Full Moon

"Goddamn it, Bella. Breathe!" 

It was that exact moment that I turned over and vomited everything out of my lungs and stomach. Everything hurt. I moaned, turning on my side, gagging. I tried to put names to the voices that were speaking.

"That's it, get it out." Soothing. Loving. Julie.

"How long was she unconscious?" Cold. Inquisitive. Sam.

"Maybe a minute or two. Not long. I think she was passing out just as I grabbed her." Panic. Julie.

"Did she hit her back when she fell?" Curious. Sam.

"I don't think so." Concern. Hopeful. Julie.

I felt warm hands move the hair back from my cold face. My eyes opened. My head was on Julie's lap. She was crying. We were covered in sand and soaking wet. Sam stood a few feet away, eagle-eyed. His eyes stared into the trees. 

"I'm okay," I whispered. My throat was burning, but everything else was freezing. I shivered. 

"Does anything hurt?" Sam again. 

I shook my head. "Sore. Not broken."

"Go back to the hospital, Sam. I've got her from here. Thank you." To me, she said, "You scared the shit out of me. Why would you go cliff diving without me? I told you it was dangerous."

"Baby cliff," I whispered. 

"Well that wasn't a baby cliff. And even if it was, there's a storm coming in. In case you couldn't tell by the water." She sighed. I tried to focus on her face again. So pretty.

"Who got hurt?" I whispered. 

"Not one of us. Harry Clearwater had a heart attack." She scooped me up easily. I set my head against her shoulder. Her touch instantly warmed me. "Come on, let's get you warmed up." 

She awkwardly set me in the truck, turning all the heat on and spraying the hot air towards me.

Julie settled into the driver's seat, sighing. "To the hospital we go."

"To visit Harry?" I croaked. 

"What? No, to get you checked out." 

"No hospital." My throat was on fire. 

"But--" She sighed at my shaking head. "Fine, my house then. So I can watch you die of a collapsed lung from the peace and comfort of my couch." 

I smiled softly. "Not so bad." 

When we got to her house, I let myself out. She watched anxiously. Maybe she was convinced my legs would give out on me.

Julie opened the front door for me. I stood in the kitchen area, a sopping wet mess, and looked absently to her. 

"Water," I croaked. 

She grabbed a bottled water from the kitchen, watching anxiously as I drank the entire thing. My throat felt better afterwards. 

"Dad's not here; he's at the hospital with Charlie. Let's get you out of those wet clothes. I'll wash them while you shower, maybe warming you up will help." 

She helped me to their bathroom, a modest little thing across the hall from her bedroom.

Inside, she paused. "I'll leave you to--"

"My arms hurt," I whined. "Help." 

Julie hesitated before nodding, taking the corners of my shirt in her hands and lifting it over my head. She plopped it on the floor. She was rigid, looking away timidly, with a dark blush in her cheeks. Trying to be respectful.

She went to my shoes next, untying them and peeling them off with my socks. My jeans went last, her having to actively fight them as they stuck to my legs. I had to hold on to her shoulders to stay upright. She checked in with me again regarding my pain; nothing broken, just sore and cold. Her fingers went over joints and bruises, pleased when I didn't flinch.

Jules started up the shower for me, letting me approve of the warmth before I stepped in. I used her arm for balance. The spray was nice, my muscles steadily releasing their tension.

"You can use my shampoo, or I have some of yours if you want to use that--" 

"Can you help?" I asked again. My voice was pathetic. I was whining. "Please?" 

I was in my underwear in her shower, begging for help washing myself. Julie looked like she was going to have a stroke. 

"I... Okay." She sighed and started taking her own clothes off, until she was half-naked like me. "You want to use my shampoo or yours? Scooch over." 

"Yours," I hummed. 

She let me have the side with the water. Very polite of her. She was patient, lathering my hair and rinsing it carefully, applying conditioner and letting it sit. My shivers slowly subsided, my muscles stopped aching as much. At one point, I just set my head against her chest and relaxed. 

It wasn't sexual, but it had definitely been the most intimate moment I'd had with Julie by far. 

She was even respectful as she washed my body, taking a soapy wash cloth and carefully going over almost every part of my body with gentle care. 

"Your turn," I said contently, shuffling awkwardly so she could enjoy the spray of the hot water. 

"I thought you were too tired to wash yourself," she countered. 

"I'm feeling better." This was true; my limbs were less rusty, but still sore between my franctic swimming and the assault of the current. "Kneel please." 

