss him, though.” That was an understatement.

“Of course you do,” Leah tucked back into the table scavenging chips from Keye’s plate. “Regardless of what you know, and regardless of what you feel, the imprint should always show you true north,” the sound of crunching chips perforated Maya’s concentration, “Or so they say.” 

“What do you think then? About the imprint, I mean, now that you have it?” Maya challenged. Leah took a moment, always thoughtful, never rash in her conversation. Just clear and true and decided. 

“I think the imprint is different for everyone. So if anyone tries to tell you what to do with it, you should take that with a grain of salt. Listen to what it says to you, trust that,” Leah shrugged. 

Maya paused at that and really tried to let that sink in. Everyone had tried to tell her what the imprint was meant to do, what it was based on legend. But it had been hard between her and Paul since the beginning. Some parts were easy, when they were just together and there was nothing else, but most other things were hard—harder than the other imprints at least. So much so, that Maya and Paul had wondered for a while if there was something wrong with them. 

“I will say though,” Leah’s voice suddenly turned serious. Maya met her eyes and was taken aback by the sheer intensity at which they bored into her, “While I don’t know how your imprint works, I do know Paul.” Maya gulped, “And I can say without a doubt in my mind that he loves you with every cell in his body.” 

Maya let out a sigh. She knew that of course and so she could only say as much, “I know.” Her voice came out hoarse. 

“But he’s also a bit of an idiot. Emotionally, I mean. The guy was abandoned by everyone when he was a kid and then was swallowed by anger for most of his adult life. He’s only found his way through in maybe the past five years. That’s still no excuse for how he’s been with you, but still. That man comes with baggage and I do not envy you that task of unpacking it all,” Leah brushed her hands together to get off the excess crumbs. 

There wasn’t enough that Maya knew about Paul’s past. He’d told her the basics, but she’d gotten more information about Paul’s dad from her own mother and that was a wobbly source. 

“Speaking of members of the pack,” Maya said quickly, “do you think you’ll ever come back to the rez?”

Leah let out a gentle laugh and shook her head, “Not unless they need me.” 

“Do they not need you now?” Maya quirked an eyebrow. Leah once again leveled her with that intense stare.

“Cute girls are always too brave for their own good,” Leah leaned back and stretched her arms behind Keye’s chair just as she slid back into it. 

“You guys can stop talking about me now,” Keye said dramatically as she shook her hair away from her face. She shot Maya a knowing look to which she rolled her eyes. 

Leah leaned forward just enough to kiss Keye’s shoulder and said softly, “Never, babe.” 

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—-<<Trigger warning: mentions of abortion in this next section>>---

Maya and Keye cuddled up in the guest bed that Maya was sleeping in with a laptop between them that night watching an old 90’s vampire movie. Leah had disappeared downstairs into her shop to get some work done. 

As one of the main vampires looked out over a burning city, Keye readjusted her head on Maya’s shoulder as Yodel let out a soft sigh at the end of the bed. Somehow, it had felt like no time had passed at all. 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Keye asked softly. Maya stared at the screen as she tried to reconcile her worry into something else. 

“I think so,” she breathed in and about before continuing, “It feels like the right time to go back. I don’t know how to explain it.” 

“True north,” Keye muttered softly. 

“Jesus, you guys really are in deep, huh?” Maya joked and Keye giggled. 

“I don’t know, probably. She was there for me when everyone was either busy or gone. I don’t think that was the imprint either, she just…knew I needed her and she stayed,” Keye was quiet. Maya’s heart rate picked up as she realized her mistake in shutting everyone out. Even if Keye had said that she had understood why Maya did it, she knew she had hurt people who didn’t deserve it for the sake of her own peace. Keye, and a lot of others deserved more than that. 

“Keye, I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should have stayed in contact, I know that. It all just felt hard and this was easier. But I shouldn’t have done the easy thing….not when it comes to you or Becks,” Maya scrunched in closer to Keye. 

“It really is okay, My. I get it. I disappeared too, you know. Just…tell us next time.” 

“I promise,” Maya breathed. “But I don’t plan on disappearing again. I didn’t even mean to fully disappear before, it was just….easier that way. But it wasn’t fair to your or Becks, so I promise.”

The vampire on screen looked wide eyed at the little girl who was drinking from an older woman. She looked so small, so innocent. Her too-young youth, eternally frozen in time. 

“I have to tell you something,” Keye breathed, her voice hitching at the end as if she was unsure. 

“What?” Maya said softly, looking down at the side of her face. Keye sat up and Maya turned toward her, realizing that her face was pulled tight with pain. “What is it?” she reached for Keye’s hands that were clasped tightly in her lap but pulled back when she flinched slightly as if being touched might be too much at the moment. “Are you okay?” 

“I am..I am. I really am. I need you to know that I am okay going into this,” Keye’s voice wobbled slightly as she sat up straight, before leaning back against the headboard. 

“You’re kind of scaring me, Keye,” Maya said slowly as she pressed pause on the movie and sat up too, crossing her legs in front of her and turning her whole body to face Keye. The looks that flitted across her face were hard to read but as Keye bit her lip, Maya knew this was something more. 

“I…” Keye began slowly, her eyes on her hands that fidgeted in her lap. Maya leaned over and covered both of her hands with her own. Keye swallowed hard, tears forming at the corner of her eyes but never falling before looking up at Maya. 

There was silence, strong and solid between them, and Maya just let it hang there to give her the space to say what it was she needed to say. 

“I left the rez because something h-happened,” Keye’s voice was quieter now and Maya listened carefully as soft rain started to patter on the windows above the bed. It was another few moments before Keye continued, “Colin and I were still dating and we were…things were going okay.” 

A cold feeling slid into Maya’s stomach, but she held her breath to keep from thinking the worst. 

“He and I were…well it doesn’t really matter, but things were going well and it was like…four days before Seth and Sadie’s wedding and I wasn’t really feeling good. Just kind of off you know?” Keye took in a breath and Maya heard the sound shudder through her, “And I…I thought that maybe I was…Fuck,” Keye wiped the tear that had escaped from the corner of her eyes and coasted down her cheek. 

“You were what?” Maya asked softly, concern laid plainly on her face. Keye tilted her head and gave Maya a knowing look as she frowned. Maya waited. 

“That I was pregnant,” Keye hiccuped softly and Maya let loose the breath. 

“Oh.” The word came out small and barely there. Just above a whisper. Keye stared down at her hands again, playing with the tips of Maya’s fingers. “Were you?” Maya prompted gently, leaning her head down to capture Keye’s eyes. 

Keye shut them tightly and the tears fiercely rolled now as she nodded. 

“Okay, okay,” Maya looked over her shoulder toward the door wondering if Leah knew…if she knew Keye was… Her gaze flitted over Keye’s body to try and discern how far along she was, but she looked entirely the same. “How far along are—”

Maya was cut off by Keye shaking her head slowly, as hot tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Maya furrowed her brow, confused. Everything was coming at her so fast and she was just trying to piece every part of the puzzle together but felt like she was missing information. When realization dawned on her, her eyes widened with sadness, “You lost it…” she breathed. “Oh, Keye—” Maya reached out to stroke her shoulder, scooting closer but Keye stopped her. 

“Not exactly.” Keye said, wetly. She swallowed hard and forced herself to sit up straight. Her eyes were harder now, and through the tears Maya thought she saw Keye watching her carefully for any reaction that would make her shutter completely. Maya’s mouth hung open again in momentary confusion before she said even softer, her breath barely a whisper, “Oh.”

She blinked rapidly as it all sank in. Of course. Maya kept her face neutral, soft, and open as she watched Keye watching her. Keye’s eyes flicked all around her face, trying to scan for any disapproval, or upset, and that made Maya worry that she had encountered some judgment from her circle. 

Maya reached out and grasped Keye’s hand softly in hers and gave her a soft nod, “It’s okay, Keye. That’s totally your decision.”

But Keye was silent, watching her as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maya let the air hang between them a moment longer before she said, “Do you want to tell me about it?” Keye grimaced. “Or tell me why?” Keye crumbled slightly at that. “Let’s start with an easier question… And you don’t have to answer anything at all if you don’t want to. But, I want you to know that any answer you do give is enough reason and enough justification for the decision you made.” Maya dipped her head to meet Keye’s eyes. Only then did she see her gaze soften with trust again. “It’s enough,” she reinforced. Maya tried to emphasize that love with her eyes as well and held Keye’s gaze. 

When Keye finally nodded, sagging with relief, Maya scooted closer so that their knees were touching, “When did you find out?” She wiped gently at Keye’s tears. 

“Just after I met Leah…Like I said, I hadn’t been feeling great up until Seth and Sadie’s wedding, but after I met Leah, it was like I needed to know, you know?” Maya nodded and just let Keye go. 

“I drove out of town to get a pregnancy test. That whole fucking tribe has eyes everywhere you know and I didn’t want to risk it getting back to…well, I bought three and I was in a fucking gas station bathroom in Beaverton with a full bottle of gatorade just…waiting for what felt like forever,” Keye stopped then and gulped down air. 

Maya was pushing her hair out of her face and stroking her thumb over her hand. “And then it was like…everything stopped you know. It was real…three times it was real. And I….I panicked,” Keye was looking around the room now, the guilt just absolutely pulling her in different directions. “I didn’t want anyone to find out. At least until I could just think for a bit you know. You know how they are about babies, if they had gotten wind that I…and it was Colin’s? No way, game over.” 

A fresh sob broke through Keye’s chest. She opened her mouth a couple of times to speak and couldn’t so Maya let her breathe through it, allowing her the space to continue or stop. But she carried on as if she needed to say it out loud, “I knew I didn’t want it, My. And I just felt….bad. I felt bad because, I don’t know…fuck I don’t know why should I feel bad, you know?” Maya just nodded. She understood guilt like that. “I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I couldn’t go back to the rez. And so I…I called Leah and she came and got me, no questions asked.” 

Thank god, Maya thought. Thank god for Leah, because Maya could just see herself so clearly mirrored in this same situation. She was so grateful that her best friend had someone like Leah to come and protect her the way she needed to be protected. 

“It took me a week to tell her. And she was just…ugh,” Keye reached for a tissue next to the bed and blew her nose before saying, “She was just perfect, you know? She knew just what to say and what to do and…” Keye’s eyes sparkled for a moment as she looked at Maya. Maya couldn’t help but give her a sad, knowing smile back. 

“Yeah, yeah, imprints are great,” she joked, rolling her eyes before squeezing her hand. Keye smiled sadly, looking down at their joined hands. 

“She told me that whatever I wanted to do, it was the right decision. And that I didn’t need to tell anyone if I didn’t want to, because it was my body. She was just…there. All the time for me. I-I don’t know if I could have done all this without her but…she held my hand through it all and I…” Keye looked up at Maya, her eyes sure and firm now, “I don’t regret it.” 

Maya shook her head, “You shouldn’t. That was your decision, and I still love you just as you are.” Keye smiled, bigger this time and nodded. 

“Still fucks with me though,” she said, resigned. 

“Yeah well, they never said being a woman would be easy,” Maya pulled her into a tight hug. Keye held on so hard, she thought her ribs popped, “I love you.” Maya breathed into her hair. 

For a while they just sat there, hugging, listening to each other breathe. Maya hoped her decisions 

— << end trigger warning>> ---

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November, 1 year ago….

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s voice echoed and roiled in Paul’s ears as he worked away at the lower deck in the back garden. The cool November air whipped round Paul as he worked at setting wood planks on his foundation. The chill did nothing to bring down his temperature though. Paul was running more than hot these days—he was constantly burning up, as if an unbreakable fever clung to him since Maya left. 

Left him. 

Paul stalled, his hands stilling on the wood as he closed his eyes tightly against his last memory of her, tear stricken and shaking her head at him. I won’t. She had said to him that she wouldn’t stay. Not for anyone, not even for him. And that tore him to pieces and set him on fire. And ever since, he’d been burning. 

Paul forced his eyes back open and worked to refocus them on that task at hand. Work on the house always gave him some temporary peace, but he could never truly escape that hollowness that deepened and ached, threatening to drive him mad before the first snow would melt. 

He couldn’t even bring himself to go on rounds at this point. But no one blamed him. No one even came looking for him. He chalked that up to Jacob, citing space, citing time, citing…whatever it was Paul was supposed to find during his time of abandonment. 

Because that’s what it was, anyway you shook it out, he was simply abandoned. Again. 

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s voice persisted in his head, sounding firmer, angrier each time that Paul refused whether internally or externally. What would the elders do for him exactly? They got him into this mess in the first place. Setting unrealistic expectations, putting pressure on them, coaxing them along with arbitrary milestones. They wouldn’t let up with their pleading eyes and knowing conversations until Maya was pregnant. Jesus. Paul skated quickly away from that thought and continued working on the deck. 

Plus, what could the elders say to him now? Maya was gone, and all he could do was hope that she’d come back. A ripple of anger ran down Paul’s spine as he gritted his teeth. Suddenly he felt like he was six years old again, sitting on the stoop of his dad’s double wide as thunder promised rain overhead. Waiting for someone who might never return. He hated that feeling. And what he hated more was how that anger that he once thought was well and truly tempered began to roil viciously within him again. 

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s tone turned into a rough growl in his head and Paul couldn’t stand it anymore. The hammer that had gone so still in his hand now shook and he reared back before hurling it with all his might without a care of where it landed. It connected with something far off, a tree perhaps, that shook its occupants free and had them flying off in a hurry. 

Paul let out a harsh breath as he tried to swallow the well of emotion building in him. If he was being honest, he hadn’t done so well since Maya had left. To be fair, that might actually be an understatement. As hot, unshed tears brimmed his dark eyes, he stood with his hands lightly rested on his hips. 

“Fine,” he said to no one in particular, “I’ll go see the elders.” Paul headed off in the direction of his lost hammer.

--------------------------------------------

The next morning, Maya and Keye stumbled into the kitchen together after having fallen asleep, exhausted from their conversation the night before. 

Today was the day Maya planned to return to La Push and she would be lying if she wasn’t a bit nervous. 

But, even more nerve wracking was Keye’s request to drive her into the rez. After last night, Keye had woken up feeling better, but she had told Maya sleepily that she needed to go home to fix some things too. 

It only made sense that she would come with her, but still, the thought of Keye having another conversation last night made Maya ache, especially if she wouldn’t be as accepted by the others—least of all the council. 

But Keye had assured her that Leah and her had talked about this and that she felt ready after unloading a little on Maya last night. She could do it and even more so, she felt like she needed to, to continue to heal and grow past it. 

Now, hunched over their individual bowls of cereal as Leah watched from her place leaned up against the counter, both women held an air of dread about them. 

Leah took a bite of cereal and said suddenly to Maya: “You know he’s going to know you’re there as soon as you cross the boundary, right?” 

At this, Maya couldn’t help a small shiver run through her. He’d know she was there, but what he would do about it was still up in the air. 

A few hours later, Keye pulled up the familiar, neatly paved driveway to the house. If it wasn’t for the familiar blue stone, Maya might not have even clocked that they were at her house. There’s been so much work done to it, almost as if someone frantically decided to build with unbridled purpose and determination.

“Holy shit,” Keye breathed as she looked through her windshield of Leah’s Subaru. They both sat in stunned silence for a moment, mouths slightly agape. Then Maya replied weakly, 

“Yeah.” 

The little blue house wasn’t so little anymore. 

“Did you know he was—uh,” Keye faltered to complete her sentence so Maya just answered:

“No. This is…” Maya was lost for words. 

“Yeah,” Keye breathed. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the house and looked over at Maya. “So, are you ready?” 

“Are you?” Maya said back just as hesitantly. Keye considered it for a moment and then just shrugged. 

“Yeah, why not?” She answered with a small smile. Maya exhaled a breath through her nose and nodded. Why not. 

She pushed open the door and stood slowly on the dark paved driveway that was dotted with solar lights that would guide her in at night. She grabbed her duffel bag and backpack from the backseat and shut both doors with purpose. 

Keye only pulled back up the driveway once Maya had opened the front door. But Maya stayed frozen on the threshold for a moment, marveling at what lay within. 

