A/N – Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed. Sorry if I didn't get a chance to respond to your reviews. Life has been crazy. Special thanks to my Team Bean girls! Ready for badass Bella to give Bobby the shake down? Wonder what's in store...
Chapter song: Somethings Don't Work Out Like They Should – Joe Purdy
Cause I'm screaming at you, but you're screaming at me 'bout what I think you should do, or how you wish I could be.
Chapter 3
They could hear the wheels of the car crunch against the gravel as it pulled up the driveway.
Dean offered Bobby a puzzled look. "Expecting company?"
Sam rushed over to the window and pulled back a dusty curtain. "It's the sheriff."
Bobby looked up from the desk and slammed his book shut. "Balls!"
Dean stood up from the couch. "You want me to handle this?"
Bobby pushed his chair back and made his way over to the front door. "Nah. Sheriff Mills and I got history. I'll get rid of her."
Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother because of the way Bobby said "history." Dean shrugged, a small smirk forming. If they didn't know Bobby better, they'd think that history involved a romp in the sheets.
Taking off his ball cap and running his hands over the sides of his head, smoothing down his hair, Bobby stood in front of the door. Three, loud, distinctive knocks—the typical cop knock—echoed through the house. Bobby swung the door open, a genuine smile on his face.
"Sheriff Mil..." His eyes swept over the woman in front of him, and she smiled brightly. His brows knitted together and he braced himself against the open door. "You're not..."
"No, but I..." she looked over her shoulder, eyeing the Ford Police Interceptor parked behind her "...obviously work for her. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Bobby turned around and gave the boys the look—the one that told them to put away anything that would raise suspicions and to make themselves scarce. He stepped in front of the door and shut it behind him.
"Not for nothing, ma'am, but just because you drive a cruiser doesn't mean you actually work for the sheriff. How do I know you didn't just lift the car?"
Bella pulled her leather jacket to the side, revealing the badge clipped to her waist. "I may be new to the area, but I know about you. Wanna tell me what you were doing down at the old shoe mill earlier this afternoon?"
He pushed his shoulders back and stood up straight. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Bella shook her head and laughed under her breath. "Come on, Bobby... I can call you Bobby, right?" She looked up at him expectantly.
Bobby wiped at the back of his neck with his hand. He could feel her big brown eyes softening his hard exterior. The corner of his lips twisted into a half-smile. What the hell was it about this girl? She was pretty, he'd give her that, but way too young for him to be commenting on her looks. She could easily flirt her way into answers, but that didn't seem like her style. She was confident, smooth even, like she'd been doing this her whole life. That couldn't be the case, though. What was she? Twenty-six? Not much younger than Dean. Something was oddly familiar about her. Maybe Bobby had run one too many cons on the job and he saw her doing the same thing to him. It was just the way she carried herself. He could tell she was a little spitfire. He pushed away his suspicions and assumed it was just some of Jodie Mills rubbing off on her.
Bobby chuckled. "Well, I don't know. Only my friends get to call me Bobby and I don't even know your name." He raised a challenging eyebrow at her.
"Where are my manners?" She gave him a toothy grin and shoved her hand out in front of her to introduce herself. "I'm..."
"It shouldn't be taking this long." Sam was still at the window trying to catch a glimpse, but all he could see was Bobby's backside. He turned over his shoulder and looked at his brother. "I can't see a thing."
Dean sat on the couch with his legs kicked up on the coffee table reading a Popular Mechanic magazine. He waved Sam off with his hand.
"You saw the look Bobby gave us. He's probably just working that old Singer charm."
"Charm?" Sam asked with a disbelieving laugh.
Slamming the magazine down on the table, Dean sighed and got up from the couch. "Fine. I'll go see what's going on." He started for the door but paused to face Sam. "But if Bobby gets all cranky about us messing up his game, that's gonna be on you." Dean swung open the door.
"...Detective Bella Swan." She shook Bobby's hand, firm and strong.
Bobby's hand went lax and the color drained from his face. He finally realized what it was about her. She was a spitting image of Charlie, even down to the way she talked to him. It was like a young, female Charlie Swan was standing in front of him, working a case.
Bella's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Are you okay?"
"You..." The gruff voice was unmistakable. Dean's body tensed as he took in the sight before him.
Bella looked over Bobby's shoulder and saw Dean standing on the steps of the porch. "You..." she repeated Dean's words with the same amount of venom in her voice.
She shoved past Bobby and advanced toward the steps as Dean descended them. She halted, coming face to face with Dean, her eye level hitting his chest. Dean was considerably taller than her, and he used his muscular frame to his advantage, but she wouldn't let him intimidate her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat.
He narrowed his eyes, looking down at her, his jaw flexing as he ground his teeth. "I was about to ask you the same thing, sweetheart."
Sam finally came outside to see what all the commotion was about. "What's going..." his eyes swept over to Bella and his brother. He laughed nervously. "Oh...hey, Bella."
Bobby eventually found his voice and approached, Bella, Dean, and now Sam. "Why don't we take this inside, alright?"
Dean quickly spun on his heels and stormed off inside, his brother following. Bobby held the door open and let Bella walk in front of him.
"Seems like we have a lot to talk about..." Bobby started, taking a seat at his desk.
Bella sat in the chair across from him, her body slightly rigid. "Appears that way..."
Dean shot Bobby a deadly glare, but Bobby just scowled back. "When was the last time you talked to your daddy?" Bobby asked.
Bella shrugged. "About a week ago. What's this about?" She looked over to Sam and Dean and then back to Bobby. "You know Charlie too?"
"I think maybe we should give him a call." Bobby nodded toward the line of phones attached to the wall. "Pick any one."