"Strawberry soap," she said quietly. 

She did as told, smiling to herself. I caught her staring as I washed her hair, her eyes only closing when I ran my nails along her scalp. She didn't use conditioner but I still applied a little bit to the ends. 

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks when I was washing her body, watching the suds run down her. I could feel her eyes on me again, laughing as I kneeled to wash her long legs. 

When we were finally done, she dried me off first. She was gentle, like she thought I would break. Julie even took the time to towel-dry my hair. 

"I'll get you some clean clothes," she volunteered. "They'll be huge on you." 

I thought about the spare clothes in the back of my truck and didn't mention them. 

She came back still undressed with a sweater and sweat pants, plus some warm socks. She tried setting them down and walking away, but my pitiful look stopped her. 

"You can't be serious." At my pathetic face, Julie sighed again before nodding slowly. "Okay."

She slid the sweater over my head before unhooking my bra, sliding it through the sleeve. 

"I'm supposed to remain calm," she reminded me. Her hands were on my hips. "You're definitely testing me." 

"You're not shaking," I murmured. 

"I promised myself I couldn't hurt you." 

Her sweater worked as an excellent cover; it reached partially down my thighs. Her fingers hooked through my underwear and brought them down my legs, me stepping out of them carefully. She easily rolled her sweatpants up my legs, tying the drawstring close. I had my hands on her shoulders as she placed the socks on my feet. 

"Come on, I'll get you a heated blanket on the couch." 

I completely ignored her suggestion and toddled across the hall, face-planting on her mattress. It smelled like her, and it was closer. "Couch too far," I lied as I cuddled into the mattress. Where the hell were her blankets? Didn't she have a comforter? The flimsy top sheet wouldn't do. 

"Bella," Julie said evenly. "I still need to get dressed." 

"I won't look," I promised. I turned to face the wall. 

I immediately showed myself as a liar as I peeked behind me. 

Julie rolled her sopping wet sports bra over her head, tossing it across the hall into the pile with the rest of our clothes. I could just barely see the outline of her chest for a moment. I watched her back muscles move, in awe. I felt absolutely dazed at how her boy shorts were molded to her. She rolled a shirt over her head and I turned back to the wall before I saw anything else. I heard her slip into some shorts and leave the room. 

She came back minutes later, her hands full. I sat up, confused, as she set down a plate, bowl, and bottle of water carefully on her dresser before untucking the blanket from her arm. 

Julie spread the thick blanket out over me before setting the bowl and plate on my lap. She placed the water bottle at my side. 

"Chicken soup and grilled cheese. Please eat." 

I nodded and went to work. She was satisfied when I cleaned all of it, down to gulping down the bottled water. My throat felt better after; probably because of the broth. Or maybe I was finally rehydrated. She set them back on the dresser, clearing the bed.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She stood awkwardly. "I'll, um, hang out in the living room--" 

"I'm tired," I interrupted before laying back down. "Will you lay with me? I'm cold." 

Julie hesitated again. "Okay." 

I moved over, giving her as much space as possible, but that didn't help much. She stayed on top of the covers, her version of keeping distance. We stared at eachother for a few long moments. She had that look on her face again, that indescribable one. 

"You can't ever do that to me again," she said quietly. Her eyes closed. "I'm serious, Bella. If anything happened to you... I think I'd die."

It was silent for a while. 

"Hey, Julie?" I asked quietly. 

Her eyes opened slightly. "Yes, Bella?" 

"I think I already know the answer, but I have to ask. Have you already met your imprint person?" 

She smiled slightly. "Yes." 

"Who is it?" 

"It's you, Bella. It's always been you."

I nodded. It was quiet again. The storm was picking up outside, the rain making a beautiful sound against the metal roof. 

"Hey, Julie?'

"Yes, Bella?" 

"Can I touch you? Is that okay?"

"You may." 

I reached out shyly, brushing a stray lock of hair that had found its way across her forehead. I placed the rogue strands behind her ear before slowly tracing the shell of it; she has three lobe piercings, and a cartilage piercing up top.

My hand continued down her jawline, the soft skin of it. Heat radiated off of her. I picked up my hand and started back at her forehead, tracing down to her brow, plucked meticulously into the perfect shape. 

I traced the shape of her nose. She had a small bump at the top; had she broken it at some point? The hollow underneath her eyes, almost as bruised and deep as mine. The constant patrols were destroying any semblance of a good night's sleep for Jules. 

