Author's Note:

As usual: OC Owned by me - Kencil Borja Mendoza, all the rest and any identifiable factors are property of S Meyer.

Sorry for the delay on this one, my muse ran off in a different direction - at least there might be a few unrelated one shots soon?

Chapter 5 – Purple Hyacinth

:-:

Dinner was a homemade lasagne, one of Kencil's favourite comfort foods. Her Great Aunt was an amazing cook, and an even better judge of bad day. When the familiar smells encompassed Kencil's senses she couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks Aunty" She sat at the table, watching her aunt move through the open kitchen before dishing her up a plate. As she slowly ate, her Aunt watched like a mother with a fussy child, the need to ensure all was eaten overwhelming normal table manners. Kencil had grown used to this odd behaviour and put it down to the fact that when she'd arrived she had been skinnier than normal, worn and tired.

"So cara, what happened down at the Res?" Charis' quiet but authoritative tone shook Kencil from her swirling mind and she met the old woman's amber eyes whilst shrugging.

"I met some people, had a panic attack, passed out twice and threw up" Kencil couldn't help the scrunch of her nose and sudden focus on the plate in front of her as she recalled the train wreck of a day in distaste.

"Sounds pretty eventful." Her great Aunt grew silent with the passing statement causing her to squirm in her seat. She was being baited, she knew but there was something about the pause and her Great Aunt's reluctance to let things go that always resulted in Kencil spilling her guts.

"It was" Her tone was defeated as she began to delve in more detail "Billy seemed nice, he told me a lot about you from when he was younger, I barely met Jacob – Bella accosted him as soon as he reappeared." She paused, thinking through her words before continuing, she knew she couldn't directly lie to her Aunt, but she couldn't spill a secret that wasn't hers to give either. "I also met some of Jacob's friends, Sam Uley, his fiancée Emily, Jared Cameron and…" she hesitated, his name on the tip of her tongue burning her with sadness "Paul Lahote". Kencil could barely whisper his name without wanting to burst into tears again.

"Come on cara, what did that foolish man do?" Kencil's chin was tilted up and she fought to blink away the tears as she met Charis' eyes once more.

"He… he saw my scars Zia" She choked on her words, the Italian slipping in unwarranted as she relived the moments "I bent at the hips whilst… whilst sat and my t shirt rode up" she took a steadying breath but the tremble in her tone remained. By now the tears flowed down her burning cheeks and it took all of her control not to burst into sobs. "He ran zia, he ran from the sight, he…" she couldn't do it anymore, her composure broke and she let the body wracking shudder dominate her frame.

Charis silently moved to hug the sobbing teen, and whilst the growl that emanated from the old woman was quiet, Kencil still picked up on it. Unlike Paul's earlier in the day, this one she took comfort in. She let herself be soothed by her Great Aunt and when she was all cried out, slowly withdrew.

"Sorry for crying all over you Aunty" Kencil rubbed her cheeks free of tears and glanced down at the floor.

"Now now, mi cara, don't be silly" Charis stroked her hair softly. "How about you get an early night, put today behind you and move forward with a clear mind and step tomorrow?" Kencil simply nodded in response, kissed her Aunt's cheeks and headed up to bed.

The silver and gold familiarity brought a sad smile to her lips. She'd stepped away from the various shades of green her previous room had held, unripe juniper for her, moss for her innocent brother and a murky sage for the near identical colour of her parent's eyes. Though the colour shifted close to hazel at times, her best memories were when their eyes were an almost burgundy tinged sage. Now however, she sought cleaner colours. Gold to remind her of her family crest, the sun, all things warm that she had to learn to love again and silver for the moon, stars and the cold that she loved to revel in.

Charis had given her a decent budget for redecoration and with it Kencil had brought herself a huge and slightly firm queen-sized bed, complete with six feather pillows and a duck down duvet. That in itself had been a palaver and she'd ended up ordering one from the UK to suit her needs and preferred tastes. The bed frame, base, wardrobe, cupboards and all other furniture was black to fit in with her theme, each item had a small accent piece for the gentle splash of silver and gold that made it all slot together. She found herself growing to love her room more and more as she settled into it and Forks as a whole. It was her sanctuary.

