Bexxyy's Paul Imprint Contest

Title: Heart Brawl

Author: specialkaeday

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Paul and Bella

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. Therefore these are not my characters, just my spin on what could've happened.

This is set in New Moon eight months after the Cullens left and just after Jacob has stopped talking to Bella.

Bella's POV

I tried calling him, but he wouldn't answer my phone calls, or he would have Billy give some lame excuse for not talking to me. I knew they must have recently gotten caller ID, because now they wouldn't even pick up the phone when I called. I had been driving to LaPush everyday for three weeks now, trying to get up the courage to confront Jacob. Once I would get there I couldn't make myself stop at his house for fear of what he might say. I could feel the looming rejection just waiting to cut me open again.

As much as I hadn't wanted to admit it to myself before all this happened, Jacob had actually begun to be a larger part of my life than I let on. For about three weeks now, instead of going to see Jacob I would just drive around LaPush after school, wandering aimlessly secretly hoping to spot my best friend, or whatever he was to me now, walking along the road. I had become very familiar with the reservation.

I decided that I would give him one more week of space before I confronted him to demand answers and to tell him how I felt.

In the meantime, I had gotten a job at the local Pizza joint as a delivery girl and began saving money for college again since spending almost all my savings on the motorcycles that aren't getting used anymore. Yes, I was actually thinking about college, a future, and it was all thanks to Jake. If only he could see me, he would be so proud, at least I hoped he would.

I missed him so much. After I had been working at Mel's Pizza for a couple of weeks, I was working my route onr night. I was thinking about how tomorrow was the day I had chosen to see Jake and confront him about what was wrong. It was almost time for me to get off work when a last minute delivery was called in from down in LaPush. My boss Melvin asked me if I could take one more delivery. Though I was really tired, I agreed, reminding myself that I was the only delivery person who knew LaPush well enough to drive it at night.

Regretting ever becoming so familiar with the Reservation, I wearily placed the 12 large pizzas in the passenger seat and wondered what kind of party would just be getting started at midnight at the beginning of the week in LaPush.

I shrugged my shoulders, put old faithful in drive and chugged along toward the Res. I thought about my nice, soft, bed at home and sighed. Maybe I won't have any nightmares tonight, I thought. Humph, who am I kidding? Ever since Jacob quit hanging out with me, the nightmares had gradually gotten worse.

Slowly I pulled the truck into the driveway with the red mailbox just like the directions said, and got out. As I went to the other side of the truck to grab the plethora of pizza boxes out, I realized this would be a two trip venture, and I heard loud raucous male laughter erupt from what appeared to be the living room of the house gauging from the large bay window with a soft warm light emitting from it. Probably a game night or something I thought. Then wondered if Charlie had mentioned a big game earlier this morning before he left for work.

I walked up the steps, careful not to trip or fall (Gosh, wouldn't that have been priceless. Pizza sauce spattered all over my shirt), successfully climbing the steps and rang the doorbell. I heard a chorus of "I'll get it's" and what sounded like a football tackle indoors before the door was finally opened to reveal a room full of topless native male athletes.

I didn't meet any of their gazes as I handed the pizzas to the bronze chest in front of me. All I could think about was getting home for some sleep.

When I looked up I was met by a pair of raven black eyes, and I felt a strange pull and what seemed like a tiny tingling that started in my scalp then went to my toes. I gave the sculpted body a genial smile before I referred to the ticket and stated "uhmm that will be $125.78", there was a long pause and no movement, and I began to get a little agitated as I heard one of the football players chuckle.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a shaking torso but ignored it while I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. I looked up at those midnight black eyes in front of me again and noticed a huge grin on his face. I thought maybe he didn't hear me tell him the price so I repeated the price to him and gave him a smile of my own. Almost instantly the smile turned into what seemed to be incoherent babbling, something along the lines of "yoursopretty." I also heard what sounded like a low snarl, but I chose to ignore it as well.

Just before I was about to turn around with the pizzas in hand, another chiseled chest moved in front of the babbler. When I looked up to see who I hoped I would be getting paid by, I noticed a familiar scar at the corner of his mouth. The scar that only a fish hook could give. It looked much like the one I had accidentally given to Jacob when we were fishing with our dad's at the ages of 12 and 10. But instead of that scar being turned up like I'm was so used to; it was set in a hard lined grimace. I met the all too familiar hazel eyes and automatically narrowed my own in recognition. "Jacob" I spat. "Bella" he spat back at me with much more vehemence.

