Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 22:

Paul’s POV

The following day, Christmas Eve, was chaotic for everyone. Bella and Babs accompanied Sue to the tribal clinic while Crispy, Tom, Embry, and I conducted job interviews in La Push. Applicants, desperate for employment, from area reservations and surrounding towns inundated our job fair.

“Hi, Paul,” Rick Longtree, my former classmate to whom I’d given some under the table work to, greeted me. He looked anxious, but determined.

“Hey, how are you? How can I help you?” I looked up to see his wife standing next to him. I stood up to give Mary a hug. She had also graduated with me from the tribal school.

“Paul, thank you for what you did for our family last month. We truly appreciate the help you gave us.”

“It was my pleasure. How are the repairs going?”

“Good, we finished up both roofing jobs. We’re just waiting on the windows,” Rick said. “Some of them had to be special ordered because they were odd sizes.”

“Excellent. I’m going to need you to repaint my father-in-law’s house as well. I’ll stop by at your place later to talk to you about it. To make a long story short, he duct taped Christmas lights onto the house and I’m worried about the damage after he pulls them down.”

“Uh, yeah. I’m no longer surprised by anything at Chief Swan’s house. He has one of the floorboards in the kitchen duct taped down. I was going to ask you what you wanted me to do about it.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, buddy.”

“Yeah, I’ll meet with you later, but I think I’ll have you swap out their flooring as well. We’ll discuss payment later.”

“Paul, you don’t have to pay me. You’ve already done so much.”

“Hey, I’ve already told you. When I needed help, your parents stepped in to keep me fed. Now it’s my turn to help. It’s not a handout. You’re legitimately working for your money.”

“Thanks, Paul.”

“You’re welcome. Now why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Mary kept nodding her head at Rick in encouragement.

He sighed and said, “Paul, I need a job. Desperately. I have some construction experience and I’m a top-notch carpenter. I don’t do drugs, I have a high school diploma, and I’m a hard worker. I don’t want anything permanent-just temporary. I love La Push and I can’t imagine my kids growing up anywhere but here.”

“You understand that temporary in this case would be over the course of at least three to five years, don’t you?”

“I do. I read your information sheet. I just… We’re poor Paul and we need a leg up. I tried my best here. I tried setting up my own carpentry business with Jason and Chris, but it didn’t garner enough business. I worked for the tribal maintenance department after that, but I quit after I didn’t get paid for two straight months. I…”

“Wait. What did you say?”

“Huh?”

“Did you just say that you didn’t get paid for two months while working for tribal maintenance?”

“Yeah, Fuller said they ran out of money. They didn’t even have enough in the coffers to pay for repair supplies. It’s pathetic-you should see the supply shed. It’s bare.”

“Thanks for the information. I’m sure Chief Black will want to talk to you about this later.”

“No problem. So, do you have a job for me?”

“You’ll have to sit for an interview just like everyone else. I need to look over your resume and see what you can and can’t do. Do you have your paperwork?”

“I do, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t call my last job for a reference. I kind of had it out with Tony Fuller when I left. I’m not exactly well-liked by him.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you were up front about it with me. Why don’t we talk about the experience you do have? Then, I can tell you more about the jobs I might have available for you.”

“Thank you, Paul.”

“Mary, if you’ll excuse us-I’d like to begin our interview now.”

“Of course and… and… Please tell your wife thank you for the groceries and the lasagna. We were so touched, and they came at just the right time. I know you paid our light and phone bill as well. It really was so sweet of you.”

“Honestly, it was no problem.”

“Thank you again, Paul. I’ll leave now so you can do your job.”

And this is how it’s been all day. People who Embry, Tom, or I knew have been approaching us and begging for work-any work. Jason and Chris, the two other classmates who I gave jobs to, also stopped by for interviews. There were people from Forks sent by Charlie and Jessica’s father as well. I had one guy without a high school diploma tell me that he would do anything-even clean toilets at my company. I had to turn him down and explain to him that even the janitors who worked for me had high school diplomas or GED’s. The rule was firmly in place and I couldn’t budge on it no matter what the position. I gave him my contact information and told him that he was free to apply for a position after he earned his diploma, then sent him to another booth that Josh Uley was running. He was taking names of tribal members who were interested in obtaining a GED. Those who weren’t members of our tribe would be promptly referred to the adult education department of their respective tribes. I was pleased to see that this guy actually stopped and asked Josh for help. About twenty percent of all applicants were high school dropouts who had to be turned away, and roughly two thirds of those without diplomas left without stopping to see Josh. I really felt bad for these people. Until they learned that a basic education was the very first step towards a better life, they would always be stuck in their rut. Fortunately, I knew that Rick had a high school diploma; he graduated with me after all.

