Lightness Within All (Paul Lahote)

Midnight Letters

As Bayla looked out the window at the snow that was falling down fast now and sticking slightly She closed the curtains and made her way closer to the fire that Paul had started and sat down in front of it, watching as the flames flickered.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Paul asked, noticing she was wearing the new hoodie Charlie had picked out for her.
Bayla smiled, remembering the Christmas dinner at her dads house that had Bella, Edward, Nessie, Jake, Leah, Sue, Charlie, Paul and herself all eating, opening presents, and watching Christmas movies together, truly a huge family Christmas.

"Yea I did. It was really nice. I want to do that every year" Bayla said with a smile . Paul smiled back and made his way to the kitchen, safely tucking away the diamond ring above the counters where Bayla wouldn't be able to see it or reach it. When he had asked Charlize his permission to marry her Charlie had tears of joy in his eyes as he hugged him tightly, glad that his daughter had such a good man by her side, but as the snow fell heavily, sticking just a small bit, he knew it would have to wait until after the Volturi left.

"Me too" Paul said from the kitchen. Paul had never been a Christmas person, yet as the years passed he had found himself more than happy to celebrate Christmas with his imprints family.
Bayla snuck up behind Paul and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him from his thoughts and he spun around and placed her on the counter top.
"I love you" Bayla said with affectionate eyes that lingered down to Paul's bare chest.
"I love you too" Paul said. He placed his hands around her torso as he placed a kiss to his lips, but as she tangled her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist he knew just where the night was headed, and as his tongue slipped in her mouth and she tightened her grip on him, he waisted no time in taking her to the bedroom where he loved her for hours on end until she was wore out and sleeping peacefully next to him.

He brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she snores softly from beside him, and he smiled lovingly down at her.
Her chest rose ever so slightly with each breath she took as her eye lids fluttered, her hands twitching ever so often as the reached out to meet Paul's.
He tried to rest his eyes, tried to lay down, but his mind only scattered with nervous thoughts about the one question he wanted to ask. He found himself in the kitchen sitting at their small table with only the small lamp light on to light up the corner of the room .

Somehow in the dark he manages to scribble down the words he would never have the courage to say.

Bayla,
I have a hard time with my words and an even harder time expressing my feelings so I'm just going to write them down. The first day I met you, when I first imprinted, I never knew just how much you would mean to me . I thought, as well as everyone else, that you deserved better. That I didn't deserve you. Someone so kind, so compassionate, and innocent. You are also the strongest person I know, you have the ability to see light in the darkest tunnels and it leaves me damned.  The truth is you made me a better person, a kinder person, you made me happier and I'll never be able to repay you for that.
You are the light of my life, I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you.
You are the most beautiful, graceful, kind hearted person I have ever known. We have gone through a lot the past years, and through it all we have become closer.
I never want to spend a day without you by my side, you are the every reason I wake up in the morning and try to do good.
You are my life.
I swear to always be here for you, through the good, the bad, through every downfall and every argument we might have. I will never leave your side, I will never be-little you, or take you for granted. I I will never forget to cherish you and remember just how amazing you are.
I love you Bayla Swan, I will always love you.
      -Paul Lahote .

As the note was wrote and the feelings were off of his chest he folded it up and placed it with the ring, just waiting for the perfect time. He glanced at the clock that read 11:45 and decided he would try to sleep, happy when he found his imprint curled up in his t-shirt that was halfway to her knees. He covered her up and laid down beside her, pulling him close to his chest and his chin rested just above her head.
The snow fell silently outside the house, now sticking to the ground as the two slept peacefully blissfully unaware that the Cullens were already on the clearing awaiting the Volturi's arrival.

As the chilly December air pierced through the small town Bayla cuddles further into Paul's side, as flashes of vampires with red eyes swirled through her mind. She felt their cold ice skin against hers, the eyes lusting for her blood staring right back at her, and as one came forward and bared it's teeth only to turn and lunge for Rennesme she sat upright in the bed, letting out a ear piercing scream that etched through the house, alerting Paul as he jumped out of bed standing in front of Bayla.

His eyes crossed the room seeing nothing but the bedrooms walls, and he turned to see Bayla with tears in her eyes as she struggled to catch her breath, and that's when he knew, not only was the situation stressful to her, it was mind consuming, bothering her even when she was asleep.