summary | road trips and Victoria and babies happen, don't forget that part where they are being chased and the truck blows up.
baby's breath
| know the promises we make, guard now and never again |
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The first time someone plants the thought in her mind; it's two weeks after the fact. People in Forks High treat her as if she has a rare disease and they always speak in hush tones whenever she is near. She rolls her eyes and bangs her locker door.
She spends too much time with Jacob. He doesn't treat her like she is made of porcelain. They are in the dinner; she has a bite of hamburger in her mouth, her left hand clamped on a piece of pizza and her right one with a few fries. She barely swallows and Jacob mouth's is opened just like a fish.
"What?" She swallows the bite of burger and takes a sip of her Sprite, before she shoves a handful fries inside her mouth.
"Bells, you sure you're okay?" She's fine actually. She's just hungry all the time. And when Jacob invites her out for supper before going to see that action movie he keeps rambling on about, she's too happy to follow. "You're eating more than me – not that there's anything wrong with that." She's glaring at him, a peperoni sticking out from the cheese.
"So what?"
"You sure you're not pregnant?" She throws some cheese at his face, which he dodges with ease and when she keeps on glaring he shrugs his shoulders and goes back to his own burger. He drops the subject and she goes back to ignoring him in favour of her food which is growing cold.
It's only the next day when she throws up everything, the popcorn they got from the theater, the extra gummy bears she sneaks in between bites, the pizza and the fries and the burger, that maybe Jacob isn't that far off.
Saturday, she drives down to Port Angeles for a drugstore pregnancy test because it makes more sense to drive all the way down there than to buy it from the Newton's supply store. She highly doubts this is it, but she doesn't need more rumours spreading about why the Cullens left.
The cashier doesn't even blink and Bella finds that it's just too easy. Her hands are gripped on the steering wheel and she can't help herself from stopping at a drive thru, picking up a burger that is so rare it bleeds on her jeans when she takes an almost savage bite.
She eyes the drugstore on her way back, shakes her head and steps on the gas pedal, a small doubt suddenly forming in the back of her mind. Vampires can't conceive – it's impossible. She hadn't used protection because it didn't make sense. She's sure she's breaking at least five traffic laws, but she doesn't care, the feeling in her stomach giving her cramps.
Turns out, vampires can conceive. The pregnancy test comes out positive, two lines that are pink and she's glad Charlie isn't home because she throws it hard, not realising her own strength and it bounces on the wall, finally falling on the floor. She takes a good look at herself in the mirror and sighs.
Well, fuck.
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She can't find any answers on the web – which doesn't surprise her. She spends at least two weeks searching every word that pops in her mind, but nothing comes up when words like 'pregnant' and 'vampire' are thrown together.
She does the only logical thing she can think of – go back to the source. She tells Charlie she's driving down to see Jacob, but it's only an excuse. Instead, she finds herself knocking on Harry Clearwater's door, because if someone will know what the hell is going on inside her, it's him.
They speak in hush tones. She explains it as best as she can – because she can't even understand herself, you know? He can't even look at her, almost like she's carrying the devil's spawn. If vampires exist and Jacob believes the Quileute tribe descends from wolves it's not such a stretch.
She ends up in the middle of an elder's meeting, which is no fun believe her. Billy Black is absent and Bella doesn't know how she feels about that. In the end, they have no clue. But Harry hands her an address on a piece of paper on a tribe, farther north, which might be able to help her. They chant words as she leaves, probably trying to save her soul or something and she drives by Jacob's house and honks.
It's already night and Jacob is all wide eyed as she tells him to get in the truck.
"Bells, you're scaring me." Her hands are moist, her breathing is harsh and it's only when they pull up at the dinner and she kills the engine that she starts to calm down. She takes a deep breath and blurts it out – that she's pregnant. "I already figured it out, Bells." She shakes her head.
"You have to understand; this is not your typical pregnancy." He raises an eyebrow, a skeptical one.
"If you're about to tell me that you are a virgin and you are carrying God's child, I swear I'm driving you to the hospital." She lets out a shaky laugh and he truly seems scared out of his mind and that's when she tells him everything. About vampires and that he's probably a werewolf, that when the Cullens left Jasper came to say goodbye and what happened, happened and how her only lead is an address on a piece of paper in her bag.
And you know what he does? He laughs, like out loud. She thinks he's hysteric, but he's just laughing and they are tears forming in his eyes and his hand keeps hitting his thigh and she wants to tell him to shut up – but she finds his laughter contagious and soon her whole body is shaking with chuckles.