The quaint front entryway had been completely opened and transformed into a wide open expansive living room that wrapped around the staircase that was now exposed on either side. Off to the right of the living room where there had only been a stone wall before, Paul had put in a cozy office, the entryway was arched and held two driftwood french doors, the glass mingling perfectly with the hand carved wood. 

Maya peeked in, her eyes coasting over the back wall behind the raw edged desk that was packed books in the floor to ceiling bookshelves. An oversized, plush chair was nestled neatly next to the bookshelves and the bay window that looked out into the woods. A small iron fireplace had been installed in a free corner. It was…perfect for lack of a better word. 

Maya spun on her heel and carried on toward the back of the house. The kitchen had been further expanded, a large warm wood island stretched across the expansive green tile. New appliances had been installed, the cabinets fitted and hand carved with intricate designs to heighten the simplicity of the sleek and soft kitchen around it.

Someone had been busy. Maya wrapped her arms around herself and glanced across the space. It was all so beautiful and different. But it still somehow felt like her home. It held the exact warmth and memory as before, just opened more to welcome new memories. 

Outside the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky into the late afternoon. She pushed aside the long sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck. A hanging bed flocked in white gossamer curtains and shaded by a partially covered pergola hung seductively off to the side. The deck had been expanded to include three levels, each holding a different space to gather with cozy chairs, firepits, and hand carved weather-proofed wooden tables. 

The most impressive thing that she had seen thus far though was the renovated workshop. Paul had completely rebuilt it, expanded it, and settled it a little further back onto the neighboring property. It almost looked the size of his studio in Seattle now, but he had built the entire front with reclaimed antique windows so that she could easily see into the intricate workspace within.The beveled glass glittered in the winter sun and made the entire backyard sparkle. It even held a second story loft that looked out toward the ocean. 

The cold November breeze rolled over Maya and she took a deep breath. She knew the kind of frenzied state he must have been in when he started building all of this. As a distraction. To keep him from feeling that hollowing pain that she herself felt almost every day when she had left. It was heartbreaking what they’d done to each other. But there was no getting around it now. 

Still, the most surprising thing was, he wasn’t here. Maya looked over her shoulder back into the house. Maybe she could find the keys to her Jeep, now neatly tucked away in the newly built two-car garage in the adjacent lot that Paul must have purchased to make all of these renovations. 

With Paul nowhere in sight, she let out a long breath. She guessed she could go to Emily and Sam’s and look for him there. That’s what she needed to do—she needed to find him. 

------------------------------------------------

February, 9 months ago…

Paul stood on the aging and worn steps of the last elder front porch in the icy rain that was oscillating annoyingly into sleet. As he looked around the front porch, shirtless and drenched in cold rain that steamed off of him, he noticed the wood rot close to the house where the porch met and made a mental note to come back and repair it once the weather cleared. 

After a few more seconds, Elder Ti’Hal slowly pulled open the door, a wool woven shawl hanging heavy over her shoulders. Her bright white hair was braiding neatly into two plaits. 

Elder Ti’Hal was truly ancient. And Paul didn’t mean that in a negative way at all. She radiated the distilled essence and teachings of their tribe. She was an elder before Paul was even born and he’d never known her without her bright white hair framing her wrinkled, warm face. 

She still managed to move fairly quickly and with agility that wouldn’t normally be attributed to someone of her age, but that was the mystery of elder Ti’Hal. She also never attended council meetings or bonfires anymore, and instead preferred to stay in her quiet cottage in the forest that she had shared with her husband before his passing over two decades ago. 

“Paul Lahote,” she said softly. “To what do I owe this very wet appearance?” 

Paul scowled off to the side, his jaw clenching so hard he thought his teeth might crack. He hadn’t realized it, but he was breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort of it. When he didn’t answer she just nodded gravely. 

“Come in,” she walked back into her small, warm, wooden home and Paul only hesitated for a second in the cold rain before he ducked under the tiny threshold and entered. “Let me get you a towel,” she grumbled. 

“Don’t bother,” he said, his tone coming out harsher than he intended. 

“For my couch then,” she was already digging in the small linen closet and produced a worn, threadbare towel that she draped across her couch for gesturing to it. “Sit.” she commanded. 

Paul had forgotten how bossy the elders were. He trudged across the living room, careful not to trip on the woven Quileute rug before he slumped down onto the couch in a huff. A warm fire crackled off to his left and Elder Ti’Hal had disappeared around a corner into her tiny kitchen and was clanging around with a kettle. 

“Do you want to start or should I?” Elder Ti’Hal called from the kitchen. Paul was still breathing heavily, the ache in his stomach crescendoing to a harsh beat. He may have groaned painfully in response, but he was too distracted by the unrelenting pain the imprint was causing him. “Right,” Elder Ti’Hal came around the corner with two hand thrown mugs in her hand steaming with what Paul hoped was something stronger than tea. 

She handed him his mug and when he took a whiff, he nearly threw it begrudgingly into the fire. 

“What pains you today, Paul Lahote?” she began. Paul shook his head, trying to find the right place to start, but nothing came to him, so instead he said, 

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” she sipped slowly from her mug. 

“Call me by my first and last name. It’s not like you haven’t known me before I was born. Both names seem overkill don’t you think?” 

He shifted uncomfortably on the warm, plush couch as she leveled him with her gaze and took her time answering. 

“It’s more to remind you than me,” she said cryptically. Paul scoffed: 

“Oh believe me, I know who I am.” 

“Do you?” she replied quickly. Paul glared at her full on now and leaned forward, his mug still cradled between both hands. 

“She didn’t come home for Christmas. She didn’t come home for Seth and Sadie’s wedding. Nothing. Not a fucking peep from her,” he could feel the tension in his body snap, the anger flowing through his veins freely now. He trembled slightly—this wasn’t his first time having to channel unchecked rage through himself and he doubted Ti’Hal would appreciate him exploding into a giant wolf and shredding her comfortable living room to pieces. 

Instead, Paul glued his eyes to the fire, trying to let the anger move through him and then out of him to be consumed and burned away by the fire. But every time he breathed in, it felt like ash flooding his mouth, the embers of that anger still hotter than anything else within him. 

“What does one do with so much anger?” she posed the question suddenly. Paul looked up at her wide-eyed as if shocked by the fact that she could see it on him. He was naive to think that much anger wouldn’t still be palpable to someone as attuned as her. Paul rolled his jaw and sat staring at her, waiting for the anger to ebb, but it wouldn’t. 

Fuck. 

Elder Ti’Hal settled back into her large armchair covered in different soft, worn blankets. When it was clear he wasn’t going to respond, she glanced out the window, watching the rain settle into a gentle drizzle. 

“What do you think the imprint is, Paul?” her voice was warm with a gentle thrum to it like dried maize kernels pouring into a stone bowl. Comforting, consistent. It was maddening to say the least, so Paul continued in his aggravated tone, feeling the heat rise on his skin. 

“An anchor for packmates. A promise for imprints. It’s a reason to stay.” 

“Hmm,” she breathed, her eyes still on the window watching the rain make trails to the muddied window ledge. Paul huffed, rubbing his hands against his knees with impatience. A fucking waste of time, he thought as he clenched his jaw. “But it wasn’t reason enough for her to stay?” 

When her eyes slowly drifted back toward him, Paul looked ready to burst into flames. 

“Clearly not. I can’t go get her because I’ve been ordered to stay away, but also….she doesn’t want me to come,” his voice was quiet. He waited for her to speak again but she just stared at him sadly. A deathly calm rolled over him and he thought that if Ti’Hal didn’t say something soon, he might just give up and collapse in on himself like a dying star.

“What is it then? The imprint?” Paul asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. 

Ti’Hal smiled slowly, warmth creeping into her eyes as she tilted her head to the side and surveyed Paul thoroughly. She took her time before she finally said: 

“A choice.” 

Paul tried to quiet the tremors radiating through his body. If the imprint was a choice, then Maya had clearly not chosen him. Never. Not even from the start. The thought of it made his blood boil. His face twisted in rage before he spat out. 

“What the fuck does that mean? How is it a fucking choice when it’s supposedly pre-ordained from the ancestors? That makes no fucking sense, you know that right?” Paul was on his feet without remembering when exactly he stood up. His hands were curled into fists and his chest was rising and falling quickly. He needed to calm down. If he could just calm down he could…

Ti’Hal just watched him with that serene look on her face, as if nothing fazed her anymore and the anger of a full blown werewolf couldn’t even shake her. Paul tried breathing, closing his eyes, counting to ten, but nothing could quell this desperate anger that spiraled and felt like lead dropping into the bottom of his stomach. 

Why was it always like this? This anger? It was like a tide that he couldn’t escape. Like clockwork it would just rush over him and pull him under in seconds and there was nothing he felt like he could do about it. It was an exposed wire in his veins just ticking and twitching with so much heat and sharpness that he felt his skin would burn away and leave him exposed and vulnerable. 

 “Have you given her a choice?” Ti’Hal’s voice cut through the raging quiet like a whip, but her voice still remained calm. He tried to focus on that—that there was calm to be achieved and he could reach it. He could reach the shore if he just stayed calm. He was panting, losing his breath every moment he kept himself solid and here. 

“I thought I did…but I wasn’t given one either,” he thought back to the moment the imprint had happened. Seeing her there across the fire. It was like an instant salve to a long forgotten pain. And then in the next moment, he was all resistance and rage again. Nothing felt like a choice when it came to the imprint. “We…we didn’t have time to make that choice,” Paul tried to slow his breathing. Calm, in and out, just like the waves. Not sinking but drifting.

“Some see the imprint as a gift, but that’s also just a choice wrapped up in a nice bow, in my opinion. It is a choice, Paul Lahote. You’ve made plenty in your very short life so far, but it is one that you give to her and wait until she makes it. It’s a question, and not a command and it can take many forms. You’re part is making sure you ask her the right one,” she watched his body language shift ever so slightly. “Miss Sunriviere was told that you were her imprint, told that there was to be in a relationship, and then told what her life would most likely be, in so many words.” Paul opened his mouth to retort but she continued anyway, “You are her choice. So ask the question and be patient for once. And most importantly, be vulnerable to her answer,” Ti’Hal took a moment to sip her tea. Paul tried to let those words sink in. 

He was vulnerable with her. Her absence had nearly destroyed him, was that not vulnerable enough? 

“No, not that,” Ti’Hal responded as if she could hear his thoughts. Paul’s eyes widened. 

“What’s the question, then? The one I should ask?” Paul said desperately, his voice rasping as he realized he had been holding his body tensely throughout Ti’Hal’s speech. 

“Start with the answer you want and work your way back from there,” she gave a cryptic smile and stood, disappearing behind her kitchen door and singing softly to herself, unceremoniously excusing him. 

Paul stood there for a while longer, rapidly breathing, and listening to Ti’Hal singing the songs of his childhood in her kitchen, muffled and sweet.  ------------------------------------------

The door to her Jeep shut with a sharp click as Maya shrugged on her cropped puffy jacket. Much as she had suspected, the keys to Maya’s Jeep were in the sun visor, as if waiting for her. The whole drive to Sam and Emily’s felt…calm. As if she were driving toward something rather than into something. There was no sweeping dread, no overwhelming nervousness—she just felt ready. She chocked that up to just time. The time away had made her ready for home, refreshed her.

Sam and Emily’s looked the same as it always did—warm and inviting with a steady stream of smoke coming from the chimney. It was familiar and as she took in a deep breath, the cold November air spiced with pine and fallen leaves, with a hint of the salty Pacific sent a pleasant reassuring thrum through her body. 

Maya stood by her Jeep for a moment just taking it in, before the potential chaos—whether it would be angry or joyful—would be wrought on her. Just the quiet creak of the forest, a distant river rushing toward the sea, and muffled laughter booming from within the home. 

Maya took a deep breath and took a couple of steps forward, her feet crunching on the wet gravel. She hadn’t made it more than a few steps when the screen door opened and Paul walked out slowly onto the porch, hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. Maya halted, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his. 

She braced herself for whatever awaited her, but still that pulsing calm spread through her. It all felt…alright. And she hadn’t felt that way in so long. She watched in for just a moment as he stood on the top step of the porch, his face neutral before it broke into an earth shattering smile. 

Maya could have sobbed at the sight of it. He sauntered down the steps toward and it took all of her self control not to break into a full on sprint to quickly close the distance between them. Somehow she managed a quick walk and nearly crashed into his body, but he held her fast, one arm coming out to wrap around her waist as his other hand cupped her jaw. He peered down at her, that warm smile still spilling sunshine in every direction and she stared up at him, eyes glittering with unshed tears. 

He shook his head lightly and smiled, as his thumb reached up to gently brush across her lower lip, parting them softly. 

“You came home,” he said gently, the emotion clearly wavering in his deep voice. Maya nearly crumbled at his touch. She was home. 

“Yes,” she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought it was…time,” she paused when he raised his eyebrows at her, a hint of humor and warmth in his eyes then quickly clarified: “For a visit.”

But this didn’t seem to faze him. He just nodded gently, humming in acceptance with that warm, pleased look on his face as he took her all in. There was a palpable vibration happening between them, what Maya could only assume was a physical manifestation of the imprint’s tension. 

The last time she had seen him on the rez  was over a year ago. And yet, time washed away and parted to let them stand there together again as if nothing had passed, as if this was any other day. Comfortable. 

Maya’s hands shook she gripped the sides of his abdomen. She’d come all this way to say….to say what exactly? Her mouth parted softly but nothing came out. She needed to say something, anything. The silence stretched between them and Maya just couldn’t let it hang there any longer. How could she? After he had left her in that hotel room, and how it had felt coming home again—she needed to tell him everything. 

He was tall, god so tall, he towered over her really, and yet she felt like his matching pair. 

“Welcome home,” he said gently, his nose nuzzling hers gently. 

Maya looked up at him curiously, her eyes slightly narrowed as she took him in. His dark beard was closely trimmed to his face, and his hair was a bit shorter than the last time she saw it. He looked good. Well, he always looked good, but this was different. 

His eyes seemed bright, not clouded with the anger or jealousy she had seen back in the spring. No, this Paul felt solid, for once. The light was shining on his face, his color back to its warm russet, flush with heat and health. Everything felt simpler. 

And with the confusion and despair that had once clung to that hollowness in her stomach from the imprint’s ache clearing completely, she felt like she could see clearly for the first time in awhile. She was worried momentarily that maybe it was just the trick of the imprint, beckoning her in—a salve to her burning anxiety. 

But staring up at Paul, there was an openness there that hadn’t been there before. Something that she wanted to discover and ask him about. For now though, as his hand slowly threaded into her hair and pulled her close, this was all that she needed. 

Finally, after watching her with such intensity, such heat, as if trying to rememorize every part of her face he lowered his head toward hers and crashed their lips together. It was like coming up for air after swimming beneath a current for too long. His kiss pressed new life into her and she arched her body fully into his, her curve slotting into the shape of his body just so as he held her against him. 

Paul moved his mouth over hers, slow and wanting, washing the ache of their absence away. There was no succumbing this time, just an equal measure of elation at being together again, and Maya felt that familiar sensation of something clicking into place and she saw it for what it was: being in the right place at the right time. 

She sighed into his mouth and heard him give a soft groan of pleasure before the air rang with the hoots and howls of his brothers. He pulled back gently, his eyes hooded and soft as he looked at her. Paul glanced over his shoulder at his pack crowded onto the porch and gave a gentle laugh before looking back, his eyes shining with something new as he said gruffly, “I guess they missed you too.” 

Maya swallowed thickly and laughed, not willing to let go of him first. But he took her cue and said, “Come inside, I’m sure they all have a million questions.” Paul kissed her forehead before turning and slotting her neatly into his side as they walked the short distance to the porch. 

“Hey, hey Ivy League!” Jared crooned. 

“Welcome back, My,” Seth said softly. 

“We needed a little more brains around here,” Colin laughed as Brady shoved him lightly. 

