"Man is it cold," Chloe commented, shivering while pulling her vintage bright orange jacket closer against her. She added some hop/steps to her walk for a few paces, trying to get her blood flowing a little faster.

"You should have worn pants," her friend, Suzy, commented dryly, looking down at Chloe's bare calves and knees popping out from under her skirt.

"Oh, what one suffers in the name of fashion," Chloe said dramatically, though really wishing she had worn pants and a heavier jacket. The three girls were walking along the path of dirt and sand leading down to the beach. The sun had just gone down, leaving the night dark, but they could see where they were going due to the bright moon in the sky and the large bonfire they were quickly approaching.

"Get a room!" Gwen heckled two teenagers, who were busy making out in the shadows and brush, away from the light of the bonfire. The boy looked up to glare at them, and the girl blushed upon seeing them, pushing herself up into a sitting position, straightening out her hair. "Oh, hi Zack!" Gwen said cheerily upon recognizing the boy from school, "Carolyn," she also acknowledged the girl he was with.

"Hi," Carolyn remarked, giving a weak smile, nervously glancing about to see if anyone else had seen them. Everyone else, though, was at the bonfire. "Sorry to mess up your groove there Zacky-boy," Gwen said cheerily, giving a small wave as the girls continued there descent to the center of the party. She either didn't see or didn't care that her comment had caused Carolyn to blush even deeper, hiding her face behind her hand.

"Carolyn and Zack, heh?" Chloe remarked curiously, the two didn't really seem to fit together. Carolyn was on the student council, and popular in that smart, authoritative way. Zack was part of what the three girls liked to call "their people:" the slightly weird and awkward (in a funny way, not a future serial killer way), the originals, the outcasts.

"Isn't it romantic?" Gwen remarked, "Opposites attract."

"Like I'm sure that will last," Suzy remarked sarcastically.

"Oh, and how do you know?" Gwen demanded.

"Because it was obvious she was embarrassed to be caught with him. No way is she going to come to school Monday and be all boyfriend girlfriend with Zack," Suzy replied.

"You are so cynical," Gwen shook her head, in that 'I-know-I'm-right-but-there's-nothing-I-can-do-to-help-you-see-that' way.

"If it's true it's true!" Suzy shrugged dramatically, throwing her hands in the air in the 'You-can-deny-the-truth-all-you-want-but-I'm-right' way. The girls had reached the bonfire, and Chloe gravitated directly to its emanating warmth. "Ah," she sighed out, holding her hands out for warmth.

"Okay, care to wager on that?" Gwen put in.

"What're the terms?" Suzy asked easily, her eyes narrowing playfully and her mouth forming into a smirk. Making random bets was a sort of hobby for the girls, and it was an unspoken rule between them that you always had to take the bet. Chloe, now that her mind wasn't focused so much on how cold she was, watched eagerly as her friends made a bet, wondering how it was going to turn out.

"If Zack and Carolyn come into school on Monday and act like a couple, I win, and if they pretend they don't know each other, you do," Gwen said, smiling simply.

"Loser has to wear the old motorcycle goggles all day," Suzy made up the rest of the terms on the spot, drawing on the find the girls had discovered at a garage sale earlier in the day "No matter how itchy they get," she added menacingly.

"Deal," Gwen said as she stuck out her hand, Suzy grabbing it and shaking it heartily.

"I hate to break up the betting and all, but have either of you noticed how hot the natives are looking?" Chloe asked, staring in the distance beyond her two friends. The girls had been so intent on their conversation that they hadn't noticed anyone else at the bonfire yet. Now they very un-surreptitiously turned their heads to get a look at what Chloe was referring to. Standing in a huddle a little away from everyone else was a group of boys, or more like men, from the Quileute tribe. Judging by their clothing, you wouldn't be able to guess that it was middle October in Washington, since they were all wearing light weight t-shirts, and there were even some in cut-off jean shorts, and they didn't even appear to be cold!

"Woah mama," Suzy said when she saw them, turning back to Chloe.

"I don't remember a whole group of very hot, very muscular men the last time we came to one of these bonfires," Gwen remarked, her voice raising suggestively.

"Where did they come from and where can I get one?" Suzy said, staring openly at them.

"I wonder why they are all just standing there together?" Chloe commented curiously, "Isn't it just a little bit strange?"

"I wonder if anyone else knows who they are?" Gwen looked about at the other people at the bonfire. A lot of the kids there were sending curious glances toward the native men as well, a lot of the females also wearing appreciative faces.

"So I see you've noticed the Quileutes?" a voice rang out from behind them.

"Hey Joey," the girls greeted happily. Joey was a friendly guy with beach blonde hair and an all-American look. The three girls liked him immensely, and he was quite helpful too, as he knew all the gossip.

"If you mean the hot stud-muffins over there, then yes," Suzy said.

