Hurricane
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 03
"Carlisle, stop the car please?" She looked over at him as he slowly pulled over and stopped, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why Bella? I really should get you and little Nick home where you'll be safe."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead before meeting his gaze. "That's just it, Carlisle. It's not my home and the closer we get to it, the tighter the knot in my gut gets. I can't do it—I swore I wouldn't get entangled with your family again."
"But for your safety…"
She shook her head and stared through the windshield for a moment. "I understand you want to protect me and Nick, but I can take care of myself. Jenks said it was just a man, right?"
Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose, then nodded. "Yes, he did."
"Carlisle," she said, taking his hand. "I can defend myself against a man. I have my gun, and I know how to use it."
He looked up at her. "What about the baby, Bella? How…"
"That's where you come in," she said with a sad smile, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I trust you with him, just as I would have trusted…Charlie," she said, her voice choked with sudden tears.
"Oh sweetheart…" he said while pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear and she nodded against him.
"I know." She got a hold of herself and sat up, looking him in the eye. "Will you take care of him for me? Just until I get this sorted and can come for him? And—and if something happens, and I…" She looked up, fighting the tears and clearing her throat. "If something happens to me, I want you and Esme to raise him." She looked him in the eye again, her tone all business. "But only you two—no one else. I figure the few years it'll take to raise him is a small sacrifice for your family to make in the face of your immortality. The rest can just travel or something, but I don't want them involved in his life—only you and Esme. Is that something you can do for me?"
After a moment of thought, he reached over and took her hand. "Of course it is, and I want you to know how honored I am that you see us that way. I love you Bella, as if you were of my own flesh. So much so that's it's all I can do to even consider letting you face this latest threat…but I understand. You've become a strong, independent woman. One that I'm so very proud of. I also know how hard it is for you to leave your son for this, but again, I understand. I just wish you'd let me go with you while Esme looks after Nick…"
She leaned over and hugged Carlisle again. "Thanks Dad," she whispered and Carlisle caught his breath, clutching her to him tighter as his own emotions choked him for a moment.
"Anything Bella… Anything for the two of you, whether it's today, or fifty years from now. I want you to know that."
"I do," she said, sitting up again to dry her tears. She looked around the area of the city they were in and pointed to a restaurant. "Can you drop me there? I'll call a cab for a ride home. I don't want to risk you driving me back."
With a resigned sigh, he put the car in drive and pulled into the parking lot, cutting the engine and setting the brake before getting out. He helped her out and they went to the trunk for her bag which he lifted out before turning to face her again. "Reconsider?"
She smiled sadly. "No, but I love you for asking. Don't worry," she said while patting her purse. "I have Uncle Frank to protect me. Just…take care of my son until I can make it back to him."
"I will, but call the first chance you get?"
She kissed him on the cheek. "I will." Grabbing the handle to her bag, she turned and walked into the restaurant to call a cab and wait as Carlisle drove away with her life.
~o0o~
Elijah turned another page in his book as he and his brother sat in the back of the limousine where they'd been since returning from a quick feed. Niklaus, for whatever reason, had insisted on watching her town home for the remainder of the day.
"Anything yet?" he muttered without looking up.
"Nothing," Klaus answered, his tone pensive.
Elijah nodded and turned another page. "Should we begin our search again?"
Niklaus growled lowly. "Not yet. She has a child and has made a home here. I believe she'll be back. She strikes me as a…stubborn sort."
Elijah merely nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself. He was a patient being, for the most part, and so would indulge his brother in this little vigil.
Another hour passed and he was running out of chapters when the sound of Klaus's voice caught his attention. "Hello, love," he drawled, sounding all too smug.
Elijah looked up to see a beautiful brunette walking away from a cab and toward the very town home they were watching. He guessed she was the one by the riveted gaze of his brother and the luggage rolling along behind her. The only thing that cast any doubt was the lack of a child with her. "That's her?" he asked.
"Yes," Klaus answered, his eyes tracking her every move as she hefted the bag and climbed the few steps to her door.
She tensed and hesitated when she noticed the broken lock before pushing the door open and entering. "A brave one," Elijah commented and his brother nodded.
"Yes, so it would seem."
He glanced at his brother. "And now?"
Klaus smirked. "And now, it's time to get reacquainted."
~o0o~
Bella pushed the door open cautiously, heart pounding in her chest as she entered, closed it silently, and left her bag next to it to have a look around.