After completing the interview with Rick, I called the next number. I looked up to see Joe Cameron, Jared’s father, standing in front of me. He handed his resume, proof of his diploma, list of references, and a completed application to me. “I just got pink slipped over at the mill. It was our main source of income. With Jenny having the baby, I need to be able to support the family. I have absolutely no construction experience, but I’m handy with tools. I taught both Jared and you everything I knew when you were kids. I’m strong. I’m a fast learner and a hard worker. I don’t take drugs. I rarely even drink-I can’t afford beer. The point is: I need a job, Paul.”

“You know I’m not going to say no to you, Joe. Jane and you took me into your home because my mother was incapable of raising me. You treated me no different from your children. When I needed food, you fed me. When I needed to be taught right from wrong, you told me straight. You also instilled a great deal of Quileute values in me. It’s something I’ll never be able to repay you for.”

“Paul, we did what we thought was right. You had no support out there. Excuse me if I’m overstepping my boundaries, but I once caught your mother trading some of her food stamps for vodka-from that point on, Jane and I made a vow to at least keep you fed in my house. We discussed it with others on the reservation like Josh Uley and Sue Clearwater and we all made a pact to keep you as safe and well fed as possible. No matter how much of a smart ass you were, you were still just a child. This is how the Quileutes are-we are good people in our hearts and we make sure that tribal members don’t go hungry.”

Well, shit. No wonder we hardly ever had food in the house when I was growing up. My mom was trading in the food stamps for liquor and probably cigarettes too. Somehow, I lucked out and made it, but how many more kids like me were on this reservation and other ones? I decided to change the subject. “You’ll have to move away from La Push though. Is it something you want to do?”

“I’m willing. I’ll do anything. I just don’t want Jane and the kids to have to suffer. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened.” And this is exactly why Joe Cameron was such a great father. He loved his wife and his kids. My parents couldn’t stand each other or me. Heck, they probably couldn’t even stand themselves.

“Alright, I already know you have a high school diploma so you’ve passed the first requirement. I need you to drive to Forks and take a drug test. It’s completely paid for by my company. I know you don’t do drugs, but it’s compulsory on a state level. Here’s the paperwork. I’ll stop by at your house later and we’ll discuss this further.”

“You’re a good man, Paul.”

“I had a great role model when I was growing up,” I told him, looking him directly in the eye.

He put one strong, rough, calloused hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, son.”

I nodded my head, watched him walk away, and sighed. What the hell was going on? Why were we living in a world where good, hard-working people were getting laid off? When were people like Joe Cameron going to get a break? I scanned the room in front of me and realized that I couldn’t do it all on my own. Hell, I was just one kid and it took several families on the reservation to keep me safe from my parents-the two people who should have had my security at the forefronts of their minds. I had so much to do in La Push. I truly owed it to the members of my tribe to make life better for them. I wasn’t so naïve as to blame the entirety of the mess on the reservation on Tony Fuller either-somewhere along the line, lackadaisical management and fiscal carelessness decimated the tribe, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

A little after six pm, we finally finished with the interviews and parted ways to reunite with our wives. Embry came along with Crispy and me because Jess and he were joining us. We walked in through the front door to find the entire house devoid of any women. Charlie, Billy, Seth, Colin, Jacob, and Eric were planted in front of the big screen amidst a myriad of home cooked dishes.

“Where are the girls?” I asked.

“Leah’s hosting another Pampered Chef Party,” Eric Yorkie informed me.

“On Christmas Eve?”

“It’s exclusively for your wives-the general public isn’t invited.”

“When did Leah decide to do this?”

“While I was at work. I didn’t bother finding out the reasons behind it. I just bolted out of the house before she handed the kids over to me.”

“Where are everyone’s kids anyway?”

“They were over at my house when I left. Bella was having them make Santa hats and Christmas stockings with glitter glue.”

