Belonging
by Momma2fan
Chapter 8
A week after the disaster which had become her birthday, Bella was sitting in a car with Josh, closely listening as he explained everything she would need to know to pass her drivers test.
“Okay, Daddy, I get it. Can I try to drive now, please?” She knew calling him daddy would get her whatever she wanted. Although, she wasn’t going to tell him she had been driving illegally in Phoenix for a couple years.
Smiling over at her, “Alright, Bella. Take it slow to start.”
They were quiet for about ten minutes before Bella couldn’t stand it anymore. “Dad, why doesn’t Sam come around? Does he hate me?”
“Oh, honey, no. Sam is just very busy, he takes his tribal responsibilities very seriously.”
“Okay.” Bella chewed on her bottom lip, not quite believing what she was told.
Once they arrived home, an hour later, Bella went up to her room, while Josh went to his office with the intent to call his son.
“Hello?”
“Samuel, you have to stop avoiding your sister. She asked me today if you hated her.” Josh nearly growled at the boy.
“I’m not, Dad.”
“Sam, your sister has noticed that you don’t come around. She and Embry are already close, but you’re avoiding her. Hell, she’s seen more of Paul since her birthday than you. She was bound to ask.”
“Dad, you saw what my wolf is capable of. Look at my imprint’s face. I don’t want to hurt my sister.” Sam’s voice had an almost hysterical edge.
“Sam, you were a new wolf, still getting used to your temperament, when Emily was injured. You’ve been a wolf for over a year now, I think you’ll be fine.”
“Alright, I’ll make more of an effort. I don’t hate her, Dad.”
“I know, son. Just stop shutting her out.” Josh hung up and walked out of his office, just as Alison walked in the door.
“Hey, honey. How did the driving lesson go?”
“I think our daughter already knew how to drive.” Josh commented as he began helping her put away the groceries.
Alison laughed, “You’re probably right. I don’t see our daughter letting something like the law stop her.”
Josh chuckled and kissed his wife before heading off to get some paperwork done at his actual office. As he was opening the door, Sam walked up the steps.
“Hey,” Sam smiled as his dad pulled him into a hug.
“She’s in her room.”
Sam nodded and walked into the house. “Hey, Mom,” he called as he headed toward the stairs. When he got to Bella’s room, he stood in front of her door for a minute before knocking.
“Come in.”
Sam pushed open her door and saw his little sister sprawled out on her bed, music playing from her iPod and her nose stuck in a book.
“Bella?”
She turned over in surprise, sitting up quickly. “Sam? What’s going on?”
“I had some time in between my shifts today. Want to get lunch?”
“Um...sure. Let me get my shoes.”
Sam nodded, “I’ll let mom know.”
After the shock wore off, Bella pulled on her shoes and walked down the stairs. After smiling at her mom and grabbing her jacket, she followed Sam outside to a sleek black truck.
“Um...” she stuttered, thinking she couldn’t get in the tall vehicle.
“Need a boost?”
Blushing, she turned to look at her older brother. “Please.”
Sam helped her into the truck and then walked around to the driver's side. He decided to skip the diner on the res and instead drove them to the diner in Forks.
“Why here?” Bella asked as she held his hand to jump out of the truck.
“They have better milkshakes, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Sam commented with a grin causing her to laugh.
“My lips are sealed.”
The two of them got situated in a booth with Sam facing the door. After ordering their food they sat in an awkward silence until Bella couldn’t take it any longer.
“Do you hate me, Sam?”
Sam looked stunned, he hadn’t really believed Josh when he told him she thought that. “No, Bells, I don’t hate you.”
Bella looked down and started playing with her napkin. “I don’t understand why you’re avoiding me then. Do you wish I’d stayed away? That I never found you guys?”