It was obvious someone had been here. If the broken lock on her door hadn't given that fact away, then the abandoned bouquet of flowers on the kitchen counter certainly did. 'Flowers? What the…' Her eyes darted around, all senses on high alert with the amount of adrenaline flooding her system.
Just what kind of asshole intruder was she dealing with, anyway?
She took out her Glock, flipped off the safety and crept around, room by room until she'd cleared the entire apartment. Only then did she allow herself a moment of relief as she leaned back against a wall, eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her frazzled nerves.
Whoever her visitor had been, he was gone now.
Opening her eyes, she moved to the phone in the kitchen, laid the Glock aside and paged through her numbers in her personal phone book. Picking up her landline, she dialed and waited. "Hi Bill, it's Bella in Number 14. I need a repair on my front door lock… Yeah, seems someone broke it… No, no, everything seems to be fine, but the lock is toast… No, I don't need the police, really, everything's fine. Okay, I appreciate it, thanks. See you in a bit."
With a sigh, she set the phone back in the charger and ran a hand through her hair before glaring at the roses. Picking them up, she stepped on the foot lever of her trash bin and tossed them in. "Asshole," she muttered. "Breaks in and brings flowers?"
Shaking her head, she went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, cracking the lid open and taking a slow sip as her mind raced with who the hell her visitor could have been.
It certainly wasn't Victoria's MO to send humans to do her dirty work, then again, she'd never had three other vampires on her skanky tail until just recently. She might have changed things up just to throw them all off. It was obvious to Bella, the bitch wouldn't give up until one of them was dead—for good.
Her hand clenched into a fist where it rested on the granite counter. "You first, bitch," she muttered bitterly, her mind going to very dark places as memories assailed her; memories she wished she could erase.
Charlie had been the first to fall victim. She'd awoken one morning, two months after Edward had left her, to find him, a look of horror on his face, eyes staring blankly, and throat shredded as he lay in his bed.
The bitch hadn't left a note; she hadn't needed to. She'd been leaving subtle, taunting threats scattered through Bella's everyday life and they'd been enough for her to put the pieces together.
His body hadn't been drained vampire style though. She'd simply shredded his throat, most likely with her sharp-clawed fingers, and allowed him to bleed out into his mattress.
No, it hadn't been blood the bitch was after. It had been revenge; her sick way of getting even. Bella snorted. Whatever 'even' was to the red-headed menace...
Renee and Phil had been next. Seems Vicky had been in a playful mood when she'd gotten to them. They'd both been torn to pieces, their various body parts strewn throughout their home. It'd been so horrific, or so the local cop she'd spoken to had told her, that some seasoned first responders had quit their jobs shortly after, making that particular case their last.
She'd gone after the pack after that, and it was then that Bella realized she'd needed to run, not only to preserve her own life, but the lives of the rest of the people she cared about. She hadn't looked back or contacted any of them since.
A knock at her door made her jump, knocking over the water bottle in the process and she cursed under her breath for allowing herself to get so lost in thought. "Shit, get it together…" she muttered as she righted the bottle, walked to the door and cautiously pulled it open.
"Here to fix your door," Bill said with raised brows and a smile while eyeing the gun she'd pointed at the floor.
"Yeah, of course," she answered, giving the handsome maintenance guy a tight smile. "Sorry, just a bit on edge today."
He frowned. "Understandable. You sure you don't want the cops to…"
She raised a hand, cutting his question short. "No, it's okay. Nothing inside was messed with. Maybe they got the wrong place or something."
He set his bag down and pulled out new door hardware. "Yeah well, I brought heavy duty stuff to replace what's broken. Plus I'll be installing a dead-bolt, just in case," he said while kneeling to spread out the hardware and tools. "All in all, should only take an hour."
"Great," she said while grabbing her bag by the handle. "If you don't need anything from me, I'm just gonna," she gestured toward her bedroom, "unpack and take a quick shower."
He looked up and smiled. "Sure, go ahead. I'll be fine and I'll leave the new keys on the entry table when I'm done."
"Thanks Bill."
"Not a problem, Bella," he said as he got to work removing the broken handle.
Bella rolled her bag to the bedroom, set the gun on her dresser and looked around with a sigh, her heart clenching at the sight of her baby's things before getting to work on straightening the mess she'd left.
