Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 1.- An unlikely possibility is still a possibility.

After waiting for so long, Bella was ready to jump off the cliff. The breeze had gotten a little bit stronger and colder, but she thought that it wouldn't be a problem if she jumped near the rocky walls of the cliff where she could easily reach the shallow beach. It was also a chance to push for Edward's voice to come out. She wondered if Edward would show up and then she felt somewhat guilty over pushing it so far, even though she couldn't back down at that point anymore. Bella took off her shoes and jacket just in case it became hard to swim. She walked a little further apart from the cliff and gave herself a moment to breathe before running with all her might to the most frightening fall she'd ever seen. It was maybe the cold air getting through her clothes, or the thought of nothingness under her feet, or just the irrational fear of hitting the rocks, but her mind was filled with everything except Edward Cullen, even though it was normally the adrenaline running through her body what pushed him out of the shadows. When her body was leaving the cliff, she heard a raspy voice behind her.

"Fucking leech lover! What do you think you're doing?!"

It was Paul, frowning and running towards her. He transformed mid-air as she fell, and somehow, he managed to grab onto her clothes with his mouth, making Bella feel the humid and warm feeling of Paul's wolf breath against her back. Soon after, they both hit the ice-cold water. Bella managed to grab onto Paul's neck and keep her body close enough to his so that she didn't become hypothermic while the guy swam back to the beach still in his wolf form. He transformed back with her still on his back and he carelessly dumped her on the beach, while she still couldn't catch her breath.

"Are you crazy?!" Paul howled at her. "Jacob leaves you alone for ONE MINUTE and you JUMP OFF A CLIFF! GODDAMIT! I wasn't planning on becoming dead meat so soon over just babysitting leech lover over here, but nooooo, you HAD to jump off a fucking cliff!"

Bella just stared at Paul in amusement while he kept rambling on how careless and inconsiderate she was. She was cold to the core but still found the energy to laugh between her chattering teeth. She had missed her chance at hearing Edward, but the guy in front of her was amusing enough to make her feel better at not hearing him.

"Don't fucking laugh! You could've died, which means I could've died because the whole purpose of me coming to get you is that you do not die!" Paul let a grunt out. "What were you thinking? The water just went like a few degrees down and there was a riptide that would've ripped you apart had I not been there to pull you back to the shore."

"Thanks Paul. I wasn't thinking, really." Bella said, out of breath.

She couldn't let him know of her intentions. How fucking crazy did she have to be to jump off a cliff just to hear a voice – a voice that at the end didn't materialize. She took her gaze down and Paul relaxed a bit on her.

"You must be cold."

"Yeah, just a little. I left my jacket and shoes up there."

"At least you're not a complete idiot. I don't carry clothes around, you know? I am not Jacob to give you everything up to my underwear." Paul grunted again and looked at his half naked body. "Great. I will go and get your things and will be right back to take you to the truck, don't move."

"I know." Bella chuckled. "I'll be here."

Paul looked around the deserted beach before transforming back into a wolf, and in his always-ready-for-anything manner, he rushed back up the cliff to retrieve her things. Bella closed her eyes and imagined herself feeling a little less cold and a little less alone. It was sort of surreal, but just a minute passed when she felt a dry piece of clothing hang from her shoulders.

"Here, leech lover." Paul also laid her shoes next to her. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever y-you are" she mumbled through the cold.

Paul looked at her from head to toe, and before she could even reach for her shoes, he snagged them away and took her off the ground princess style. Bella was so shocked it took her a little while to react to it, but the moment she snapped out of it she complained to the guy. Paul didn't listen all the way until they reached his truck, a Chevrolet Pick-Up that looked very worn down. He placed her inside and slid into the driver's seat himself.

"You know, you were super lucky I got there the moment I did."

"Was I? Really?" Bella laughed between her teeth again.

"Jacob was chasing the problematic redhead, and then she went out of sight, like she just made a sharp turn and kept running like crazy." Paul explained. "She had managed to give me and Quil a couple twirls, but nothing major. Damn it, we were so close to cornering her. Anyway, Jacob kept running behind her and sent the both of us after you, since you know, you are crazy enough to jump off a cliff by yourself when the weather is so bad."

"That sounds like me, not going to lie." She admitted. "Then, where's Quil?"

"Ugh, that mother fucker was running next to my truck when he caught a scent, I think it was some other leech because he just turned around too and left. It wasn't my idea to come pick you up, leech lover."

"I see." Bella mumbled.

She glanced at Paul's profile as he was driving. It was actually very different from anyone Bella had ever seen. Jacob was an enthusiastic driver and would look happy behind a wheel any day. Both herself and Charlie were a little more precautious and sturdy while driving. Paul was so different though – while he kept babbling and complaining, he only seemed annoyed at the day's occurrences and would turn with calm and confidently drive like he was born doing it. And it somehow mesmerized Bella. By the time she realized, they had parked in front of Emily's home.

"Nobody is here right now, so just go in and take a shower. I am sure Emily won't mind you stealing her clothes." Paul said.

"Are you not coming inside?" Bella asked.

"Should I? Are you going to jump off the second floor too?" He made her chuckle. "I will go get some clothes before, don't worry. I just don't want Sam to beat me up if I take his."

Bella nodded with a smile on her face and left the car. He made sure she went into the house before he drove away. On the way home, he thought that he didn't mind Bella as much as everyone thought he did. Yes, of course she was the leech lover, but she took it like a champ all that time and Paul had to give her credit for that. He thought that she was doing something crazy, like trying to die or something. He got really worked up until he saw that little reckless spark in her eyes, one he knew a little too well. He wanted to scold her even more but had no right to do so. He rushed at getting clothes and coming back, worried she would do something reckless again. The moment he stepped into Emily's house, the scent of freshly showered Bella hit his face. She was at the top of the stairs.

"You're back!" Bella said with half a smile. "Do you think it would be a good idea to get going with dinner? Jacob called and they're on their way."

"Y-yeah." He replied, a little out of himself.

They both went into the kitchen and started washing vegetables and taking out whatever they thought would make a pleasant meal.

"You know Paul, I did something stupid today because I thought I could get a piece of myself back if I did it." She started while cutting up tomatoes. "It didn't work at the end, but I realized that I like being here and that today I got some sort of closure… corny, right? But I feel it. Don't tell Jacob how reckless I was though. I am glad it was you and not him." Bella's laugh filled the air and for a second Paul didn't know what to do.

She turned to properly see Paul's face and her hair brushed against his shoulder. Overwhelmed by the sweet smell of it, he dropped a knife. Bella picked it up in the spot and looked at a frozen Paul.

"Are you alright?"

"No." Paul's voice was deeper than usual.

The Quileute didn't even look at Bella before he rushed out of the house. He bumped into the others while they were on their way inside and cared little when he transformed in front of them without any explanation. Quil and Sam were the first ones to react and shift as well, and as Jacob was about to do the same, Sam shifted back and with shock written all over him, he took Jacob by the shoulder.

"This is an explicit order, Jacob: Do not shift." Sam then looked at the others and ordered the same. "Do not shift for now, let Quil handle it."

Emily, who was also arriving, approached Sam despite the little commotion. She glanced at Bella, standing on the porch wearing her clothes and a worried look on her face. She pulled Sam aside and asked what was going on.

"I think… Paul imprinted." Sam mumbled.

"Oh god, on who?" Emily asked.

"Bella Swan."