Sam was hit with an overwhelming sense of guilt when he saw the tears building in his little sister’s eyes. “Oh, Bells,” he sighed. “When mom told me she was gonna have a baby, I remember being excited. It’s the first real memory I have. The day mom’s water broke, she and dad left me with Old Quil and Joy Ateara, heading to the clinic on the res. Her labor with you wasn’t easy and several hours later, she was rushed to Forks hospital.” He stopped as the waitress brought over their food.
Bella pulled her chocolate shake over and took a large drink. “Mmm. You’re right, these are better.”
Sam laughed, but sobered quickly. “I’m not sure what happened when you were born, but the day I was supposed to go to the hospital to meet you, I couldn’t. Dad had called Billy, who frantically left to join Harry Clearwater at the hospital with him and mom. All I remember after that was mom being extremely sad and clinging to me like I would disappear and dad never being home or always smelling like booze.” He finished off one of his burgers, watching as Bella dipped her fries in her shake. “Is that any good?”
“Yep.” She smiled as she stuffed another chocolaty fry in her mouth. “You get your salty and your sweet.”
Shrugging, Sam gave it a try and agreed that it was amazing. “Anyway. When I heard that you had been found, I was shocked and excited. Finally, my sister would be home and the family could be complete again.” He stared at his hands for a minute. “There are so many things you don’t know yet, things I wish I could tell you, but—” Sam stopped speaking and stared at the doorway.
“Sam?” Bella stared at her brother and then followed his line of sight to the doorway.
Standing in the door of the diner, were three of the most gorgeous people she had ever seen, but also the scariest looking. They all had pale features and golden eyes, with dark shadows lining them as if they hadn’t slept in weeks. She watched as they scanned the diner, like they were looking for someone. She saw one of them take a deep breath and watched as all the color drained from his eyes, leaving behind a black void.
Sam tensed when those black eyes landed on his sister. Throwing some money down on the table, he got up and grabbed Bella’s arm, keeping her behind him. “Stay close to me, Bells.”
Nodding, Bella gripped his arm and pressed herself to his back. She didn’t know why she was scared, but she was terrified of the people she had just seen.
A week after the disaster which had become her birthday, Bella was sitting in a car with Josh, closely listening as he explained everything she would need to know to pass her drivers test.
“Okay, Daddy, I get it. Can I try to drive now, please?” She knew calling him daddy would get her whatever she wanted. Although, she wasn’t going to tell him she had been driving illegally in Phoenix for a couple years.
Smiling over at her, “Alright, Bella. Take it slow to start.”
They were quiet for about ten minutes before Bella couldn’t stand it anymore. “Dad, why doesn’t Sam come around? Does he hate me?”
“Oh, honey, no. Sam is just very busy, he takes his tribal responsibilities very seriously.”
“Okay.” Bella chewed on her bottom lip, not quite believing what she was told.
Once they arrived home, an hour later, Bella went up to her room, while Josh went to his office with the intent to call his son.
“Hello?”
“Samuel, you have to stop avoiding your sister. She asked me today if you hated her.” Josh nearly growled at the boy.
“I’m not, Dad.”
“Sam, your sister has noticed that you don’t come around. She and Embry are already close, but you’re avoiding her. Hell, she’s seen more of Paul since her birthday than you. She was bound to ask.”
“Dad, you saw what my wolf is capable of. Look at my imprint’s face. I don’t want to hurt my sister.” Sam’s voice had an almost hysterical edge.
“Sam, you were a new wolf, still getting used to your temperament, when Emily was injured. You’ve been a wolf for over a year now, I think you’ll be fine.”
“Alright, I’ll make more of an effort. I don’t hate her, Dad.”
“I know, son. Just stop shutting her out.” Josh hung up and walked out of his office, just as Alison walked in the door.
“Hey, honey. How did the driving lesson go?”
“I think our daughter already knew how to drive.” Josh commented as he began helping her put away the groceries.
Alison laughed, “You’re probably right. I don’t see our daughter letting something like the law stop her.”
