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FIFTEEN; ALTERCATIONS

"OH MY GOD, can't you guys make out literally anywhere else? This is where I eat my food!"

Amelia and Paul ignored Jared's loud exclamation, proceeding to kiss near the kitchen table. They failed to pull away until the whole pack came flooding into the house, complaining about Amelia and Paul's avid affection for one another.

Amelia giggled and slid off of Paul's lap, pulling her backpack on. Her soulmate groaned at the movement.

"Do you have to go?" He whined, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her back to him. "You can ditch school with me again."

"Well, I actually want to graduate high school again," she teased, pressing another kiss to his lips. "Unlike some others, who are currently failing."

"Hey!" Most of the pack protested at Amelia's comment. She offered them all a solid look — patrol took over almost all of their lives, causing them to fall back on their studies. Most of them didn't seem to care about their academic performance, however.

"Anyways, I actually have to go," she announced.

"Okay," Paul conceded, while Embry made a kissy face at him. Paul glared.

She waved goodbye to the pack, including Leah and Seth. The latter was joyous at Amelia's presence, delighted to befriend a different species other than shapeshifter or human. Leah, however, was indifferent to everyone who came, and had a similar reaction to Jake when she discovered of Paul's imprint. Amelia couldn't blame her — Leah had been put through absolute hell during these past two months, considering her phasing was one of the causes for her father's heart attack, and her discovery that she was the only female shapeshifter in the entire reservation, along with the fact that her new alpha was her ex-fiancé. Amelia guessed she didn't particularly like it either when they always had meetings at Emily's place, having to see her cousin smacking face with Sam almost everyday.

Amelia hoped Leah could find it in her heart to warm up to vampires, for Amelia really wanted them to become close.

The blonde was joyous when she arrived at school, delighted to be around the company of others after being away for so long. She loved Paul more than anything, but spending time with mere humans gave her utmost pleasure.

She had forgotten, nonetheless, about Mike Newton's affections.

"Hey, Mia!" The boy greeted her as soon as she walked into the building. "Want me to carry your books for you?"

She smiled softly. "I can manage, Mike. Thank you."

The boy continued to chatter animatedly as they walked together. Mike definitely knew about Paul — the entirety of Forks and La Push couldn't stop gossiping when they discovered that a Cullen and a guy from the reservation were suddenly an item.

This information, however, did not deter Mike's devotion to Amelia.

"So, I told Eric that he shouldn't have-"

"Mike," she interrupted him, stopping in the middle of the hallway. His attention was entirely focused on her. "You know that I'm dating Paul, right?"

His shoulders slumped just slightly, but Amelia caught the movement. "Yeah, I heard about it. I mean, is that really the guy for you, Mia? I pictured you with someone more-"

"More like you?" She mused, finishing for him.

His cheeks flushed red. "No, no. Of course not. That's not exactly what I'm saying, but I never pictured you being with one of those reservation guys."

"Are you saying this because of your dislike for Jacob Black?" She smiled. Bella told her all about Jake and Mike's spat during their movie 'date.'

He rolled his eyes. "I'd really enjoy it if we didn't talk about that guy."

She laughed. The sound was music to Mike's ears. "Look, Mike, all you need to know is that Paul makes me really happy, okay? Don't listen to any of these rumors — I'm dating him because I actually like him."

He grumbled. "Yeah, okay."

Mike's attention to her didn't cease, even during lunch when they were surrounded by their friends.

She was talking quietly to Alice, who had seen Amelia's meeting with Demetri in her visions and was the only one who knew about the affair, along with Edward after reading both of his sisters' minds. Alice insisted Amelia tell the secret to the rest of the family so that they could protect Paul, but Edward agreed in Amelia's belief that Aro wouldn't dare force her to join the Volturi. It would upset Carlisle a great deal, and Aro adored Carlisle too much to disappoint him.

"Mia?" Mike asked, interrupting their conversation. Both vampires darted their eyes to him. "Would you like me to get your lunch for you?"

She smiled tightly. "That's alright, Mike. I'm not very hungry today."

Mike's grin suddenly disappeared as he glanced at the entrance of the cafeteria. Amelia followed his line of vision, slightly surprised to see Paul standing at the door. Girls began to whisper frantically and Alice raised an eyebrow, but Amelia rolled her eyes at her.

She quickly rushed to remove Paul from sight as the whispers grew louder. She passed by Bella and Edward, who were also throwing her odd looks.

"Hi," she spoke, pushing at the shapeshifter's chest to bring him to a different area. "Um, it's not that I don't love you visiting me, but-"

"Where is that Newton kid? I swear, I'll punch his goddamn lights out," Paul growled. She could feel the steam radiating off of him, and she quickly pulled him around the corner.

"What are you talking about?" She murmured, trying to keep him as calm as possible.

"That Newton kid! I heard he's still flirting with you! I'll beat his ass, I swear-"

"No, you won't," she said, cradling his cheeks in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Paul, you need to relax. Nothing is happening with Mike. He's just being a good friend."

He scoffed. "Oh, friend is the term we're using for him? You were practically in love with him before we met!"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. I just liked that he gave me attention, that's all. You don't need to beat up the poor kid in the Forks cafeteria just because he likes carrying my books to class. You don't see me rushing to La Push to beat up every girl that looks at you."

"I don't care," he hissed. "I want that Newton kid to understand who your boyfriend is. It's me, not him."

"I know that, silly," she grinned, pressing a kiss to his lips. "That's all that matters, okay?"

He blinked. "Are you sure he's not giving you a hard time? He knows about me, right?"