"Trust you – Bella Swan, to get caught up in all of this." You know what's the worst, she can't even disagree with him. The dinner's lights are flashing red, the 'opened 24 hours' sign the only reason she drove there in the first place. She's aching for a milkshake and Jacob's buying one for her.
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She tells Charlie she's visiting her mother and she tells her mother she's spending Christmas on a road trip with some friends and that she'll probably stop for a visit if she passes by Jacksonville.
She pauses a moment, feeling bad for lying to both parents. But her clothes are sticking to her skin and it's getting hard hiding the morning sickness from Charlie – she packs her bag and gets inside the truck, the piece of paper burning a hole in her jeans pocket.
It takes her a while to reach New York, holiday traffic and all. She stops the truck at the edge of the sign that says Cayuga Nation, deciding she can walk the rest of the way.
They already know she's coming, Harry Clearwater called a head. A man, much like him, waits to escort her in the middle of the woods. She follows him warily, wonders if they are just going to kill her. But she ends up near a fire with ten or so men all chanting as she approaches. One explains to her that they communicate with the spirits when they have unanswered questions.
There's one with cool fingers who paints on her stomach with red ink (she thinks it's blood, whether it's animal or human, she doesn't ask) and tells her to lie down on the ground. It's wet under her and she can feel her jeans soaking up the rain covered earth. They chant come more, louder this time and Bella can't remember much because she somehow falls asleep.
When she wakes up, the same man who escorted her is shaking his head in hurry and he pulls at her arm to get up like he cannot get rid of her too soon. They all frown and one of the ten men in the circle tell her they cannot help her, that she'll have to find someone else.
She stops in a drive thru on the way, thinking that was the biggest waste of time of her life. She's scarfing down a quesadilla, with a side of nachos and potatoes covered in sour cream, not bothering to look in front of her when she literally drives over someone. She steps on the breaks hard, choking on a piece of cheese. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is opened and it takes her a minute to register that she probably needs to go check if the person is all right.
Bella gets out of the truck, thinking that her baby will be born in prison because she just committed manslaughter and that even if she is just eighteen, they'll send her to jail. But she finds no body. She looks for it, don't get her wrong. But fifteen minute passes and finally, she shrugs – bigger thing on her mind than a body who doesn't want to be found.
She's about to start the truck again when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She panics when she is met with Victoria's sparkling red eyes in her mirror, her fire colored hair easily recognizable.
"Drive on – if you scream, I'll tear out your liver." And that is exactly how Isabella Swan ends up with a new road trip buddy.
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"I paid a visit to Harry Clearwater." Isabella blinks, thinking the worst. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to him, he had his little guard dogs." And the vixen laughs, like it's the funniest thing in the world. "Took a while, but he finally told me. I have to admit, I didn't think the mind reader had it in him." Bella keeps her eyes on the road.
"It's not Edward's." Victoria stops laughing. "The baby isn't Edward's." It's his adopted brother's, but the vixen is smart enough to figure it out. It's not like Bella goes around sleeping with every vampire she meets. Victoria's eyes turn to slits, like she's ready to pounce.
"It can still be used as leverage." Bella lets out a dry laugh.
"Edward left. Whatever leverage you think you have, you don't." The red head pauses, obviously doubting her words. "Why do you think I'm looking for someone to tell me what the hell is happening? If I could still contact the Cullens, I would – but they left without a fucking care in the world and I'm stuck dealing with this alone." There's a silence that stretches, Victoria's hands edging close to her neck, but finally she leans back into the back seat like she is defeated.
"I think I know someone who can help you." Bella thinks it's wrong to hope, but she does anyways. "Not that I care – since you're useless now, but if you want to find out, he could help you." She grips the steering wheel hard.
"So?" Victoria sends her a look. "Where is that mysterious person who has all the answers?" She practically snaps at her captor. She's pregnant, with mood swings and craving and she really has no time for games when the clock keeps ticking away so fast.
"Virginia – takes the next exist. We have to go south." It's funny how the vixen includes a 'we' – but Bella cares too much about her life to comment. The vixen is propping her feet and making herself comfortable and Bella thinks it's sad that her food dropped on the floor of the car because she's really hungry right now.
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It's funny everything you can learn about someone in the couple of days it takes them to reach Virginia. Like how the vixen has been keeping close tabs on each of the Cullens and how they somehow split after they left Forks. She also learns things about mates and how James' death leaves a hole in Victoria that cannot be filled with anything other than revenge.
