sparks fly~ paul lahote

ⅹⅹⅲ. curiosity and i love yous

Diana and Paul wandered through the woods for hours that day. They hiked across the cliffs, chasing after each other. They held hands, and joked around and laughed. They were at peace, stress free. Everything was just... still.

"So," Paul began, carefully avoiding a low hanging tree branch, "What happened between you and your brother?"

Diana's smile slowly faded and Paul felt slightly guilty for bringing it up, but he was curious and Diana wouldn't blame him for that.

"Well," she swallowed, "I had been a vampire for a few months, Carlisle was guiding me as well as he could, given how stubborn I was back then. I wasn't really coping very well, I mean, I didn't want to drink blood, I didn't want to have super speed or strength... and I definitely didn't want to live forever."

They had stopped walking, instead, sitting down across from one another on a giant piece of rock, near the cliff they had wandered to. Diana glanced over, to find Paul was listening intently. She was glad he seemed so patient, even through his undying curiosity.

"Carlisle found me one night, Edward had been sick for a while by then, but he told me my brother wouldn't be getting better... and I lost it. I was scared and sad and alone, all I knew for sure was that; my mother and father had already died from the Spanish Flu, I couldn't lose my brother, too. We were so close until then, before everything turned upside-down, with the flu and me turning into a vampire."

Diana smiled, lost in a memory. Paul admired her strength, she had been through a lot and she still seemed... genuine. Like nothing from her past had really changed her, only made her stronger.

"So, I made a decision," she said, no longer smiling. She looked up at Paul, and sighed, "I changed him."

Paul's eyes widened and his brows raised, he mustn't have expected that. Diana just nodded slowly, looking out to the sea, "He was dying, and I let my selfishness get the best of me. I didn't want to be alone, in my new life, the life I hated so much..."

"The life I hated so much that I turned my brother into a vampire so that he would suffer with me."

She looked back to Paul, shrugging, "And I don't blame him for hating me, I mean, I hate the nomad who turned me, but I didn't think that it would be so difficult. He hasn't ever forgiven me."

Paul was silent for a moment, then he took in a breath, "You said that you guys managed to get along for a little bit? Sometime after you left?"

Diana nodded, "He said he'd be civil, for the sake of our siblinghood. Then... well..." Diana paused. She hadn't yet told Paul about Christopher. What would he think? What would he say?

Paul felt her worry, and raised a brow, "Then what?"

Diana sighed, "Then, I found my mate."

Paul tensed, his heart rate picking up. Diana slid over to him and grabbed his hand, he closed his eyes, and relaxed his breathing. Without opening his eyes, Paul spoke, "Go on."

Diana hesitated. She didn't want to make him angry, but he deserved to know. So, she sighed and began, "It was 1942, and we were in Alaska, at the time. I went out to hunt, alone, and uhm... I came across a wolf," now Paul opened his eyes, "- he was huge, no smaller than a horse, and I didn't know about shifters back then, so I thought I had just scored a delicious smelling meal," Diana chuckled.

"But, then he turned around, and he looked at me, and the world stopped," Paul squeezed Diana's hand tightly, the girl winced but didn't pull away. She nodded and looked up through her lashes to meet the heartbroken eyes of her mate.

"He imprinted on me," she whispered, "- he explained the whole thing and, well... Nothing really mattered after that. His name was Christopher, he was everything to me. I excitedly introduced him to the 'family' and everyone got along with him, well enough, except for Edward. That was what our second disagreement was about. When I left again, Christopher came with me. We had an amazing few years together..."