Running With Wolves

Chapter 12

Paul awoke to Charlie standing in the doorway of her own bedroom, looking fondly at the room's occupants. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Part of Paul wanted to walk over and kiss Charlie, hoping that she might actually kiss him back. The other part wanted to pretend he was still sleeping and let her have this moment of fondness a little longer. Just as he closed his eyes, attempting to get his breathing under control, she spoke. "I know you're awake Paul," she chuckled softly, finally making her way into the room.

"Bella's presence has been requested in Forks." Charlie sighed heavily before coming to a stop in front of him. Crouching down so she was at eye level with the shifter, she brushed her hand over his cheek. The contrast between her ivory skin and his terra cotta was stark but they complimented each other nicely, like colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel.

Paul didn't know much about art, but Charlotte would do art lessons sometimes, if she needed extra cash that she wasn't getting from her job at the convenience store, and he'd picked up on a few things. Paul wasn't the artistic type, but he still understood and appreciated the beauty in art, even the unconventional art. He understood that it wasn't always meant to be beautiful, and he found that in itself to be a beautiful thing. Almost as beautiful as the face of the woman he loved, hovering less than a foot from his own.

Damn, she's gorgeous.

Charlotte giggled.

Paul swore.

"I say that out loud?" He rasped grumpily, clearly still tired despite his nap. Charlie nodded, a hand covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. Paul grumbled under his breath. When Charlotte had had enough of his grouching, she leaned in and kissed him. And, once his brain rebooted, he was quick to kiss her back.

He didn't know how he thought it would feel to kiss Charlie, but he wasn't expecting it to be the most electrifying and calming thing he'd ever experienced. He understood now why Charlotte loved sitting in the living room, curtains thrown open, cup of tea in hand, to watch a thunderstorm with rapt attention. It was thrilling, but in an almost lazy way.

He enjoyed every second of it.

Eventually she pulled away, and the look in her eyes almost killed him. She knew now, just how he felt about her. And she felt the same way, he could see it all over her face. But her eyes held all her anxieties. He could see every 'what if', every reason that they shouldn't, couldn't be together. And he knew, in that instant, that he would never let her do that to herself. He wouldn't let her walk away from what she wanted. Copying her tactic, he leant in and kissed her before she could process his movement. She sighed into him before breaking their kiss once more. This time he saw none of the self doubt and worries he had before.

Charlie kissed his nose lightly before standing up and walking over to the bed, where her sister lay motionless, blissfully unaware of what had just happened. "I originally wanted to talk with you about this whole feelings thing, but you distracted me." She teased, looking at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Charlie turned away before speaking again. "Oh, and If you even so much as think about sleeping with Rachel Black, again, I swear, to any deity listening right now, that I will rip your balls off and feed them to you." Charlie said in the same soft tone as before, not taking her fond gaze off of Bella.

Paul laughed joyfully. "I love you, woman."

Can Bitten Hunters Have Vampire Gifts?

While it is extremely rare for a hunter that has been bitten by a vampire to develop extra gifts, it does happen on occasion. These gifts aren't as pronounced as they would be in a vampire, but are certainly heightened from the muddled down, vague, human version.

As Bella Swan raced towards a suicidal vampire, Charlotte walked leisurely behind her, slowly making her way through the town square. She still couldn't believe that she was in Italy. Even harder to believe was that she and Bella had flown to Italy with Alice Cullen in a feeble attempt to save Edward from his own over dramatic tenancies. She wasn't about to let Bella go on a mission to save the ex boyfriend that had sent her into such a deep depression she was practically zombified without backup.

Charlie may not have been there for her little sister over the years, but she was here now and that's what matters.

Sitting down on the lip of a beautiful fountain, Charlie took in the sight around her. The people all dressed up, festivities in full swing. It was awe-inspiring. Charlotte was grateful that she'd remembered to bring her travel book with her. Opening the book to a new page, she fished a pen out of her purse and began to sketch the city around her. The people, the architecture, all of it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice beside her asked. It sounded almost whimsical,like a windchime. Charlie turned to look at the small pixie-esque girl, covered head to toe in clothing, and sighed. "A part of me has always wondered what it would be like, travel the world, see the sights." Turning back to her sketch, she continues, "The Roman Colosseum, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China," Charlie hated going from state to state like her mother, though travelling abroad held a certain appeal to the twenty-year-old girl. "But as much fun as that would be, I'd miss home. Dad, the pack, Paul, the people of La Push who have been nothing but welcoming to me since Paul and I moved into the house his grandparents left for him.

"And, now that I've finally gotten the chance to have her in my life again, Bella. I'd miss my little Izzy like crazy. She means the world to me, always has." She looked at the sprite beside her. Alice nodded in understanding, but didn't interrupt.

"I've had issues since I was a little kid. Nightmares, insomnia as a result of nightmares, grief over my parents' divorce, anger issues, a need to learn self-defense. Renée thought that if the numerous different combat and martial arts lessons didn't help with my nightmares, then they might help with my anger at least.

"That wasn't the case. The nightmares got worse as time went on, getting more realistic, and the anger became a defence mechanism in itself. I've always had a hard time letting people in, especially when it comes to my emotions. If I'm angry all the time,they don't pry as much as they would if I were to show them how I actually feel."

Charlie slowly got up from the fountain ledge, putting her sketchbook and pen away, offering her arm to the dainty looking vampire, she added "But enough about me, we have a dumbass mind-reader to go save."

With that, Alice tucked her hand into the crook or Charlotte's elbow, and the two strolled down the street in search of their insufferable siblings.

Alice didn't want to admit it, but she could easily find herself growing fond of Charlotte if she allowed herself to.