The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
TRIGGER WARNING: There are brief mentions of degradation and rape in this chapter, but no detail is given.
Chapter 10:
Charlie POV:
I couldn’t help my grin as Bella waved me into the house. She and Paul had their arms around each other, but Bella already looked 10x better than when I left for work this morning.
It was when I made it into the great room that I noticed the raw-looking spots on her arms and legs. My eyes connected with Paul’s as I hugged Bells, and she stated, “Sorry. I haven’t gotten dinner started yet. I wasn’t expecting you for another 45 minutes.”
I chuckled as I held her shoulders, “I’m in no rush to leave, Bells. I just got here. I was actually half expecting pizza until Paul said he was taking you shopping. You look better than when I left this morning, so the fresh air must have done you good.”
She blushed and ducked her head, then smiled at Paul before saying, “Actually, it has more to do with Paul than the air. When he has his arm around me or hugs me, his heat keeps the memories from becoming overwhelming. We found that when they start taking my focus from the present, they quickly become overwhelming, and I start getting panicky.”
Hmm… good to know. I might need to invest in some hand warmers. I sat in one of the chairs at the bar as Bella let go of Paul and started handing him things from the pantry and fridge for dinner. Without a word, he took them from her and placed them on the counter. "And this morning?”
Bella popped her head out of the pantry, her eyes connecting with Paul’s before meeting mine. When I looked at her raw arms, she ducked back into the pantry. “A new memory surfaced. I told Paul -when he finally got me calmed- that I couldn’t handle not knowing. Who doesn’t remember something like that? Whether one of them did end up fully-”
Bella’s voice shook during her last sentence, then something dropped in the pantry. Before I could stand, Paul was in the pantry, and I could see his mouth resting against his bite mark as he held my daughter close. When he whispered to her, I had to strain to hear him say, “Not your fault, Swan. I will tell you the same thing, no matter how many times I have to say it for you to believe it. Not one second of that whole mess is your fault. All of the fault lays at the feet of those leeches. Even not being able to remember. You broke the hold, though. You remembering anything about that time is proof.”
Bells clutched Paul’s shirt as his sides, and I could see her nodding into his chest. She took a shuddering breath, then wiped her eyes and nodded before saying, “Time to start dinner.”
Paul let her go, then asked as Bells started organizing things on the counter, “Put me to work, Swan.”
She gently swatted his side, then said, “Find me a cutting board, then go light the grill. Tonight is cheddar bacon burgers and seasoned fries.”
Paul smirked, “Yes, Ma’am.” He went to one of the cabinets flanking the pantry door, pulled a wood cutting board out, placed it next to the sink, then quickly loped outside to do as my daughter asked.
She watched him walk out, then her eyes rested on mine. “I know you’ve read some of it. Did you read that far? Dad, I don’t know if I can actually read that damn thing.”
I let out a breath, then said, “You’ll have to give me something to go by, Bells. Sorry, but I just don’t know what time you’re talking about.”
She seemed to brace herself, then nodded. When she looked back into my eyes, I could see the tears in hers. Her voice was shaky when she said, “It was raining out. They were… inspecting me. Honestly, the whole time in my memory, they degraded me.”
Knowing what she was talking about now, I reached over the counter and took her hand, “No. Though it looked to be a close call, you weren’t raped then. That’s honestly been one of my worst fears, Bells, but so far I haven’t read in the journal that they went that far. The time you described was one of the last things I read, though… so I can’t guarantee they didn’t at a later point.”
Her tears fell as she nodded, then she let out a breath and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. The only thing she said before rinsing the tomato she picked up was, “Thank you, Dad.”
Paul came back in seconds later, and though he gave me a silent nod, he just stepped up so his side met Bella’s, then asked, “You good, Swan?”
He wiped at another tear that fell, gently tilting her head up so he could see her eyes. She nodded slightly, then choked out, “They didn’t…”
She quickly turned and buried her face into his chest, fisting her small hands tightly into Paul’s shirt. He rested his lips against his mark for a long moment, then whispered to her as he rubbed her back, “Let it out, Bella. I’ve got you. I know you’ve been scared to find out all day. You know now, so you can let it out.”
Bella cried for a minute, then huffed and wiped her face in frustration, “Damn it. I hate being a soppy mess.”
Paul chuckled, “Swan, your hair could be a matted mess full of twigs and leaves, your face covered in dirt, and your clothes all tattered, yet you would still be more beautiful than I would know how to verbalize. Now, if you wanna dry those tears and sit next to your dad, you can tell me what to do for your famous cheddar bacon burgers.”
Bells wiped her face free of the last tears, lightly swatted Paul’s chest, then gave him a watery laugh, “Two broken people holding each other together, huh? How does flattering me fit into that?”
Paul shrugged as he let her go, “Wasn’t trying to flatter you. I was stating a fact… and that’s exactly what we are until you tell me otherwise.”
There was nothing but the truth in the kid’s eyes as he looked at my daughter, and I internally prayed that it would always be so. God knows she’d been through enough already in her short life.
As Bells sat down on the stool next to me, I wondered if it would really be so bad if she never got the memories of those ‘experiments’ back.