“Maya?!” a soft, female voice floated out from the front door as Maya and Paul climbed the porch steps. Becks pushed her way through the pack crowded on the porch and started sobbing instantly upon seeing her. She was heavily pregnant, and Jacob wasn’t far behind her as she nearly dropped into Maya’s arms in a hug, squeezing her so tightly she thought she cracked a rib. 

“Oh my god!” she cried into her shoulder. Maya chuckled and rubbed soft circles on her back as she looked over her shoulder at Jacob who shrugged and looked lovingly at his hormonally devastated wife. Becks pulled back to look at Maya, her face puffy and tear stricken, “You absolute JERK!” Maya barked a laugh at that and tried to wipe some tears away from Becks’ cheeks. “Don’t ever disappear on me like that again. I thought— I thought—,” 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Maya said, pulling her best friend back into a hug. “I should have texted.” Becks hiccuped a sound of disapproval, “Or called.” Maya corrected. When she pulled back, Becks nodded, seemingly trying to get herself calm as Jacob settled a hand on her lower back. Maya’s eyes widened as she took in just how pregnant she was. 

“Yeah, I know,” Becks said disappointed, “He’s like a week late.” She truly looked exhausted and the size of her belly stretched to almost painful extent. Jacob rubbed her back and leaned down to kiss her temple. 

“He’ll come soon, babe,” he promised. “Plus, Maya’s here. That’s literally all the good luck we need to induce your labor. Like last time.” 

Maya laughed again and shrugged, “Just no vampire delivery this time, right?” she quipped. Jacob rolled his eyes. 

“Jesus, I hope it doesn’t come to that. But, Carlisle is on standby if the water birth stalls or we need quick intervention,” Jacob said nonchalantly. 

“What the fuck is a water birth?” Brady whispered to no one in particular. 

“Come inside, come inside,” Becks waved a hand and with Paul’s hand on her waist gently, Maya let the warm, comforting Uley home swallow her up. 

They stayed at Sam and Emily’s until late in the evening, laughing and swapping stories. Paul stayed next to her, his presence relaxed and content, which was so unlike the tense and overwhelmingly protectiveness he had always exhibited before she left. 

She glanced over at him a couple times, and each time, he caught her eye and gave her a smile. One that promised nothing but exactly what he was in that moment. And it made her…happy. 

When she started to yawn, Paul took that as an opportunity to lean over and whisper softly against her ear, “Let’s go home.” 

Maya nodded immediately and they said their quick goodbyes to those remaining there, promising to come back tomorrow for lunch and babywatch. 

When they pulled up to the house in Maya’s Jeep, she couldn’t stifle her laughter quickly enough before Paul looked toward her amused and said:

“You don’t like it?” he asked, not even a little offended. If she didn’t know any better, there might be a slight teasing tone to his voice.

“No, no! It’s beautiful, I—,” she shut her eyes tightly to quell the rising emotion in her stomach from burning behind her eyes for too long. “It’s beautiful, Paul. You’ve clearly been busy, but I’m not sure why you did all this work.” Liar, the voice inside her quipped. 

The corner of Paul’s mouth pulled up in a smug grin beneath his closely trimmed beard, “Bullshit,” he replied, maybe to that voice in her head. Maya blushed and shook her head at the soft teasing tone. 

They hopped out of the car and came around the front into each other’s sides, arms weaving effortlessly over each other’s waists like magnets pulled them together, as they walked toward the house.

“Well, why else would you feel the need to renovate our entire house? It’s not like we needed to. The house was…fine, before,” she swallowed a gasp on the last two words as Paul confidently reached for her hip and tugged her closer, pulling her body flush with his. He stopped her, his other hand came up to rest on the side of her neck and threaded through her hair at the  nape of her neck.

He chuckled and Maya felt the warm rumbling vibration of it stumble through her body and land in her belly. “Shut up,” he said with a gentle smile. Maya couldn’t help her returning grin before she quickly wiped it from her face. 

“Seriously, if this is what happens every time I leave, I’m going to have to have someone confiscate your power tools,” his warm breath fanned across her face as he sighed, his eyes dancing around taking her all in in this light. How did he do that? Look at her like he was seeing the most incredible thing he’d ever laid eyes upon for the first time, and yet, the familiarity of his gaze said he’d known her forever, lifetimes before even. She let her hands rest on his chest now as she looked up at him. 

“I forgot how much of a little shit you are,” he teased.

“Me?! Really, you're a menace to homes everywhere—” Maya was cut off as she shrieked with delight as Paul growled, squeezing her hip and biting her neck, his rough stubble tickling beneath her chin as he backed her over the threshold of the house and kicked the door shut behind him. 

Once inside, he grabbed her under her thighs and carried her effortlessly up the stairs toward their bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself sink deeper into the kiss. Nothing was hurried—for once. 

When he lowered her gently onto the bed, his hands coasted across her thighs and unbuttoned her jeans. He peeled them off her slowly, kissing down her body and pausing to press an open mouthed kiss to delicate V between her thighs. Maya watched him, her eyes hooded with desire as he took his time kissing back up her bare legs once her jeans were discarded, pulling her shirt up now and peppering the expanse of her belly with warm pecks. 

Maya sighed, a small moan escaping as made his way up between her breasts, swiftly pulling her shirt up over her head and burying his face in her neck, the stubble scraping against the soft skin and making goosebumps rise across her breasts. 

Paul was slow and methodical in how he worshiped her, his hands touching every part of her, pausing to measure just how well she fit in his hands. Maya felt it too and an overwhelming sense of contentment rushed through her. The imprint bond that normally rang so clear through her during a time like this was completely silent. She didn’t pay it much mind though as Paul quickly unsnapped her bra and pulled back the delicate lace before encasing her nipple in his mouth. Maya’s back arched off the bed and Paul’s hand traced the shape of it. 

His thigh nestled neatly between her legs and Maya couldn’t help but seek friction desperately there, grinding down on him and rolling her hips as he tugged gently at her nipple with his teeth, biting softly across the swell of her chest to her other breast. 

Maya was panting with desire, rolling her hips as her eyes flutter shut to simply exist in this moment with him. She heard the soft swish of his t-shirt coming off and the familiar hum of his zipper. When she opened her eyes, he was standing and discarding his clothes, fully naked at the end of the bed and he simply looked—gorgeous. Maya’s breath caught in her throat as she leaned up to look at him. His throat bobbed in equal adoration as he leaned over her, his fingers ghosting across her hips and slowly slipping her panties down her thighs. He kissed her bent knee as he slipped the lacy garment over it and when she was fully naked beneath him, he let out a well deserved sigh. His eyes raked in every inch of her as if drinking her in. Maya was propped up on her elbows, her eyes softened as she slowly let her knees drop to either side, baring herself to him. 

She was already dripping—she knew that. Paul licked his lips and kneeled between her, not wasting anymore time as he bit gently on her thigh before leaning in to devour her. His tongue, flat and warm, seemed to touch every part between her thighs and Maya threw her head back, letting out a sharp moan. He let her settle on his tongue, tasting her, relishing her scent, as he held her there, his hands anchored firmly on her hips. His mouth sucked and pulled at her clit, his tongue darting into her opening, as a groan rumbled from his throat and through her body. 

Maya was cresting, light bursting behind her eyes as she whimpered through her release. She twitched against his tongue and only then did he lean up, his eyes glazed with lust and love so intertwined that she thought she’d melt into the mattress. 

Paul ran his hands over her body again, reverently, as if to prove something to himself and Maya shivered. The ache growing inside of her was present, persistent, but he leaned down slowly, taking her mouth over his and she sighed into it. Their breath mingled, mixing, and Maya felt like she was coming home all over again. 

He wrapped his arm down around her back and shifted her up the bed, but before she could settle onto the pillows, he whipped her over him and Maya straddled his abdomen. Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t help but smile. Paul almost always preferred to have her beneath him when he claimed her, but in this moment, his eyes shone with a desire to see her claim every part of him. 

Maya let her hands run down his chest, memorizing the hard expanse, the ripples and lines that made him strong and immovable. His chest rose and fell in quick breaths as if her fingertips were tracing some new pattern of love into his skin. Maya slowly traced over each dip and line of muscle, her eyes trained to each small freckle or scar, taking him all in. 

His hands gripped her hips tightly, kneading the soft flesh that creased between her hip and thigh and she smiled. “You are torturing me,” he rasped, his eyes dark and desperate. Maya glanced up at his face and just smiled softly. 

“I’m just remembering,” she replied barely above a whisper. Paul pressed his thumbs into that delicate crease where her hips met each of her thighs and pressed. A shot of lightning struck between her legs and a soft gasp fell from her lips. 

“Remembering what?” he asked, so soft, so gentle. A sweet juxtaposition to the hard bodied, giant man that lay wanting and ready beneath her. Maya’s fingers paused over where his heart lay thumping wildly in his chest. 

“What it feels like to come home,” she replied, as she lifted her hips and pressed him against her center. She slid down onto him slowly, feeling the warm stretch of him. A feral groan ripped from Paul as she sank onto his hilt, her hips neatly connected to his. She feel his hands flex as they gripped and loosened on her thighs. Maya braced herself on his stomach, taking in deep, stuttering breaths as she tried to get used to the sheer size of him again. As he twitched inside of her, she let out a soft “Ah!” as she clenched around him. She was so sensitive. Being fully in control had set her body alight and Paul waited for her to move, groaning each time she inadvertently squeezed him inside of her. 

When she lifted slightly, Paul braced her between his hands, helping to raise her hips. His eyes were glued to where they connected as the sheen of her slick coated every exposed inch of him. Maya raised herself halfway up his shaft before slowly settling back down onto him working herself into a slow and languid pace. 

Maya watched his eyes, sharp and dark as they took in every bit of movement. He was in absolute awe, completely taken by the shape of her and Maya felt completely in control. 

Her mouth hung open in unadulterated want as she quickened her pace on top of him. Rolling and sliding her hips against him. Paul’s hands tightened and loosened of their own accord as if he had to remind himself to let go a little so he wouldn’t bruise her. 

With each roll of her hips, that ache was replaced with warm relief and she felt a whole body shiver rush through her as Paul started chanting her name. She needed him closer, as she felt her tits swell and ache from her impending release. As if he heard her, Paul leaned up, connecting their bodies. His chest pressed flush against hers, but Maya didn’t stop bucking her hips against his. Paul wrapped his arms around her body, nipping along her collarbone, his moans echoing across the room as Maya threw her head back, panting and cursing. 

She felt him release first, and it took her over the edge. Paul’s eyes were closed tightly as he shuddered through his release and Maya curved in on herself as she let go, her body clenching to him tightly with wave after wave of pleasure as if she was trying to rinse herself through. 

Finally, she collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily into the crook of his neck. He placed a hand behind her head and stroked gently, kissing her temple as he tried to slow his breathing. 

Still, the imprint was silent. Maya wasn’t complaining, it was just…strange. 

“Welcome home,” he breathed. Maya chuckled and buried her head in his neck as she let sleep overtake her in one fell swoop

The next morning, Maya awoke slowly. She was keenly aware of Paul’s body behind hers, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist. Rain pattered gently on the windows and she had to admit that she hadn’t felt this content waking up in a long while. 

Paul stirred gently behind her, kissing her shoulder as Maya rubbed her hand over his forearm. They stretched into one another, Paul groaning sleepily as she turned in his arms. 

“Good morning,” he said gently, his eyes barely open. Maya bit her lower lip and smiled. 

“Morning.” 

“Do you have plans today?” he asked nonchalantly. Maya quirked an eyebrow and stifled a laugh. 

“No, I don’t think so. These are my plans, what about you?” she said in only a slightly teasing tone. 

“Yeah, I want to show you something,” he opened his eyes fully now, looking down at her and Maya looked at him carefully. Not a bit of hesitation in those eyes, she noticed. “Will you come?” 

“Sure,” Maya breathed. She didn’t know why but her stomach erupted with butterflies. He gave her a warm smile and closed his eyes again pulling her closer as he settled back into sleep. 

Later that afternoon, once the rain had stopped and Maya was bundled in her heavy winter coat and rain weathered hiking boots. Paul was dressed simply in jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair neatly coiffed to the side as if he had tried to tidy it up just a little bit. 

Paul drove them into the woods and parked in a clearing. He led her through the forest and they walked for nearly an hour along sloping pathways and fern covered earth. Paul carried her over fallen trees and helped her down rain slicked slopes until the pathways went decidedly up and up. 

“Where are we going?” Maya laughed as she breathed in the briney air, her cheeks flushed red with heat and exertion. Paul looked back at her over his shoulder and squeezed her hand. 

“Almost there,” he reassured her. 

Once they broke through the treeline, Maya knew where they were headed and her heart began to race. 

It was the cliff from her dream all those years ago. Where the wolf had beckoned her forward. 

“Paul what are we—” she began as they started up the slope of the cliff. 

“When you were gone, I went and saw the elders,” he began not looking at her. Maya stopped and her hand fell from his. 

“Oh?” she couldn’t say that that filled her with the reassurance she was hoping for. The elders had been incredibly intrusive throughout their relationship. “What for?” she probed. 

Paul took a few more steps forward toward the jutting edge of the cliff that pulled out over the water. “I was looking for advice and they didn’t really offer me much…until I saw Ti’Hal,” Maya’s eyes widened at that and she followed him a couple steps onto the cliff. 

“Ti’Hal?” She was shivering, not from the cold but from something else. Nerves? She couldn’t place it. No one ever went to Ti’Hal. She was the tribe’s oldest advisor, never came to council meetings anymore, and was a recluse for lack of a better term. Still, she was revered within her community and if you did seek her out, there needed to be a very good reason. She didn’t give away her time easily. 

Paul looked out over the cliffs, the wind whipping around him as he put a hand in his pocket. “I was trying to figure out what to do about us.” Maya’s stomach dropped at that. Paul still didn’t look at her and she felt like she was waiting for other shoe to drop, “I was miserable without you Maya, I think you know that.” 

“Paul—” Maya tried again. 

“No. Let me get this out,” he breathed harshly, turning to look at her finally, his eyes were burning. “Let me, please.” He nearly begged. Maya swallowed hard and nodded. He looked out again for a couple of heartbeats before he continued, turning to look back at her but staying close to the cliffs edge. 

“I was miserable without you. I had no idea what to do about the imprint, how to get you back. It was driving me insane. Actually insane. I didn’t phase back for a few months because I couldn’t handle being without you and lending myself to that animal side was simpler. But that started to make everything worse….I felt like..I was dying without you. And that terrified me.” 

Indeed his eyes were pained and dark and Maya thought the pain of it would reach out and shatter her. That the imprint would begin to tug her closer. But it didn’t. It was odd. 

“I just wanted it all to stop. If you wanted to stay away, be without me, I wanted you to have that and for me not to feel this way anymore. So, I tried to figure out the bond the imprint made. At one point I even asked…I even considered…trying to break it,” his voice was so defeated and Maya couldn’t help a soft sob from escaping her throat at the thought of it. “I was in so much pain, I just…” 

Maya took another small step forward and he continued, determined. “Still, the elders had no advice. The imprint would pull you back to me. There would be no other option but that. And then I saw Ti’Hal. I realized after talking with her that I got the imprint all wrong. I got us all wrong,” his eyes were hard now as they looked past her, through her. 

Was this some sort of sick joke? Fear shot through Maya as she thought the absolute worst. 

“Paul, wait,” Maya said, holding her hand out. 

“No, My,” he shook his head, “Let me finish.” 

“I don’t want you to,” she nearly had to yell over the wind, “Please, let’s just go home.” 

Paul shook his head, a smile now bursting over his face and Maya had to swallow her tears to keep from letting the panic sink in. 

“You have no idea how much I love you,” he said gently. Maya’s eyes widened and she took a step forward. Please don’t let it be bad. “I realized that because of the imprint and because of what everyone thought it meant, you were never given a choice in all this. I was never given a choice in all this.” Maya started to shake her head to stop him, to make him listen, he couldn’t leave her like this. It wasn’t fair. 

“Please,” she choked. 

“I decided I wanted to make a choice in all this. And you deserve one too,” his eyes on her were hard. And he took one step forward but then, he shrank from her eyeline getting onto both of his knees. He was actually kneeling before her, his hand now out of his pocket holding something. “I want you to choose me because it’s what you want. I want a life with you and I want us to create that together. Not because of the imprint or because of what is expected. But because you love me and I love you. I want…I want so bad to marry you, My. Will you marry me?” 

