DISCLAIMER: I don't own most of these characters, but the story is all mine :D
"Listen to me Black! Do not go back into that building. It's about to fall. I will not lose one of my crew, just so you can play hot-shot hero." I yelled.
That kid was going to be the death of me and everyone else on my crew. He had no regard for the rules. Always trying to do things his way. So rash and reckless. Like he had a death wish or worse, like he was invincible.
I hadn't gotten to this position by being stupid, but he ignored me and my years of experience, anyway. Why the hell didn't he listen to me? I watched in horror and disbelief as he ran into the building and the flames of the fire engulfed him...the fire flaring higher and hotter. There was a loud cracking sound and then the roof came crashing down as the small building imploded in on itself, trapping him inside. If he survived the roof coming down on top of him, he would be nothing but a pile of ash within minutes.
"Fuck! What was that shit? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid kid!" Emmett was screaming towards the collapsed building, as if Jake could hear him still.
Jasper just shook his head, he was a man of few words.
We pulled the hoses over to where Jake went in and worked hard and fast to put the fire out, but I knew.
I knew that I had lost him. He died in there...trying to save one more life...just one more. He wanted to be a hero. The problem is, according to the shop owner, everyone was out, already safe. I don't know what Jake thought he saw or heard, but I'm pretty sure it was his imagination.
And now, I'm going to have to be the one. The one to tell his young wife that he won't be coming home...that she can call herself a widow. That he was dead. Died in the line of duty. I hated that aspect of the job. I loved the rush, and danger of being a firefighter, but I never took unneccessary risks. Not like Jake just did... I only have had to notify the family of a deceased crew member once before. I swore than that I would never have to do it again. I worked very hard keeping my crew safe...until now.
Damn Jacob Black!
I had only met Jake's wife once. He never invited her to any of the get togethers we had. I thought back to the day that I met the elusive Bella Black...
~~~Flashback~~~~
I hate motorcycles. I may be a thrill seeker, but I had seen too many people die because of these stupid, dangerous contraptions.
I watched as the young boy parked in the visitor parking lot, put the kickstand down and dismounted. The bike was sleek, red, and fast looking. I didn't know much about bikes, but this was not your daddy's Harley. This bike is better known as a crotch rocket.
The kid was small, too small. The bike seemed too big for him. He probably thought he looked cool, dressed all in black from head to toe. Black leather combat boots, straight leg jeans, leather bomber jacket, back pack, gloves, and racing helmet, with a mirror tint visor.
I wondered briefly if his parents approved of the bike. Hell they probably bought it for him, who am I kidding. I had to remind myself...not my kid...not my problem...yet.
I slowly walked over to see what he wanted.
The kid swung the pack off his shoulders, set it on the bike and proceeded to remove his gloves then reach up to unsnap the helmet.
I was just about to ask if I could help him, when the helmet came off and long, brown hair spilled out, pouring down like a waterfall to the hips. Not a boy.
I don't know why I was so sexist and assumed it was a boy on the bike, but as she turned towards me, I could now see, she was all woman...errr...girl. She was still very young-looking, but drop-dead gorgeous. Yeah, that amazing hair, long and straight with red and blonde highlights shining in the weak Forks sunshine. A perfect heart-shaped face with a widows peak. High cheek bones, creamy, pale smooth skin and huge (almost too big) brown eyes with the darkest, longest lashes framing them. A small up-turned nose and the most kissable, plump red lips. She looked like an angel.
Her face was in complete contrast with how she was dressed. Her face was completely feminine. Her clothes, more practical and boyish. Not really fitting her small frame.
"Can I help you?" I asked the tiny girl. God. She was small...over a foot shorter than my 6'4" frame. I kept myself in good shape. I was into extreme sports, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, sky diving and zip lining, just to name a few. Not to mention I had to be in top physical form, in order to perform my job and lug equipment around. I was strong and muscular. I probably was more than double her weight. As I looked down at this tiny, beautiful angel, I felt a stirring I hadn't felt in a very long time. I wanted her!