“Bella with glue?” Embry asked, horrified. “Are the kids going to be okay?”

Before I could answer, Josh, Tom, and Old Quil walked into the house. Josh was carrying a couple of homemade pies. Old Quil on the other hand asked, “Can one of you grab the keg from Josh’s truck?”

“I’m on it,” Eric offered and went outside. A minute later, he walked back in sweaty and out of breath. “Erm, I could use some help-it’s kind of heavy.”

I stood up and went outside. Of course, I could have carried the thing in by myself, but Eric insisted on helping so I had to let him so he felt useful. It couldn’t be easy being the only male imprint amongst us supernatural wolves and coyotes. While he was lacking in physical strength, Eric made up for it in brainpower. About three years ago, tired of working as a computer programmer, he began his own IT consulting firm. He utilized his connections and Leah’s and soon began picking up jobs in Forks. His fair prices and excellent customer follow up combined with genuine knowledge of his field garnered him a stellar reputation which soon started spreading beyond Forks and throughout the State of Washington.

“How are things going with your business?”

“Busy as usual. I’ll be gone during the week for most of the first three months of the year. I picked up a contract with Bank One Washington redoing their whole system.”

“That must be a huge contract. Are you hiring any employees?”

“No, not yet. The job is still manageable solo. I do have a question for you, though.”

“Shoot.”

“You know how you have your BIA friend looking into the tribe’s files?”

“Yep.”

“I’d like to help him.”

“How?”

“Well, after I’m done with the bank, I have a month before the next job starts. I could fly down to Phoenix and try to extract as much info from the hard drives. You see, chances are that Tony Fuller has accessed his personal records from his work computer-if he has, then I can get to them.”

“I can pay you for this,” I told him.

“Paul, let me do this for the pack. You’ve done so much already for us-Bella delivered our baby and helped Leah with her lactation problem. Let me pay you back in my own small way. It’s the only way I can think of to give back.”

“You don’t need to give back, Eric. We’re a pack, it’s what we do.”

“How about if you just give my ego a boost and let me do this for you?”

“You’ll at least let me pay for your flight and any expenses while you’re in Phoenix, won’t you?”

“If you insist, but you don’t need to. I’m staying at your house, you know.”

“You’re welcome anytime.”

“Good, I’ll call you as soon as I wrap up the bank job.”

“Sounds good.” I patted Eric on the back. “Thanks, man.”

We carried the keg into the house and dug into the food and beer. We were watching a game on TV and simply having a good time male bonding. More and more guys from the neighborhood stopped by with food and drinks minus their wives. Rick, Jason, and Chris all stopped by and so did Joe Cameron. It occurred to me that this might be some sort of a yearly tradition where the men hang out and watch the game while the women… What in heck were the ladies doing?

Bella’s POV

Babs dragged Jess and me out of Leah’s house and the three of us started walking until we were a good distance away.

“What is it?”

“I had to get away. Did you see how many kids there were? Why the hell are the women in charge of the kids?”

“Beats me. I’m just as lost as you are. This is my first Christmas here in years.”

“It’s just how it’s always been,” Jess explained. “The women like to give the men a break so they could watch the game and hang out without kids on Christmas Eve.”

“Um, the three of us are not mothers!” Babs pointed out.

“Thank God for that! You know, I used to want a baby desperately when I was married to Mike, but now I want to hold off for a bit longer and focus on simply enjoying my time with Embry. I have a feeling that when I was with my-ex, I wanted to have a baby in hopes that it might bring us closer together. We had such a terrible relationship. We were so disconnected.”

“Well, of course you were disconnected. The guy was a lying, cheating prick!” Babs spat venomously. She loved Jess, and she hated how Mike had hurt her, even if it was in the past.

“You’ve got a point there, Babs. Mike was definitely all of those things, but I think he was genuinely in love with Lauren, too. I heard they have four kids together now with a fifth on the way.”

“Five? Jess, if you were still married to that creepazoid ex of yours, you would have been some sort of a breeding vessel.”

“Impossible, he rarely was able to get it up around me, and when he was able to-he couldn’t keep it standing.”

“No way! How was he able to produce children with Lauren?” I asked.