The shiny glimmer of tears caught in the corners of his eyes as he stared up at her. Maya took the last few steps toward him slowly, her mouth open in shock as tears flowed freely over her cheeks now. The ring glittered in his hands, a large oval shaped diamond set in a delicate gold band. Maya was crying completely now, the tears beginning to blur her vision and she couldn't quite catch her breath.

“Will you—” he tried again but Maya cut him off quickly. 

“Yes, yes I will! Yes, Paul. Yes,!” she sank to her knees before him and he tugged her forward, kissing her through her tears as the waves crashed and roiled below them. 

Next > >

[sanlu-manga]

Chapter 56: I refuse

Sanji drinks wine while riding a bison that carries provisions (and two rolled beds?).

Luffy instead is carrying his own bison (probably injured, tired or too small, as it's not prepared to carry anything).

It has a colour version:

In this chapter, Sanji let's himself be hurt by Pearl to protect Zeff. Luffy suffers greatly for him.

We also start to understand Zeff and Sanji's relationship better, and we start the flashback of their shared past.

[sweetness-pop]

My May 2024 Cinema

This month's movies that I've seen:

Saw 8 movies!

May has officially replaced March as my biggest cinema month!

& New TOTAL of movies I've watched on the big screen:

30

January February March April June July

August

[andreafmn]

BOUND MASTERLIST

Status: Ongoing

Mood Board Original Oneshot

Summary: Rosalie always carried the resentment of not being able to fulfill the image of the perfect family she had in her head. But the universe had set out to grant her everything she could've hoped for in the most unconventional way and in the form of a witch. Can their love withstand the promise of forever or will Rosalie and (Y/N) succumb to the grapples of time?

Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

All my stories on Tumblr are written as reader inserts. For original characters, you can read the same stories in AO3 or Wattpad under the same username. If you’d like to be tagged in this or any other story, or if you wanna request a story: click here For tagging, make sure your account allows your username to be tagged, or else you’ll still miss out.

[nightfall-by-jacqui-natla]

20. SHADOW MAN

THE BEAR'S GROWLS ECHOED THROUGH the forest, its search for me relentless. Even though I was invisible, I could sense it tracking my scent. Thanks to Simon's warning about the Ursa Clan, I managed to keep my primal urges in check.

I knew that if I let my guard down, the bear would surely find me and unleash its fury. I had to stay focused and remember everything the Khotlers had taught me about survival in the wilderness. As I crept through the dense underbrush, I could hear the bear getting closer and closer. I knew I had to stay calm and trust in my abilities.

Suddenly, the bear burst through the trees, its massive form looming over me. I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable attack. But to my surprise, the bear stopped in its tracks and sniffed the air. It seemed confused, unable to locate me despite being so close.

I took advantage of this momentary confusion and slowly backed away, careful not to make any sudden movements that might alert the bear to my presence. As I retreated, I heard the sound of another set of footsteps approaching, growing louder with each passing second.

And then, emerging from the shadows, was another bear. But this one was different. Its fur was as dark as the night, blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. It was a formidable creature, and I could sense the power emanating from its very being.

The two bears stood face to face, a silent exchange of dominance between predators. It was as if they were communicating without words, a tense moment in the heart of the forest.

I watched in awe as the two bears circled each other, their growls echoing through the trees. It was a battle of wills, a primal dance of power and strength. I knew that I had to make my move before the situation escalated further.

I slowly began to back away, trying to make my escape without attracting the attention of either bear. The tension in the air was palpable, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Just as I thought I had made it to safety, a twig snapped under my foot, alerting the bears to my presence. In an instant, they turned their attention towards where I stood, their eyes locking onto mine with a fierce intensity.

I knew that I was facing a life-or-death situation, and I had to act quickly.

Suddenly, the bears halted, their attention shifting to something behind me. The brown bear snorted while the black bear emitted a low growl. I turned my head to see what had captured their interest. To my astonishment, a tall figure emerged from the shadows. Clad in a black misty trench coat and a fedora hat, this man lacked a discernible face. He stood there, his presence commanding and enigmatic, as if he held some kind of power over the bears. The tension in the air seemed to shift like a new player had entered the game.

Sensing the shift in power, the bears slowly distanced themselves from each other, their growls fading away. It was almost as if they recognized this figure as a formidable force, not to be underestimated. As the figure drew closer, the bears began to retreat.

Then, a familiar caw sounded by my side. I glanced down to see the raven Lenore nuzzling against my leg.

It was unmistakably him.

As the bears fled from the towering shadowy figure, Ingram emerged from within him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He seemed oblivious to my presence.

"Works like a charm," he chuckled. "They're terrified of it."

"Why is that?" I inquired, catching him off guard.

"Violet!" he exclaimed, turning to face me. "What are you doing here?"

I shrugged, trying to hide my surprise at seeing Ingram here, of all places. "I could ask you the same thing," I replied, crossing my arms. "What's with the whole act?"

Ingram chuckled, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, flower, sometimes a little mystery can be quite useful. Keeps people on their toes, you know?"

"Whoa, why did you call me flower?" I inquired, taken aback by the unexpected nickname.

"I thought it suited you," he replied, a sly smile gracing his face. "Violets are often associated with grief, mourning, death, and even darkness." He emphasized the last part with a playful wink.

I raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to interpret his words. "And what exactly are you implying with that?"

Ingram's grin widened, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, nothing too sinister. Just that you have a certain allure, a mysterious aura that draws people in. It's fascinating, really."

I rolled my eyes, not buying his explanation. "Cut the act, Ingram. What are you really up to?"

He sighed dramatically, feigning disappointment. "Always so suspicious, Violet. Can't a man have a little fun?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, not buying his innocent act for a second. "Fun? Terrifying bears and lurking in the shadows? That's your idea of fun?"

Ingram shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's not like I have many hobbies. Besides, it's all in the name of science."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. "Science? What kind of science involves scaring bears and dressing up like a character from a noir film?"

Ingram grinned, clearly enjoying the attention. "Experimental psychology, flower. I've been studying animal behavior and the effects of fear on their responses. And let me tell you, it's been quite enlightening."

I couldn't help but be intrigued by his explanation. Despite his eccentricities, Ingram was undeniably intelligent and had a knack for uncovering the mysteries of the natural world. "So, what have you discovered?"

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Fear, flower, is a powerful motivator. It can override even the most basic instincts. These bears, for example, are typically fierce and territorial. But in the presence of something they perceive as a greater threat, they retreat."

I nodded, beginning to understand his fascination with fear. "So, you're saying that this figure you've created, this faceless man, is able to put fear in these bears?"

Ingram nodded, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "Exactly! It's all about perception. The bears see this figure as a dominant force, someone they can't possibly challenge. And so, they retreat."

With a flick of his wrist, the tall figure wearing a shadowy fedora vanished into thin air.

I couldn't help but be impressed by Ingram's ingenuity and dedication to his research. Despite his unorthodox methods, there was no denying the results he had achieved. I should probably tell him that there was a bear shifting warrior women clan roaming around the forest that my new family had a truce with but I had decided to keep it to myself for now.

Ingram's curiosity got the better of him as he pressed me for an answer. "What brings you to this secluded part of the forest?" he inquired, his voice filled with genuine interest.

I hesitated for a moment. How should I explain this? As I was trying to think of a response, Lenore flapped her wings and flew off the ground and landed on Ingram's shoulder. He gently stroked her feathers, a look of pure delight on his face.

"I... was just walking around," I began.

Ingram's red eyes sparkled with anticipation, eager to hear more. "Just walking around?" he repeated, his voice tinged with curiosity. Lenore, perched on his shoulder, seemed to share his excitement, her wings fluttering softly. 

I paused, searching for the right words to convey the truth without revealing too much.

"Oh, you're missing me already, aren't you?" he teased.

"No!" I hastily retorted, my tone inadvertently betraying me.

"Yes, you are," he affirmed, a knowing smile gracing his lips.

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath.

"I must confess, I had secretly hoped to see you again. Although I never expected it to be so soon," Ingram admitted, a touch of vulnerability seeping into his words.

My curiosity only grew stronger, my genuine interest in his presence in this part of the forest compelling me to talk to him more. Lenore, sensing the connection between us, remained perched on his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to open up to Ingram. "Joseph, your brother, shared with me about your childhood. How your mother passed away during childbirth and your father was absent for most of your lives."

For a moment, Ingram's gaze hardened but then softened as he looked down at Lenore, gently stroking her feathers. "Yeah, it's been a rough road," he admitted, his voice tinged with sadness.

I felt a pang of sympathy for Ingram, realizing that there was more to him than just his playful banter and charming smile. There was a depth to him that I hadn't seen before, a vulnerability that he rarely showed to others.

"I lost my mother the same way," I revealed. "And my father was even worse. He abused me, but not my half-sister because she didn't killed her mother."

Ingram's eyes widened with a mix of surprise and empathy. "I'm so sorry to hear that," he said softly, his voice filled with genuine concern.

I nodded, feeling a lump forming in my throat. Opening up about my painful past was not something I did often, but there was something about Ingram that made me feel safe, understood.

Ingram took a few steps closer to me. His presence felt comforting, as if he was a shield against the world's cruelty. "We've both endured so much," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "But here we are, standing in this forest, finding solace in each other's company."

I couldn't help but be drawn to him, his vulnerability and understanding creating an unspoken bond between us. It was as if we were two lost souls, finding refuge in the depths of our shared pain.

Ingram reached out, his hand hesitantly brushing against mine. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through my veins, igniting a spark that I hadn't felt in years. It was a simple gesture, but it held so much meaning.

"I never expected to find someone like you," he confessed, his voice filled with sincerity. "Someone who sees beyond the surface, who understands the pain that lies beneath."

"You hardly know me," I replied.

"But sometimes, you just know," he whispered, his gaze unwavering. "Sometimes, the connection is instant, and it feels like destiny."

I couldn't help but smile at his words.

Ingram's hand tightened around mine, his grip firm yet gentle and pulled me into his arms.

"Maybe we're meant to heal each other," he whispered, his voice carrying a hint of hope.

The touch of his hand sent a wave of reassurance through me, as if he were a lifeline in the midst of a storm. It was as if his touch had the power to heal wounds I didn't even know existed, to mend the broken pieces of my soul. In that moment, I felt seen, understood, and accepted in a way I had never experienced before.

As we stood there, our hands intertwined, I couldn't help but feel a sense of vulnerability and trust that I had never felt with anyone else. It was as if he had the ability to peel back the layers of my carefully constructed facade, to see the raw and unfiltered version of myself that I rarely showed to the world.

Ingram's touch was not just physical, but emotional as well. It was a touch that spoke of empathy, compassion, and a deep understanding of the human experience. It was a touch that said, "I am here for you, no matter what."

As I looked into his eyes, I saw a reflection of my own desires and dreams. It was as if he had tapped into a part of me that I had long forgotten, awakening a sense of purpose and passion that had been buried deep within. His touch, his words, his presence, all seemed to ignite a fire within me, urging me to embrace the possibilities that lay ahead.

"Thanks for that, shadow man," I murmured.

Ingram chuckled. "Shadow man?"

"Well, you gave me a nickname, so why not return the favor?"

Lenore's caw echoed through the air, adding a touch of whimsy to the moment. Ingram's laughter filled the air, a sound that was both comforting and infectious. His crimson eyes sparkled with amusement, his voice laced with affection. "I suppose I can embrace that nickname, flower."

I couldn't help but smile at his words.

In that moment, the world around us seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of us standing together in our little bubble of shared understanding and connection. The trees whispered secrets in the breeze, and the moonlight shined in the sky with hues of silver and white, as if nature itself were celebrating our bond.

Ingram squeezed my hand gently, his gaze never wavering from mine. "You know, you have a way of making even the darkest shadows seem less intimidating," he said softly.

"And you, shadow man, make the light seem all the more brilliant," I replied.

We stood there in silence for a moment, the gravity of our connection pulling us closer together. The night seemed to stretch on, each second amplifying the intensity of our shared feelings.

Ingram's hand slipped from mine only to wrap around my waist, pulling me into a gentle embrace. His touch was cold, yet it ignited a warmth deep within my soul. "Are you planning to see me again?" he whispered into my ear.

I leaned into his embrace, feeling the chill of his body contrast with the strange heat that stirred within me. "As often as you'll let me," I whispered back, my breath mingling with the night air.

Ingram pulled back slightly to look into my eyes, his expression a mix of longing and determination. "Then let's make a promise," he said, his voice steady and resolute. "No matter what shadows we face, no matter how dark the night becomes, we will always find our way back to each other."

I nodded. "A promise," I echoed, my voice firm with conviction.

The raven cawed joyfully, her wings fluttering as if applauding our commitment. I couldn't help but giggle. "And I'll see you soon too, Lenore."

Ingram chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "It seems she has taken a liking to you as well."

A smile graced my lips. "I should return. My coven will surely be worried about my whereabouts."

"Give my regards to my brother," he said with a playful grin.

I nodded, a pang of sadness tugging at my heart as I reluctantly began to untangle myself from Ingram's embrace. "I will," I promised, my voice filled with a mixture of longing and anticipation.

Ingram's hand lingered on my waist for a moment longer before he finally released me, his touch leaving a lingering warmth that I carried with me as I turned to leave. As I walked away, I couldn't help but steal one last glance at him, his figure standing tall and strong against the backdrop of the moonlit night.

The journey back to my coven was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Ingram, his touch, his voice, and the vow we had made. I couldn't shake the feeling that our connection was something special, something that transcended the boundaries of time and space.

[everyakipanel]

Chapter 3: Arrival in Tokyo

[randomwriting-misc]

Endangered | Chapter Seventeen

Paul Lahote x OFC

Endangered Masterlist

Summary: Vampires and wolves are not the only supernatural creatures to walk the earth, and they are certainly not the only ones in Forks, Washington when Charlotte Annabeth Swan, “Anna”, moves in with her uncle after the unfortunate demise of her parents.

Some may misidentify her as a witch, but that’s fine, she would rather them think that anyway. But the Volturi know the truth, and they are closing in on her.

A/N: Surprise! I am alive, between school, work, and a hurricane, this was a challenge to complete. But to make up for it, it is twice as long as usual chapters AND the moment we have all been waiting for is here.

I hope you enjoy~ 

It was impossible to focus on anything in the aftermath of Bella’s wolf bombshell. School went by in a blur, my mind constantly on what was happening in the woods. Even Eric and Mike had noticed, which was how I knew I was off. They barely noticed anything. For a moment, I felt like I was slipping away, just like Bella had.  

I spent every free second of the next few days trying to monitor the vampire situation. The pack had killed one who had gotten too close to Bella. I couldn’t even confront her, because telling her I knew about the vampire meant telling her I knew about the wolves. It wasn’t just the boys in the woods with a vampire now, it was Charlie, Harry, and so many more humans in danger. I found that I could feel where she was in the woods. Vampires were not alive, and if I focused on that feeling of emptiness, I could track her. And she was fast.  

Paul made it known he hated this, but I wanted to help. The only upside was that I could use my emotional connection to Charlie to monitor where the hunting group was in relation to the redhead. The pack were excellent trackers, but apparently, the smell of a vampire was overwhelming to them. I could better keep track of the humans than they could while they were on her tail, so Sam let me keep doing what I could. I was able to warn them when she got too close to them and could track her movements off the reservation as well.  

The nosebleeds, on the other hand, that was a point of contention. So much so that Paul broke his rule about being around me in his wolf form.  

I was sitting against a rock, the cold forest floor beneath me, and my eyes closed when I heard footsteps. Sam had cleared this little clearing safe earlier in the day, it was off the path enough to be hidden, but not dangerous. I wasn’t scared. I knew who it was immediately.  

“Paul,” I whispered, opening my eyes. The wolf was about six feet in front of me, and they were really just as massive as people said. He had told me he was worried about scaring me, but all I could think was how beautiful he was. His fur was a dark silver, and some lighter spots on his face. His eyes were copper, seemingly staring into mine.  