Joey laughed, "Yeah, they are drool-worthy, aren't they?" he said longingly, letting his gayness show through. Joey wasn't your stereotypical gay. He liked sports and wasn't girly or flamboyant in any way. In fact, he would have been one of the least one's suspected at the school until he finally came out last year, he had lost some of his friends because of it, but he said he was much happier now that he could finally be himself.

"Where did they suddenly come from?" Chloe asked, "Why haven't we seen them before?"

"Oh, I'm sure you have," Joey told her.

"I'm sure I would have remembered," Chloe said skeptically.

"Here's the thing," Joey said, leaning in conspiratorially, "They didn't always look so hot and muscular. Two weeks ago, at the last bonfire, I talked briefly with this guy, Quil, who was about my height, if not shorter, and now he's over there with those giants," he said, nodding toward the group.

"No kidding?" Gwen said.

"What are they on steroids or something?" Chloe asked.

"Looks like it," Joey said with a shrug, "And it all fits too, since apparently they all have really bad tempers. One of them was about to beat up Roger Yeater the other day for accidentally hitting him in the shin with a stray Frisbee. He would have too, if his friends hadn't dragged him away. Too bad about the drugs, that Quil guy was cute."

"Don't look now, but one of them is totally staring at you," Gwen told Chloe, who immediately turned around to look.

Upon meeting his eyes, she looked away abruptly, nervously, turning back to her friends, "Oh my god, do you think he heard us?" she whispered worriedly.

"Of course he didn't hear us," Suzy rolled her eyes, "We're way too far away."

"Now they're all looking," Gwen commented on their movements like spectator at a sports game, not bothering to hide the fact that she was staring.

Chloe automatically turned around at Gwen's comment, and her eyes once again met those dark ones. It was hard to tell exactly what he was staring at from this distance, but Chloe felt that he was staring at her. The expression on his face was unreadable, and Chloe turned her head away embarrassedly before she could examine it further.

"He's coming over here," Suzy squealed, trying to keep a calm appearance, though.

"Hello," the man said upon reaching them. Chloe could see that he was even more handsome up close. He looked older than her, in about his mid twenties, and Chloe wondered how her mom would feel about her dating someone six or seven years her senior, not that she was thinking about dating him, though, of course.

He was quite obviously talking to her, not even dragging his eyes away for a second to glance at her friends. "Hi," Chloe said shyly, bobbing her head. She could see her friends looking on in amazement at what was going on. Chloe herself was a bit amazed. The way this guy was looking at her, it was like he had just solved a problem that had been plaguing him his whole life, and now that he'd found it, the answer was simple and perfect.

"I'm" he hesitated for some more uninterrupted staring, "I'm Paul," the words seemed to fall out of his numb lips.

"Chloe," she held out her hand for him to shake, and his eyes widened in awe and gratitude as though she had just offered him a pile full of cash upon just meeting him.

He reached out and grasped her hand very gently, making Chloe feel as though he was less shaking her hand than he was just holding it. As much as Chloe knew she should be weirded out by this unnatural encounter, she couldn't help but notice how warm and big his hand was, all rough and callousy. She was briefly tempted to just let him hold her hand, but she pulled it back self-consciously, becoming aware of the fact that not only were her friends watching, but they had made an audience of practically everyone else at the bonfire.

"We have to go Paul," one of his friends said firmly, the group having followed him to their spot.

"No we don't," Paul said, his voice equally firm and harsh when speaking to his friends, making Chloe jump a little at the difference in his tone from just a second ago when he had introduced himself. Paul seemed to notice her infinitesimal reaction, and he suddenly looked worried and pleading. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

"Come on guys," another one of them said, ushering everyone but Paul away, "Let's give him a minute."

The one who had originally spoken looked over at the other guy questioningly. A significant moment seemed to pass unspoken between them before the first guy nodded and they all went to stand a few feet away, though they were still looking on at the exchange guardedly.

"Uh, do you have somewhere to go with you friends?" Chloe asked to make conversation after no one said anything for a couple of minutes.

Paul shook his head vehemently. "No!" he denied sharply.

"Um," Chloe glanced over at her friends for help. "This is Gwen, Suzy, and Joey," she introduced them.

Paul's eyes didn't leave her though, not even as she introduced her friends. Now this was beyond weird, she thought, starting to feel a little creeped out. At first she was happy about the attention from the cute guy, but now she felt he was being a little too intense. Maybe there was something wrong with him, maybe it was the drugs.

"Um, well, we have to go," Chloe said, wanting to get out of the situation, feeling immensely uncomfortable with everyone staring at them.

"What? Where?" Paul demanded, reaching out his arms as though to grab her and making her stay, hesitating, though, before he actually touched her, and then dropping his arms again.

"I have to go home," Chloe said, grabbing Suzy's and Gwen's arms, and leading them away, Joey following after them.