“Bella, the reason why Mike wasn’t able to perform with me was because he was having sex with Lauren during the day while I was at work. Her apartment was located directly across the street from Newton’s Olympic Outfitters, and to make matters worse-it came out during our divorce trial that he’d been paying her rent and living expenses. It also came out that she was pregnant again.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“Here’s the thing, I couldn’t really blame him for doing that-those were his kids and he had an obligation to support them.”

“Yeah, but you were bringing an income in as well.”

“I know; that’s why the judge awarded me our house. Mike essentially had to pay off what we owed on the mortgage. When he said that he didn’t make enough to do that, the judge ordered him to borrow against his share of ownership in Newton’s Olympic Outfitters.”

“Is that what he did or did his parents bail him out?” I questioned.

“Of course his parents bailed him out. They have two things they love in their lives: Mike and Newton’s. Anyway, in the end, I got the house, a settlement of fifty thousand dollars, plus my attorneys fees taken care of.”

“How long after the divorce did you meet Embry?”

“Just a few months later. After the school year ended, I switched to teach at the Tribal School in La Push because I didn’t want to have to teach at the same school that Mike and Lauren’s kids attended. Anyway, Embry and Quil were rewiring the school. I arrived to set up my classroom and Embry was standing on a ladder working on some wires in the ceiling. He looked down to identify himself and to tell me how long the job would take-that’s when he imprinted on me. He was in such shock that he fell off of the ladder and landed right on top of my right foot. I had to go to the emergency room because I broke it.”

“That has got to be the most romantic imprinting tale I’ve heard. It’s so Embry.”

“I know.” Jess turned curiously to Babs. “How did Crispy and you meet?”

“Oh, our story is pretty boring. We were both on the debate team together in high school when he took one look into my eyes and realized I was his mate. It was the one and only time that he ever lost a debate.”

“How old were you when he imprinted on you?” I asked.

“We were both freshmen in high school.”

“You’ve been with Crispy since you were fourteen? Hold on. How old was he when he first phased?”

“Our guys are a bit different from yours. They all phase on their thirteenth birthday.”

“That’s so young!”

“I know, but they’d been prepared for the day by their fathers and grandfathers so they knew it was going to happen. They didn’t suddenly morph into coyotes one day without warning like your wolves did. They’d been educated about their impending fates from the moment they were born.”

“You just nailed the difference between the coyotes and the wolves right on the head, Babs. The wolves were ill prepared and so were the elders who were supposed to be mentoring them; meanwhile, the coyotes had support from the get go. It’s knowledge and education that got your guys where they are today. I wish our guys had the same support, but the supernatural works in weird ways.”

How right Jessica was. When I saw how much guys like Jared, Sam, and Brady were struggling, I became angry at the circumstances, which landed them in their situations. The wolves and the coyotes were similar yet worlds apart when it came to their backgrounds. I differed in opinion with Jessica though. I refused to blame the supernatural alone for their circumstances. The coyotes were proud of who they were and had been brought up to make the most of their situation. The wolves, on the other hand, were taught to hide who they were, and more or less told that they were freaks and monsters. It took a toll on their self-esteem and it showed.

We continued walking until we suddenly wandered in front of our old high school. “My God, Bella. I still remember the first day you walked into the school.” Jess looked into my eyes and giggled. “I really hated you back then. Every single hot guy in school wanted you.”

“Hey, Jess?”

“Yeah.”

“I hated myself back then, too.”

“Oh good, so we were on the same page.”

“Exactly.”

“Aww, I wish I had gone to high school with you two.”

“No, you don’t, Babs. Jess and I weren’t exactly friends. Okay, I’m going to be honest with you; I didn’t exactly have any friends. I alienated everyone for Edward and then for Jacob. I was a really screwed up teenager.”

“You seem fine now.”

“It took a ton of therapy to get me to where I am now.”

“She really was a screwed up teenager, Babs.” I found it highly ironic how Jessica Stanley was someone I now counted among my very best friends. I detested her in high school, but now she was someone I trusted implicitly. Jess put an arm around me and gave me a squeeze. “Love you, Bells.”

“Love you, too, Jess.”

“Doesn’t anyone love me?” Babs questioned jokingly.

“Of course we love you.” I gave her a hug and so did Jess. The three of us headed back to Leah’s house to face the gaggle of children and their mothers. None of us were ready for motherhood yet. We were still young, and in the case of Jess and myself, recently married within the last couple of years. We had plenty of time to start a family.