He huffs at me, his agitation apparent in his body language. I dropped the shields around my mind so we could communicate. It takes a minute to push through some of the pack's collective thoughts to get to Paul’s. They know he’s with me, I can hear Sam giving directions and some responses before I get to him.

“Hey,” I think.  

You’re bleeding, he growls out loud at the thought. I wipe away the blood quickly beginning to fall down my lip.  

“Shit, sorry,” I say, standing up, “I honestly don’t really notice it anymore.”

What if she had caught wind of you? You’re forgetting that your blood is different. You’re putting yourself in more danger.  

“I didn’t forget. She’s pretty far away, and she keeps making you guys chase her to the border. If you would just let me get close enough to her to read her mind, I could figure out what she wants,” I say pointedly.

Absolutely not, he huffs.

“Paul,” I say taking a step forward and I can see him step back.  

Stay back, I don’t want to hurt you.  

I sigh, “You won’t, love.”

You don’t know that.

“I do,” I take another step forward, “Trust yourself. Trust me.”  

He turns his head away, thoughts racing too fast for me to decipher. The pack's thoughts are bleeding through, making it difficult to single out his. Before I can get a headache, he turns to face me again, nodding.  

Okay, he thinks.  

He’s taller than me still, but he shrinks a little as I move forward. I slowly hold out a hand, letting him come to me.  

He stares at me unblinking, before leaning into my palm.

“See, not so bad,” I smile, and even in his thoughts, he is grumbling.  

Maybe, but I should get back, and you should go home to rest.  

Sam breaks through the wall I have that pushed the pack away with an Alpha order to the boys. I flinch as it shatters through my mind like broken glass. Pressing my palms into my eyes, I nod.

“Yeah, maybe.”

----------------------------------------------------

Bella couldn’t believe how blind she had been. Jacob had told her, point blank, exactly what he was, and she couldn’t see it. It took him climbing through her window to notice exactly what was going on.

Jacob was a werewolf. He was killing the hikers in the woods. He had been manipulated by the others into murder. It wasn’t a gang he was in, it was a pack.

Bella’s thoughts raced as she drove, was Anna a part of this, did she know? She had too, Bella thinks. She had been keeping secrets for far too long.

Parking, Bella rampaged her way to the Black house, hellbent on getting answers with her aggressive knocking and pushing her way past Billy.

But now standing here at the door to his room, he didn’t look like the monster she had made out in her head. He looked peaceful, having long since outgrown the bed he lay in. He didn’t want this. He was just sixteen.

Looking through the window, she saw the four others step through the tree line, and she saw red. This needed to end.

“What did you do!” she yells bursting out of the door, when she didn’t get an answer, she becomes irate, running up to Sam.

“Hey! What did you do!” she yelled again, pushing Sam forcefully. Paul steps forward with a growl, his protective nature surging before Sam puts his hand on his chest.  

“Easy,” Sam warns.  

“He didn’t want this!” Bella continues, getting louder, pushing closer to them.

“What did we do?” Paul spits, “What did he do? Huh? What did he tell you?” Here was Bella, once again villainizing him and his pack, causing problems where there were none to begin with.

“Both of you calm-” Sam urges with an authoritative tone, but it is cut off by Bella.

“Nothing! He tells me nothing because he’s SCARED of you,” she screams, and the boys are all stunned into a second of silence.

Until Paul and Jared start laughing, shocked by how ridiculous that is.

Bella loses it, and she reaches out, slapping Paul across the face. She realizes her mistake the second it happens.

“Fuck, too late now,” Jared says, grabbing Embry and stepping away from Paul.

“Bella! Get back now!” Sam yells.  

Paul is shaking, his rage has overtaken him. It’s not just about her hitting him, he barely felt it really. It’s her entitlement, her obvious selfishness, and her lack of understanding when it came to them or Anna. She just assumes her stupid, bloodsuckers were perfect, that we couldn’t possibly be good as well. It all bubbles up to the surface at once, and all the animosity over the way Bella treats Anna explodes. Months of frustration and anger take over him.

Sam is trying to get him to calm down, but it’s not working.  

“Jared, call Anna,” Sam says calmly, but the glare he receives from Paul proves that that was not the right thing to say.

“No!” Bella yells, eyes wide.

“Jesus Christ,” Jared groans.

He doesn’t have time to reach for his phone, because Paul loses control, and suddenly a giant grey wolf is standing in front of Bella, snarling and snapping.  

Bella finally gets the hint, turning around to run as Jacob appears from his house.  

“Run!” she screams, “Run, Jake, run!”  

He does but in the opposite direction. Bella is terrified, looking back, she falls just in time to see Jacob jump into the air, but it’s not Jacob who lands on the ground. Another huge russet fur wolf stands its ground in front of the grey wolf.  

The sounds of snapping jaws and growls are horrifying, but Bella can’t look away as the mountains of fur tumble through the grass aggressively, snapping a boat in half as they move toward the woods. With a heavy sigh, Sam looks back at Bella, who is just staring in shock.

“Hey, take Bella back to Emily’s place,” he says with a sigh.  

“Guess the wolf’s outta the bag,” Embry chuckles and reaches out a hand to help Bella off the ground.  

As they start to walk towards her truck, Sam turns back to yell towards the boys, “And someone seriously, call Anna.”

“Not it!” Jared yells, making Embry groan.  

Bella is too shocked to say anything as they guide her to the back seat. She doesn’t hear what Embry says on the phone to her cousin, she doesn’t notice Jared grab the keys and start the truck, all she can do is stare past the broken boat and into the forest.  

Jacob really is a werewolf. Anna is a Fae. Are all the monsters real?

-----------------------------------------------------

“What?!” I yell. Embry had finished giving me the rundown of what happened. I hadn’t even woken up yet when Bella had left, but I was wide awake now.

“Please don’t make me repeat it,” Embry flinches away from the phone, a furrow in his brow.

“Are you with her now?” I ask.

“Yeah, we are on our way to Emily’s, we’re almost there.”  

“Jesus Christ, I would love to go at least one fucking week without something blowing up,” I complain, getting my things together to leave frantically.  

“Yeah, me too.”

“I’ll be there in like 15.”  

“I’ll warn everyone.”  

I scoff and roll my eyes, setting my phone down to throw a hoodie on.  

Embry hangs up the phone and Jared glances at him from the road.  

“Not good?” Jared asks.

Embry gives him an incredulous look, “Hurricane Anna lands in t-minus 15.”  

Jared exhales, “This outta be fun.”

When the trio pulls into Emily’s house, Bella has finally come out of her shock, leaning out the window, she speaks up.

“Hey! I think we should go back and see if Jacob’s okay.”  

Jared laughs, “I hope Paul sinks some teeth in ‘em, serves him right.” He walks to the porch, Embry right behind him.  

“No way, Jacob’s a natural, did you see him phase on the fly like that? I got five that says Paul doesn’t touch him,” Embry explains animatedly, they pause when they see Bella hasn’t moved.

“Come on in Bella, we don’t bite,” Embry jokes.  

“Speak for yourself,” Jared retorts with a smirk.  

Embry walks back to Bella as Jared enters, a tentative look in his eyes.

“Oh hey, about Emily, Sam’s fiancé, don’t stare. It bugs Sam,” he warns sadly.

“Why would I stare?” Bella questions, but he doesn’t answer, just walks in ahead of her.  

Entering the house, Bella immediately felt out of place, like an outsider. She glances around the room from the doorway. The open concept made it feel bigger than it was, even with the massive boys at the wooden table. There were signs of life in every part of the room. Shoes were kicked off by the door, the smell of baked goods from the kitchen, and jackets hung on the back of chairs. One of which Bella recognized as Anna’s. It wasn’t until a sweet voice broke her from her thoughts that she looked at the woman walking out of the kitchen.

“Are you guys hungry? Like I have to ask,” she laughed. Bella suddenly realized why Embry had given her a warning. The woman must be Emily, and she was gorgeous despite the scar traveling down the side of her face. Bella forced her eyes away. Did Sam do that? Would Paul do that to Anna?

“Who’s this?” she asked curiously.

“Bella Swan, who else?” Jared shrugs, falling back into his chair.

Emily’s eyes widened, “Ah, so you’re the vampire girl.”  Her small smile let her know she was joking.

“So, you’re the wolf girl,” Bella responds, her humor lost in her awkwardness.

“Guess so, well I’m engaged to one at least,” she shrugs and sets down the plate in her hand as the two boys lunge for the food, “Save some for your brothers,” Emily scolds, “and ladies first. Muffin?”  

“Sure,” Bella says as Emily gestures to the plate. Emily watches her cautiously before going back to cleaning up.

“Leave it to Jacob to find a way around Sam’s gag order,” she says.  

“Um, he didn’t say anything to me,” Bella interjects, feeling the need to defend him.  

“Yeah, that’s a wolf thing, alpha’s orders get obeyed whether we want them to or not,” Embry tells her, “Oh and check it out, we can hear each other’s thoughts.”

“Would you shut up! These are trade secrets! This chick runs with vampires,” Jared yells in exasperation. Bella finally breaks a smile.  

“You can’t really run with vampires, 'cause they’re fast,” she says, a bit smugly, but Jared doesn’t miss a beat.

“Yeah, well we’re faster. Freaked out yet?” he taunts good-naturedly.  

She shrugs her shoulders, “You’re not the first monsters I’ve met.”

Sam walks through the door, breaking some of the tension.  

“Jake’s right, you’re good with weird. I would refrain from using the word “monsters” around your cousin though,” he warns. He walks up to Emily, peppering kisses on her face as she giggles. Bella has to look away, it still hurts to see other people in love.  

When Paul and Jacob walk through the door, they seem fine. Smiling even. Paul comes to sit down at the table in front of her, as Jacob stands in the doorway.

With a smirk, Paul turns to apologize, “Sorry,” he says. He knows I’m on my way and will finally have to confront my cousin, and not even the threat of my wrath deters him from this moment.  

Jacob silently motions to Bella to follow him, but the slamming of a door directs everyone’s attention outside.  

“Here we go,” Embry huffs. Emily straightens as the weather seems to change, the sun has faded away and the usual cold air warms by at least ten degrees.

When Embry called me a hurricane, Bella thought he was joking, but looking at me now, Bella admits it’s a pretty good description. She can see me through the doorway as I walk around my car.

The wind seems to be roaring just around me, my now chaotic curly hair had to be gathered haphazardly out of my face. My own storm cloud follows me, about twenty feet in the air, and lightning is cracking within it. It’s about the size of my car and looks like rain could pour at any second. It swirls in a spiral, just like a hurricane, and I’m standing in the eye of the storm. It’s the first time Bella has really seen my magic and she’s suddenly faced with the reality that I am not human. She’s staring at me wide-eyed and mouth agape.  

“You should have seen her when she found out a vampire almost killed you,” Jacob whispers to Bella, “We thought we were going to have to board up the house.”

Bella stares at me, realization hitting her about what exactly I am. Bella had found herself surrounded by magical creatures, and her mortality weighed on her heavier than ever.

Bella sees what I can’t, my eyes have darkened to a navy, almost black. The ends of my curls spark with the lightning. Bella gets why the Cullens thought I was a vampire at first, in this state, I look like one.

With my hands on my hips, I can tell by everyone avoiding my gaze that I look as pissed off as I feel. Staring at Bella through the door, I notice Paul is still inside.

“Bella! Paul! Get out here!” I yell, thunder booming behind me.

Bella sees Paul grimace as he walks out, and she grows more worried about confronting Anna about her serial killer boyfriend.  For a second, she considers the fact that Anna may have committed murder too.

“You look like you’re heading to the gallows man, it’ll be fine,” Embry says to Paul, trying to be supportive. Bella slowly makes her way to the porch, Jacob and Sam behind her.  

“Hi Anna,” Sam says with a smile, “How are you doing?” It’s an attempt to cool the situation, but it hits my cold exterior and fails.  

With eyes like ice, they flicker between Paul and Bella.  

“Oh, I am fucking fantastic Sam, especially since I got a call that once again, my cousin has forced herself into things that aren’t her business- ” Bella moves to interject, but I put a hand up, stopping her as lightening cracks behind me in the growing storm cloud and a gust of wind hits them.

“No, you will shut up and listen, what the hell were you thinking? And you, don’t think you’re getting away with this,” I yell pointing at Paul, who has the decency to look sheepish.  

“I am so beyond pissed off. Can I please just have one moment where I don’t have to worry about you getting yourself killed Bella!? Because I have tried so God damn hard to keep you alive, despite your best attempts to do the exact opposite. I have spent months perfecting and learning how to protect you and Charlie. Why do you think you’ve never seen a vampire around our house, Bella? Because I exhausted myself warding it, layers and layers of wards so anyone we didn’t know wouldn’t be able to sense the house. I have charmed so many things with protection that it’s insane. Jewelry, clothes, Charlie’s badge. The list is so long,’ I take a sharp intake of breath before continuing.

“I spend every day tracking any vampire activity, and all you have done is make it so much harder! I have one thing for myself, and that’s these boys. This pack that I also spend every day doing whatever I can to make sure they are safe because they have been forced into a role they don’t want. I have enough to worry about, I don’t need to add “my boyfriend getting so angry he blows the pack secret” to that list?” I know I must look crazy, arms flailing, and cheeks flushed, but I can’t stop, that is until Bella interrupts my rant.

“I kind of knew already, this just confirmed it,” Bella says quietly, and everyone around her audibly groans. Embry’s head falls into his hand as he leans against the railing of the porch, Jared shakes his head. Sam looks up to the ceiling in exasperation, Emily flinches, and Paul glares. Even Jacob lets his head hang, waiting for my inevitable reaction.

“IF YOU KNEW WHAT MADE YOU THINK ANTAGONIZING PAUL WAS A GOOD IDEA!” I scream.

Bella didn’t have a great response to that, she just looks down at the ground.

Sam stepped in between us before I can start again, “Alright I think maybe it’s time for Bella to talk to Jacob, give everyone a breather.”  

Jacob pulls Bella quickly out of the house towards the beach. Paul was the only one brave enough to step into my vicinity, and the wind died down once he placed his arms around me. I keep my arms crossed in the hug, pouting until I feel myself relax. I pull back, placing my hands on either side of his face.  

“I hope Jacob got some good hits in for me, and you better have given him as good as you got” I muttered, and he laughed despite himself.  

“Don’t worry my little brawler, we both have been effectively whipped into shape,” he says kissing my head, then looks into my eyes, “I’m sorry.”

I nod once, and the cloud finally dissipates above us. I sigh deeply before curling into him and his warmth.

“It’s cold.”  

“Well considering you brought your own weather front, I’m not surprised. Let’s go inside.”

Everyone is silent, looking at me expectantly, waiting for my reaction.  

“I’m fine guys, really. Paul will live to see another day.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Emily says, “I’m worried about you, and what you are going to do now that Bella is in the loop.”

“Yeah Anna, you haven’t given yourself a break since I’ve known you,” Jared quips.

“Yes, thank you for reminding me,” I say as Paul sits down, pulling me onto his lap, “I’ll be fine guys, don’t worry.”

They drop it, but their thoughts are loud and demanding. I can hear their worry and I can’t shut it out, so I just close my eyes and lean against Paul. Tuning into our connection quiets the noise, and I can fade into the thrum of our heartbeats. I know this won’t be the last time they bring this up, but I will avoid it as long as I can.  

-----------------------------------------------------

Bella walked across the beach solemnly. Jacob trailed behind her, unable to face the gravity of the conversation they needed to have. Once they approached the shore, with the calming waves crashing in the background, Jacob fell in step beside her.

“So, you’re a werewolf,” Bella says after the silence had gotten too heavy. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he nodded.

“Yeah, last time I checked,” he shrugged, “A few lucky members of the tribe have the gene. Then a bloodsucker moves into town, and the fever sets in.” Bella can clearly see he feels bitter about it, and she holds out hope Jacob is still the same person she knew.

“Mono,” she states.

“Yeah, I wish,” he scoffs.

