The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 05:
Sam POV:
Over the next 24 hours, Paul only left Bella long enough to use the bathroom. Anything that took longer than that didn’t happen. Charlie didn’t leave Paul’s house at all. Though he would go in to check on Bella and talk with Paul, you’d mostly find him pacing the backyard or reading that damn journal.
At one point, Sue tried to get Paul to take a few minutes for himself and grab a shower, but the growl that grated out of his chest had Sue quickly raising her hands in a non-threatening gesture. After a few deep breaths to calm down, he said in a grunt, “It doesn’t feel right… can’t leave her yet. My wolf gets edgy even taking the time away from her to piss.”
Needless to say, no one tried to get Paul to take a break after that. Each of the pack members and imprints has been making rounds. When they weren’t sleeping, patrolling, or working, they were here to lend support.
I think the whole house stilled when at the 36-hour mark from when Paul marked Bella, we heard a loud, pained feminine cry coming from Paul’s room. When we all crowded in the doorway to see what was happening, we found Bella clinging to Paul, crying uncontrollably. Paul was whispering to her, his hands rubbing up and down her back as he promised her that she was safe.
Surprisingly, it was Charlie who whispered as he shooed us all from the doorway, “Let’s give them a few minutes. They’ll let us know when she’s ready for visitors.”
It took another 15 minutes before we heard Paul calling out for Sue. When she disappeared into Paul’s room, he came out with tears in his eyes. He grabbed me in a hug grinning, “It’s over. I want you to check, too, but I can’t smell venom in her system anymore. Not in the bite mark from the leech, not near my mark, nothing! Sam, she’s… different, though. Her eyes… well, you’ll see. Quil will need to look at her.”
Charlie came out from the spare bathroom, having just taken a shower, then looked at Paul. Paul nodded, “Sue’s with her right now, helping her with bathroom things. Charlie, you’ll need to know… something about the fight between my bite and the venom… it’s changed Bella slightly. Her eyes are different.”
Charlie nodded but promised, “I don’t care if her eyes are purple with orange polka dots, kid, as long as she’s awake and free of that prick’s control.”
That’s when we heard Bella say softly, “I feel pretty weak, and I’m tired as hell, but Paul told me he couldn’t smell venom anymore.”
My eyes shot in the direction of her voice. She was leaning heavily against Sue, and she looked like she’d been through the wringer, but damn those eyes were something. Instead of the warm chocolate eyes I remembered, Bella was looking at us with the purest ice-blue eyes I’d ever seen.
Sam POV:
Over the next 24 hours, Paul only left Bella long enough to use the bathroom. Anything that took longer than that didn’t happen. Charlie didn’t leave Paul’s house at all. Though he would go in to check on Bella and talk with Paul, you’d mostly find him pacing the backyard or reading that damn journal.
At one point, Sue tried to get Paul to take a few minutes for himself and grab a shower, but the growl that grated out of his chest had Sue quickly raising her hands in a non-threatening gesture. After a few deep breaths to calm down, he said in a grunt, “It doesn’t feel right… can’t leave her yet. My wolf gets edgy even taking the time away from her to piss.”
Needless to say, no one tried to get Paul to take a break after that. Each of the pack members and imprints has been making rounds. When they weren’t sleeping, patrolling, or working, they were here to lend support.
I think the whole house stilled when at the 36-hour mark from when Paul marked Bella, we heard a loud, pained feminine cry coming from Paul’s room. When we all crowded in the doorway to see what was happening, we found Bella clinging to Paul, crying uncontrollably. Paul was whispering to her, his hands rubbing up and down her back as he promised her that she was safe.
Surprisingly, it was Charlie who whispered as he shooed us all from the doorway, “Let’s give them a few minutes. They’ll let us know when she’s ready for visitors.”
It took another 15 minutes before we heard Paul calling out for Sue. When she disappeared into Paul’s room, he came out with tears in his eyes. He grabbed me in a hug grinning, “It’s over. I want you to check, too, but I can’t smell venom in her system anymore. Not in the bite mark from the leech, not near my mark, nothing! Sam, she’s… different, though. Her eyes… well, you’ll see. Quil will need to look at her.”
Charlie came out from the spare bathroom, having just taken a shower, then looked at Paul. Paul nodded, “Sue’s with her right now, helping her with bathroom things. Charlie, you’ll need to know… something about the fight between my bite and the venom… it’s changed Bella slightly. Her eyes are different.”
Charlie nodded but promised, “I don’t care if her eyes are purple with orange polka dots, kid, as long as she’s awake and free of that prick’s control.”
That’s when we heard Bella say softly, “I feel pretty weak, and I’m tired as hell, but Paul told me he couldn’t smell venom anymore.”
My eyes shot in the direction of her voice. She was leaning heavily against Sue, and she looked like she’d been through the wringer, but damn those eyes were something. Instead of the warm chocolate eyes I remembered, Bella was looking at us with the purest ice-blue eyes I’d ever seen.