I heard another low snarl and was just about to ask what it was when Jacob said "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the very same thing, but I think I understand" I said this once I realized who else was in the room, as I looked over the faces I saw Embry Call, and two others that looked very much like the two I saw on the cliffs diving that day. The ones that Jacob had pointed out to me as Sam Uley and either Jared or Paul.

"Here are the money, and tip" said a sweet feminine voice from behind Jacob. As I looked at the face of the payer I saw three gruesome looking scarred gashes that ran from the woman's scalp to collar bone and I quickly looked away, noting at the same time the captivating beauty that her face still held. "Thank you" I said. "Jacob, could I talk to you?" Another menacing snarl erupted from somewhere close.

These people must have a dog or something behind that door I thought to myself, it sounds almost like a bear. I noticed Jacob's head turn to look at who I guessed to be Sam. Sam nodded. By this time, my sarcasm was streaming freely. "Wow, gotta ask permission huh?"

Before I could say anything else, Jacob wrapped his large hand around my forearm, which it covered over halfway. As he tugged me out the door way I saw just how much Jacob had changed. How had I not noticed this before? His shoulders had broadened out and he looked like he had gained about 35 pounds of muscle, grown at least half a foot, and his once long a beautiful hair had been shorn off to a crew cut. As the door closed behind us, Jacob pulled me down the steps off the front porch. I heard muffled yelling coming from behind the closed door and I thought I heard "She has a right to know!" yelled by one, while another said "You don't know for sure, it's for the best", followed by silence.

I turned around and followed Jake until he stopped abruptly, let go of my arm and crossed his own arms so that he was standing in a menacing position where he was towering over me.

"Jacob, how could you?" I began. I was about to go further into the interrogation that I had planned for tomorrow, but was stopped by Jacob who was trembling all over in anger by now.

"What? What do you want from me Isabella?" At the last word my worst fears were beginning to come to fruition, a new hole was forming next to the one that had started to heal over the past few months. The realization that he didn't call me Bells or even Bella hit me hard. now I knew what was coming, I had been here before with this exact cold mask glaring down at me.

"Why are you being so harsh to me? You wouldn't return my phone calls. And why do you keep staring at me like I just killed your sister? Why are you, all of a sudden, hanging out with the jerks that you have been afraid of for the last three months? And why did you break your promise?" As I was saying all of these things I kept feeling the hole in my chest gape further and further open, and felt the burn of hot tears assaulting my eyes and streaming down my face. The last question had come out as a tortured sob.

The entire time Jacob just stared at me with a cold mask of no emotion over his once joyful face. It wasn't until my last question that I saw this new marble mask crack the tiniest amount just around the edges of his eyes, but in only half a second it was back.

"Bella it's not what we thought. I can't be around you. I won't be around you." He said it with a familiar air of finality.

I just needed one more question answered before I knew my heart would be unrepairable. "I hear the words can't and won't, just tell me Jacob. Is it because you don't want to see me anymore?" At this, his façade dropped completely. I could finally see the sun behind the clouds, not the smiling sun, but a glimmer of my Jacob without that horrible cold stare. His eyes held such devastation and regret and a single tear fell from each of their corners.

"Bella please, don't push it any farther than this. Please just go." He was begging me to leave him? I couldn't understand this. And for the one second that I saw his defenses down, I knew it was now or never, I had to tell him how I felt, had to let him see all that I had been lying to both him and myself about for so long.

"I cannot and will not leave you, I love you. I know you believed once that it could be more than the friendly kind of love, that we could be more. You believed in me, please don't stop believing. I was almost there, almost ready Jake. I can even say his name now without holding my chest. Edward! Edward! Edward!" I shouted "See." At the mention of that name my Jacob once again disappeared and there was that mask again, except it seemed even more cold and resolved than before.

"That doesn't change anything Bella." He said sternly.

"But it does, it changes everything. Don't you see?! I am willing to be what you want. I want to be what you want." I said, knowing that I was making a fool of myself and hating that the way I was acting was coming close to being in stalker territory, but I didn't care. He had to know.

"If you wanted that then you would have never knowingly dated something as disgusting as--- so blame yourself Bella, and if you want questions answered or to know the reason why I'm acting this way, ask them, the ones you chose!" He yelled.