As she hung up the clothes she'd strewn about earlier, she thought about Carlisle's offer and her subsequent refusal. As much as she loved and respected Carlisle, she just couldn't see herself as part of the Cullens any longer. She scoffed. There'd been a time when that's all she'd wanted; an eternity with them. Now? She sighed and straightened some clothes in a drawer before closing it. Now, too much had happened…she'd changed too drastically to ever go back to what she'd been.
Pausing at that thought, she finally shrugged and took out some fresh clothes to change into, finding upon reflection, she really didn't want to be that naive girl she'd been with Edward.
No, she thought as she entered the bath and started the shower. That girl had been a push-over; an idiot, all too willing to do anything to please an equally idiotic boy and there was no way she would ever willingly do such things again.
Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped under the warm spray and dropped her head, letting the water soothe her tense muscles.
Oddly enough, she felt a bit of security with Bill working on her door at the moment and she was completely willing to take advantage of that. Moments where she could just relax and breathe were few and far between, so she shamelessly let herself enjoy this shower. Still, she knew he would be done soon, so with a resigned sigh, she bathed herself, washed her hair and finished up.
Once dressed, and her hair dried and brushed, she made her way to the repaired door, glancing at the table to see the promised keys before locking up and making her way to the kitchen. She really hadn't eaten much during the day and she was starving.
It was as she was pulling chicken from the fridge that she heard noises from the entryway and her heart took off in her chest.
On bare feet, she ran to her room, grabbed her gun, checked the safety and padded to the front door, where she flattened herself against the wall to wait.
Soon enough, she heard the handle snap with a twist and she held her breath while pulling back the slide, smoothly chambering a round. "Bring it, fucker," she whispered, heart pounding in her chest.
She just managed to stifle a scream when a solid hit to the door had it bursting open and before she even thought about what she was doing she reacted, squeezing off a round at the man who'd just barely made it inside.
"Fuck!" he swore and she found herself pinned against the wall by a solid body, his hand around her wrist, pinning her gun hand over her head.
"The kitten has claws," a smooth, accented voice murmured in her ear and her breath hitched as she finally focused on his face, her eyes going wide.
"You!" she said and he smiled, though it looked strained.
"Hello love," he purred. "Good to see you remember me."
"Carlisle, stop the car please?" She looked over at him as he slowly pulled over and stopped, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why Bella? I really should get you and little Nick home where you'll be safe."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead before meeting his gaze. "That's just it, Carlisle. It's not my home and the closer we get to it, the tighter the knot in my gut gets. I can't do it—I swore I wouldn't get entangled with your family again."
"But for your safety…"
She shook her head and stared through the windshield for a moment. "I understand you want to protect me and Nick, but I can take care of myself. Jenks said it was just a man, right?"
Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose, then nodded. "Yes, he did."
"Carlisle," she said, taking his hand. "I can defend myself against a man. I have my gun, and I know how to use it."
He looked up at her. "What about the baby, Bella? How…"
"That's where you come in," she said with a sad smile, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I trust you with him, just as I would have trusted…Charlie," she said, her voice choked with sudden tears.
"Oh sweetheart…" he said while pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear and she nodded against him.
"I know." She got a hold of herself and sat up, looking him in the eye. "Will you take care of him for me? Just until I get this sorted and can come for him? And—and if something happens, and I…" She looked up, fighting the tears and clearing her throat. "If something happens to me, I want you and Esme to raise him." She looked him in the eye again, her tone all business. "But only you two—no one else. I figure the few years it'll take to raise him is a small sacrifice for your family to make in the face of your immortality. The rest can just travel or something, but I don't want them involved in his life—only you and Esme. Is that something you can do for me?"
After a moment of thought, he reached over and took her hand. "Of course it is, and I want you to know how honored I am that you see us that way. I love you Bella, as if you were of my own flesh. So much so that's it's all I can do to even consider letting you face this latest threat…but I understand. You've become a strong, independent woman. One that I'm so very proud of. I also know how hard it is for you to leave your son for this, but again, I understand. I just wish you'd let me go with you while Esme looks after Nick…"
She leaned over and hugged Carlisle again. "Thanks Dad," she whispered and Carlisle caught his breath, clutching her to him tighter as his own emotions choked him for a moment.
"Anything Bella… Anything for the two of you, whether it's today, or fifty years from now. I want you to know that."