Before throwing herself into what she considered the perfect bed, she neatened up her trinkets, kissed her snowglobe with a sharp stab of nostalgia and rummaged through her wardrobe and draws for tomorrow's outfit. Whilst she'd already been free to dress in non-uniform for school back in England due to her age and subsequent year, she'd not been expecting the lack of formal clothing when she first arrived. Here, you could throw on a pair of jeans and a ratty hoody and no one commented. Back at the college attached to her secondary school, they'd been expected to wear smart casual items, with blue jeans relegated to Friday's only. The change had been welcomed nonetheless as it ensured Kencil could wear more flowing items without suspicion and after the day she'd had, it was back to longer and baggier tops and jumpers.

After searching for what she wanted, she placed a pair of blue skinny jeans and a faux patchwork jumper over the back of her desk chair. It was a particular favourite of hers, the colours were beautiful, one off-angle square being a pigmented cerise, another a cerulean blue, the third a homely cream and the last a charcoal grey. The neckline was a high boat, the sleeves were just slightly longer than needed, falling to mid hand and the hemline fell well below her hips, covering half of her ass in the process and ensuring no one would be able to see her marred skin if she bent forwards so carelessly again.

She nodded at her choices and quickly picked out a matching set of plain black underwear. Most of her bras were unpadded soft cotton or polyester without underwire, she hated the lack of support and lift but with her scars she couldn't stand the irritation of wire. The designs however were often cute and more triangular in shape. As she stood in front of her choices she sighed once more, she missed the way she used to dress, high waisted jeans, crop tops, tight dresses. She missed the simpler pleasures, a padded bra, lace, the feeling of hands on her skin as the tighter layers were shed revealing the Ann Summers specials. She missed the contact, the flush of passion, the way arching didn't hurt, the way someone could actually want what she had to offer. She'd loved her body, that was the almost harsh irony of what happened. She'd finally got herself to where she wanted to be, her chest was a full D cup, her hips and ass were curved and plump respectively, she'd finally managed to lose some weight and tone up as well, so her stomach was flatter with the natural curve from her previously pierced belly button to her pubic bone. Her arms had begun to show the muscles she'd gained, and her thighs were firm and beginning to look more toned than ever. Then the fire had happened, the bed rest, the physio, the lack of range in movement. She snorted and shook her head, bringing herself to the present and out of her narcissistic reflection. Without a second thought she stripped off, placing her barely worn pyjamas on her ottoman and crawled into bed.

:-:

It not even been half an hour since she'd clambered into bed, with the dulcet tones of a documentary narrator failing to encourage sleep like normal when she heard a sharp clink sound against her window. If she'd been closer to sleep, Kencil would have probably jumped out of her skin and woke fully, as it was – she was already awake and so she simply moved to her dense silver curtains as silently as possible before pulling one back ever so slightly in a way that would hopefully keep her hidden as she peaked. At first, she saw nothing, then stepping just out of the treeline was a topless native. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better view before her heart practically stopped in her chest. Paul. Paul fucking Lahote was in her back garden, throwing stones at her window like a trashy teen romance film. Kencil felt her rage grow as she moved away from the window. What in the fucking world was he doing?

Clink

Another pebble. Kencil ground her teeth briefly before grabbing her lilac silk dressing gown, throwing it on and pulling back the curtains. She was sure her bed hair and fury was a look like no other but she didn't care, she quickly opened the window to hiss at her unwanted guest.

"It's fucking midnight, what in the hell do you want Paul?" She practically sneered his name, her upset from earlier in the day morphing to anger as she stared down at him.

"To… to apologise" Was he nervous? Kencil squinted at him, his voice had trembled, and he seemed uncertain, it didn't suit him. She didn't speak for a moment, just remained squinting at him until he spoke again. "I was an ass, I'm always an ass but I shouldn't have…" He trailed off and she genuinely didn't have anything to say, she was unsure as to what he'd say next. "Look, can I come up?" His mahogany eyes looked up into hers and she was briefly taken aback.

"I… Charis will kill me. Plus, the alarm is set downstairs so I can't, can't we just, you know talk tomorrow like normal people?" Kencil was almost surprised by her own want to talk to him, to hear what he had to say but she refused to let him see that on her features.

To further said surprise, he shook his head and made a weird motion with his hand "Step back and open the window a bit more?" She could only raise a brow in response before doing exactly that in reverse order. Astonishingly he was inside her bedroom before she could fully begin to question what he was going to do and the strangled sound she at his appearance made only served to make him laugh.