At those words I felt like I had been shot through the chest, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground, I couldn't move or breathe, I could only stare at the damp forest floor. Suddenly I saw a flash of silver and felt a gush of air blow by me as a massive shape rushed at Jacob and then I saw something that would have made any "normal" person, inexperienced with the everyday existence of Bella Swan, faint as I screamed "Jacob! Watch out!" An explosion of red and brown fur came out of the exact spot Jake was just standing in.

Then the growls, snarls, and snapping of powerful jaws assaulted my ears like thunder while, what felt like two strong hot arms wrapped around my stomach and yanked me backwards towards the house. "Bella it's me, Embry, you need to step back"

I heard the ripping and snarling fading into the forest then I saw Sam running into the woods carrying some type of fabric under his arm, while it looked like he was unbuttoning his pants?

"Ten on Paul" said a voice coming from behind me. "Nah man, Jacob is gonna kick his ass, twenty that Jacob wins without a scratch, Jacob is way bigger and stronger, granted Paul is strong, but he's more rage and mouth than anything else."

"You're on" said the voice. As the invisible voice neared I saw that it was the boy who was standing with Sam in the living room earlier. I assumed that this must be Jared. I couldn't believe they were placing bets on the two animals, which I had just come to the radical conclusion to be Jacob and Paul, viciously fighting in the woods.

"Come on Bella, let's get you inside, it's really cold and wet out here and Jake would kill me if you got sick" said Embry. "Number one Embry, I won't leave when someone could be getting killed out there, number two, I don't think Jake really cares whether I get sick or not."

"If Jake doesn't care then Paul will" Jared mumbled. "What?" I asked, but before I could ask any further questions I heard the rustling of leaves at the edge of the woods, and three massive forms traipsed into the moonlight. Sam was in the middle, on his right was a very angry and disheveled Jake, while on his left was the bedraggled and even more pissed off looking one, who I guessed was Paul.

Just as it looked like Jacob was about to come towards me, Paul rushes to my side as a low rumbling growl is coming from Jake's chest, and says "Are you ok?" Why was I blushing? He went on, "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way, Jacob shouldn't have--, I, I mean, I just couldn't stand to see you hurting like that, please forgive me, and—"

Before he could say anything else, Sam interrupted him while placing a authoritative hand on both Jake's and Paul's shoulders "Not now Paul, we need to get her inside and I don't want to hear anything from either of you until Bella has had a chance to ask the questions that I am sure she has right now."I nodded, wide-eyed, and still very much in a state of stunned silence.

As we began walking closer to the light being emitted from the house I noticed a deep bloody puncture hole from what looked like a knife or more likely a tooth on Jacob's collarbone that was bleeding profusely and gasped.

"Ha-ha man do you owe me, that's what thirty bucks now? With the hotdog eating contest that you still owe me from, I better see some Monay pretty soon or I'm gonna hafta get the goons after ya." At saying this Jared pointed at his biceps. "Shut-up Jared." Was all Embry said.

"Jacob we need to get that cleaned up, it looks horrible, God Paul!" I snapped my head at Paul and narrowed my eyes, he winced a little, and I looked back at Jacob's now pink scar still covered in blood.

"It's nothing Bells, it'll be gone in about two more minutes, I don't even feel it now." He then took my hand from his shoulder and engulfed it in his own while looking at me with those sad hazel eyes.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what I said back there, it looks like you're going to get the answers you wanted now, most of them anyway." Jacob looked down at his feet as he said this with the most sorrowful face I had ever seen.

Although I was confused and desperately needed answers, I wanted him to know that my offer was still on the table. That I was willing to work through anything, small or big with him, for him, just like he had done for me. "It's ok Jacob, I forgive you, just as long as you are still my Jacob, a thousand times I forgive you, I love you."

Jacob smiled and this time it covered his whole face and his eyes were the same twinkling hazel orbs that had brightened my day for the last three months. I was about to walk into the house when I looked up to see Paul shaking and menacingly glaring at Jacob as Jake began snarling again, Paul was blocking the way through the door. What was up with this guy? And why was it every time he was near me, it felt like I was getting acupuncture?

