Only You Could Love Me This Way

"So what happens at these bonfires?" I asked as Paul drove down the road heading back out towards La Push. He looked really nice today in a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Stories, dancing, good times." He shrugged with a smile and I chuckled softly nodding my head. I looked out the window at the passing lights of Forks.

"You know you never did ask why I moved here." I whispered and Paul glanced over at me.

"I didn't think it was my business." He said and I nodded slowly. It probably wasn't, but I though he needed to know. Actually, I wanted him to know why I had come here. Why I had been so distant at first. He should know about my past. Paul put a hand on my shoulder and I looked at him. He smiled at me and I scooted over leaning against him. I felt him kiss my head and I closed my eyes.

"Can I tell you?" I asked him.

"Only if you want to." He responded softly and I nodded my head sitting up a bit straighter his arm still around me.

"I moved here after my daughter died." I responded and Paul tensed up a bit, I could feel it. He licked his lips and stared out the windshield. My daughter and I used to live in North Carolina, but at the age of two she was diagnosed with Leukemia.

"You had a daughter?" he asked and I nodded my head.

"I was seventeen when she was born." I explained and Paul nodded his head slowly. "The father wanted nothing to do with us, so he left. With my parents help I raised her alone, then she got Leukemia." Paul bit his lip not knowing what to say to me, no one ever really knew what to say about these kinds of things.

"So you moved here to escape?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head. "I moved here because I wanted to start over. I wanted to start a new family in a small town, raise some kids, everything I ever wanted." Paul nodded his head and kissed my head again. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about Eloise. I could picture her chocolate brown curls, fair skin, and glowing hazel eyes. If she were still alive she would be six years old.

"I'm so sorry." Paul whispered and I shook my head.

"It's okay, her name was Eloise. My little Elle." I chuckled softly seeing flashbacks of her playing in the front yard. Even though she was sick, she always had a smile on her face.

"How old was she?" Paul asked me.

"She died when she was five." I responded sadly and Paul let out a heavy breath. "It's no easy task to put your child into the ground." I whispered and Paul shook his head sadly. When I looked out the windshield I saw we had finally arrived at the beach. They already had a huge fire going along with three smaller ones. Wiping away the tears that threatened to fall I composed myself.

"Are you going to be okay?" Paul asked as he parked his truck and cut off the engine. I turned to him with a smile on my face and nodded my head. He smiled back at me before placing a soft kiss on my lips. "Let's go have fun then." He said opening his truck door and helped me out as well.

_____

An hour into the bonfire party, I had met the entire tribe. Pretty much everyone from the reservation was here. People were eating, talking, hanging out, just having a good time. Paul introduced me to a few people and we hung out with the pack. Jared had brought Kim and I found her to be very sweet and really cute when she was around Jared. She would blush and giggle a lot especially when he would whisper something into her ear.

Sam and Emily were talking to a few of the older people on the rez. It was nice to be hanging out with all these people. This is the first time I had felt like I was truly happy and welcomed. My family had always been rough around the edges; we never got along like everyone here. It was a refreshing new look at things and I loved every minute of it.

"Where are Quil and Seth?" I asked looking around the beach. They were the only ones I hadn't seen the entire time I was here. Leah was talking with her mother and Billy Black along with Jake, but Seth wasn't around.

"Patrolling," Paul answered looking over at me. "We know it's been quiet and all, but Sam still wants us to have a quick patrol." Paul shrugged his shoulders handing me a soda. I thanked him and took a small sip.

"Is it dangerous?" I asked him.

"It can be," he didn't look at me. Paul stared into the fire beside us watching the spark leap into the air. He grabbed a metal rod and poked it around a bit. The flames jumped out slightly looking like arms. "Usually it's not though."

"That's good to know." I said and he looked at me with a smile on his face.

"Why is that?" he questioned sticking the metal rod into the sand. I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. "Come on, tell me." He begged and I licked my lips.

"It worries me that you guys are out there fighting mythical creatures." I shrugged my shoulders and Paul chuckled softly.

"You're worried about me?" he asked with a smirk.

"The pack." I corrected and he snickered rolling his eyes poking at the fire again. I watched as the dark smoke floated up into the sky. Paul stuck the metal rod back into the sand. He came over to me and I looked into his deep brown eyes.

"Does it scare you?" he asked following my eyes.

"You being a wolf?" I questioned.

"No, just in general this whole thing with the pack the vampires all of it." He clarified and I sighed looking into the flames of the fire. It was weird to think such things existed, but was I afraid, not really. At first I was afraid, but now it didn't really seem to bother me.

"Before it was a little scary, but now," I paused and looked back at him. "Now it's magical." Paul chuckled at my answer and I shrugged my shoulders. It was magical; these wolves may have been terrifying when they were angry. However when they just stood there staring with their huge eyes they became beautiful.

"It's not that fun." He muttered sipping on his drink. I rolled my eyes and he looked back at me. The wind blew gently and I held my hair back. Goose bumps formed onto my skin as the cold air tickled my skin. "Are you cold?" he asked me.

"Kind of." I responded with a small nod. Paul put his arm around me and held me close to him. His warmth felt so delightful and sweet as the cold tickling feeling faded away.

I thought the night would end peacefully, but I thought wrong.

A loud howl pierced the air. It sounded very close by too, which wasn't a good thing. Paul tensed up and let go of me turning to look back at the forest. Another deeper howl sounded off as well, but it was farther away. I looked to Paul as his eyes scanned the forest tree line.

"Go with Emily." Paul told me gently pushing me over to the alpha and Emily. Sam looked worried as he told Emily and the elders to get back home. I looked back at Paul and he smiled weakly before running straight into the forest. Sam ran past me with Jacob and Embry following behind him.

"Lauren," Emily said coming over to me. "Come on let's get back to my house." She said and I nodded to her. Jared walked over to us with Kim at his side.

"We'll be back." He said leaving Kim in our care and darted off into the forest.

"What's going on?" I wondered aloud.