Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

AN - BellaPaul... well, I did promise one. I love this pairing. There's so much scope to have fun with both arguments and making up that it really is a dream to write. I don't have much more written for this one, so the updates will come as and when they are written.

Warning - Language and probable smut in later chapters.

Fractured

She woke suddenly, sweat dripping from her forehead. She had a feeling she'd been screaming, evidenced by the raw pain in her throat. As her heartbeat calmed, she dropped back against the pillows, letting tears slip unchecked from her eyes.

The nightmare had been brutal, even worse than usual, and she wondered, not for the first time, if it was truly a dream at all. Her muscles ached as though she'd run a marathon, and her chest squeezed tightly, too tightly, as though there was a restricting band wrapped around it.

"I can't do this anymore," she whimpered into the darkness, her hands clenching against the sheets.

The roaring of the truck quieted as she switched off the engine, taking a calming breath before she opened the door and slipped from the cab. Sam was waiting for her, a sombre look on his face as she walked towards him.

He wrapped his arms around her gently, and she sunk into his heat, the warmth comforting to her after so long being without it.

"We've missed you, sweetheart," he whispered, before he let go, gently pushing her into the kitchen.

Emily was waiting for her, her small frame pulling Bella into a surprisingly tight hug.

"You shouldn't stay away for so long, Bells," she murmured. "The pack is missing their sister."

Bella nodded against Emily's shoulder, fighting a losing battle to hold back her tears. Emily led her to the table, where she seated her friend with a pat to the shoulder.

"I'll make some tea."

Bella gave her an approximation of a smile, though she was sure it looked more like a grimace. Turning her attention to Sam, who was looking at her sadly, she steeled herself to force the words that she knew she must out of her mouth.

"I want to break the imprint."

Sam sighed, but nodded his understanding. Emily gasped, her hand raising to her mouth.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?" Sam asked quietly.

Bella nodded sadly, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "I can't handle the pain anymore. I tried, Sam. I tried, so hard, to deal with it, but I can't. It's been four months… how much longer can he expect me to live like this?"

"I could order him to spend time with you. It will alleviate most of the symptoms you are suffering," Sam offered, but he knew it was futile, even as Bella shook her head.

"I don't want to be just an imprint, a ball and chain holding him down. I want to be loved… I deserve to be loved."

"You do," Emily assured her as she put mugs of steaming tea on the table. "He doesn't know what he's losing."

"Have you spoken to Jacob about this?" Sam asked.

Bella shook her head. "Jacob isn't talking to me at the moment. He tried to convince me to break the imprint a month ago, and when I refused, he… it hurts him to see me in pain. I know he's still my friend, my best friend, but I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have."

"It's not your fault, Bella. You've been remarkably strong these past months. Paul is a fool."

Bella winced as a sharp pain ripped across her chest at the sound of his name. She rubbed it, trying to ease it, to no avail.

"I don't understand why he hates me as much as he does, but I won't force myself on him. If he chooses to ignore the imprint, then I'll give him what he wants."

"To break the imprint, you'll have to see him. You know that?"

She nodded slowly. "I have to tell him that I don't want him."

Wincing again, she let out a small cry of pain when the band tightened further, restricting her breathing. Sam was out of his seat in less than a second, rubbing her back as he tried to comfort her. When she collapsed, sobbing, against his chest, he pulled her into his arms and sat down with her in his lap.

"You'll always be pack, sweetheart. We won't abandon you," he told her, while Emily moved over to take her hand.

"You'll always be our sister," she murmured, stroking the top of Bella's hand gently. "Imprint or no, you're part of us now."

Sam rocked her softly. "Go to sleep, Bella. I'll arrange everything. The sooner we can relieve you of this pain, the better."

The ceremonial circle was prepared, the candles lit, and Billy, Old Quil and Sue stood to the side, the three of them looking sadly at the worn out Bella in Sam's embrace. They were waiting on Jacob and Paul, the last two members of the pack to show up.

"I don't know if I can do this," Bella whimpered against Sam's side. She could feel Paul approaching, the pull was getting harder to ignore.

"You can. If this is truly what you want, Bella, you'll find the strength to fight it."

"Bells?"

Jacob had arrived, and Bella threw herself from Sam's arms into the arms of her best friend. Jacob shushed her gently, holding her tight against his chest.

"You're doing the right thing, Bells. He doesn't deserve you in his life, he never has," Jacob whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry I left you."

She shook her head. "I understand. I'm sorry it hurt you to see me hurting."

Before he could reply, she tensed, her entire body stiffening.

"He's here."

Everyone turned to see Paul walking towards them, an angry look on his face. It was par for the course with him, of course, and Bella didn't know why she'd expected anything else.