“Well, can’t you find a way to just stop?” she asks indigently, and Jacob rolls his eyes as she continues, “I mean… it’s wrong.”

“It’s not a lifestyle choice Bella!” Jacob raises his voice and furrows his brow, “I was born this way! I can’t help it.”

He pauses, throwing his arms down in frustration, “You’re such a hypocrite! What? I’m not the right kind of monster for you?”

Bella looks up at him with wide eyes, crossing her arms.

“It’s not what you are, it’s what you do. They never hurt anybody! You’ve… killed people Jake,” she cries out like this was obvious. Jacob shakes his head as she looks down and away from him. Jacob takes a step closer to her, bringing her attention back to him.

“Bella! We’re not killing anyone,” he pleads.

Bella is taken aback, “Then, who is?” she says breathlessly. He can’t believe she doesn’t get it, that she doesn’t understand even after remembering the stories he told her.

“What we’re trying to protect you people from, the only thing we do kill,” he pauses, “Vampires.”

Bella starts to panic a bit, “Jake you can’t!”

“Don’t worry we can’t touch your precious little Cullens unless they violate the treaty,” he interrupts her with another eye roll. Bella just shakes her head, he does not understand what she means.

“I – that’s not what I’m saying, you can’t kill vampires, they’ll kill you.”

“Really? We took out that leach with the dreads easy enough,” Jake says smugly, and finally, Bella realizes maybe there’s more to the wolves than she thought.

“Laurent?” she gasps, her chest pounding. Jacob nods.

“And his red-headed girlfriend is next.”

“V-Victoria’s here,” she stutters, losing her footing, and Jacob goes to steady her, eyebrows raising in concern.

“She was, we chased her all the way to the Canadian border last night. She keeps coming back, but we don’t know what she is after.”

“I do,” Bella gapes, “me.”

Jacob stares at her, concern all over his features. He helps Bella stand, but he can hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest. His urge to kill the bloodsucker has increased tenfold at this moment.

“We should go back, tell Sam and Anna.”

“No, wait, Anna…” Bella trails off, gazing back at the way they came.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s calmed down by now. Paul has that effect on her,” he says, and Bella thinks she is joking, but he’s serious. Jacob notices she looks genuinely scared.

“She’s not safe, why is she with him?” she whispers.

Jacob tenses protectively, “She’s safe Bella, we would never let anyone hurt her.”

“But Paul… what if he hurts her?”

Realization hits him, he had come to know Paul as so much more than just his temper, but the rumors were still in Bella’s head. Hell, he had put them there. Honestly, it was rare he blew up anymore. These days Paul only has three emotions, being in love with me, worrying about me, or focusing on the hunt.

“I know you might not have seen him in the best light today, but trust me, he would rather cut off his own arm than hurt her,” he says seriously.

When Bella continues to stand still. Jacob picks her up underneath her knees. Carrying her will be quicker than walking with all her questions, and to his surprise, she leans into him, laying her head on his shoulder.

“How long has she known about you?” she asks, then softly, “What do you know about her?”

“She’s known since she met Paul, and we know about her too. I found out when I shifted for the first time.”

“That’s why he showed up at my birthday…” she whispers.

Jacob hasn’t heard this story but makes a mental note to ask Paul about it later. It’s a short walk back to Emily’s house with his large and quick steps. They spend it in relative silence, just enjoying being together again.

As they approach the house, Jacob sets her down to walk up the porch steps. The doors are still open, and Jacob stops Bella before she walks in. When Bella gives him a questioning glance, he just points inside.

“See for yourself,” he whispers.

Bella looks to where he is pointing and is genuinely shocked at what she sees. Paul and I are sitting in the old La-Z-Boy in the corner of Emily’s living room, while the rest of the pack and Emily are lounging around. It’s a rare moment, everyone relaxing for even a moment, but Emily strong-armed Sam into an uninterrupted hour of calm.  

Paul’s arms are secured around my waist as I am draped over his lap, laying my head on his shoulder just like she was a moment ago with Jacob. My head is suddenly thrown back in a laugh as he peppers quick kisses all over my cheek and neck through his own smiles. Embry throws a pillow at us from the couch, making a fake sound of annoyance, but it just makes us laugh more.

Bella can’t see what’s playing on the TV, but it doesn’t look like anyone is paying much attention to it anyway. Everyone is mostly just enjoying each other’s company. She sees the way Paul looks at me, and suddenly, she gets it. This isn’t the guy who was shaking with rage just hours ago, now he’s gazing up at me with a sickeningly sweet adoration that makes Bella’s heart crack. I look the most relaxed Bella has seen in a month; she doesn’t think I’ve had my guard down at all. That has to be tiring.

They look like a family, Bella thinks. There’s a distinctive warmth surrounding them that Bella knows is lacking in her own house, the only time she sees it is when she sees Charlie and me cooking together, or sitting on the couch with the game on, and the warmth leaves when she enters the room.

She’s about to do the same thing here, break up this happy moment, and for the first time since Edward left, Bella actually feels guilty about it.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

"The capacity for evil is but one ingredient in the human soul."

Women are rejoicing in the streets. Authoritarian state media is on high alert. It's the after hours sensation sweeping the nation, Late Night Togashiposting. The 100 sub spectacular edition. This time we're not tangentially tying it to potential references that drifted into One Piece down the line. At least not beyond just talking about Kurama which means illustrating squarely where there is an open final spot on the Straw Hat crew. This time it's more about the Chapter Black. Because the world has been making me think of it.

The actual tape, the MacGuffin of the titular saga. If you're unfamiliar, the villain Sensui manipulated his allied psychics with it. It's a VHS tape, but because YuYu Hakusho was trying to be modern in a way that ended up making it an awesome 90s period piece in hindsight it's a magic Spirit World VHS tape. I swear this man has a fascination with them. Imagine the ultimate snuff film, back in the day this was the equivalent of urban legends about horrific videos online. Chapter Black is a record of the most haness human acts. Make no mistake, Togashi had balls here. We call out shit that is clearly referencing the Holocaust and bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. In an era where you don't get that on point in mainstream manga.

Believe it or not this is one of the cheerier images. We learn of the tape through a defector, Mitarai or "Seaman." A bullied kid who cracked after seeing Chapter Black. Recall Sensui's whole thing is being a straight-up groomer to some of his followers. His breakdown is some powerful stuff, but I always liked how hero Yusuke was able to shrug it off. Remarking he sees it everyday on the 6 o'clock news but never feels it's a reason to give in. Prompting the Kurama quote from the start here. I always loved the wrinkle of him lowkey being seduced by the appeal of it. The anime having a bigger group for the scene adds so much. Keiko breaking at hearing some of the things, Genkai quietly fuming the entire time...YuYu Hakusho really is an oddball where the manga gave way to a better anime that got so much better dubbed in English that continues to age like the finest wine.

I don't know if any story beat encapsulates this better than the simplicity of the Chapter Black tape. It's become one of the most prescient parts of the series. In a world where you can pick any boogeyman and find a community of people just stewing in hatred towards it, marinating in a steady drip of laser-guided examples one VHS compilation almost sounds quaint.

Where Togashi really shines here though is how it affects people differently. I love how Mitarai is the one trying to justify it by functionally calling Yusuke privileged. While it's true Urameshi didn't grow up in a warzone he was clearly the one of the pair who had a rougher life and also the one who just didn't get how it'd warp someone. Because deep down Seaman wanted revenge, the tape was nurturing something dark that was already there. Villains never want to think of themselves as such. It's so real, so raw. So relevant to today.

[every-sanji]

[trendfilmsetter]

Weekend Domestic Box Office: May 24th-May 26th 2024

1- 🆕 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga $25.5M

2- 🆕 The Garfield Movie $24.7M

3- IF $16.1M

4- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes $13.3M

5- The Fall Guy $5.9M

6- The Strangers: Chapter 1 $5.6M

7- 🆕 Sight $2.8M

8- Challengers $1.3M

9- Back to Black $1.1M

10- Babes $1M

[since0202]

Taking Time—Fifty Five

The only answer was yes.

Word count: 8,660

I’ve never really believed in bad omens or bad luck. A black cat, a broken mirror, a broom falling before a storm. None of it was particularly foreboding to me. But what happens instead might be worse. Whenever things are going too well, I have this thread of underlying dread running like a hidden current beneath a calm sea. It’s that old saying: What can go wrong, will go wrong. You know that one? Maybe that’s still a manifestation of bad luck—always expecting the worst. It always makes itself known, though. At least to me.  

It was as if the world pressed fast forward over the next ten days for Maya. But she tried to soak it all in as much as possible. News spread of her and Paul’s engagement quickly and her mother demanded upon threat of disownment to throw her an engagement party at her childhood home. 

Maya had given in quickly, to her mother’s surprise, knowing that it was inevitable to avoid a celebration. That’s how Maya found herself on a balmy November afternoon, fielding question after question from elders, distant cousins, and people in her community she’d only seen in passing about her impending nuptials. 

“So, how did he do it?” Her aunt Isla asked conspiratorially, sandwiched between about twelve other people making a semicircle around Maya. 

“Oh, uh, on the cliffs,” she smiled genially, but her palms were sweating as she tried to rub them dry on the front of her bright red mini dress. The sweetheart neckline dipped just low enough to show the tasteful curve of the top of her breasts. Maya shivered slightly, her bare shoulders and legs seemingly more on display here than in a bikini on a California beach. 

“I want to see!” an overexcited teenage daughter of one of her mom’s friends squealed. Maya shoved her hand forward to display the glittering rock nestled on her finger. It really was beautiful and Maya was nearly breathless every time she saw it herself. The crowd around her ooh’ed and aah’ed, grabbing her hand unceremoniously and bending it this way and that to make it shimmer in the light. 

Maya grimaced, this was the same routine on repeat she had done for the past hour and a half as people circulated around her. Paul had been swallowed up by other crowds, no doubt being subjected to the same onslaught of questions. 

“Are you moving back then?” a question carried from a part of the crowd, but Maya wasn’t sure who it came from. 

“What? Oh, no, I still have another year left—,” she tried to respond but was quickly cut off by other overlapping questions:

“Can’t you transfer?” 

“Poor Paul, I’m sure he misses you terribly.”

“Newlyweds really shouldn’t be apart in their first year, it’s so important to be together.”

“You should really think about transferring.”

“When are you guys planning on trying for a baby?”

“Oh! A baby! So sweet.”

“You guys would make the cutest kids.”

It was…exhausting. 

Maya tried to smile as she curled an arm around her middle uncomfortably as the questions continued. She couldn’t even get a word in, they were just relentless. 

“Excuse me, folks,” Paul’s warm, deep voice ran a shiver down her spine. Suddenly, he was there, his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his side and instantly banishing the chill that had settled over her. 

He handed her a glass of champagne that Maya desperately sipped and smiled at the crowd around them. “I need to steal my fiance away. Rish also wanted me to let you know that the food is being set up, so please go help yourselves.” Paul made it look so easy. They simply melted in front of him and dispersed immediately, providing more well wishes to them as they went. 

Paul leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of her head as Maya let out a deep sigh. 

“How are you holding up, baby?” he asked her softly, his comforting firm grip on her hip soothed her anxiety. Maya took another swig from her glass, nearly draining it before answering. 

“Just…tired,” she finally said. “Why did I agree to this again?” Maya glanced around the room before looking up and up at Paul. He smiled warmly down at her. 

“Because your mother would have hunted you down anyway and this at least gets us off the hook for attending the harvest bonfire,” he reminded her. Maya nodded and rested her forehead against his chest as she groaned softly. Only a couple more hours and they could go home. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” he rubbed her back gently and started to steer her toward the dining room where a massive spread of food had been deposited. 

But before they could reach it, the door opened to cheers and exclamations. Maya looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened as she watched Becks waddle through the front door, followed closely by Jacob, holding their son in one arm. 

“Becks!” Maya called out incredulously as she pulled out of Paul’s arms and hurried over to her heavily, painfully pregnant best friend. Becks turned and smiled, one hand on her lower back and one on her extended belly that sat low in front of her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on bed rest.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Jacob said with an exasperated sigh. Becks rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. 

“This baby will not come out, so I needed to get out. Plus, you’re here. My good luck baby labor charm,” she leaned in and Maya tried to hug her around her giant belly. 

“Jeez, are you sure you’re okay? This…does not look comfortable,” Maya said as she looked over her best friend. 

“Oh, it's not. I’m…miserable,” and she looked it. Dark bags hung under her eyes from restless sleep and every part of her looked swollen. “I just couldn’t stay in bed another minute and the midwife said walking might help spur on labor.” 

“Walking in small doses,” Jacob reminded her as he bounced Ephi gently. It was always such a funny sight to Maya to see these giant, towering, strong men handle a baby with such gentleness and care. 

“Are you hungry?” Maya asked, already knowing the answer. Becks shook her head quickly and blew a breath out as if she was already going into labor. 

“No, we’ll just hang around for a bit, I think my parents are here anyway,” Becks motioned toward the double doors that led onto the back deck. 

“Okay, well let me know if you need anything,” Maya rubbed one of Becks’ arms and gave her a sympathetic smile. As they wandered off, Maya turned and saw Paul approaching with a plate in his hand. He handed her a fork and she started to take quick bites as they huddled together. 

“No baby yet?” Paul asked. 

“Mmm mm,” Maya mumbled around a mouthful of sweet potato. She loaded her fork with more food and held it up to Paul as he gratefully took a bite. People were whispering off to the side about how cute they were. It took everything in Maya not to roll her eyes at them. 

She didn’t mind these types of things, it was just being on display that irked her. Maya had never felt more like a trophy than at this very moment. Her mother was drinking all of the attention in and talking about wedding colors and themes that Maya hadn’t even started to consider. 

“How much longer do we have to stay again?” Maya asked, swallowing another sigh. 

“We’ll sneak out in about an hour. I think you’ve done enough parading and after dinner, people will start drinking and not even notice we’re gone,” he reassured her. That was a saving grace at least. She could last another hour. 

“Maya!” another gaggle of aunts called out across the room as they strode toward the happy couple. 

“Just smile, I’ll handle the questions,” he leaned down and kissed the side of her neck before neatly tucking Maya into his side again and taking on the approaching vultures. 

----------------------

The never ending list of things to do before Maya was due back in New York was making her head spin. With only three days left of her break, Paul had to unexpectedly take a trip to Seattle to consult with some huge new clients from overseas. However, he was going to fly out to the New York next week and stay with her for a bit so they could detox from the wedding frenzy that had taken over La Push and nearly ruined her fall break. 

Maya checked her messages as she left the Quileute clinic after getting her IUD removed. She already had another appointment scheduled for when she got back to New York for a new one before Paul arrived. Keye had texted her about meeting up for lunch with her and Sadie. 

Maya smiled down at her phone. Things hadn’t gone over too well after Keye had talked to Colin, but things were mostly smoothed over at this point. She hadn’t told him about the abortion, but she apologized for leaving him in the lurch and not talking to him sooner about ghosting him. 

Just as she was typing a reply to confirm their plans to meet for lunch, her mother’s face popped up on an incoming call. Maya threw her head back and groaned. She hadn’t gotten a moment of reprieve since the engagement party from neverending wedding planning from her mother. 

She considered ignoring the call for a moment before begrudgingly answering. 

“Yes, mom?” 

“Oh honey! I’m so glad I caught you. I was wondering which you liked better: Azaleas or hydrangeas?” Rish was talking a mile a minute and Maya could here the honking of cars in the background.

“Why?” Maya tried to hide her annoyance, but failed spectacularly. 

“For flowers, for your bridesmaid’s bouquets!” Rish exclaimed impatiently as if they had  had this conversation a million times already. They hadn’t. 

“Mom, I don’t even know what colors I’m doing for the wedding yet, we can’t pick flowers until I decide on colors,” she crossed the parking lot to her car. 

“I thought we said we were doing shades of pinks and greens?” 

“Nope,” Maya said in a clipped tone. 

“Well, these are perfect for spring and I think that would complement those colors so nicely anyway. I’ll bring back sample bouquets and we can look at them together,” Rish carried on. 