Josh chuckled and kissed his wife before heading off to get some paperwork done at his actual office. As he was opening the door, Sam walked up the steps.
“Hey,” Sam smiled as his dad pulled him into a hug.
“She’s in her room.”
Sam nodded and walked into the house. “Hey, Mom,” he called as he headed toward the stairs. When he got to Bella’s room, he stood in front of her door for a minute before knocking.
“Come in.”
Sam pushed open her door and saw his little sister sprawled out on her bed, music playing from her iPod and her nose stuck in a book.
“Bella?”
She turned over in surprise, sitting up quickly. “Sam? What’s going on?”
“I had some time in between my shifts today. Want to get lunch?”
“Um...sure. Let me get my shoes.”
Sam nodded, “I’ll let mom know.”
After the shock wore off, Bella pulled on her shoes and walked down the stairs. After smiling at her mom and grabbing her jacket, she followed Sam outside to a sleek black truck.
“Um...” she stuttered, thinking she couldn’t get in the tall vehicle.
“Need a boost?”
Blushing, she turned to look at her older brother. “Please.”
Sam helped her into the truck and then walked around to the driver's side. He decided to skip the diner on the res and instead drove them to the diner in Forks.
“Why here?” Bella asked as she held his hand to jump out of the truck.
“They have better milkshakes, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Sam commented with a grin causing her to laugh.
“My lips are sealed.”
The two of them got situated in a booth with Sam facing the door. After ordering their food they sat in an awkward silence until Bella couldn’t take it any longer.
“Do you hate me, Sam?”
Sam looked stunned, he hadn’t really believed Josh when he told him she thought that. “No, Bells, I don’t hate you.”
Bella looked down and started playing with her napkin. “I don’t understand why you’re avoiding me then. Do you wish I’d stayed away? That I never found you guys?”
Sam was hit with an overwhelming sense of guilt when he saw the tears building in his little sister’s eyes. “Oh, Bells,” he sighed. “When mom told me she was gonna have a baby, I remember being excited. It’s the first real memory I have. The day mom’s water broke, she and dad left me with Old Quil and Joy Ateara, heading to the clinic on the res. Her labor with you wasn’t easy and several hours later, she was rushed to Forks hospital.” He stopped as the waitress brought over their food.
Bella pulled her chocolate shake over and took a large drink. “Mmm. You’re right, these are better.”
Sam laughed, but sobered quickly. “I’m not sure what happened when you were born, but the day I was supposed to go to the hospital to meet you, I couldn’t. Dad had called Billy, who frantically left to join Harry Clearwater at the hospital with him and mom. All I remember after that was mom being extremely sad and clinging to me like I would disappear and dad never being home or always smelling like booze.” He finished off one of his burgers, watching as Bella dipped her fries in her shake. “Is that any good?”
“Yep.” She smiled as she stuffed another chocolaty fry in her mouth. “You get your salty and your sweet.”
Shrugging, Sam gave it a try and agreed that it was amazing. “Anyway. When I heard that you had been found, I was shocked and excited. Finally, my sister would be home and the family could be complete again.” He stared at his hands for a minute. “There are so many things you don’t know yet, things I wish I could tell you, but—” Sam stopped speaking and stared at the doorway.
“Sam?” Bella stared at her brother and then followed his line of sight to the doorway.
Standing in the door of the diner, were three of the most gorgeous people she had ever seen, but also the scariest looking. They all had pale features and golden eyes, with dark shadows lining them as if they hadn’t slept in weeks. She watched as they scanned the diner, like they were looking for someone. She saw one of them take a deep breath and watched as all the color drained from his eyes, leaving behind a black void.
Sam tensed when those black eyes landed on his sister. Throwing some money down on the table, he got up and grabbed Bella’s arm, keeping her behind him. “Stay close to me, Bells.”
Nodding, Bella gripped his arm and pressed herself to his back. She didn’t know why she was scared, but she was terrified of the people she had just seen.