She smiled up at me. "I'm looking for Jacob Black." Figures. "I'm Bella Black, Jake forgot his lunch when he left this morning." Her voice was rich and smooth, but husky. Not at all what I expected. Not a little girl voice at all, in fact she had the kind of voice that you would expect to hear when you make one of those 1-900 phone sex, calls. Her voice was perfect for seduction.
"You're Jakes...sister? Cousin?" One could hope, right?
Her eyes twinkled with merriment. "No...his wife."
I frowned. "He never mentioned that he was married...ahhh, I'm sorry, that came out wrong."
I felt really bad when the smile disappeared, to be replaced with a frown, her eyes dropping to the ground, a pink tinge appearing in her cheeks. I could see the pain, and embarrassment that I had caused, and it made me feel like a low-life.
She sighed and shrugged. Like she was shaking something off, then looked up at me again.
"Well, anyway, I brought his lunch, and a surprise for everyone in the company." She pulled her back pack off the bike seat and pulled out a shoebox. She flipped the lid up and I could see three or four different kinds of homemade cookies. "This is for everyone." She was smiling again, her earlier discomfiture forgotten.
"Jake's out back right now. Can I show you around the station?" I wanted to spend a little more time with her. She was an enigma, and charming.
She nodded eagerly. "I would love that. Jake talks so highly of everyone here. He really loves being a firefighter."
We walked in through the big bay doors where the fire engines were parked. Emmett was tinkering around on one of the big rigs. He made sure that they were in tip-top shape all the time, kept them purring like kittens.
"Hey Emmett, come meet Bella Black...Jacob's wife." I shouted as we walked up to him.
Em rolled out from under the vehicle and he jumped up to his feet, like a jack-in-the-box. For such a big guy, he was very agile and moved with ease.
"Emmett McCarty, meet Bella Black." I introduced.
"Hey, Bella! Good to finally meet you! Jake has been talking about you for years." Emmett had a huge grin on his face and put out his big hand, which completely engulfed her tiny one.
So...Emmett knew about Bella? Must be one of his recruits from high school, though the kid didn't volunteer until he had taken his fire safety class, and applied for a permanent position. He happened to hit us on a good day, as Leroy Jackson, the old chief, had retired, and I had just taken over the station, leaving a full-time position to fill. I would have to check with Em, and find out how he knew Jake...and Bella.
The smile on Bella's face was spectacular, and her whole face was committed to it, with her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Pleased to meet you Emmett! Would you like a cookie?" Before she could even get the question out, Emmett had grabbed one of each kind and had already shoved one in his mouth.
"Mmmmphh. Thesh shar goo." He mumbled around a mouthful.
"Thanks." She grinned again, then looked at me and did a little eye roll at Emmett's antics.
We walked into the kitchen/lounge area where we would spend our free time in between calls. The room had a full kitchen, with all the amenities, and a big table with six chairs around it. There was a long counter separating the kitchen from the lounge area. On this side of the counter was a long couch, two recliners, coffee table and a decent sized T.V.
I realized as I showed her into the inner sanctuary of the station that I hadn't introduced myself. "By the way, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen. Station Chief." I smiled at her.
She smiled back, as she opened the refrigerator and set Jake's lunch on one of the shelves. She set the box of cookies on the table, then shrugged out of her jacket, hanging it over the back of one of the chairs. I didn't realize how bulky her jacket was until she was standing in front of me without it on. The long-sleeved Henley style t-shirt she wore, clung to her curves, in all the right places, accentuating her...uhm...assets.
I had to get my mind out of the gutter, and off of her body. I continued the tour upstairs, where my office, the bunk room and showers were.
"This is where we crash, if we are working over night." I looked around the room, with the small cots, and grimaced. None of us really every slept in here. All of us were too big for the cots. Usually we would fall asleep on the couch or one of the recliners. I watched as she took in her surroundings, then laughed out loud at the silly, small cots.
"Really? I can't imagine you, or Emmett, or especially Jake, being comfortable on those puny things. You guys are all giants, there is no way you can get any sleep on those things." She was shaking her head at the thought. She continued to peruse the room, when her eyes lit with excitement at the sight of the pole in the corner.