“Mom, I’m leaving in like 48 hours, I don’t have time to look at bouquets. I’ve got like three interviews to prep for and I’m organizing the food train for Becks before I leave. Where are you, anyway?” Maya started the car. 

“Pikes Place Market. Your father and I popped over for a couple of days to do some scouting for wedding ideas. Oh! Isn’t Paul in Seattle? Maybe I can meet up with him and go over—” 

“No! Mom, please don’t bother him. He’s in really important client meeting with some international bigwigs. Do not bother him with this.” Maya’s tone was firm. 

She really needed to set some boundaries with her mom regarding the whole wedding planning thing. She hadn’t even been engaged a week and already her mother had booked four different appointments to shop for wedding dresses in New York next month. 

“Mom, I gotta go,” if she didn’t get off the phone now, she may never escape. 

“Fine, fine, but call me later!” 

“Will do!” Maya lied. She quickly ended the call and tossed her phone into the center console with a little too much force. 

----------------------------------------------

It was early the next morning around 3 a.m. when Maya’s phone rang suddenly on the nightstand. She had made it a habit while she was home to sleep with the ringer on loud in case anyone called about Becks. 

When she answered groggily, Jacob’s voice snapped her awake. 

“She’s in labor. She’s asking for you,” Jacob said quickly. 

“I’m on my way,” Maya was already throwing off the covers and slipping into some sweatpants as she hung up. She shot a quick text to Paul to let him know when he woke up that morning and ran down to the Jeep. 

The rez was peaceful at night. As Maya coasted down the rain slicked roads toward Becks and Jacob’s she couldn’t help but relish in the cool and quiet that settled over her home. She did miss it. And she knew she always would. 

In no time, Maya had pulled and parked into the already crowded driveway at Jacob’s. As she jogged toward the front door, she could already see people milling about inside, prepping food, cleaning, and taking care of things in anticipation for the new baby. When she pushed in, everyone was keeping their voices low and Quil looked over at her, his eyes lighting up with delight: 

“She’s upstairs, Jacob said to send you up when you got here.”

Maya nodded and smiled with excitement as she took the stairs two at a time. The scene within Jacob and Becks’ bedroom was as calm as a quieted chaos could be. The lights were dimmed and gave off a warm amber glow. 

Becks was propped up in a custom canvas pool that sat in the cleared space in front of their bed. She was naked, with a small towel draped across her breasts with Jacob wedged in behind her, stroking her arms. Maya couldn’t hear what he said, but he was calmly talking in a low, honeyed voice into Becks’ ear. Her eyes were tightly closed as she breathed her way through another contraction. Maya could see the vice grip she held on Jacob’s biceps and low groans and whimpers escaped her. 

The warm water sloshed gently around her as she wiggled to try and find a comfortable seat through her contraction and the midwife and her assistants gathered around her, warming the water with fresh pours and prepping towels and tools nearby to assist with delivery. 

It was beautiful and terrifying. Maya’s eyes widened in wonder as she crossed the room quietly and sank next to the pool up by Becks’ shoulders. 

“Maya’s here,” she heard Jacob rumble softly in Becks’ ear. The contraction had passed and Becks was slumped tiredly against Jacob, sweat beading on her forehead. She turned her head across Jacob’s chest and opened her eyes blearily as a smile cracked across her face. 

“Maya,” she breathed. Maya returned that radiant smile as tears brimmed her eyes. Becks looked so beautiful and so incredibly strong. Her towel covered chest rose and fell as she took deep, calming breaths. She reached out for Maya’s hand and grasped it immediately. 

“Hey babe, how are you doing?” Maya said just as softly as Jacob had, trying to mirror the calming atmosphere everyone was working so hard to keep for her. 

“He’s…he’s coming,” Becks said. Her eyes were glassy, but filled with sheer happiness even though Maya knew she was in excruciating pain. Quileute women traditionally delivered naturally, unless there was some exceeding circumstance or planned c-section. This time, Becks had wanted to do it all exactly right as everyone of her mother, grandmothers, and great grandmothers before her. 

Jacob helped prop Becks up a little higher on his chest as he rubbed along the sides of her belly. The midwife smiled warmly at Maya and checked Becks’ progress. 

“You’re almost there, honey,” the midwife confirmed, “Time to push very soon, okay? Just keep listening to your body and let him come on his own. You’re doing great.” Maya had to hand it to her, she was very convincing. 

Maya knew that in time when she and Paul had kids, if she decided to do it the Quileute way, at home, with her husband behind her, in a water bath, she’d be absolutely terrified. But Becks just looked ready—elated even—to be bringing her second child into the world. It was something she couldn’t even fathom as being a part of her life at this moment, but she was just so happy to be there for Becks again. 

Becks’ breathing picked up again as another contraction rolled through her. She squeezed Maya’s hand and held onto Jacob as a deep sob erupted from her throat. 

“That’s it, there you go, mama,” the midwife coached, “Just like that.” She must have been getting close because Maya watched as a flurry of activity suddenly happened around her. Assistants were preparing, noting times and dates, keeping time, and prepping the towels. The midwife leaned over the side of the water bath and helped the assistants position and hold one of each of Becks’ legs firmly in their arms, anchoring her into a birthing position. 

Again, a fresh wave of terror washed over Maya as she held tightly to Becks who just seemed to know exactly what to do. Jacob was methodically counting out breaths for Becks as she arched and groaned through the last intense contraction. 

“Alright, Becks, ready?” the midwife confirmed from her place below. Becks nodded quickly, “Dad, ready?” Jacob braced Becks and nodded swiftly, his eyes never leaving the side of his wife’s face. “Next contraction, I want you to start pushing,” the midwife stated. 

Maya hadn’t realized her own breathing had picked up as her eyes darted from Becks’ face to the midwife between her thighs watching carefully for signs. The next contraction began quickly. 

“There you go! Push mama! Bear down against them,” she instructed. Becks pushed and nearly screamed as she held on tightly to Jacob and Maya both. 

“Push, baby, push!” Jacob chanted still calm but firm in her ear. Becks’ cheeks were reddening and Jacob urged her to take a breath as the contraction wound down. 

“Good! Good, deep breaths, 1, 2, 3, 4,” the midwife’s hand was nowhere Maya could see. Suddenly the calm and quiet room was just pure energy and it all centered around Becks. The assistants were counting out breaths, their rhythmic voices offering clarity and guidance through the controlled chaos, “Again!” the midwife said louder. “Push, Becks!” 

“Push, push,” Jacob began again. Maya mirrored him, chanting softly as Becks’ wailed through another contraction, her face contorting in pain, mouth wide open as stuttering groans broke free of her throat. 

“Fuck,” Maya said under her breath. This was unlike anything she had ever witnessed. Even before, when she had been there for the birth of Ephriam, Carlisle had made it seem like no time had passed at all before he was placing the newborn on Becks. But this…this was something else. It was a moment in time, meant to be experienced and meant to be something bigger and more symbolic than just the birth of a child, but rather the persistence of their tribe to simply exist in the face of seemingly unending pain. 

Maya watched as Becks pushed through contraction after contraction, slowly delivering her second son into the world. And all she saw was strength. 

On the final push, Becks let out an otherworldly scream as he slid the rest of the way out and into the waiting water below. A new burst of activity began around them. The assistant’s lowered her legs and removed the warm wet towel covering her heaving breasts. Maya’s eyes were clouded with tears, as were Jacob’s as the midwife quickly pulled their baby from the water. He let out a guttering, wet cry and Becks, exhausted and sweating, broke into a smile and laughed so bright Maya thought her heart would split in two with joy. 

The midwife quickly placed the wailing baby on Becks’ waiting chest, nestling him between her breasts. Jacob’s large hand came up to cover their baby’s back as he kissed the side of Becks’ face over and over, whispering in her ear things Maya couldn’t and didn’t need to hear. It was pure love, this picture before her. 

Becks was crying softly as she held her newborn son, her head pressed into the crook of Jacob’s neck. Maya stood slowly and took a step back from the pool, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she took in the scene before her. Her best friend was overwhelmingly happy and Maya understood this was where Becks was meant to be. 

As she slowly slipped out of the bedroom to leave them to their intimate first moments with their son, she watched as Becks turned her head up toward Jacob’s, her free hand cupping his cheek as he looked down adoringly at her. He kissed her slowly and Maya shut the door behind her, the tears still falling freshly down her cheeks as she disappeared into the dark hallway. 

Maya covered her mouth and cried softly. She felt a buzzing throughout her whole body that she could only imagine was happiness. 

“My?” A soft voice floated from the top of the stairs. Maya whirled around, her hand dropping to her chest as she gasped. Paul’s darkened figure stood just a step below the landing and he watched her carefully, his eyes shifting to something darker as they laid upon her. 

“Jesus, Paul, you scared me! What are you doing here?!” Maya didn’t even try to hide her tears as she crossed the landing to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sniffling into his neck. 

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him before bringing his other hand up to gently wipe the tears off her face and push her loose hair back. 

“I got your message that Becks was in labor and caught a red eye,” he said in a low whisper. The sound struck a warm thrum deep in her belly and she swallowed thickly. His eyes looked over her face slowly, taking in every piece of her, memorizing her emotions. “What’s wrong?” 

Maya shook her head slowly and closed her eyes for a moment. “Nothing, really. It was just intense and she’s just so happy…It makes me happy that she’s happy,” she felt like she wasn’t making much sense but Paul nodded as a crooked smile broke across his face as if he understood. 

“I know, baby,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her slowly. Maya sucked in a deep breath of him as their lips connected, relishing in that soft earth and spice scent. She leaned her body into his and felt that warmth spread throughout her belly. Paul’s hands gripped her hips tightly and she felt a rush of euphoria sweep through. She was so very warm that Paul’s hands felt almost cold. When they broke their kiss after a few moments, Maya was nearly panting. She stepped back to get a grip and wipe her eyes again. Paul kept his grip on her waist and when she finally let her eyes adjust and settle on him, he looked intense. 

The sharp, strong curve of his jaw was softened by his trimmed beard, and Maya reached up absently to stroke her hand across it. Lightning prickled on her fingertips as she did and she watched Paul wet his lips in response. 

“We should go home,” his voice was a deep rumble in her chest. When her eyes darted away from his mouth to connect with his, she saw fire. She tried to stifle a small gasp, but it slipped from her throat. Paul’s grip tightened further and pulled her closer as if on instinct. 

Maya shook her head to try and clear it. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she closed her eyes for a moment before she stuttered out, “N-no, I need to start breakfast and m-make sure everyone is on assignment.” 

When she opened her eyes to carefully look at him again, she knew she was done for. “Kim’s got it under control. Let’s go home,” the command was subtle and he tugged her near him as they descended the stairs together. Maya made quick and quiet goodbyes, waving to the sleepy group of people milling about doing chores and small tasks in the early hours as dawn broke. Paul guided her out into the cool air, never letting them stop as they walked swiftly toward her Jeep. 

The cool air felt like a wash of sleet melting on her skin. Maya let Paul deposit her into the passenger side of the Jeep and only when he snapped the door shut behind her did she notice that she was breathing too quickly as if she had just run a marathon. She focused on breathing through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to quietly calm herself as Paul steered them expertly through the dark toward home. But her heartbeat barely slowed. When she stole a glance toward Paul, she saw the muscle in his jaw tick and the whites of his knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. But he didn’t seem mad…just anxious to get home.

Finally, once they pulled into the driveway, Maya started to feel a little more settled. The warmth of the house inside was a blur as Paul pulled Maya upstairs toward the bathroom and quickly turned on the shower. Everything felt hazy, as if the adrenaline was coating her brain in a strange fog. 

“P-Paul?” she barely whispered as she turned to face him. He was gently pulling off her shirt and sweats. Maya could feel his hands shaking as he undressed her. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m trying very hard to be gentle, but I just feel like ripping your clothes off,” he said through  gritted teeth. Maya shook her head sleepily, standing in just panties as she said, 

“Just rip them, who cares.” Paul didn’t hesitate upon her permission to rip the cotton easily from her body. She sighed in exaltation and stood naked before him as he quickly shed his clothes and backed her into the shower. 

The water felt barely warm against her hot skin, but she stayed put beneath it as Paul brought his mouth down to hers, stroking her body lovingly beneath the water. Everything was quiet, except for their panting breaths as he quickly scrubbed her down with soap and reverently rinsed her. She felt the thick heated length of him resting against her stomach and swallowed as her mouth watered. 

Just as quickly as he had placed them in the shower, she felt him guiding her out, toweling her down softly and moving her to the bed, his hands roaming around her body, touching every part of her, his lips moving across her shoulders and neck. 

Maya collapsed on the bed, writhing gently against the sheets. Every stretch of her body felt delicious and the soft sheets felt like a warm caress against her skin. Paul’s hands settled on her thighs and the heat of his touch felt normal. For once, they felt like they were the same temperature. 

His lips started to kiss the inside of her thigh, quickly gliding up to her center before he took a deep breath of her and dove in. The groan that emanated from him made her shudder. Maya’s cheeks reddened. She was already soaked, but every swipe of his tongue between her legs was like a bolt of lightning up her spine. 

Maya could vaguely hear herself beg—his name, pleadings, promises, needs. But she was still lost in that heady haze. She felt him rise up above her and then the taste of her bloomed on her lips as he kissed her. There was urgency in his touch, but when she gripped his biceps, he slowed as if remembering himself. 

Nothing had ever felt like this. Maya felt as Paul gently pressed against her opening, but he waited, pulling back from their kiss to look down at her. 

“Ready?” his voice came out husky and deep. Maya exhaled, her eyes hooded as she breathed a quick: “Yes, yes please.” 

He slid all the way home and Maya’s back arched off the bed as she let out a startled yelp. He felt…much, much bigger. Was he always this big? The stretch was overwhelming and even with how wet she was, she felt every inch of him within her. Paul let out a low moan into her ear and paused, trying to catch his breath. 

“Paul, ah, fuck!” Maya gasped between small whines. Each time she moved, seemingly involuntarily against him, she felt a snap of pain and then aching relief within her. 

“My, fuck, I know baby, just—you feel so,” he let out a laugh against her throat. He was shaking all over. Maya whined and rotated her hips ever so slightly and felt him cinch tighter inside her. 

“How are you—,” another gasp of air, “This big? It feels—” 

“Amazing,” he leaned up to look down at her, trying a tentative push against her, “You feel amazing, baby.” 

She had to admit, besides the slightly uncomfortable stretch at her opening where he seemed to bulge larger than before, he did feel incredible inside of her. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her nipples tight peaks that rose and fell, grazing against his chest with every breath. 

“Let me just..” he groaned again as he shifted inside of her and Maya swallowed hard. He brought one of her knees up and stretched her open more. Her back automatically bowed off of the bed and Paul’s eyes coasted down the length of her in awe. 

His hands gripped around her ribcage as he leaned back and started to press slowly in and out of her. Maya was lost, her head was swimming, and she felt like she was on fire. Every stroke felt like she would split in two but each time he withdrew it was like a new ache bloomed in her, waiting to be filled. 

She watched him above her, his eyes transfixed on her naked body, heated and hungry, and something within her just snapped. Her whole body shook and his mouth fell open as he watched her come undone quickly. There was nothing like this. She didn’t know how it felt this way, but she never wanted it to end. 

As soon as her orgasm rinsed through her, Paul still pushing slowly into her, she gasped, her eyes widening as realization rocketed through her. “Fuck! Stop, stop!” 

“Wh-what?! What’s wrong?” He was over her in a second, his hand coming to cup her cheeks as she pushed against his chest roughly, “My, what is it?” 

“Condom! We need a fucking condom, fuck!” He was still inside of her and Maya couldn’t help but arch her hips into him with a whimper. 

“Why? My, we talked about this, it’s just superstition,” he pleaded in between heavy pants. She could tell it was killing him not to move. His eyes were wild as he clenched his jaw. 

“No, I don’t have any…Fuck! I got my IUD taken out,” she was frantic now. Paul stilled, his eyes wide. 

“What?” his voice was low, that same gravelly, heated tone coating his words. “You’re not—” 

“I didn’t know you were going to be back and I had an appointment to get a new one put in in New York before you were supposed to meet me out there,” she was still pushing slightly against his chest, but his eyes had a far away look to them, his mouth hung open, and he was still inside her. “PAUL!” 