"So, you want to kill Edward?" It's an innocent enough question. Victoria gets a somber expression, the kind that answers the question even before the answer leaves her lips.
"Yes." They stopped on the side of the road so Bella can stretch her legs. There's so much road you can take before the scenery starts getting old. "You don't care." Bella pauses in her stretching and thinks for a second, then two.
"No." And when the word escapes her lips, she finds that she really doesn't – you know, care. A look of understanding passes between the two and Victoria nods her head while the brunette resumes her stretching. It's like they haven't been discussing actually murdering her ex-boyfriend.
The GPS tells her that there's a fast food joint not too far away – Bella's aching for chicken.
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As she starts the second half of the second month, things take a dramatic turn. She starts not being able to sleep and the food that has kept her going for the last month and half don't cure the pains anymore. Victoria actually looks agitated, like she cares or something.
The redhead's lead is a dead end. Turns out the man she is seeking hasn't been around for years. She thinks she might now where he is and because Bella has trouble driving, the vixen is the one at the wheel. Her stomach is starting to show and the baby is sucking out whatever life source it can find. It rejects the food and kicks almost like she's six months pregnant and not two.
"I'm dying." Bella's eyes are tired, dark circles taking permanent residence on her face. She's thinner, her cheeks caving in and she has trouble putting her feet one in front of the other. "Maybe that's what is supposed to happen, maybe it's sucking out my blood." And then Victoria gets that look on her face like she's just found a solution.
"Wait here." They've pulled up in front of a shopping mall. The sun sets early since they are approaching January fast and Bella stays in the car because she just can't find the strength to go after the vixen. She plays with her phone, changes the radio stations three times, tries to rest but feels sharp kicks in her stomach.
The vixen opens the door of the car with a new pair of sunglasses – Bella blinks. She hands her a container which obviously comes from one of the restaurants in the food court, but the content seems pink from the white cover.
"Here. Drink this – it will probably help." Bella looks from the plastic cup back to the vixen. Her eyebrows are raised (whether it's because Victoria actually looks like she cares or because she doesn't trust the content of the container – she doesn't know. Maybe it's a little of both) and finally places the straw in her mouth and takes a tentative sip.
The first thing that hits her is the taste of iron. She takes a small sip, not ready to just dump the content in her mouth – but she somehow finds herself enjoying the taste. She takes more and more, until her mouth is stained red and the pain in her stomach somehow subsides. Victoria is watching her with a smirk and Bella's face twists in horror.
"It's blood." Victoria hums, not saying a word and starts the car again. Bella doesn't know if she should spit it out and be disgusted with herself or be happy that she can finally keep something down. She decides to ease her conscience by taking a nap, the first one in a week.
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"I cannot tell you how much I hate you right now." It's really an understatement. "I'm three months pregnant and you're making me run for my life!" Bella is out of breath and fuming. Victoria conveniently forgets to mention that they man they are looking for is a warlock and that she might've killed his wife a long, long time ago.
"How was I supposed to know he'd carry a grudge for fifty years?" The vixen is obviously slowed down by her. They are running through an empty street in Tennessee being chased by a power angry witch who wants nothing more than to burn Victoria to ashes. Bella knew she should've gone alone, but the redhead couldn't just mind her business.
Victoria suddenly grabs her easily and, while holding her bridal style, starts running faster than any vampire Bella's ever known. They stop after fifteen blocks, the sound of things exploding and car alarms finally dying down. Bella breathes, sweat pouring from her forehead. Victoria puts a finger on her mouth obviously to keep her quiet.
A minute passes and then two – it's a wonder no one bothered to peek at the mess in the streets. People here either sleep through anything or this scene is just a common Friday night for them. Either way, Bella allows herself to relax as Victoria tells her she can't hear anything anymore.
"Crazy bitch." Victoria rolls her eyes and dusts herself off. The man had successfully managed to set her shirt on fire and now she'd have to find a new one.
"Oh come on. That was exhilarating – it's the most fun I've had since…" She doesn't finish that sentence and Bella reiterates with her statement that the redhead is a crazy bitch who would probably get her killed if the human/vampire growing inside of her didn't take care of that earlier. "Obviously, we're not going to find anything here. I know a witch not too far away in New Orleans –"
"Did you kill her husband too? What was it, a two for one?" She's cranky – blame the hormones.
"No, but she knows Laurent. She might be more sympathetic to our cause." It's the little things that start to add up – like how Victoria keeps using the ours and we, as if she's not truly alone in this.