"Wait," the guy called out after her.

Chloe turned around. "Can I have your phone number?" he asked. Chloe instinctively shook her head no. Had she not turned around before she saw the look of total devastation fall on Paul's face, she might have changed her mind, but as it was, she just walked away confused.

"What was that?" Joey said as soon as they were out of hearing distance from the bonfire.

"I know, talk about freaky," Suzy said, "That guy was way too creepy, I don't care how hot he was."

"You should have given him your phone number," Gwen said, causing the rest of them to look at her incredulously.

"To the stalker?" Suzy asked.

"Well, if he was a stalker, he would find out her phone number anyway," Gwen said reasonably.

"No point in encouraging him!" Suzy practically shouted.

The group had reached Gwen's car, parked on the side of the road. "Do you need a ride home?" Gwen offered, turning to Joey.

"Yeah, thanks," he said as they all piled in. "Say, are you okay Chloe? You've been awfully quiet."

"Um, yeah," Chloe said, though truthfully she was feeling a bit dazed from the whole experience. She couldn't get Paul's face out her head, and for some reason or other, she kept thinking about kissing him, even if he was a bit creepy. Not that she would admit that to her friends.

"I think Chloe liked him," Gwen teased as she backed up.

"Did not!" Chloe denied.

"It wouldn't be so bad if you did, he was hot," Gwen said.

"Yeah," Suzy was sarcastic, "So what if he lacks the basic skills to function in a social situation, so what if he takes drugs and has a horrible temper, at least he's hot."

"You're just jealous because he wasn't looking at you," was Gwen's answer.

Suzy just rolled her eyes.

***

Paul stared as his imprint, the love of his life, walked away with her friends without so much as a backward glance. Wasn't she supposed to like him? What did he do wrong? He could feel himself start to shake.

"Paul, man, are you okay?" Jacob asked as he came up to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"I have to follow her," Paul said, like a man possessed, and started up the path that the girls had just gone up moments before.

"Paul, you don't want to freak her out more than you already have," Quil commented as the others from the pack followed him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning to question his friend. Paul didn't want to freak her out. He didn't want to make her upset in any way. Thinking that he might have done something to distress her worried him, and he started to shake.

"Paul, you need to calm down," Sam said authoritatively.

"Just tell me what you mean, Quil," Paul groaned out through clenched teeth.

"It's just that you came on a little strong," Quil shrugged, "Just try to relax a little."

"Yeah, yeah," Paul said, continuing on his way up the path. He could see her in the distance, getting into the car with the rest of them. "We'll see how calm you are when you imprint," he mumbled out quickly as he ran into the trees to phase so he could follow the car, making sure she got home safely.

"Just don't let her see you, Paul," Sam called out. Paul was grateful Sam didn't try to stop him. He had imprinted, he knew.

Chloe, his mind was filled with thoughts of her. She was perfect. He couldn't believe his eyes when he had been standing by the pack, bored and hungry. He had suddenly felt strange, and for some reason, his eyes were being dragged in the direction of the bonfire, though he normally wouldn't give the time of day to any of the kids there.

Then he saw her, and he couldn't see anything else. She was so perfect, her perfect skin and smile and eyes, god her eyes. Then she had turned to look at him, and his heart did a back flip, but she quickly turned away again, and all Paul could think about was looking into her eyes again.

"Woah, Paul, you okay there bud?" he could vaguely hear Embry's voice beside him, but he ignored it. The most beautiful creature in the world had just turned around to look at him. All he had wanted to do was hear her voice, talk to her, touch her.

Then he had ruined it, Paul thought angrily to himself. Like Quil said, he had come on too strong, he had scared her. He didn't want to upset her. He would have to try again. He would have to find a way to make her see that he would protect her and love her and never hurt her forever and ever.

He followed the car easily while staying out of sight in the woods beside the road. It was dark out, so that helped too. First they dropped off that guy, the blonde one. Paul didn't care about him though, but watched as he waved goodbye and went into his house.

His girl was next, and Paul was relieved as she made it safely inside her house, smiling happily as she went. He crept into her backyard, the darkness shadowing his giant wolf body. When Sam found out about this later, he would be upset at the risk Paul was taking coming too far out into the open, but he just couldn't resist himself. He wanted to see inside her house. Where she lived and spent her time.

He could see in through the sliding glass door leading into her kitchen. It was simple and cute and clean, but Paul stopped noticing the kitchen when his girl walked in. She went to the fridge, opening it and taking a swig out of the milk jug. Paul felt a little bad for spying on her, but not enough to make him leave. She then left the room, presumable to go upstairs. Paul sighed and stared into the kitchen for a few more minutes before reluctantly leaving. He would just have to find a way to "run into her" and convince her that he wasn't a creepy stalked, even though, he thought wryly, technically he was.