Sam stepped in again "Guys you know I don't want to have a put an injunction in place, but if this keeps up-- I mean, what do you both expect when we can't even get in the door without drama? "

Paul and Jacob straightened up quickly at this statement and walked through the door into the warm dining room. "Sorry Sam" Paul and Jacob said in unison.

Injunction? Wolves and Wolf fights? Wow, that question list just keeps on getting longer and longer. I thought to myself.

As we got inside I noticed Sam walk over the sweet woman who had paid me earlier, while he tenderly caressed her face and kissed the scarred up skin before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you Emily dear." I had to avert my eyes from this pure moment, somehow it seemed very private and I felt like an intruder.

A few minutes later I heard him ask her to leave the room while he motioned for us all to take seats around the very large dining room table. Before I had a chance to think, Jacob had pulled my chair out for me and motioned for me to sit beside him while Paul placed a glass of iced tea in front of me and sat down on my other side. I could feel the thickness of the tension between these two and added a couple more questions to my mental "WTF" list.

Sam broke the awkward silence "First, Bella what have you gathered from what you have seen and heard tonight?"

I sat still for a second and looked at each face around the table all gazing at me expectantly. "Well I know that I saw two "men" turn into what I can only describe and Were-Bear-Wolves and I know by looking at the wound on Jake's shoulder, or, well the one that was on his shoulder that they heal really fast, but that is as far as I got."

Sam smiled kindly at me, which seemed very strange coming from his face, "Okay, well we are willing to answer any questions you have for us. So, go for it."

I gathered my thoughts for a moment and began with the one that seemed most important at the moment, I turned to Jacob "The tribal legends that you told me last year on the beach about the Quileute people having protectors known as spirit wolves, is that what this is? I mean is that what you are?" At first Jacob looked stunned

"Wow, Bells I can't believe you remember all that, and before you go on, you need to know that we all know about the Cullens." At this my eyes widened in shock, but I felt relieved that at least they knew that those particular legends were real as well, and I wouldn't have to betray my "once-family's" secret.

Sam then took the floor to remind me that in the legends, the cold ones are the mortal enemies of the wolves and that the wolves were created to protect the tribe from them. He also went on to tell me about the treaty that the tribe had made with the Cullens since they were considered "vegetarians," I could sense some animosity in Sam's tone of voice when he said their name, and squirmed uncomfortably in the hard wooden chair.

I decided that I had had enough discussion on the subject of the Cullens, so I asked another question. "Are all of you wolves? How many of you are there?" I directed this question to all of them. There was a collective sigh around the table as all the guys looked down at their hands except for Sam who met my stare with his own "For the moment, there are five of us" Sam's eyes scanned around the four other boys at the table before resting his eyes on me again.

"--but there are at least three more that have been showing signs of phasing. We are just hoping that it ends pretty soon. You see, in the past, every generation produces a pack of three. An alpha and two others, the only thing the elders and ourselves can conclude is that because such a large coven of vampires, the Cullens, lived so near to the reservation that it started a cascade effect in the Quileute gene pool. Now the pack is continues to grow and we don't know when or if it will stop. It appears at present, our pack is on the way to being the largest one since the first historically recorded pack known as the Taha Aki era." I suddenly understood Jake's statement earlier about why it was the fault of the "Ones I had chosen" as a reason for the way he was acting. He was referring to the Cullen's blaming them for what he had become.

At that moment, I was sad for the boy-men sitting around the table. Sad at what they had given up, but I could not and would not place blame on the Cullen's.

My mind quickly turned to some of the other questions that I had wanted to ask, they all seemed jumbled up in my head, and I didn't want to forget any of them so they all came out in a fast blur. "Why couldn't Jake see me? What is an injunction? Does this wolf-gene ever go away, like as you get older? And, why are you telling me all this now?" I didn't mean for it to come across as rude, but the first and last questions came out sounding pretty harsh, I knew this because at each question because in my peripheral vision I noticed slight flinch on either side of me. Sam began again, "I can answer the first two questions together. I am the alpha of the pack as you have probably already deduced, and as the alpha I have certain abilities to keep the pack in order. An injunction is when I use what is called the "Alpha voice." From what the guys have told me it sounds like a double voice when used, and it is like law. Say Embry for example, was to try and go against an injunction, his mind and actions would quickly be averted to something else, he simply wouldn't be able to act on what he wanted to do against the injunction."

"Nope, sure can't" Jared chuckled at this, seemingly lost in a memory of some sort.