Chapter 10:
Charlie POV:
I couldn’t help my grin as Bella waved me into the house. She and Paul had their arms around each other, but Bella already looked 10x better than when I left for work this morning.
It was when I made it into the great room that I noticed the raw-looking spots on her arms and legs. My eyes connected with Paul’s as I hugged Bells, and she stated, “Sorry. I haven’t gotten dinner started yet. I wasn’t expecting you for another 45 minutes.”
I chuckled as I held her shoulders, “I’m in no rush to leave, Bells. I just got here. I was actually half expecting pizza until Paul said he was taking you shopping. You look better than when I left this morning, so the fresh air must have done you good.”
She blushed and ducked her head, then smiled at Paul before saying, “Actually, it has more to do with Paul than the air. When he has his arm around me or hugs me, his heat keeps the memories from becoming overwhelming. We found that when they start taking my focus from the present, they quickly become overwhelming, and I start getting panicky.”
Hmm… good to know. I might need to invest in some hand warmers. I sat in one of the chairs at the bar as Bella let go of Paul and started handing him things from the pantry and fridge for dinner. Without a word, he took them from her and placed them on the counter. "And this morning?”
Bella popped her head out of the pantry, her eyes connecting with Paul’s before meeting mine. When I looked at her raw arms, she ducked back into the pantry. “A new memory surfaced. I told Paul -when he finally got me calmed- that I couldn’t handle not knowing. Who doesn’t remember something like that? Whether one of them did end up fully-”
Bella’s voice shook during her last sentence, then something dropped in the pantry. Before I could stand, Paul was in the pantry, and I could see his mouth resting against his bite mark as he held my daughter close. When he whispered to her, I had to strain to hear him say, “Not your fault, Swan. I will tell you the same thing, no matter how many times I have to say it for you to believe it. Not one second of that whole mess is your fault. All of the fault lays at the feet of those leeches. Even not being able to remember. You broke the hold, though. You remembering anything about that time is proof.”
Bells clutched Paul’s shirt as his sides, and I could see her nodding into his chest. She took a shuddering breath, then wiped her eyes and nodded before saying, “Time to start dinner.”
Paul let her go, then asked as Bells started organizing things on the counter, “Put me to work, Swan.”
She gently swatted his side, then said, “Find me a cutting board, then go light the grill. Tonight is cheddar bacon burgers and seasoned fries.”
Paul smirked, “Yes, Ma’am.” He went to one of the cabinets flanking the pantry door, pulled a wood cutting board out, placed it next to the sink, then quickly loped outside to do as my daughter asked.
She watched him walk out, then her eyes rested on mine. “I know you’ve read some of it. Did you read that far? Dad, I don’t know if I can actually read that damn thing.”
I let out a breath, then said, “You’ll have to give me something to go by, Bells. Sorry, but I just don’t know what time you’re talking about.”
She seemed to brace herself, then nodded. When she looked back into my eyes, I could see the tears in hers. Her voice was shaky when she said, “It was raining out. They were… inspecting me. Honestly, the whole time in my memory, they degraded me.”
Knowing what she was talking about now, I reached over the counter and took her hand, “No. Though it looked to be a close call, you weren’t raped then. That’s honestly been one of my worst fears, Bells, but so far I haven’t read in the journal that they went that far. The time you described was one of the last things I read, though… so I can’t guarantee they didn’t at a later point.”
Her tears fell as she nodded, then she let out a breath and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. The only thing she said before rinsing the tomato she picked up was, “Thank you, Dad.”
Paul came back in seconds later, and though he gave me a silent nod, he just stepped up so his side met Bella’s, then asked, “You good, Swan?”
He wiped at another tear that fell, gently tilting her head up so he could see her eyes. She nodded slightly, then choked out, “They didn’t…”
She quickly turned and buried her face into his chest, fisting her small hands tightly into Paul’s shirt. He rested his lips against his mark for a long moment, then whispered to her as he rubbed her back, “Let it out, Bella. I’ve got you. I know you’ve been scared to find out all day. You know now, so you can let it out.”
Bella cried for a minute, then huffed and wiped her face in frustration, “Damn it. I hate being a soppy mess.”
Paul chuckled, “Swan, your hair could be a matted mess full of twigs and leaves, your face covered in dirt, and your clothes all tattered, yet you would still be more beautiful than I would know how to verbalize. Now, if you wanna dry those tears and sit next to your dad, you can tell me what to do for your famous cheddar bacon burgers.”
Bells wiped her face free of the last tears, lightly swatted Paul’s chest, then gave him a watery laugh, “Two broken people holding each other together, huh? How does flattering me fit into that?”
Paul shrugged as he let her go, “Wasn’t trying to flatter you. I was stating a fact… and that’s exactly what we are until you tell me otherwise.”
There was nothing but the truth in the kid’s eyes as he looked at my daughter, and I internally prayed that it would always be so. God knows she’d been through enough already in her short life.
As Bells sat down on the stool next to me, I wondered if it would really be so bad if she never got the memories of those ‘experiments’ back.