"What the actual fuck." She sat back onto her bed, slightly shocked and gazing over his form. "You scaled the building? To apologise to a girl you hardly know, at…" she glanced to her clock "at ten past midnight on technically a Friday morning?" Kencil pushed a loose curl back as she processed what was going on to the best of her ability. "Oh Dio" She looked upwards before motioning for Paul to sit on the desk chair whilst she repositioned herself in her bed, throwing the quilt over her legs and tucking it under her armpits to cover her barely covered body. It was a moment too late when she realised the desk chair held her clothes, her underwear on top and there was nothing to do but roll her eyes at her own embarrassment.

Paul thankfully didn't say anything out loud, but his smirk spoke a thousand works, Kencil looked at the now closed window – at least he was courteous in that sense and waited for him to start talking.

When he didn't, she glanced back at him. His huge frame almost looked silly in her modest desk chair if it hadn't been for the way he suited her accent colours perfectly. He was warm like the sun, but the silver shone a new quality, a link that she'd not fully put together yet. "You were the silver wolf, weren't you?" Her question was quiet but the sudden change from silence seemed to catch him unawares. Paul nodded and she smiled softly, she enjoyed getting things right.

"Why are you here Paul? Really." She looked him over, her expression a mixture of neutrality and guarded hesitance. After a minute or two he began talking.

"I'm a fuck up Kencil, and I fucked up in true Lahote style." His statement was accompanied by a mean glare, but it wasn't directed at her, that much she knew. She remained quiet as he continued talking. "I didn't mean to jolt like that but when… When I saw…" he started to freeze up, a slight tremble rolling across his body and Kencil looked away. She stared at the night sky outside of the window and set her face and tone to pure neutral before looking back at him blankly.

"it's hideous, I'm hideous. I know." He went to interrupt her, and she held a hand up, stopping him before continuing "I get it, alright? No one wants to see this shit, don't worry I doubt I'll be on the Res much, I don't sunbathe, I'll remember baggy jumpers if I am there – you won't have to see it alright? Just forget it happened." She turned to look back out at the distant stars, begging herself internally to keep it together, to calm down and let him pass it off as nothing before leaving.

"Look at me." His voice was heavy with an emotion she couldn't place but she couldn't turn. If she saw pity or disgust, she'd lose her barely put together composure.

"Paul it's okay, you're forgiven, you only acted like anyone would when seeing burn scars. It's fine, just go." She continued to stare out, wishing she was anywhere but here as she blinked a few more times than necessary to keep the tears at bay.

She didn't realise he had moved until she flinched at his searing warm fingers cupping her chin. She fought the turn for a moment before she gave in to his urging and looked up into his eyes. Kencil was surprised to see they were as glassy as hers.

"Woman, I swear to Taha Aki you're so stubborn headed. I'm trying to apologise for being an ass and you're not letting me." She began to interrupt him once more and he placed a finger over her lips. "Shush, seriously." She nodded briefly and felt silent. "I was angry, not because you were scarred, because something had hurt you and I… I wasn't there to stop that." She went to talk again until he gave her a look of incredulity. "I know it's unreasonable, it clearly was before I met you but there's things you have to know and when you do it'll make a bit more sense okay?" It felt like he was searching her eyes for something and she slowly nodded. "There's a bonfire- "She flinched, hard and shook her head vehemently.

"No. No thank you" Her chest heaved with sharp intakes of breath as she thought about open fires, her eyes glazed, and she squeezed them shut in a last-ditch attempt to stop the panic in its tracks. It wasn't this that helped her however. It was Paul. He had placed his hands on either side of her face and spoke deeply.

"Kencil, shhh stop, please. Come back to me?" The words were a mixture of feverish need and authority. Her eyes blinked open, wide in shock and frantic anxiety as she took stock of him. "That's it, sorry, it was silly – I didn't think" He murmured, glancing down at the quilt cover. She could see his guilt, his sadness across his features and she brought a slightly trembling hand up to his cheek. His russet skin was smoother than she could have imagined, and a slight girlish gasp flew out unwarranted as she relished in it. Their eyes snapped together once more, and she smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry I'm so broken." Her words were practically a whisper, but he was close enough to hear. He of course, shook his head in response and she laughed a little, but it was devoid of any joy. "Paul, you don't get to decide my whole status. I am broken, a little on the outside and a little on the inside. Thank you for apologising and I'm sorry too," he rose a questioning eyebrow at her, his head cocking gently to the left "For the panic attack in your arms when you'd so graciously offered to carry my heavy self." She forced a jokey smile onto her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes and she was a fool if she thought he didn't notice.