"It makes sense that you're not human," I murmured. "You're too beautiful." 

Her eyes opened as I reached her cheekbones; my fingers splayed out across the expanse of her jawline as my thumb brushed across her cheek. 

Ever so slowly, my thumb moved down. It started at the corner of her mouth, brushing down to the line to rest on her bottom lip. 

"Why haven't you kissed me?" I asked quietly. It was a pathetic question. I knew the answer, but I still needed th me reassurance. 

"I'm worried I'll get too excited and hurt you," she answered. 

"We could try," I suggested. "Just to test it." 

"Bella, you nearly died today. Again."

"So you'll be extra gentle." 

Julie looked torn, as if she was in pain. She was thinking about it. I won. Jules raised her hand, cupping my chin. She brought her lips to mine softly. 

I took great care to be careful. I was very familiar with cautious kisses. But Julie also seemed to be following my lead. 

Truth be told, I was still sore. Everything hurt. My throat, my muscles. But those things seemed to fade when I was with Jules. 

The kisses may have been slow and patient, but my body's reaction wasn't. I wanted to fuse myself to her. To consume her. 

My leg inched up hers until I felt her hand grab my calf, moving it up to her hip. The kiss deepened. I made a little sound, my body trying to creep even closer to hers. 

Her hand moved up my calf to my thigh, then to my hip. Her fingers traced underneath the edge of the sweatpants before she broke away, breathing harder than usual. 

"I guess the problem is that I keep wanting more," she said simply. "And more. And more."

"I'm pretty familiar with that problem," I admitted. "Is that why you keep hesitating around me?"

"That's part of it." 

"Well, what's the other part?" 

Jules smiled softly, her eyes avoiding mine. She was suddenly shy. "I can't stop thinking about you."

That took me so off guard that I started laughing.

"I'm serious. It's constant. And all I can worry about is how I might screw it up. You're all I think about."

"I see the imprint has done the job," I could feel a blush rising into my cheeks. 

"You think this is because of the imprint?" She gave me a side glance. "I've been obsessed with you since we were kids. The imprint just... made it make sense. Everything suddenly clicked into place." 

I scoffed. "Right, sure."

"No, I'm serious. I already thought you were beautiful before. Now you're devastating. It hurts to look at you, and it hurts to look away. I'm like a butterfly on fire." 

"You mean a moth to a flame?" I asked. 

"See, you being so smart makes you even hotter. Like you get my half-assed anthologies." 

"Analogies?"

"Keep correcting me, and I'll take off my pants." She grinned at me, brushing a stray lock back from my face. "There's this song I like, one of the lines is 'Darling you're so pretty, it hurts' and it reminds me of you." 

"So it's just about looks for you?" I said with a raised brow. 

"I can talk about how smart you are; you can talk circles around anybody else. How funny you are; that dry sense of humor that makes people pause. How borderline violently protective you are. The way I can never expect what you're going to do; from showing up at my house with scrap metal pretending to be motorcycles, to stalking outside my home. How patient and kind you are."

"You might get bored," I suggested. I couldn't help but think of Edward, his promises that he broke. How easily he discarded me, the same panic Julie had resurrected with her disappearance. "Maybe the imprint won't be enough." 

"There has not been a single day in my entire life where's it's been a struggle to love you. It's like breathing. How could I stop?"

Despite myself, I believed her. 

"I'm more worried about you," she said in return. 

"What about me?" 

"You don't have to be with me just because I imprinted on you. You don't have the same... pull... that I do. You can walk away. And I'd respect it. I'd die, probably, but I'd respect it." Her hands met mine, our fingers weaving together. "I just want you to be happy, Bella. That's the most important thing to me. The only important thing." 

"You haven't been around to see what a nervous wreck I've been the past three weeks," I countered. "I much prefer my life with you in it." 

Julie smiled slightly. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah." I gave her a half-lidded look. "Do you still want more?"

Julie paused, not expecting the question so suddenly, before answering honestly. "Always." 

"Tell me if this is too much." 

I moved a bit, adjusting the covers so that they fell over the both of us. I moved so that I sat on top of her lap, my legs on either side of her. Julie's hand went to my hips automatically. 

"Still okay?" I asked. "No tremors."

"Not the tremors you have to worry about," she said with a nervous smile. 

"Good." 