"Can I slide down the pole? Please?" Her eyes were begging me, and she was bouncing around, hopping from foot to foot, just like a child would. Her big eyes never left my face waiting for me to answer.
I nodded. "Under one stipulation." I smirked at her. "You do exactly as I say and I will go first so I can catch you...if need be."
She quickly nodded her head in agreement. She listened carefully to my directions, a cute little crease forming between her eye brows, as she concentrated on what I was saying, then she watched me avidly as I grabbed the pole and slid down.
I could hear her nervous giggle, and looked up, ready to catch her. I watched as first one arm, then the other stretched out to grip the pole, her shirt riding up, and exposing some of her belly, and her shirt straining over her breasts. She wrapped her legs around the pole and I almost groaned. I wouldn't mind if she wrapped her legs around me. Shit! Stop thinking about her like that! She's married.
She slid down very slowly, it was almost like watching something in slow-motion. As she got closer to the ground, I placed my hands on her back, near her waist, and guided her the rest of the way down, supporting her as she unwrapped her legs from the pole.
She was giggling madly, there was so much joy on her face. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Her grin spread from ear to ear. "That was so much fun! Can I do it again?" Before I could answer her though, we were interrupted...by her husband.
"Bella! What are you doing here?" Jake said in a tight, short voice. Why is he so unhappy to see her? I wouldn't mind it, if she were my wife, if she came up to visit me, support me, show interest in my job and coworkers.
She was facing me, her back to Jake, so I could see how her smile immediately fell from her face. Her eyes going dark and somber in a heartbeat. Her whole body tensed and stiffened, like she was preparing for battle. As I watched, she quickly composed her face, putting on an emotionless mask, as she turned to face him.
"Hey, Jake honey. You forgot your lunch, so I brought it up for you. Chief Cullen was showing me around the station." Even her voice sounded different. Still deep and husky, but now their was no emotion...no happiness in it.
"Go! Home! Bella! I don't want you here!" Jake said tersely. Huh! What crawled up his ass and died? She's not bothering any of us, not disrupting us. What the hell! She was actually a happy diversion, breaking up a boring day with no calls.
Bella nodded and headed to the kitchen to grab her jacket. When she came back out, zipping the jacket up as she walked, I thought Jake was going to explode. His face went from angry to thunderous.
"Did you ride your bike?" He said in a deadly calm voice.
She flinched, then put her shoulders back and looked him right in the eye. "Yes. I don't like the truck. It's too big, too loud, and too slow."
"I told you. I don't want you riding that damn bike anymore." He growled. "It's dangerous."
Well, I had to agree with him there, about the bike being dangerous, but as I watched this drama unfold in front of me, I couldn't help thinking, that the bigger threat to Bella's safety, was Jake himself.
"It's mine! I bought it with my own money. If I want to ride it I will." Bella said defiantly, anger flashing in her eyes.
Jake's eyes narrowed than he glanced at me. "We will discuss this later, privately, when I get home." He growled and walked away. More like stomped away, like a child having a temper tantrum.
I looked at her worried. "Are you okay? Will you be okay?" I was worried what Jake was going to do to her. If he planned on punishing his wife, in some way.
She looked up at me and smiled a cocky, devil-may-care grin, and nodded. "I'm an 8th degree black belt in Tae Kwon-do. I'll be fine." I felt like my chin was on the ground. At every turn, she surprised and amazed me.
A black belt? That scared me too. Not that she had that level of training and ability...but that she though she would need to use it. To defend herself...against her husband. The man she married who should be her protector, not her tormentor.
While I thought this, she sauntered gracefully over to her bike. She quickly twisted her hair up and piled it on the back of her head as she pulled the helmet over it to hold it in place. Her visor was up and I could see her face, as she glanced back at the bay doors, and caught sight of Jake standing there glaring at her. Then she slowly pulled her gloves on and threw her pack onto her back.