"Of course he does. Our relationship is all this school can talk about ever since my family came back into town. Just relax, Paul. Everyone knows we're together," she assured him.

She could hear his heartbeat slow down before he caved. He supposed he would have to go beat Newton up on another day.

"Will you come over later?" He asked meekly, kissing her cheeks, which made her giggle. "Help me finish some homework since I'm the ignorant student you claim me to be."

"Don't you have to run patrol?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Lately, Paul had been testing more and more of Sam's patience by either showing up to patrol late or not coming at all. "Sam said he wasn't going to invite me over again unless you shape yourself up."

"Sam isn't going to do anything about my beautiful imprint always coming over to see me," he murmured, kissing her lips delicately.

She laughed. "Well, I can't, anyways. I have to go get my prom dress fitted one last time."

He sighed. "You really want to go to this thing, huh?"

Her eyes narrowed. "The dance is this weekend, Paul. You got your suit and everything, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. You're the only girl who's ever dragged me into one of these things, you know. The pack's gonna hold this against me for a very long time."

She placed one last kiss on his lips before parting. "Well, I'm glad you've chosen to sacrifice your masculine views for one night. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to have lunch with my friends and speak to Bella about her prom dress."

Paul left shortly after that, and a smile lingered on Amelia's face when she returned to the table. Her happiness faded, however, when she received a cold stare from Alice. She could practically hear what her sister was saying with her eyes — a vision has made an arrival, and it is far from good.

Amelia kept silent until they arrived home. She cancelled her dress appointment in the car, even though Bella seemed suspicious by Amelia's lack of questioning about prom, which was usually constant in their conversations.

Once Edward dropped them off at home, she cornered Alice on spilling the secrets. She gathered the family around before she spoke.

"Victoria intends on dropping by this weekend with the intention of harming Bella," Alice revealed. "Edward knows, and I'm assuming he's trying his best to get her out of town."

"There goes prom for me this year," Amelia muttered to herself. Rosalie threw her a look. Amelia cleared her throat before slamming her fist against the table. "What I meant to say was — she needs to be stopped! I swear, I almost had my hands on her when you guys were gone. If I could get even an inch closer this time around-"

"We have to kill her," Emmett nodded. "For Bella's safety. She won't stop until Bella's dead."

Carlisle hummed in agreement. "We'll plan a form of attack when Edward returns. Clear your schedules this weekend. I know you're upset, Mia."

Emmett grinned and swung an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Oh, you've had plenty of proms already, Lia. You can afford to sacrifice one."

"This was going to be her first prom with Paul," Alice reminded him, smiling softly and looping her arm through Jasper's. "She has every right to be upset, Emmett."

The burly vampire rolled his eyes. "You have the rest of eternity to go to silly high school dances with him, Lia."

"I'm sure Paul's not too eager about dressing in a monkey suit either," Jasper chimed in. Amelia stuck her tongue out at him.

She glanced around at her family, knowing that she wanted to have this love in her life for forever. With Aro's threat looming in her mind, she wasn't sure what her fate would result in.

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Amelia stood in the middle of the forest, surrounded by her family. She was feeling particularly upset with Victoria, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on her and rip her into pieces.

"Be ready," Carlisle rang out as another warning.

This might be their best chance at finally defeating the redhead, and the family could not afford any mistakes.

"Remember, Mia, if she crosses over that boundary line, we cannot assist you from there," Esme reminded her daughter.

Amelia nodded. "I know. Don't worry, she won't escape my grasp again."

"On your left!" Alice suddenly shouted, and the family broke off into a run. Amelia could suddenly see the flame of Victoria's hair as she glided through the forest. Emmett was hot on her tail and Amelia pushed herself as fast as she could go.

Victoria glanced back, smirking at the vampires as if she was taunting them. Amelia clenched her teeth and picked up her speed.

Like Esme had predicted, Victoria jumped over the boundary line and onto Quileute land. Amelia quickly followed, leaving her siblings behind.

It wasn't long before the wolves were by her side, running with her. Her eyes were solely focused on Victoria, getting closer and closer to her figure. If Amelia could just lay one finger on her, she could let her powers do the rest.

She was shocked when Victoria had turned around, bringing her hand up in the air to swing it across Amelia's cheek. The blonde went soaring through the air, landing on the thick ground of the forest.

Paul had immediately stopped in his tracks while the pack kept running, but even Amelia knew that they were not fast enough to catch Victoria. She stood up to begin running again, but Paul had shifted back into his human form, pulling his shorts on quickly.

"Mia, Mia," he spoke sternly, pushing her back onto the ground. "Stop. We've lost her."

"No!" She shouted, pushing him away. "We have to kill her! Bella's life depends on it!"

"Mia," he repeated in a softer tone. The pack had now split off, giving up all hope of catching Victoria and settling for finding and protecting their loved ones. "We'll catch her at another time, I promise. I won't let her escape after seeing what she just did to you."

"I'm going to set fire to that bitch," Amelia hissed. "I won't allow Bella to live in constant danger."

He helped his imprint up and smiled, kissing her quickly. "I know you will. I hate to be the one to say it, but I'm kind of glad she came on the lands again."

She scoffed and stepped away from him. "Paul, how can you say that?"

"Well, now, I didn't need to go to that awful dance you're so in love with."

She slapped his chest, which made him howl in laughter. He pecked her cheek and grinned.

"Just kidding, Mia. No need to get so aggressive."

"I hate you."

paul and mia are soooo cute but the volturi is going to make them so angsty :^(