In Case You Didn't Know

A/N: Just fair warning, this is a story full of fluff and cuteness galore. I've just had this idea in my head, it's not supposed to be anything crazy, just a cute little one-shot. Enjoy!

An old-timey red truck rumbled its way down the road, with one Bella Swan in the driver's seat. She was on her way to La Push to have a true one-on-one conversation with a certain wolf. That wolf was Paul Lahote. Against all odds, and apparently the Spirits having a nice laugh, Paul had imprinted on her the day she went to confront Jacob about his out of the blue abandonment of her. One minute he was sneering at her, calling her a pale-faced leech lover, then he lifted his gaze to meet hers and next thing she knew he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

After she had been taken to Emily's and fully let in on the whole shapeshifting werewolves concept, Sam delved into the legend of imprinting. All the while Paul had sat next to her, his leg bouncing up and down with jitters. She had asked for a few days to think it over, and after about three days she called Paul to let him know she accepted the imprint, but she wanted to keep it platonic. After the whole debacle with Edward, her heart just wasn't ready. However, it wasn't lost on her that after the imprint occurred, while her heart was still a little hurt and vulnerable, in no way did she fell like a hole was in her chest. It also dawned on her that she'd been acting like an idiot, letting an in the closet vampire control her life so much to where he even affected her when he was gone.

As Bella's truck crossed over into La Push, her thoughts wandered back to her wolf. She had to admit it, Paul had really tried. He took her desire for a platonic imprint in stride, he never pushed her for more, or tried to test the waters and see how she would react. He answered the phone every time she called in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep or when an Edward-centered nightmare creeped its way into her mind. He had even tried to played nice with Jake, despite when the younger man went off about how Paul and Bella's imprint had to be a mistake and that the man-whore of La Push wasn't good enough for his best friend. Later on Jared admitted after Bella had gone home, Paul had soundly kicked Jacob's ass for that, everyone knew you didn't mess with an imprint in any kind of way. Including jealous-based comments like that. Bella found she wasn't upset with Paul about that at all, in all honestly Jake had kind of been asking for it. Over time though, Jacob let it go and apologized to both her and Paul.

A few months had gone by since the imprint and Bella had to say, Paul had become her best friend in the world. Hell, even Charlie liked him. He had been not so subtle about how if Bella wasn't interested in Jake, then maybe she should give a Paul a shot. One night when Paul had been over for dinner, Charlie attempted to have a whispered conversation with her about it while they washed the dishes, all the while she could hear Paul trying to stop himself from laughing, because of course he could hear every word her dear father was saying. At first, she brushed off her father's words firmly sticking to the whole friends only thing. But over these past few weeks, her mind couldn't seem to think about anything but Paul and what exactly it was he meant to her.

If anyone had tried to tell Bella a few months back that not only she and Paul would be closer than anyone, but that she had started to see that golden light he shone under grow a little brighter, she would've laughed them right out of the room. But now, she truly just didn't know. Whenever anything happened in her life, good or bad, Paul was the first one she wanted to tell. When he hugged her to say hello or goodbye, she felt a rush of affection and warmth run through her. And whenever he gave her that smile, the smile he reserved just for her, she knew her heart liked to flutter at the sight.

As she pulled her truck into the driveway of Sam and Emily's, she let her head fall against the steering wheel. Bella wasn't stupid, she did know how she felt about the silver wolf and she did know exactly what he meant to her. He meant everything. Sometimes she wondered if it wasn't her who did the imprinting on him. He had just been so kind and so patient with her, fully okay with whatever she wanted their imprint to be. And while she knew and had been told it was always the imprintee who was in control of the relationship and that the wolf within in the man would always adhere to that, Bella didn't think that was the end all be all of it. Because Paul wasn't just the wolf, he was also the man and if she had learned anything about Paul over these last few months it's that he had a strong will of his own and he could fight with it if necessary. She had seen Paul at both his worst and his best, just as he had seen the best and worst in her. And the fact that he knew all of her little quirks, her darkest moments, her worst fears and that he stayed with her anyway meant the world to her. It was that knowledge that made her promise to herself she would always stay with him, and he had a right to know it.

Taking one last deep breath, Bella hopped out of the truck and made her way up the porch and let herself into the house. Same as with wolves, imprints were welcome anytime, more so than the wolves if you asked Emily. It taken Bella awhile to be okay with just barging her way into someone's else home without knocking first, but after Emily's fourth lecture about it, she started to be more alright with the idea. Emily was in the kitchen, whipping up some sort of snack for the boys Bella was sure, when the sound of the door opening prompted her to look up from the bowl. "Hey Bella! I didn't know you were coming over today."

The brunette sighed heavily while leaning against the counter. "It was kind of a spontaneous decision. But, um, do you know where Paul is?"