Again my mind went into the gutter as she threw her leg over the seat and straddled the bike. She looked over to me, and saw that I was watching. She winked at me, then lowered her visor, hiding her face behind the impenetrable plastic, then kick started the bike with a soft rumble. She revved it a couple of times, saluted Jacob, then with a squeal of tires, she left a black strip of tar as she burned rubber out of there. She flew out of the parking lot...fast and reckless, rocketing away to her next destination.
As I walked in the bay doors, I saw Jake standing there, watching her little show. He looked ready to kill and again I worried for Bella's safety. Jake had over a foot and a half on her. How could she possibly defend herself against him. Not to mention, I was worried about her on that damn bike, and the reckless way she drove it. I just hoped that her little show in the parking lot was just that, a show, and that she drove more sensibly once she was away from Jacob's overbearing attitude and eyes.
~~~End Flashback~~~
That was the last time that I saw her. The only time I saw her. That was over a year ago.
We had a lot of get togethers, picnics, bowling, shooting pool, pool parties, barbeque's, and we always included Jake and Bella. Jasper, Emmett and I were basically all related, and they were like true brothers to me.
Jasper married my little sister, Alice, and Emmett was married to Jasper's twin sister Rosalie. I was divorced, having tried and failed at the institution. I felt it better left to others. But the five of us, were like one big happy family. There was a closeness and bond that forms too, when you put your life on the line, on a daily basis with someone...so Jacob was part of that feeling of family as well.
Jake would often join us, but would always say that Bella was busy, or sick or out-of-town. I was a little suspicious, that he never invited her, based on how he acted when she turned up at the station that one time. I almost wondered if she was even still alive...the murderous look on his face as she left hadn't boded well for her.
Well I would find out soon enough...if she was still alive. As soon as we confirmed that Jacob had died, I would have to go to her and tell her.
Jazz, Em and I worked on the hot spots and made sure the fire was completely doused.
When I decided it was safe to go in, the three of us did so and slowly started the task of looking for our fallen man. Moving debris and beams aside, what little was left of the structure hindered our search. He actually wasn't too hard to find. He didn't make it very far. I felt the bile rise in my throat. I felt nauseous. I swallowed hard, ignoring my bodies desire to purge itself. I called the M.E. to remove the remains.
We packed up the hoses and equipment into the truck and went back to the station. Each of us deep in our own thoughts. I know I was. When something like this happens you really have to face your mortality.
"Hey, Eddie, do you want me to go with you?" Emmett asked me. I was tempted, but I could see that he really needed to get home to Rose.
"Nah, go home to your wife. Both of you. I'll call later. Keep your scanners on though, I have to go out to the rez, to talk to Bella." I ran my hands through my hair, hating my job in that moment.
God! I hated this. I hated to have to do this. I hated it when women cried.
I drove slowly, out to La Push, the reservation where Jake lived. I took my time trying to put together how I would break the news to her. I really wasn't looking forward to the task in front of me.
Damn. Maybe I should have taken a shower first. I smelt like...sweat and smoke and death.
As I pulled up to the little red shack where Jake and Bella lived, I realized just how late it was. There was no lights on. No welcoming porch light outside, no warm glow from inside. I walked up the sagging wood steps to the front door and knocked.
No answer.
I knocked again and waited. Finally a light came on, towards the back of the house. Good. At least someone was home. It took a couple of minutes, but finally, Bella turned the porch light on, peeked out the side window, then unlocked and opened the door.
I was shocked when I saw her. She looked the same except for the bruises. She was covered in bruises, from head to toe. Was she in an accident? Did she total the bike? Or...
"Bella. Hey. Uhm...may I come in?" I asked, hesitantly.
She nodded and opened the door wider inviting me in silently.
I looked around the small home. Well used furniture, and threadbare carpet, but clean. Not a speck of dirt or dust anywhere. Obviously Bella had tried to make the place more like a home with pretty curtains, throw pillows and area rugs in bright, cheerful colors.
I took in the room, then looked at her. "What happened?" Indicating the bruises.
She huffed at me, but wouldn't look me in the eye. "Just clumsy."
"Not from the bike, I hope?" I asked.