“Fuck! Okay, hold on,” he looked down between them and gently tried to pull out of her. He was wedged so tightly inside of her, Maya threw her head back and screamed at the sensation. It was neither painful, nor pleasurable, but just left a harsh aching behind that had her pulse ratcheting up. When he finally pulled all the way out, Maya sucked in a breath and looked between them. 

“Did you come?” she was shaking from the adrenaline, from the ache, she didn’t know. He shook his head still looking down at her before replying. 

“No, not yet.” 

“Okay, okay. Good,” Maya breathed, falling back onto the pillows. She was thoroughly wound up now and tried to wipe the sweat off of her forehead. “Just, grab a condom and we can keep going,” she nearly begged. He moved soundlessly to the nightstand, methodical and quick. 

By the time Maya had leaned up on her elbows to look at him, she saw both her body and his were covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He rolled the condom tightly onto his shaft, wincing as he did. 

“Ready?” she said in a whisper. He looked up at her, but his face was unreadable. He was still panting, but he nodded. 

“Turn over,” he didn’t give her a moment to comprehend his request before grabbing one of her knees and flipping her onto her belly, “Ass up,” he directed, pulling her hips up. Maya’s heart thumped wildly as she felt him rub his now covered tip against her opening and slid back in. It was just as tight as the first time but Maya rocked through the discomfort. Paul was a man possessed behind her, pulling her hips tightly back onto his as he thrust into her. 

She was quickly coming apart again beneath him and this time, she closed her eyes, biting down against the pillow as he hammered home inside of her. Stars popped behind her eyelids and she heard a deafening moan around her. She wasn’t sure if it was her or Paul. Maybe it was both of them, but whatever it was, she could feel him tightening again inside of her. As her body contracted and flooded with warmth, his thrusts began to stutter and suddenly he was unable to move at all inside of her. 

He leaned over her back, panting and dripping sweat, “Don’t..Don’t move,” he pleaded. She could feel him twitch inside of her. The feeling of it was euphoric. Every breath she pulled in tightened her belly and made her acutely aware of every inch of him, making her shudder and ripple with pleasure. 

Maya thought she might actually pass out with how much she was feeling all at once. She was both too hot and pleasantly burning. A matchstick, set alight. Maya moved ever so slightly, curving her hips away from him and froze when he let out a pained moan. She looked over her shoulder at him and he placed his hand on her lower back. 

“Stay still, baby. Just for a minute…let me just…” he was absently kissing and nibbling on her shoulder to placate her. 

“Are you okay?” Maya said, breathlessly. Paul let out a soft huff of air that almost sounded like a laugh. 

“Yeah, honey, I just… need to calm down a bit,” his other hand found her hip and he squeezed tightly. “You were so good for me, My.” He chuckled a bit as if just as taken aback as she was by their shared euphoria. 

Maya glowed at the praise but couldn’t help from wiggling at the sensation of him between her thighs. After a few moments, Paul eased out of her slowly as Maya collapsed completely on the bed. She turned over to stare up at him as he sat back on his knees, head lifted to the ceiling, as sweat poured off of him. She’d never seen him so…undone. 

Her eyes sparkled with delight and she couldn’t help but smile mischievously up at him. He took a few more breaths before lowering his head to gaze down at her and laughed again. 

“What?” he smiled that warm, signature smile of his and it made butterflies burst in her belly. 

“Nothing, you’re just…sort of beautiful, is all,” she replied softly. He nodded as if he hadn’t expected her to say anything else and got up with a groan, padding over to the bathroom. 

Maya propped herself up on the covers and waited until he came back with a warm washcloth. He gently cleaned between her legs and wiped himself off before collapsing on the bed next to her. Maya snuggled into the crook of his arm and in no time, they had both drifted off to sleep, their equal warmth radiating off one another. 

--------------------------------------------------

“I don’t think I’m going to make it this weekend either. The shipment just came in and it’s looking rough,” Maya could hear the crackle of disappointment in Paul’s voice as she hurried across campus. The biting cold made her nose run and hard pellets of snow pelted her forehead. Maya heard a distinct crashing sound on the line and couldn’t help but wince as an onslaught of expletives spilled from Paul’s mouth. 

“It’s okay. I’m just getting over this stupid cold anyway and I really need to meet with my thesis advisor this week to start getting plugged into my lab options,” Maya blew out a huff of air, walking through the quickly dispersing fog of it. She fished a tissue out of her pocket that Rosalie had kept stashed there for her and wiped her constant running nose. 

At least she was starting to feel better. Her labs had a wicked cold run through all the students and Maya was seemingly the last to recover. Everyone had been coughing and hacking for what felt like weeks. She felt like she was through the worst of it though and with her newfound surge of energy, she really wanted to dig into prep for her thesis. The spring semester always flew by and before she knew it, she would be in her final year as an undergrad at Columbia. The thought made her head spin. 

“My, it’s New Years. Shouldn’t you be enjoying yourself?” Paul reasserted. Maya pulled open the heavy door to the main library and relished at the warmth washing over her. 

She’d barely taken a break even over Christmas. Paul had planned to come see her for her Christmas break, but Jacob had held him back, citing some weird disappearance up North that he had to check in with the Cullens about in Alaska. So, Paul had stayed behind for the pack. 

Despite Paul’s effusive apologizing, it hadn’t bothered Maya at all. She and Rosalie and Emmett had spent a great weekend together. Truth be told, it was the most sleep Maya had gotten since she’d flown back after fall break. But still Paul had felt guilty for not coming sooner like he’d promised, despite Maya’s placating. 

“I enjoyed myself last week,” Maya breathed a sigh of relief as she unwound her scarf. Her lab was quiet during the weekends. “It’s fine, babe. Just come whenever the work stuff blows over, I’ll be here.” Maya reassured him. He sounded stressed and she just wanted to see him, but piling on him more wasn’t what he needed right now. “Did Jake make it back okay?”

“Yeah,” there was a long pause as Paul blew out breath and Maya unpacked her bag slowly. 

“And?” she prompted. 

“And,” Paul sounded distracted, “And I might have to go with him next time.” 

“Next time?” That piqued Maya’s curiosity. 

“Yeah, there’s apparently more going on up there than we thought. I’m not really sure on all the details but—Fuck! My, baby, I gotta go,” a flurry of voices sounded in the background, along with some very angry beeping. 

“Okay! Good luck,” she called out. 

“You too,” he managed before the line disconnected. Maya let out a sigh and stared down at her lab notebook. She wasn’t disappointed that he wasn’t going to make it out here for new years, but she had hoped they’d see each other sooner rather than later. 

At least there was still the work ahead of her. 

Maya sat on the lab stool, blew her nose for the millionth time, and dug into her work. 

---------------------------------------------

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Rosalie asked from behind Maya as she fluffed her perfectly curled blonde hair. Maya sighed and shook her head, adjusting her corset top with  Renaissance themed artwork painted across it. She had found it in the Village earlier that week on a rare shopping outing that Rosalie had insisted on. 

“I’m sure. I’m meeting everyone at Giordi’s in like half an hour,” Maya insisted. Her nose was only slightly red from the last little bit of her cold, but honestly it weirdly brightened her face. 

“Okay, well call me or Emmett if you’re over it and want a rescue,” Rosalie insisted. Maya nodded as she dusted her makeup brush across her bronzer and blended along the contours of her face. 

“I will, now go have fun!” Rosalie burst with a smile at that, so incredibly lovely and eerily glowing. Maya was never put off by their strange beauty, but more so fascinated by it. Like a scientist wanting to observe and study a new culture. Rosalie floated out of the room gracefully, her golden shift dress sparkling as she went. 

 Maya took a last sip of water, donned her heavy Gucci black puffer coat and zipped up the sides of her leather heeled boots. She promised herself she’d stay for at least a few hours, just until midnight, and then she could come home and crawl into bed. While her cold had dissipated, the stress of her thesis and subtly avoiding Arden had tanked her energy. 

She was exhausted, and the stress of it all wasn’t lending herself to sleeping well. She tossed and turned most nights and when she woke up, Maya would often text or even call Paul. It was like an impulse and just hearing his voice or seeing him type out a reply was like a salve to her anxiety. 

The walk to Giordi’s was only about six blocks, but Maya caught a cab anyway, using the excuse of her heeled leather boots to sink warmly into the backseat and nearly float away from the already persistent tiredness. 

The ride was short and as Maya spilled out of the cab, she watched as eager partygoers poured into the restaurant. There was a hidden club downstairs that flaunted an impressive amount of a space for how unassuming the little restaurant was. Maya made her way in with the crowd, scanning for her friends and cohort. 

It didn’t take long once she got downstairs to find them huddled around one side of the elongated bar. She bounced over and smiled, ready to put as much energy forward as she could muster and determined to have a good time. 

They all cheered in unison when they saw her and Jamie, her energetic lab partner pulled her into a side hug before handing her a shot of something. Maya took a whiff and nearly gagged. 

“This smells like lighter fluid, what is it?” she grimaced. Jamie and a few of the others laughed before knocking back their own shots. 

“It’s just vodka,” Jamie reassured her as she threw back her own shot, sans chaser. Maya felt like gagging but choked back the shot, feeling her stomach roil painfully. Not a good idea. 

“UGH!” she groaned, shaking her head. 

“Come on!” Toby, a boy in her cohort beckoned, “You gotta catch up, we’ve been here for at least an hour.” Maya shook her head aggressively and leaned on the bar to order a water. 

“No chance,” she called over her shoulder to them. They already looked pretty drunk, or on their way to being so, but Maya didn’t have any interest in getting hammered tonight. She was hoping to get up a little early tomorrow to get her outline finished and over to her thesis advisor. 

Have fun. Relax. That little voice inside of her head begged at her. Funny how it almost sounded like Pauls’ voice. She would have fun, just maybe not the drunken, disorderly fun they were all expecting on new years eve. 

Maya stayed close to her friends, sipping a diet coke she had lied and told them was spiked. They were all having a great time, and even she had to admit, she was having fun, even if she wasn’t dancing wildly in the pounding club like her friends. Instead, she stayed tucked into the bar, swaying her hips to the music and watching out as people cheered and bobbed to the crescendoing music. 

Maya glanced up at the giant digital clock suspended over the dance floor to denote the countdown to midnight. Only an hour left and she could sneak away. Her bed sounded amazing right now. As she turned to order a refill, she felt a warm presence sidle up behind her and before she could turn, a warm voice said in her ear: “Hey you.” 

Maya whipped around and looked up to see: “Noah!” she cried out. He laughed, his sweet, familiar face beaming down at her. She crashed into him in a tight hug that he joyfully returned. 

“What’s up, My-pie?!” he crooned. 

“When did you get back?!” He had been gone for the entire semester, studying at a sister college in the UK for his thesis and working closely with a think tank to develop some really exciting research about clean energy. 

“About an hour ago,” he looked down at his watch and laughed, “What are you drinking?” he nodded to the diet coke that the bartender slid back toward Maya. 

“Oh, uh, rum and coke?” she offered the lie easily and he nodded. The bartender asked what he wanted and he ordered a whiskey, neat. Maya arched an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, I’m not really looking to get hammered either,” he said genially as he leaned against the bar. Maya sagged with relief and smiled. “Jet lag,” he offered as an excuse. Maya nodded seriously and then broke out into a smile. Noah was here. 

They had barely seen each other since the summer and she really had missed him. They fell into easy conversation as well as they could around the pulsating music for a bit. Her crowd of friends barrelled back over once they saw Noah and demanded another round of shots. Maya insisted she had to use the bathroom and snuck off in search of it. 

“Hurry back!” Noah pleaded as he nodded toward the impending clock. Only fifteen minutes until midnight. The bar was being overrun with people trying to order a fresh drink before the new year. 

Maya weaved through the crowd and thankfully found the nearly empty bathroom. She quickly peed and took some deep breaths to try and quell her stomach that still hadn’t stopped panging angrily since that initial shot. In the stall next to her, someone heaved and threw up into the toilet. Maya tried to breathe through her mouth so as to avoid the smell of vomit sneaking under the stall, but it was no use. It hit her like a bus and before she knew it, she was arched over the toilet, spilling the contents of her stomach into the dirty toilet below. 

What the fuck was she doing here? Maya wiped the beading sweat away from her forehead and tried to gulp down some air before she threw up once more. With shaking hands she lifted herself up and staggered out to the sink. Now that the rogue shot was cleared from her stomach, she felt better, but was still shaking slightly with adrenaline. Her phone buzzed in her bag and Maya ignored it. 

Instead, she thoroughly rinsed her mouth out and popped a breath mint before braving the crowded club again. She was just going to tell Noah she was going to catch a cab home. It wasn’t worth it and she desperately wanted to be in her bed at this moment. 

If she was being honest with herself though, she desperately wished Paul was here. It wasn’t like the aching absence that the imprint had thrust upon her before—no that hadn’t happened since before fall break. Instead, it was just a present longing that threatened to make Maya tear up. The door to the bathroom swung open and a girl stumbled in, bracing herself on the sink next to Maya. 

Maya took another moment to wipe the sweat from her forehead and dampen the back of her neck with some cold water before she turned to leave, but the girl stopped her. 

“Hey! Oh, fuck,” the girl winced slightly and looked at Maya, her eyes not quite focusing on her. “Do you have a tampon?” 

“Oh!” Maya exclaimed as she started to dig in her purse, “Yeah, one sec,” as she rummaged in her purse, a pit fell to the bottom of her stomach. She grabbed the tampon from her full supply in her bag and handed it to the girl who slurred her thanks and trudged off toward an open stall. 

Maya stared vacantly at the door to the bathroom, trying to slow her breathing. The muffled sounds of the club beat just beyond the door and she wanted to go home. Now. 

As she made her way across the crowded dance floor to cheers and cries as the final few minutes to midnight began, she spotted Noah among a clump of her friends just off to the side of the dance floor. He caught her eye and waved frantically at her. Maya tried to keep her shoulders back and her mind clear so as not to give away any unnecessary worry on her face. 

“My! You almost missed it!” Noah cried out as he pointed to the clock overhead. The final minute until midnight began and people began cheering as the DJ lowered the music so people could countdown at the ten second mark. 

“Sorry, I just…I think I’m actually going to head home,” Maya yelled over the loud crowd chattering and hollering around her. 

“What?!” Noah shouted back as he leaned down to hear her better. 

“I think I’m gonna head home!” she repeated in his ear. Noah leaned up and looked at her face, opening his mouth as if to protest and then he looked behind her, his face cracking into a friendly smile. 

“TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX!” Maya’s eyes widened as she looked at Noah in confusion and then she heard a warm, deep voice in her ear. 

“There you are.” 

Maya whirled around and her heart nearly stuttered to a full stop as her mouth hung open in genuine surprise. 

“FOUR, THREE, TWO,” the crowd continued. 

“Paul!” Maya gasped as she automatically fell into his arms. 

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!” the crowd shouted in unison. 

Paul leaned down slowly, his arms wrapped warmly around her as his hands snaked her waists. He kissed her gently and Maya stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms up around his neck as she pressed more firmly into the kiss. All around them, people were kissing and cheering as sparkling confetti fluttered down from the ceiling and was caught glimmering in the lights of the club. When they finally pulled apart, Paul’s eyes were hooded with deep adoration. Maya couldn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes now as the longing she felt just moments ago rapidly dissolved, replacing it with an overwhelming joy. 

“Happy new year, Maya,” he said warmly. 

“Happy new year,” she smiled, “You’re here.” 

“I am,” he said, swaying her gently from side to side as Auld Lang Syne played softly from the speakers and people sang along. “I figured, since I’d already missed a couple of our dates, I wasn’t going to be late to this one.” 

Late. Late. Late. Late. 

Maya’s heartbeat sped up and she smiled shakily. “I’m just glad you’re here now,” she shook her head and pressed her body more firmly against his. 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he leaned down to kiss her forehead, turning her gently to the music, “I love you.” 

Maya closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, “I love you too.” 

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