The trucks tires sent up a cloud of dust as they stopped in front of the little Uley house. Sam was already in the doorway and watched with raised eyebrows as Paul got out and stormed closer.

"I need to go to Grace." He was shaking, head bowed submissively but his eyes flashing with anger. "She got hurt and I… I need to see her. Please, Sam."

His whole body ached from the effort it took not to phase. It was exactly like when Sam had ordered him not to phase after Grace had left only much worse.

Emily touched her husband's back and he sighed. He knew exactly what Paul was going through and-

"Go." Sam sighed. "But you keep in touch."

"Yes, Alpha." Paul looked relieved. "Thank you."

And then he was rushing back towards the truck and peeling out the way he came. It was going to be a four-hour drive to Seattle to catch a flight. He growled and pressed his foot down harder.

Renesmee helped her eat the chicken soup. It hurt to move her face but Renesmee had promised a painkiller after food so she happily swallowed every bite.

It was a little after six now. She had woken up in a panic thinking that someone had called but Renesmee had assured her that she'd been back quickly.

"What did my brother say?" she asked between bites. It was really good soup.

"They're worried but I told them that you were okay." Renesmee sat back. "I also might have slipped in the possibility of Seattle…"

Grace's eyes narrowed and she looked at her hands. She hadn't thought much about the contract Kelly had dropped off… but then, she'd also been high on pain medication for the last two days.

She considered it now. There were benefits of moving to Seattle to work for a marketing company – steadier gigs, more money and she'd be much closer to Sol and Becca.

The only downside was moving. She loved Kailua and would miss the warmth and the dry beaches...

"Don't break your head over it now." Renesmee winked and Grace fought the urge to stick her tongue out at the girl. "Just, relax and let your heart carry you where you need to go."

Grace wanted to snort. It was such a cheesy line but the look of sincerity on Ness' face sobered her; perhaps it was time to just go with the flow for once.

She finished her soup and gratefully accepted the little pill that Renesmee handed her before sinking back into the pillows and closing her eyes.

She woke up a while later to the sounds of her mom's old Sinatra records; Renesmee had expressed her love for the crooner. Grace smiled faintly and groaned as she rolled over and heaved herself up, setting a foot onto the floor to test her stability. She swayed for a moment but recovered well enough to start towards the door.

That's Amore ended and that's when she heard the voices. Her steps faltered when the silk and chocolate voice that had haunted her dreams the last few weeks reverberated around her living room.

She moved closer so that she could hear better and gulped.

"Just take it slow." Renesmee was saying, sounding worried. "Just… she's not in a good place-

"I know!" Paul snapped back. "I just wanted to see for myself that she's… I needed to know."

"And then what? What was the plan after that, Paul?" Renesmee probed and Grace felt brave enough to peek around the doorframe. He was hunched over on the loveseat, staring at his hands which were trembling.

"I don't know." He admitted, lifting his eyes to the woman standing to his left. Renesmee had one hand on her hip and the other wrapped around a spatula. "I panicked when I heard and I wasn't there to… I didn't protect her, Ness. I was an idiot and she ran and now she's hurt. Again."

"She didn't run, per se." Renesmee offered. "She was planning on coming home anyway after Solomon and Rebecca settled."

"But she left early because I couldn't keep my temper in check. I scared her off before I even had a chance to show her what she could have with me." Paul growled and Grace blinked.

Renesmee flipped something in the pan in front of her and Grace's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly enough to pull the other two people's attention.

"Grace." Paul shot up from his seat and hesitated for a moment. "How… how are you feeling?"

She looked at Renesmee in confusion but the other girl merely smiled encouragingly and turned back to the stove.

"Fine." Grace stepped out into the room and watched as his eyes travelled her body for something. When he didn't find it, he looked back up and smiled sheepishly. "What are you doing here?"

He turned shy then; avoiding her gaze altogether and settling himself back on the loveseat as his hands fidgeted. "I… uh… I heard that you were… what happened and I…"

He exhaled shakily. Grace noted the tremble in his hands had moved up to his shoulders and frowned. "I'm fine though. Ness called and told-

"I know." He looked back up at her quickly. "Didn't stop me from worrying."

She moved to the seat opposite him and sat down; her legs still a bit limp from the meds. "You could've called."

He laughed dryly and her heart fluttered at the rich sound. "I did call… you passed out on me."

Grace scowled as she tried to remember talking to him on the phone but it was hazy and-

"I'm sorry. I know you said you didn't want to see me ever again but I needed to see that you were alright." He leaned closer and Grace was taken aback by the raw emotion in his voice. He was worried about her; truly worried.

"I overreacted; I know I did but," She said quietly. "You… the basket was so sweet, Paul, and I panicked because we'd only known each other less than a week and you're… it was too much, too soon."

He dropped his head again and fought the ache in his gut. "Do you remember what I said about my soul? I think… I think it was screaming so loud I couldn't hear that my head was telling me exactly that… I… you're so amazing and when we were together, Grace, it felt like magic."

Grace swallowed thickly and sat back, staring at his face and she pondered his words. He was right; every moment she spent with him felt like some sort of movie. He was attentive and made her laugh and made her whole body flutter…

"Maybe my soul said something too." She bit her lip and glanced at her hands. "It was more of a whisper but… you're right. I thought about you every day I was here… and I don't know how to handle that."

He was staring again. His eyes were alight with hope, though, and his hands were quite still against his thighs now but he looked as if he were searching for something to say.

"Maybe… maybe we could start again." She sniffed and avoided his gaze. "I… I got a job offer from a company in Seattle and I can… I can work from anywhere that has internet."

"What are you saying, Grace?"