My hands met hers, fingers woven together, and I moved them above her head. Our faces were inches apart. 

I gave her a coy smile. "Hi."

"Hi." Her eyes were shining. Julie had that look on her face again. 

"What does that mean?" I asked. "That look." 

"You're devastating me," she croaked out. Julie cleared her throat. "It's hard to explain. It's kind of like everything else stops existing. And there's just you." 

"Your pupils are huge. That a wolf thing? They're always giant now." 

"Yes and no. That's just me looking at you." 

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Keep your hands up there. No touching." At her panicked expression, I added, "Consider it an attempt at restraint. You're practicing that, right?"

"This is cruel and unusual punishment."

I laughed and kissed her, my mouth hungry against hers. While she listened and kept her hands above her head, mine roamed. I touched her face, her neck, outlining the swell of her breasts, dipping under her shirt to touch her bare stomach. 

Julie sat directly upright, taking me with her. Her hands were encompassing my ribs. There were little tremors on her hands. She looked panicked. 

"Hey, you're okay," I put my hands on her cheeks. "We can stop. Just breathe."

"Not what you're thinking." Her fingers moved, cupping my breasts through the sweater. Her face dipped, kissing my nipples lightly through the fabric. I could feel the gentle press of teeth. "I just want you. Painfully so." 

The phone rang in the kitchen. We both jumped, staring.

"That might be my Dad about Harry," Jules murmured. "Or Sam."

Julie slid out of the bed easily, her hands still on my hips. On reflex, my legs and arms wrapped around her. She carried me with her to the kitchen, setting me on the counter as she answered the phone. 

"Hello?" 

I could hear the low grumble of Billy's voice through the phone, though I couldn't hear what was said. Judging by Julie's crestfallen expression, it wasn't good news. Her eyes went hazy. She wiped at them. 

"I'm sorry, Dad." She continued listening. "Yeah, Bella's okay." More listening. "Okay, love you. Be safe." 

She hung up the phone. "Harry didn't make it. Sam is going to drive Dad back here. Charlie is going to help Sue with arrangements, he's staying at the hospital for a little longer." 

Julie hugged me close, her lips pressed to my forehead. "I'm going to drop you off at your house, start my watch from there. I'm going to be sitting with Leah tonight. I'm the only one she'll talk to right now." 

"Leah?" 

"Yeah, Leah Clearwater. Harry's daughter. That's why he had the heart attack. Leah shifted in front of him. They thought she had the stomach flu, turns out she was shifting." Julie sighed. "There goes Paul's theory. And Sam's. Leah's straight and has a brother who could have changed instead." 

"How's she handling it?" 

"Not well. Her dad died and now she's stuck in a mental bond with her ex. So I'm guessing being a werewolf is her least favorite thing right now."

"Who's her ex?"

"Oh, Sam. They dated for, like, two years. Talked about getting married. And then her cousin Emily came into town to visit, and the imprint happened." Julie was quiet for a moment. "Apparently she and Emily were like sisters before that. And now Leah is going to be a bridesmaid." 

"That sounds... horrible." 

"It's a tough day for the pack." She backed up enough to kiss my forehead. "I'm glad you're okay, though. That's a major bright side. I've got to put our clothes in the dryer." 

"Oh, I can take it with me. I have extra clothes in my truck I can change into if need be." 

"You didn't mention that earlier." 

I said nothing, smiling shyly. 

"You know, you can get me into bed without attempting to drown yourself," Jules joked. 

I laughed. "Okay, funny, now I'm wearing your clothes home just to spite you." 

"In fact, I think you might have faked the drowning. You recovered way too quickly." 

I was starting to slowly feel more worn out. The day was catching up to me. Julie put my wet clothes in a bag so I could dry them at home. 

"I used the last of my strength to kiss you! You should be proud." 

She gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I adore you. C'mon." 

We held hands the entire drive home, me sitting passenger. As we slowly neared my home in Forks, I asked, "Is this full-body craving I have for you an imprint thing?"

Jules laughed. "You actually aren't affected by the imprint at all. I think that's just regular teenage hormones." 

"Well that's embarassing." 

She pulled into my driveway. I turned to hug her tight, leaning across the seat. Her lips touched my temple. 

"Who's car is that?" Julie asked. 

I turned, still in her arms, to observe the one she'd pointed out. Sitting in my driveway was a black Mercedes. It was familiar despite having not seen it in months. 

"That's Carlisle's car."