We soon walked back into Leah’s house where the gathering was still in full swing. The children were all watching cartoons and the older ones were upstairs playing on the Playstation. Leah was simultaneously demonstrating Pampered Chef, Tupperware, and Avon. Jacob’s daughter Sarah smiled and waved shyly to me as she approached us, holding her little sister Rebecca’s hand. It occurred to me that this little girl had much too much responsibility on her plate for an eleven year old.

“Babs, these are Willy’s sisters, Sarah and Rebecca.”

“Hello,” Babs greeted. “Goodness, you two have to be the prettiest little girls I’ve ever met.”

She was right; Sarah and Rebecca were both adorable. They took after Jacob, but they had Angela’s naturally wavy hair. They were painfully shy and kept their eyes to the floor.

Rebecca held out a pink barrette to Babs. “Did you want me to put this in your hair for you?”

The little girl nodded to Babs in response.

“She thinks you’re pretty,” Sarah informed her.

“Well, thank you, honey. How old are you?”

Rebecca held up four fingers.

“Oh, you’re a big girl.” Babs looked up at Sarah. “And how old are you?”

“Eleven.”

“Eleven? Are you in the sixth grade?”

“Yes.”

“And you do such a nice job taking care of your sister.”

“She only has me.”

Babs, Jess, and I turned to each other with worried expressions. Poor Sarah was only in the sixth grade and it occurred to us that the bulk of the responsibility of raising her sister was on her shoulders. We’d all heard from our husbands the story of how Jacob had thrown Angela out of his house after discovering that she’d been physically abusive to their children. All of the wolves and coyotes were completely outraged; especially Jared-who with his big heart-kept trying to convince Kim that they needed to take in Jake’s kids and raise them. Kim pointed out that Jake wasn’t a bad father, and that the kids loved him. Jared wouldn’t drop the subject for two weeks, though.

Sue approached us at that moment. “Sarah, how about if Aunty Babs watches Rebecca for a bit and I paint your nails for you?”

“Really?”

“Sure, you can pick any color you want from Aunty Leah’s Avon pile. I’ll even do your toenails for you.”

“What about Isaac? He’s going to be hungry soon.”

“Aunty Bella will keep an eye on your brother. Besides, he’s playing with Mikey; he’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Sarah went to sit with Sue who flashed all of us a smile. I couldn’t help, but notice that Sarah kept glancing back towards her little brother and sister worriedly. For one so young, she had too much responsibility; not only that, but she was too timid and frightened-a result of Angela’s abuse.

Jess pulled me aside that moment and asked, “Bella?”

“Yes?”

“I feel guilty.”

“Why?”

“Because… because I suspected Sarah was abused last year when she was in my class and I did nothing about it. I just… I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t think there was any way Reverend and Mrs. Weber’s daughter could hit her child. I’m a terrible teacher.”

“No, you’re not. You weren’t sure and even Jacob didn’t suspect the child abuse. The fault lies mainly with Angela, but also with Jacob for being too unobservant.”

“Here’s the thing, when I see the kids now, I realize that all of the signs were there. Look at how timid and unsure of themselves the Black children are. Each and every one of them is probing the faces of adults and watching for emotions because they’re afraid of their reactions.”

I glanced at Jacob’s kids and realized how correct Jess was. The children displayed many of the warning signs of abused children; however, at the same time, they had many caring aunties within the tribe. Now that Angela’s abusive nature had become common knowledge, I was confident that the tribal members of La Push wouldn’t let these kids fall through the cracks. After all, they didn’t let Paul fall through the cracks while he was growing up.

“They’ll be fine, Jess. They’ve got Jacob, Billy, my father, and lots of uncles and aunties who love them.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Still, it doesn’t lessen the guilt that I could have done something.”

I turned to her and gave her a hug. “You didn’t know at the time, Jess. Had you known, I have no doubt that you would have been the first one to report it.”

“I really hope Angela permanently loses custody of those kids when they finalize the divorce. She doesn’t deserve them.”

“I hope so, too, Jess.”

I had no idea what was going on with the Jake situation other than that they were legally separated. I was just happy that Willy, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca were away from their horrific mother and that Jake finally seemed to be pulling it all together for the sake of his children’s well being.