Emily gave her friend that knowing look with a grin on her lips. "He's out back with Sam. They just got off patrol a few minutes ago."

It was just about that time when Bella felt two warm, strong arms encircle her waist from behind and a kiss planted on her cheek. "Hey babe." Even with the whole friends only imprint deal, Paul still called her babe, sweetheart, and honey every once in awhile. Bella would be lying if she said she didn't love it when he did. "What brings you out here to our neck of the woods? I thought you were hanging out with Angela today."

Bella did originally have plans with Angela to go out to PA and hang out for the day, but she had called her earlier that morning and rescheduled explaining that she was going to talk to Paul today. While Angela of course didn't know about the legend of the Spirit warriors, Bella had let her in on how she and Paul were friends but that she was slowly starting to see him differently. The three of them had hung out on a few occasions and Angela declared Paul a definite keeper and if Bella didn't make a move soon she would.

Bella turned in Paul's hold so she could look at him properly. "I was going to but we rescheduled, I actually came out to talk to you."

She watched his forehead crinkle as he drew his eyebrows together in slight concern. "Is everything okay?"

Bella breathed out a nervous sigh as she nodded at him. "Oh yeah everything is fine, I, um, just wanted to tell you something."

"Okay." With that, Paul took her hand in his and led her down to the beach where they walked through the surf, water lapping over their feet. "So what is it you want to tell me?"

Here goes nothing."It's about the imprint." Without even looking at him, Bella could tell his concern just spiked up a little. "I'm sure you've noticed that I've been acting a little weird lately."

Paul grinned at the comment. "Yeah a little bit. But you were trying pretty hard to not let it show." That she had, but it had been a struggle. It was far more difficult than she thought it'd be to be around Paul and act the same when all she could manage to focus on was how his muscles rippled under his skin or the sound of his voice was like honey.

"Try being the operative word there." She tugged on his hand to pull the two of them over to a sun-bleached log, one of her favorite places to have talks while on the beach. They were nature-made benches after all. "I wanted to tell you why I acted that way."

Paul caught the serious tone to her voice and he could hear her heart pick up speed a little. She was nervous he could tell, but determined to tell him what was going on, it was important to her. "Okay, I'm all ears."

Bella took a deep breath. "I've been thinking a lot about you and me, and this whole thing we have going on. You have been so much more than I expected, I mean you're my best friend, which trust me is something I did not expect." The duo shared a little smile at that, Bella reaching out to take one of his hands in hers. "I've never been that good at sharing my feelings, what I'm thinking, but with you I want to tell you everything. And I've come so close to doing just that, but I just couldn't." She took a second to look away from him, his eyes boring into her own, before she went on. "I know you've been wondering about us, if this is it for us or if there is something else. And all of these thoughts I've been having, all these things you make me feel...it's time you heard them."

Paul shifted on the log, sitting up straighter his hand holding just slightly tighter onto hers. HIs fingers ghosted over her cheek as he gave her an encouraging smile. "Tell me."

Bella closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before diving right on in. "Paul Lahote, I am absolutely crazy about you. My life would be so much emptier if I hadn't met you and I'd be lying if I said I could live without you." She wasn't normally this eloquent but looking into her wolf's eyes, it just came pouring out unfiltered. "I haven't told you this, hell I didn't even know it myself up until a little while ago, but I gave you my heart a long time ago. And I never want it back." A slow smile was starting to make it's way to Paul's lips, both his wolf and himself filling with love for this girl. That hot-head and the vampire girl, who would've thought? "I accepted our imprint as friends, but I want to accept it, us, as more. You have every part of me." Bella moved forward on the log so she was right in front of him, lips mere inches apart. Her hands slipped around his neck, her fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck. "You are my everything. And I want to be yours."

A full-blown grin was on Paul's face his arms cinched tight around his imprint's waist. "You already are. Always have been." He slowly leaned in, catching her eye before he sealed his lips over hers. Internally, the wolf howled happily at finally being fully with his mate, but all Paul focused on was the feel of her lips against his and the way her body molded to his. He kept the kiss sweet and tender, there would plenty of time for ravishing her later. For now, he just wanted to be with her, in this moment.

Bella's heart ached for this man in every way. The kiss was everything a first kiss should be, and she readily decided she would spend as much of her day kissing him as she could from now on. She had already fallen in love with him as a person, now she wanted to know him in every way. Reluctantly, she pulled away, leaning back just enough to look into his eyes. "That's what I came to tell you. That I love you. Just in case you didn't know."

Paul barked out a laugh before placing another kiss to lips. "If we aren't careful we're going to start sounding like a really bad, cheesy rom-com."

Bella herself laughed because it was entirely true. "I know. Isn't it just great?"