After looking at Paul, and him nodding to me, I slowly approached Bella. “It’s good to see you awake again. You gave us quite a scare. Do you mind if I…”
I looked at her wrist, and she nodded, “Of course. Paul said he wanted your confirmation.”
She held her hand out to me, so I gently took her arm in my hand. The bite mark, which had looked barely healed just days before, now looked over a year old. I noted there didn’t look to be any decay while leaning to smell her wrist, which was also a definite plus. I smelled deeply from her wrist to her elbow 3 times before confirming, “I only smell you… and Paul. I smell no lingering venom.”
I think a collective breath of relief was let out by everyone in the room, even Bella. She looked at Charlie, but he rushed to hug her. “You’re safe and alive, Bells. Nothing else matters right this minute.”
When Charlie released her, she had tears in her eyes. She held onto Charlie’s elbow as she shook her head, “But… I can’t go home, Dad. I won’t be-”
Charlie smiled, kissed her forehead, then said as he looked her in the eyes, “You need to stay here, where it’s safe. I know, Bella. I agree with Sam and the pack. I’ll come to see you every night if that’s what you feel up for, but you need to stay where those assholes can’t get to you. With that singer thing, there’s no telling if he could lure you in again. I won’t take that chance, Bells. I won’t lose you to that.”
Confusion crossed Bella’s face, then she looked horrified as she frantically blurted out, “You’ve read it. Dad, promise me… you can’t go after them. You aren’t strong enough to fight them, Dad, promise me you won’t!”
Charlie pulled Bella to him, hugging her close, then shushed her, “Easy, Bells. It won’t do for you to get upset right now. I’m not going after them, no matter how much I want to. I’ve already made that promise to Paul. I’m leaving the justice you should have up to the wolves.”
Bella let out a relieved sob as she went lax in his arms. They hugged and whispered for a minute, then Bella visibly shivered. Paul immediately looked alert, but it took only seconds for Bella to release Charlie and seek Paul’s warmth.
Paul relaxed as he opened his arms for her, then I smiled as he whispered to her, “You okay, Swan?”
She ducked her head into his chest and mumbled, “Just cold… and you’re so warm.”
Though Paul smiled into the top of her hair, he offered, “Wanna curl up with me or Jake? It’s your choice.”
Bella looked up into Paul’s eyes, and after a few seconds of biting her lip, she said, “You… please… if you don’t have patrol soon.”
Though she didn't see it, I saw a look of hurt and jealousy cross Jake's face before he could manage to control his features.
Bella POV:
I bit my lip again, but Paul gave me a small smile before asking Sue to please grab one of the heavier blankets from the bed. He and Sam moved the couch a bit closer to the fireplace, then Sam added more wood to the fire.
I gratefully curled up in Paul’s arms as he opened them to me, relishing the warmth he gave off. Sue gave me a smile, then asked as she tucked the blanket around me, “Do you want to try to eat yet? I can bring a bowl to you.”
Paul’s heat helped me relax, so my stomach wasn’t all twisted up like when I woke. I nodded to Sue, “Please?”
I saw Dad putting his bulletproof vest on over his t-shirt, only then realizing he was getting ready to go to work. I asked sadly, “You have to go, don’t you?”
He nodded, putting his uniform shirt on over his vest, “Unfortunately, I have to, Bells. I can’t expect the boys at the station to do their jobs if I don’t do mine.” He knelt down in front of me, then promised, “But I’ll be back to see you again after I finish up today… if you want some company.”
I nodded quickly, wanting him on the rez as much as possible until I knew they were dead, “Come straight here. I can make dinner.”
Dad grinned, “Alright, I’ll come for dinner. Take it easy today, Bells.”
I let out a breath of relief as he kissed my forehead, then curled closer to Paul. Sue stopped in front of me right as I heard the front door close behind Dad. I took the bowl from Sue with a ‘thank you’, then quickly asked Paul, “You said the house was empty when the boys checked it. Is somebody making trips into Forks?”
It was Sam who offered, “Yes, we’ve had the boys making rotations, extending the patrol area all the way to their marked land. If they come back, we’ll know, and your Dad is as protected as we can make him while on duty.”
I nodded, letting that information settle, then offered softly, “Thank you, Sam. I’m really sorry about all this.”
Paul let out a grunt, then dropped his chin onto my shoulder, close to where he bit me. Oddly, I didn’t feel like pulling away from him as he said, “I told you it wasn’t your fault, Swan. None of this was your fault, so stop apologizing.”
Sam added, “He’s right, Bella. From the little your Dad has told us, they were luring you in from the moment that mind reader first caught your scent. You aren’t to blame for any of it.”
I nodded as I looked down at the bowl of stew, even though it felt like every bit of this mess was my fault.