"Decided you couldn't deal with a little bit of pain, little girl," he taunted when he was in hearing distance. He stopped on the other side of the circle to her, his eyes never leaving her face. "I knew you weren't strong enough to handle me."

She stepped out of Jacob's arms and stared at Paul. The bond of the imprint was straining towards him, trying to pull her to him. She fought it as hard as she could, but she still stumbled a step before she found her footing.

"Go ahead, Bells," Jake told her, stepping back from the edge of the circle.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself against the pain she knew would come when the words left her mouth.

"I, Isabella Swan, appeal to the spirit gods to reclaim the imprint of Paul Lahote. I reject it."

While expected, the pain hit her with such force that she was knocked to her knees. Holding in her scream, she wrapped her arms around her to try and hold herself together as the band that connected the two of them seemed to wriggle and squirm between them. She could see Paul clenching his fists, and she had an insane urge to look at his eyes but she couldn't.

The wind around them picked up and her hair swirled around her as it seemed to circle the two of them, pushing away all others. She briefly noticed the wolves standing on either side of her take two steps back.

She focused on breathing through the pain as she felt the band fracturing. She pictured it as an elastic band degrading, small parts of it falling away. She just had to hold on to her resolve until it snapped completely.

"NO!"

The shout was from Paul, and she looked up in surprise to see him crossing the circle towards her.

"You can't do this, Isabella. You are mine! Mine!"

The wind died down, and she slumped, her face resting on the cold forest floor beneath her, breathing hard. The pain had lessened dramatically, but she could still feel the bond that dragged her to the wolf beside her.

It wasn't as strong a pull, it was definitely fractured, damaged, but it still bound her to him.

Jacob was the first to reach her, picking her up from the forest floor as though she were a doll. He clutched her to his chest, rocking her in his arms until her breathing settled.

"Let me down, Jake," she murmured.

He set her on her feet, holding her waist to steady her until he was sure she could support herself. Her eyes were on Paul and they were blazing angrily as she took a step towards him.

"Why did you do that?" she growled. "You don't want me! Hell, you hate me, and you hate imprinting, so why the hell would you do that?"

She shouted the last part, shocking the wolves standing around her. It had been a long time since they'd seen her fire, beaten down as she was by the rejection of her soulmate.

"I told you, you're mine," Paul panted. His hands were on his knees as he supported himself, his breathing uneven. "The pain I felt when you spoke in the circle, that's what you've been carrying around?"

She snorted a laugh, though it held no humour. "Don't kid yourself into thinking you care now, Lahote. Four months, four fucking months! If you'd wanted me, you'd have come to me, you'd have made the effort. Now you tell me that I'm yours? Don't make me laugh. You're a fucking joke and I hate you!"

She turned away, now fully able to ignore the pitiful band stretching between them. After all she'd suffered, the slight pangs in her chest at her words were like love taps.

"I'm going home," she said, shaking her head. "I'll see you guys soon," she added, softening her eyes when she looked at Jacob and Sam, who were both staring at her with undisguised pride.

"Bella," Paul choked out.

She turned back to him. "Go out and find another whore to fuck, Paul. It's what you're good at."

With that, she strode away, her head held high. This bond, this she could deal with. It was weak enough that she thought with time and space, it might snap by itself, and as she climbed into her truck, she finally knew that she'd be okay.

Paul watched his imprint walk away from him with her head held high and her back straight, and he felt like shit. He could feel her words like a slap, harsh and biting, and he hated himself as much as she did.

When he'd imprinted, he'd been furious. He didn't want a soulmate, and just the sight of her made him angry.

He'd been happy, dammit. He was a man whore, and he liked it. Fucking, fighting, drinking and smoking. He was good at all of them, and he didn't want his life to change. While Sam and Jacob and Jared and the rest of them harped on him to do the right thing, he ignored them all. Then he'd felt her pain when she shakily spoke the words to end the imprint.

He'd felt everything he'd made her feel since their eyes met four months ago, and he hated himself for it.

"Why the hell would you hold onto her?" Sam raged at him, pushing at his shoulder. "Why couldn't you, for the first time in your selfish life, put someone else first and let her go? She's been fucking miserable, and you…"

"You're disgusting," Jacob huffed out, shaking his head. Paul noticed the tremble in his figure and knew he was barely holding onto his phase.

"I felt her pain," Paul whispered, an admittance if there ever was one. "I didn't know."

"So you thought you'd keep her bound and make her feel even more of it?" Sam roared, spit flying from his mouth. Paul was pretty sure he'd never seen the Alpha wolf so angry.

"The bond, it's weakened. She really meant it…"

"If she's got any sense about her, she'll keep trying to weaken it until it snaps," Jacob growled, his eyes flashing a lupine yellow. "You're not worthy of her, Lahote, you never have been."

"I know," Paul whispered, dropping his gaze. "I know."