"No." She blushed. Damn that was cute. "Jacob took my keys away and hid them somewhere. I haven't ridden my bike since that day I came to the station." She was muttering unhappily.
"Does he hit you?" Man this is so not what I came here to talk to her about. But I was suspicious of the bruises.
She didn't answer my question, instead asking one of her own. "Why are you here?" She was looking up at me through her eyelashes, not staring directly, but I could feel the weight of her eyes on me. By the way she asked, and the way her body was bowing, her arms wrapping around her body, as if to hold herself together, she already knew the answer.
"Bella...I don't know how to say this and make it right." I ran my hands through my hair. The smell of smoke wafted around me and I grimaced.
She was nodding her head. I couldn't believe how stoic she was...so accepting.
"Did he suffer?" She asked softly. "Or was it quick?"
"I think quick. I don't think he suffered. The roof collapsed in on him as he entered a building." I couldn't look her in the eye anymore. Couldn't look at her. I had failed to keep her husband safe...alive. I didn't want to see her tears.
Another big sigh from her. "Not the first person that I have lost in the line of duty." She said softly.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"My dad. He was Chief of Police...Charlie Swan. Murdered in the line of duty. Over two years ago." Her voice was barely a whisper now, her voice strained. I watched as she ran her hands up and down her arms, like she was cold. She shivered, curling into herself and her thoughts and memories.
She pulled her legs up, to curl herself into a small, tight ball, but as she did her robe fell away from her leg, revealing a huge bruise on the back of her thigh. It looked like a footprint. I gasped, and she looked at me and saw where my eyes were. She shrugged again and pulled her robe back over her exposed leg.
"Did Jake do that to you?" I was shocked, and angry. More like furious. What gave him the right to hurt her like that?
Again she didn't answer my question, staring off into the distance. She was off in her own little world. Hopefully she was safe there, and there was no pain there.
Out of the blue her voice broke the silence. "I found out today that I'm pregnant. Jacob thinks I'm cheating on him. He came home drunk, about a month ago, and I couldn't avoid him, and he didn't wear a condom." Another shrug and then shudder wracked her body. "He was so drunk, he doesn't remember doing it. We...well, we don't have sex very often, so he thought it's been a lot longer than it was, so he assumed that I was cheating on him. He said he couldn't afford to feed another mouth and couldn't afford an abortion, besides he wasn't going to take care of someone else's bastard..." Her voice drifted off there, but I realized what she was saying. He tried beating her, to cause a miscarriage. The sick fuck.
"How bad is it?" I asked, looking at her. I stood up and pulled her to her feet. My hands slowly tugging on the sash, holding her robe closed. She didn't flinch, or try to cover herself. She just stood there, looking up at me. Refusing to look down at her body. Under her robe she didn't have much on. A pair of mens plaid boxers, rolled down to fit her tiny body, and a thin white wife beater type shirt. It was pretty sheer, and I could see through it. I could see everything, but I focused on the bruises, not on her tight, dark little nipples. Again, I was horrified. She had more huge bruises across her stomach, breasts, shoulder and back.
"Did you miscarry?" I could barely choke out the words. I was outraged. "Are you bleeding?" How could she stand there, so calm?
She shook her head. "I have an appointment with my doctor next week..." Again trailing off, not finishing her sentence, her thought. She shivered, and pulled the robe back over her shoulders and tied the sash.
"Do you want to go to the E.R.?" I asked. I know its late, and I woke her up, and she just found out her husband was dead, but her responses were a little too...unemotional. I wondered if she was in shock. Maybe I should take her to the E.R. even if she doesn't want to go.
She shook her head no.
"I'll just wait and see what happens." She sighed
"Will you keep it?" I looked at her to see how she would respond.
"I don't know...I...I'm not sure that I'm ready, or that I can do this on my own. I'm only 21 years old...and I don't have a job or any money." She sat back down, and pulled her legs up to her body, resting her chin on her knees. "I just don't know right now." She whispered dejected.
I nodded. Not my decision. But as I looked at her, I realized...pregnant or not...bruised, battered, beaten and down-trodden...very recently widowed...I still wanted her.