Sam continued. "The reason why Jake couldn't see you is because I placed in injunction against it." I started to say something but Sam held up his hands in a defensive position before saying, "Now, before you get angry, hear me out. I know what Jacob told you about us before he phased, and now you know that most of it was a skewed perception of what we really are. There are a couple of reasons that I don't mind others having that skewed perception. First it keeps our secret safe. Second it keeps those around us safe. You have to understand, once we phase our emotions are extremely heightened just like our other senses; we have to learn to control our emotions before being around others. That is why Jacob didn't even go to school for three weeks. If we allowed our emotions to control us, we would be phasing everywhere, and if people are around us when we phase they can be severely damaged." At this, Sam looked down, but not before I noticed a tear slip from his eyes and fall from the tip of his nose. Then I realized why he was sad as I thought about the three long scars on his beautiful Emily.

Sam's pain was evident in his posture, so I didn't ask any other questions about it and allowed him to collect himself before he continued.

"The third question you asked goes back to the legends. We phase for as long as our tribe needs us or until we mature enough to stop phasing, at that point, it is a personal choice as to when we stop phasing. As long as we continue to phase, our bodies will remain the age that we are at present until we stop and then we will age like any normal human."

I was alarmed and a little annoyed to hear that yet again, I, Bella Swan was left alone in the withering up department, but I allowed the feelings to pass and accepted that I was never going to be out of the world of mystical creatures so I might as well get used to it.

"And the last question?" I really wanted to know what was so special about this night that they had to let me in on their deepest tribal secret. I mean sure, I saw my best friend being attacked by a wolf and then turn into one himself, but they probably could have convinced me I had fallen down and banged my head, because at that moment I was so emotionally distraught a unicorn with polka dotted bat wings could have swooped me up and I wouldn't have known the difference.

Sam let out a weary gust of a sigh while I felt Paul and Jacob stiffen on either side of me. "See Bella," Sam began "--there is thing called imprinting that is also a part of our legends. It was said to be rare, but recently we have found that not to be the case." Sam was quiet for a second, and I felt all eyes on me but motioned for Sam to press on.

"Imprinting is when a wolf looks into the eyes of his soul mate and feels the world fall out from under him. It is like he is orbiting a planet that he is linked to by an invisible thread and that one thread is what holds him in place, it is connected to his soul mate, his planet, his whole world. He will be anything for her that she needs, her friend, a brother, a father-figure, but he is meant to be her lover, and mate. Once we imprint we are allowed to tell her about ourselves, but only her." Immediately my mind went to Jake, and I wondered if he had imprinted on someone and found his soul mate. This thought made me sad, so I quickly pushed it aside.

Sam went on "Bella this is why you are here now, being told all of this. I can honestly say I have never seen or heard of anything like this happening before…" Sam trailed off leaving me with a tight pressure in my head from straining to think of what he could possibly mean with such a vague statement.

Finally he spoke again and said "Usually, the wolf that imprinted on his soul mate will tell her about himself and the imprint, but this situation is so much different that I will try to explain it the best that I can. Keep in mind, I still don't know everything about it and can't give you all the answers. I will call a council meeting tomorrow with the elders to see if we can get further understanding of it but for now here is what we know."

I sighed with relief that he was finally done rambling and was going to give me answers. "Bella you have been imprinted on, but not in a normal way." I tensed; of course, if I was going to be involved in the supernatural world it wouldn't be normal. Oh no, not Isabella.

"What I saw through the mind link out in the woods with Jacob and Paul was what seemed like Paul has completely imprinted on you and Jacob has, for lack of better terms, partially imprinted on you. I don't understand it or know why, but I will do everything I can to figure it out." Everyone was staring at me expectantly. I just couldn't do anything but stare at a small stain on the wood grain table trying to figure out if I was awake or asleep…I pinched myself.

Ouch. Yep, definitely awake.

There was a silent stirring next to me and I glanced up into those Raven Black eyes again, as a warm feeling rushed through my body and then I felt the world stop moving...

Sorry I left you with a Cliff, and although I am doing this for Bexxy's contest, I want to continue writing this story.

Please Review, this is my first story so if you have any suggestions, I would be grateful. Let me know what you think of the story line so far. I promise I have a few more twists and turns planned and am pretty excited about it. This is def. a Paul and Bella story so hang in there with me.