She closed her eyes and chewed the inside of her cheek. "I'm saying that I realized that my life here is empty. I'm saying that I signed the contract this morning and that I'll be calling my brother to ask if I could stay with them for a while… until I can find my own place and that… maybe we could see... where life takes us."

God, she wanted the floor to swallow her whole. It sounded so stupid when she said it out loud but then she heard him inhale sharply. He was staring at her in wonder and the look in his eyes…

"Slowly." She amended. "We can walk this path at… at an amble."

He grinned and she bit her lip to fight the urge to return it. "I'd crawl it if you wanted me to; so long as I get to be on it with you, Grace."

Her heart sputtered and stopped; he was the sweetest man she had ever met. "Do you have a place to stay?"

He nodded. "I saw a motel on my way here."

She shook her head and glanced at the couch underneath her before sighing. "That place isn't the best. My couch pulls out and while it's not-

"Don't worry about me." He was smiling again. "Slow, remember."

She scoffed a laugh and crossed her arms. "I'm trying to save you some money and dignity. And I'm offering a pull-out couch, not my bed."

The idea of both of them in her bed made his eyes glaze over but he quickly recovered himself. "It's only until Wednesday; I promised Sam I'd be back to cover my shift again and Jake that I'd get Ness back safe."

She nodded and glanced back to her little kitchenette before frowning. "Where is Ness?"

"She went to the bedroom after we started talking."

Grace blinked at her friend's brazenness but mentally waved it off and stood. "It's late, I'll get you some linens."

He joined her and followed like a lost puppy as she went to dig out something for him to sleep on.

"I'm going to kill him!" Solomon Finau roared as he glared at his brother-in-law. "How could you let him-

"I'm not his al-boss," Jacob growled. "And Sam only told me now. Look, I know that what Paul did was-

"Jake, he forced himself on her." Rebecca hissed. "She was sobbing when I got home."

"It's not like that." Jacob said, trying to reign in his temper. He hadn't seen Renesmee for over a week now and it was getting to him – especially after what happened with that asshole.

"Your girlfriend let him into her house, Jacob!" Sol's hands were shaking. Jake knew he wouldn't be able to hurt him but with his sister so close…

"And your sister let him stay on her couch." Jacob said back. "They talked, Sol, and she's agreed to put aside their… issues."

"He's insane." Sol snapped back. "And I will not have him anywhere near her again."

"It's too late for that; and she's a grown woman that can make her mind up about who she wants to have in her life."

Rebecca frowned at Jacob; he was talking as if he knew Grace better than her own brother. "You can't seriously expect either of us to be okay with this? Jake, he hurt her…"

"He likes her." Jake was pacing now. "He panicked because he thought he'd never see her again and… god, you wouldn't understand. Can't you just trust her?"

"I don't trust him." Sol was glaring at the ground now. "Not as far as I can spit on him."

Jake shook his head and threw his hands up before turning towards the front door. "Fine; but I'm warning you that keeping her from making her own decisions is only going to hurt her."

Sol scoffed and crossed his arms. Rebecca rubbed his back and scowled at the open door; she needed to have a talk with her sister-in-law.

Paul smiled as he walked beside Grace down the beach. It was very hot and he had taken off his shirt – which was causing his imprint to blush wildly and glance at him every few seconds.

He wasn't doing much better. She'd put on a swimsuit that made his blood boil and had to fight the urge to touch every part of her exposed skin. God, she was perfect.

Renesmee had gone to meet with a hotel manager to finalize everything for the upcoming wedding and so, with nothing to do of her own, Grace had offered to show him around Kailua.

"Do you want to go into the water?" she looked up at him from behind her obnoxiously big sunglasses. She'd bought them at a stall to hide the bruising on her face; he still trembled every time he saw it.

"I will if you want to." He shrugged. "Are you okay to swim?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I was actually hoping you'd help me stay above the water. I haven't taken pills today but I don't want to risk it."

He nodded and steeled himself before reaching down and grasping her hand in his. It was warm and slightly clammy but he didn't care – her skin felt like heaven against his.

"Come on, sleepy."

She stuck her tongue out at him but let him lead her towards the water's edge. The water was warm and felt like silk against her toes so she sighed softly. "I'm gonna miss this."

He noted the sadness in her voice and swallowed thickly. "You can always come back on vacation, you know."

She laughed and bit her lip. "I guess I could…"

His stomach clenched at the wonderful sound of her laugh and before he could do something stupid – like kiss her – he took her hand again and dragged her into the water.

She squealed as he helped her over waves to keep the sunglasses on her face. His hands were firm around her waist and she blushed at the delicious thoughts that flitted through her head. Once they were deep enough that only his pectorals were showing, he stopped and held onto her as the waved lapped around them.

"I've never been this far out before." She whispered, clinging to his arm. "I usually only go up to my knees."

"Why?" he said through gritted teeth; enjoying the feel of her against his body.

"Sol always says I'm unlucky; more likely to drown in a glass of water than drink it." She giggled. "I tend to agree but I love the water so I chance it."

Paul nodded. "You are very accident prone."

She glanced back at him and saw the sadness in his eyes as he regarded the little sliver of bruising he could see underneath the glasses.

It always took her breath away; the intensity that rolled off him in waves whenever he looked at her. It was sort of part of the reason she liked him so much because no man had ever looked at her that way.

"You'll keep me safe though, won't you?" she asked half-teasingly.

He clenched his jaw and the hands around her waist tightened slightly. "Always."

A/N: Reviews! (she said in the demanding tone of a four-year-old, foot stomp and all)

I know that that last bit was soooo cheesy but damn me if I don't love all the fluffy, cheesy, melt-your-knees moments… don't you?

To the guest reviewer who was… upset by the slowburn in the story: I'm sorry but hopefully it'll be all worth it in the long run.

Love,

Nikolene