Bella will never admit, especially not to the woman in front of her, but it's nice – this having a friend who doesn't pack up and leave her without any explanation.
The find their way to where they parked her truck and it's only when Victoria starts the car that Bella catches the panic in her companion's eyes. In a split second, Victoria is pushing her body on top of hers and the truck is blown to little pieces scattering in the streets.
It's when she regains consciousness from the impact and the shock and Victoria is pulling shards of glass from her skin –
"Seriously?" Well, fuck.
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"How is this better?" They are pulling up in New Orleans in the car Victoria stole. "My parents will think I'm dead – tell me how this is better?"
"You don't want any leads. The fact that you already know so much about vampires can be problematic to some people." Bella knows who the redhead is referring to – that coven who keeps order and all. "If someone thinks your parents might know something, they could go after them." Bella hates to agree, so she doesn't. She wonders if they'll have a funeral for her. She already imagines her mother crying and her father standing stoically through it all.
Their quest brings them to a dive restaurant who looks as if it hasn't had a good coat of paint in years. Victoria waits for her to step through the door before following her in. The sun has just set and the place is barely crowded. Both take a seat at the bar, waiting to be served.
A woman struts up to them behind the counter. She's young, maybe in her late twenties. Her skin is the colour of cacao and her hair is long, braided so it falls on her right shoulder. There's an apron tied around her waist and she sets two shot glasses in front of Victoria and her – they haven't ordered anything.
"You have a lot of nerve coming in here, vampire." Victoria doesn't even blink at the hostile tone. And when the barmaid has finished pouring a healthy dose of tequila in the shot glasses, the redhead downs it with ease. Bella isn't so sure she should be drinking – you know, the pregnant issue and all.
"I'm a friend of Laurent." The woman refills Victoria's glass and then turns towards Bella.
"You smell human and yet there's something wrong with you." She's shaking her hands, the bracelets on her arms making noise. Bella thinks the woman is flamboyant, all artefacts and everything.
"I guess that's what happens when you get impregnated by a vampire." The woman blinks and then takes out a shot glass for herself and fills up with tequila before downing it. She places both hands on the counter and stares at the brunette who fidgets in her seat.
"Let me start out by saying that if you weren't friends with Laurent, I would throw your ass out." Victoria huffs, Bella wants to point out that Laurent isn't her friend – she doesn't. "About your situation – it's not looking good." Bella and Victoria share a look. "Last woman I knew who got pregnant by vampire was a witch, a good one. She fell in love, didn't think it was possible, but got pregnant. But the baby was sucking out her life force, which caused her hallucinations and odd cravings for blood." Bella nods her head, feeling the baby kick.
"It didn't take nine months for the baby to be born and when the time came she couldn't just push it out, the father had to rip open her stomach to pull it out." Bella feels her fingers shake. "He turned her, to try and save her. But witches don't take the transition to well – she went crazy and killed a church full of people. He had to kill her or else someone else would've." There's a pause. "Him and the kid are still alive from what I hear – send post cards every ten years or so."
"So?" After the silence, Victoria clears her throat and sends her best intimidating glare towards the woman who still haven't told them her name. "What are we supposed to do?"
"My advice?" Bella nods her head eagerly. "Find the father, at least, if you die, the kid will know one parent." Someone flags her down, a customer wanting a refill. "It's on the house, just promise me not to come back here." Bella's face is probably mortified and Victoria pushes at the glass shot in front of her. Bella downs it without thinking, her face scrunching up in distaste.
"Come on, we're obviously not wanted here." Victoria helps her up, steadying her on her feet. This is not the answer she wanted, but it's better than anything they've found the last few weeks. They get inside the car, Victoria at the wheel.
"What do you want to do?" Bella has her face pressed against the window, the heat incredibly humid. She feels tears threatening to fall at any moment, hasn't feel this helpless since that night Edward just abandoned her in the woods. She's going to die, her body not able to sustain her baby. She's going to die and there's nothing she can do about it.
"Let's go find daddy." Victoria nods and turns the key in the ignition like she actually knows where she's going. Bella feels tears falling down her face and onto the window. She clutches at her stomach, driving towards her death.
a/n : If anyone still pays attention to this story, you are probably reading this chapter and not recognizing much of it. It's going under major reconstruction, mostly because even I didn't understand the direction this was taking. I'm sorry if I keep changing the chapters, but I've finally come to terms with what I want from this story and how in should properly be written. I thank you all for your feedback and your patience. Let me know what you think of this new chapter, it's long, but it sets the tone. Hope you enjoyed and till next time.