"I do," she said, sitting up again to dry her tears. She looked around the area of the city they were in and pointed to a restaurant. "Can you drop me there? I'll call a cab for a ride home. I don't want to risk you driving me back."
With a resigned sigh, he put the car in drive and pulled into the parking lot, cutting the engine and setting the brake before getting out. He helped her out and they went to the trunk for her bag which he lifted out before turning to face her again. "Reconsider?"
She smiled sadly. "No, but I love you for asking. Don't worry," she said while patting her purse. "I have Uncle Frank to protect me. Just…take care of my son until I can make it back to him."
"I will, but call the first chance you get?"
She kissed him on the cheek. "I will." Grabbing the handle to her bag, she turned and walked into the restaurant to call a cab and wait as Carlisle drove away with her life.
~o0o~
Elijah turned another page in his book as he and his brother sat in the back of the limousine where they'd been since returning from a quick feed. Niklaus, for whatever reason, had insisted on watching her town home for the remainder of the day.
"Anything yet?" he muttered without looking up.
"Nothing," Klaus answered, his tone pensive.
Elijah nodded and turned another page. "Should we begin our search again?"
Niklaus growled lowly. "Not yet. She has a child and has made a home here. I believe she'll be back. She strikes me as a…stubborn sort."
Elijah merely nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself. He was a patient being, for the most part, and so would indulge his brother in this little vigil.
Another hour passed and he was running out of chapters when the sound of Klaus's voice caught his attention. "Hello, love," he drawled, sounding all too smug.
Elijah looked up to see a beautiful brunette walking away from a cab and toward the very town home they were watching. He guessed she was the one by the riveted gaze of his brother and the luggage rolling along behind her. The only thing that cast any doubt was the lack of a child with her. "That's her?" he asked.
"Yes," Klaus answered, his eyes tracking her every move as she hefted the bag and climbed the few steps to her door.
She tensed and hesitated when she noticed the broken lock before pushing the door open and entering. "A brave one," Elijah commented and his brother nodded.
"Yes, so it would seem."
He glanced at his brother. "And now?"
Klaus smirked. "And now, it's time to get reacquainted."
~o0o~
Bella pushed the door open cautiously, heart pounding in her chest as she entered, closed it silently, and left her bag next to it to have a look around.
It was obvious someone had been here. If the broken lock on her door hadn't given that fact away, then the abandoned bouquet of flowers on the kitchen counter certainly did. 'Flowers? What the…' Her eyes darted around, all senses on high alert with the amount of adrenaline flooding her system.
Just what kind of asshole intruder was she dealing with, anyway?
She took out her Glock, flipped off the safety and crept around, room by room until she'd cleared the entire apartment. Only then did she allow herself a moment of relief as she leaned back against a wall, eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her frazzled nerves.
Whoever her visitor had been, he was gone now.
Opening her eyes, she moved to the phone in the kitchen, laid the Glock aside and paged through her numbers in her personal phone book. Picking up her landline, she dialed and waited. "Hi Bill, it's Bella in Number 14. I need a repair on my front door lock… Yeah, seems someone broke it… No, no, everything seems to be fine, but the lock is toast… No, I don't need the police, really, everything's fine. Okay, I appreciate it, thanks. See you in a bit."
With a sigh, she set the phone back in the charger and ran a hand through her hair before glaring at the roses. Picking them up, she stepped on the foot lever of her trash bin and tossed them in. "Asshole," she muttered. "Breaks in and brings flowers?"
Shaking her head, she went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, cracking the lid open and taking a slow sip as her mind raced with who the hell her visitor could have been.
It certainly wasn't Victoria's MO to send humans to do her dirty work, then again, she'd never had three other vampires on her skanky tail until just recently. She might have changed things up just to throw them all off. It was obvious to Bella, the bitch wouldn't give up until one of them was dead—for good.
Her hand clenched into a fist where it rested on the granite counter. "You first, bitch," she muttered bitterly, her mind going to very dark places as memories assailed her; memories she wished she could erase.
Charlie had been the first to fall victim. She'd awoken one morning, two months after Edward had left her, to find him, a look of horror on his face, eyes staring blankly, and throat shredded as he lay in his bed.
The bitch hadn't left a note; she hadn't needed to. She'd been leaving subtle, taunting threats scattered through Bella's everyday life and they'd been enough for her to put the pieces together.
