Revenant Paul Lahote

Chapter 26

Alice was absolutely no joke.

She took both party planning, and getting ready very seriously. While Caylee was happy to get to know the happy little vampire who was strangely related to her, she had never felt more like a childrens doll.

Pampering and prodding, curling wands and dresses, and Caylee's least favorite - the heels. By the time Alice was done she was sure to set some rules the next time there was a Cullen after party.

The door shut downstairs, and an eerie quietness filled the house despite the booming music and array of people. Alice huffed, rolling her eyes as she glanced at the clock.

"They're early," she pouted, turning to rush out of the door. "Aren't you coming?"

Caylee sighed, breathing in deeply to calm her nerves. Alice had promised nothing would happen, but that was before the decision to let the wolves come had been made. She couldn't exactly promise what she couldn't see.

Trying to get down the steep stairs of the Cullen home was difficult when wearing heels for the first time ever. Paul on the other hand was growing more and more impatient, finally pulling himself from the front door and began preparing to head upstairs and find his imprint.

Then he saw her, and oh how beautiful she looked.

She was wearing a nice black dress, her hair curled lightly, and her green eyes were trained to her feet as she attempted to watch each step with calculation as to not tumble down the stairs.

Her face had no makeup besides light mascara to accentuate her eye color, and the smile she gave Paul when she finally made it to the bottom could have melted that poor boy's heart like an ice cream cone on a summer's day.

Caylee laughed lightly at his glazed over look and placed a hand on his arm to pull him out of it. "You okay?"

"I'm perfect," he cleared his throat, "No you're perfect." Then he shook his head to clear out all of his fuzzy thoughts and tried again. "You look beautiful."

In response she blushed many shades of red, and led him away from the crowded people. They laughed together for a long while, and Paul whispered many compliments in Caylee's ear.

His close proximity the whole time was both possessive and protective, making sure no one got too close to accidentally make contact with his imprint.

The lighthearted tone dissipated the second Alice had a vision, and all of the sudden the wolves and the Cullen's were heading outside to have an important discussion.

"Stay here," Paul pleaded as he led her to a corner by the snack table. "I'll fill you in when we get home."

"How come Bella gets to hear?"

"Because it's probably her fucking fault," Paul inhaled deeply in an attempt to control any frustration. Caylee saw, placing a soothing hand to his cheek which he gratefully moved into.

"I'll be right here when you get back. Just don't go all wolfy on anyone," she joked. Paul kissed her palm once and headed outside.

"So you've been pushed out too, huh?" A small voice sounded from the other side of the table making her jump.

Across from her stood little Seth Clearwater, the youngest of the pack.

He smiled warmly at her. His baby face and tone were so childlike she honestly just wanted to pick him up and take him away from whatever may be brewing out that back door.

"Ya know, Paul thinks of you a lot. Especially on patrol, it's actually kind wei - oh punch." Seth rambled on, his hand stretching out to get a cup of punch Caylee knew for sure she saw Emmett spike earlier in the evening.

Moving quickly she stopped him. "No! I had some earlier and it tastes awful. Here," she handed him a soda. Luckily, the younger boy didn't notice anything and instead smiled innocently.

They stood in silence for a few moments, Seth's eyes gazing longingly at the food.

"Are you hungry?"

His eyes snapped back up as if he'd been caught and nodded. Already beginning to prepare him a plate, he watched her curiously.

"You're so nice. How did you end up with Paul," he scrunched his nose up at the end but Caylee only began laughing.

"We see two different Paul's." Seth nodded along as he munched on some chips, encouraging her to keep talking. "We were close friends before he shifted and he was always a lot nicer with us than the outside world."

"Us?"

Her breathing stopped for a moment before she let it out shakily. "Yes. My Gran and myself."

Seth's jaw dropped in realization, knowing he had accidentally crossed a boundary he had been warned about by the others.

"My dad passed away recently too," his brown eyes looked down at his plate.

Caylee's heart ached for the young boy in front of her. A young boy who lost a father too soon, and he was only a few years older than herself when she lost her parents.

"Hey," she said softly to get his attention, "I get it. If you ever need an escape from all of this," she gestured to the wolves and vampires outside, "my door is always open."

Seth sniffled, ready to go in for a hug when a much taller and stronger figure stepped between them.

"We're leaving."