"Kencil, I'd do anything, be anyone for you. Carrying you? No problem, being here, difficult but no problem." His eyes searched hers briefly "You mean so much to me already and I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a nut job" His murmur was only just audible, and she frowned.

"I've known you less than an hour total if we count only the time in each other's presence Paul. You can't be that attached because of some scars." She trailed off, her fingertips were still gracing his cheek as she spoke, and her eyes followed her touches. "I'll come… to the bonfire" His eyes snapped up from wherever they'd wandered off to whilst she'd been distracted with his luscious facial features. "If you promise me a few things- "

"anything" Kencil laughed softly at the way he sounded like he was going to trip over his own tongue to answer so fast.

"Firstly, I need a bucket of water next to me, just… just in case. Secondly, I don't want to feel the heat of it so I'll need to sit quite far away, thirdly you're too warm so if you touch me and I don't know about it – I will freak out. Lastly, I need to know when and where to try clear it with Charis. If she says no, then it's a no." She slowly withdrew her hand and sat back slightly as she waited for his answer. As she looked up from her lap, she saw he was nodding eagerly.

"All totally possible Kencil, I promise it'll be fine, I can't wait for you to meet everyone" He looked so happy, she couldn't help but smile, regardless of the inner panic at the thought of the fire. She needed answers, he'd alluded to too much, he made her feel things she didn't know she could so quickly. She actually cared about something for the first time in a while and it felt good.

"Okay… so when is it?" She smiled briefly and reached for her new phone. Opening the calendar app, she prepped an entry.

"Tomorrow, well technically today, at six" He smirked and motioned for the phone. She raised an eyebrow but passed it over all the same. Kencil watched as he moved around on it a bit before passing it back on the contact list. She recognised the names, Charis, Sam, Jared, Jacob, Embry, Bella and Paul. Considering she'd only put Charis' and Bella's in she laughed softly. "If you can't get a hold of me, one of the guys will pick up and let me know you called or whatever, you know – just in case" His tone was nervous, and she smiled once more.

"Thanks Paul. I don't know why but… it feels good, knowing I can message or call you" She scrunched her nose and glanced out of the window for a second as her cheeks flushed with the realisation she actually wanted to talk to him.

"It feels great knowing you might just do that" Her breathing hitched as his tone seemed to deepen into a husky gravel. She looked him over, a brief flash of uncertainty filling her features as she tried to make heads or tails of his mood change. At his smirk, she blinked back into neutral and nodded.

"You know, some of us have school to get to tomorrow" She looked down at the phone before back at him "So as much as this has been all levels of confusing and what not, I think you need to get going or I'll look like trash by six." She watched as his eyes travelled her hair, face, neck, and lightly covered chest appreciatively before reaching the quilt that had now pooled around her waist and only then did his gaze flit back up to her juniper orbs.

"I doubt you could look like trash if you tried" His voice was gravelly once more and she did everything in her power not to squirm under his sudden intensity.

"Okay, out" She tripped over the words and motioned to the window with wide, bambi like eyes. It was too late for this abundance of sexuality to be on her bed, speaking like that, after staring like that. Fuck. She was so confused.

He chuckled and stood before leaning down to kiss her forehead so quickly that if the brief tingle hadn't stayed behind, Kencil would have thought she'd imagined it. After he left, she scrambled out of bed to shut the window and draw the curtains before pressing the back of her hands to her burning cheeks.

:-:

Just what in the world had happened?

N/B

Once again super sorry it took so long, I've got so many ideas swirling around this noggin right now, some but not all include:

- Mary Queen of Scots being a vampire turned by Nostradamus (following a sort of Reign theme but Twilight universe bit AU of course)

- Jasper finding his true mate in a girl Pavlov'ing herself into being happy

- Peter and Char turning a near dead, abused human

- Pack sister imprint on Bella story, possibly Bella/Paul pairing (God I love me some Paul)

- Bella/Paul one shot

- Bella/Caius one shot

- Bella/Marcus one shot

- and so so so many more.

If there's any you particularly want to see, any others not mentioned but you'd think you'd like to read feel free to comment/dm me! I'm putting some detail on my profile here and on AO3 about my normal Twilight AU styles which might assist!

Oh and as always reviews are my gold dust and provide a sense of commitment to continue for purposes other than I want this story told *damnit*

That and no beta as of yet so all grammar and spelling is my fault and word not being an AI assistant yet! ;)

Thanks for reading!