His body hadn't been drained vampire style though. She'd simply shredded his throat, most likely with her sharp-clawed fingers, and allowed him to bleed out into his mattress.
No, it hadn't been blood the bitch was after. It had been revenge; her sick way of getting even. Bella snorted. Whatever 'even' was to the red-headed menace...
Renee and Phil had been next. Seems Vicky had been in a playful mood when she'd gotten to them. They'd both been torn to pieces, their various body parts strewn throughout their home. It'd been so horrific, or so the local cop she'd spoken to had told her, that some seasoned first responders had quit their jobs shortly after, making that particular case their last.
She'd gone after the pack after that, and it was then that Bella realized she'd needed to run, not only to preserve her own life, but the lives of the rest of the people she cared about. She hadn't looked back or contacted any of them since.
A knock at her door made her jump, knocking over the water bottle in the process and she cursed under her breath for allowing herself to get so lost in thought. "Shit, get it together…" she muttered as she righted the bottle, walked to the door and cautiously pulled it open.
"Here to fix your door," Bill said with raised brows and a smile while eyeing the gun she'd pointed at the floor.
"Yeah, of course," she answered, giving the handsome maintenance guy a tight smile. "Sorry, just a bit on edge today."
He frowned. "Understandable. You sure you don't want the cops to…"
She raised a hand, cutting his question short. "No, it's okay. Nothing inside was messed with. Maybe they got the wrong place or something."
He set his bag down and pulled out new door hardware. "Yeah well, I brought heavy duty stuff to replace what's broken. Plus I'll be installing a dead-bolt, just in case," he said while kneeling to spread out the hardware and tools. "All in all, should only take an hour."
"Great," she said while grabbing her bag by the handle. "If you don't need anything from me, I'm just gonna," she gestured toward her bedroom, "unpack and take a quick shower."
He looked up and smiled. "Sure, go ahead. I'll be fine and I'll leave the new keys on the entry table when I'm done."
"Thanks Bill."
"Not a problem, Bella," he said as he got to work removing the broken handle.
Bella rolled her bag to the bedroom, set the gun on her dresser and looked around with a sigh, her heart clenching at the sight of her baby's things before getting to work on straightening the mess she'd left.
As she hung up the clothes she'd strewn about earlier, she thought about Carlisle's offer and her subsequent refusal. As much as she loved and respected Carlisle, she just couldn't see herself as part of the Cullens any longer. She scoffed. There'd been a time when that's all she'd wanted; an eternity with them. Now? She sighed and straightened some clothes in a drawer before closing it. Now, too much had happened…she'd changed too drastically to ever go back to what she'd been.
Pausing at that thought, she finally shrugged and took out some fresh clothes to change into, finding upon reflection, she really didn't want to be that naive girl she'd been with Edward.
No, she thought as she entered the bath and started the shower. That girl had been a push-over; an idiot, all too willing to do anything to please an equally idiotic boy and there was no way she would ever willingly do such things again.
Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped under the warm spray and dropped her head, letting the water soothe her tense muscles.
Oddly enough, she felt a bit of security with Bill working on her door at the moment and she was completely willing to take advantage of that. Moments where she could just relax and breathe were few and far between, so she shamelessly let herself enjoy this shower. Still, she knew he would be done soon, so with a resigned sigh, she bathed herself, washed her hair and finished up.
Once dressed, and her hair dried and brushed, she made her way to the repaired door, glancing at the table to see the promised keys before locking up and making her way to the kitchen. She really hadn't eaten much during the day and she was starving.
It was as she was pulling chicken from the fridge that she heard noises from the entryway and her heart took off in her chest.
On bare feet, she ran to her room, grabbed her gun, checked the safety and padded to the front door, where she flattened herself against the wall to wait.
Soon enough, she heard the handle snap with a twist and she held her breath while pulling back the slide, smoothly chambering a round. "Bring it, fucker," she whispered, heart pounding in her chest.
She just managed to stifle a scream when a solid hit to the door had it bursting open and before she even thought about what she was doing she reacted, squeezing off a round at the man who'd just barely made it inside.
"Fuck!" he swore and she found herself pinned against the wall by a solid body, his hand around her wrist, pinning her gun hand over her head.
"The kitten has claws," a smooth, accented voice murmured in her ear and her breath hitched as she finally focused on his face, her eyes going wide.
"You!" she said and he smiled, though it looked strained.
"Hello love," he purred. "Good to see you remember me."
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.