Getting up from the chair, she walked over to the far wall. She scanned over the labels taped to each one: Fed. Marshall, FBI, CDC, Police, Health Dept. Each had a different corresponding name. Bella furrowed her brows trying to make sense of it all. She finally picked the one that said "Police" with the name "Pete Lovell." She dialed the number to Forks Police Department and waited for Charlie to pick up.
"Swan."
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Bella answered, "Hey, Dad."
"Oh hey, Bells." He hesitated for a minute. The silence caused little beads of sweat to form along Bella's hairline. "Didn't realize it was you." Charlie quickly pulled the phone away to double check the caller ID. He felt the pit in his stomach churn with worry. "What number are you calling from?" he asked nervously.
"I'm at Bobby Singer's house..." She didn't even have a chance to explain herself.
"Put him on the phone, Bella." Charlie's voice was stern.
Suddenly, Bella realized a lot more was going on than a simple B&E. For the longest time she had tried to put that picture of the Winchesters she found in her father's desk drawer out of her mind. She thought about coming right out and asking Charlie, especially after his strange behavior when she had called him while they were locked up, but she figured it didn't really matter. It wasn't like she'd ever see them again. Besides, Charlie was a good cop. He'd never let anyone go that would pose a threat to Forks or anyone else for that matter. So Bella dropped it, and she did what she did best...threw herself into work. The last thing she expected was to run into them again. And she certainly didn't expect her first day on the job to bring out a secret past she knew nothing about.
She looked over to Bobby and held the phone out to him. Chewing on her lower lip, she looked almost defeated. "He wants to talk to you."
Bobby got up and took the phone. Charlie immediately began shouting. "What the hell is she doing there, Bobby?"
Bobby let out a sigh. "My guess is she works for the sheriff and she was investigating some suspicious activity down at the shoe mill..." he looked over to Bella and she quickly turned away, her eyes meeting the cold, angry eyes of Dean. She huffed and scowled back, turning her gaze to the hardwood floor. "...she doesn't know anything yet, but unless you want her to find out from me or even worse...herself, I suggest you high tail it to Sioux Falls."
"I'm on the next flight out. Not a word, Bobby. I mean it!" Charlie hung up the phone and Bobby slammed his back on the wall.
"Balls!"
~o~
Bobby and the boys had been huddled in the corner for a good ten minutes. Bobby shook his head repetitively, tossing a sympathetic glance her way every now and then. Bobby's and Dean's gruff tones vibrated through the room. Bella couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but she could tell by the way Dean threw his hands up in the air several times and how Sam and Bobby kept trying to reel him in that he was pissed off about something. Their efforts were in vain, though. Dean tore away from his brother and Bobby and kicked a chair across the room as he stalked away.
Bella's eyes followed Dean's retreating form. The muscles in his broad back were rippling with tension, and she scowled when he put a little extra force in his step and stomped up the stairs. What an immature ass, Bella thought.
She snickered and shook her head. Bella knew his type. The Academy was filled with them. Guys so used to getting their way, being the ones in charge, the minute someone threatened that, they threw tantrums of epic proportion. Lucky for her she knew exactly how to handle them. She'd ignored them at first, but that just made them rag on her even more. They wanted a reaction; they wanted to send her packing.
They didn't see that behind those brown doe eyes, a fire burned. She had given up the role of damsel in distress a long time ago. She learned the hard way that there were no knights in shining armor, no matter how badly she wished there were. Those fictional heroes in her favorite books were just that: fiction. Not real. After he left her broken, she learned real fast that the only person that could save her was herself.
At first they thought she was just a girl pretending to play with the big boys, but she used that to her advantage. No one expected little Bella to be able to incapacitate a guy twice her size during hand-to-hand combat drills. No one realized while they were out drinking, bonding at the bar over beers and cheap whiskey, her nights were filled with Criminal Justice textbooks. Every time they tested, on paper and in the field, she exceeded everyone's expectations, including their instructor.
He'd pulled her aside one day and said, "I know you like being the underdog. And trust me, no one likes to see the surprise on their faces when you hand them their asses more than I do, but I think it's time you give it back. Don't put up with their crap. I see that fire, Bella, and you know what? They can't handle the flame. Let them burn."
Her instructor had given her that little extra boost of confidence she needed. After that, she stopped putting up with their shit. She had the skills and the brains. Now she had the attitude and she was a force to be reckoned with. Yes, she knew exactly how to handle Dean Winchester.
Sitting in Bobby's living room, getting more impatient as the minutes ticked by, Bella couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Yes, Dean had showed typical behavior, reminiscent of the male cadets at The Academy, on both occasions. Back in Forks he'd acted like she was this annoying fly he could just swat away and then continue whatever it was he was doing without any regard to her or authority in general. Now, in Bobby's house, there was a certain edge to him, almost like her very presence made him uneasy. Dean had anger down pat; his posture, the way his jaw was always set in a hard line, and, yeah, he had a chip on his shoulder. Maybe it was as simple as she was on what he considered to be his turf.
Well too bad, Bella thought. This was her turf too now. He'd just have to get used to her, and she didn't care if he liked it or not. For the time being, aside from his little angry outburst, he acted like she wasn't even there. Dean had tried to avoid eye contact with her, but the few times he looked at her, Bella saw something behind his eyes that maybe he didn't realize was there: regret.
She tried to tamp down the feeling in her gut, the one that told her that maybe Dean wasn't like the other guys she was used to. Something about Dean told her that he had walked through the flames and liked the burn.
The loud slam of a door upstairs caused everyone's eyes in the room to swivel toward the stairs. Bobby let out a gruff sigh and shook his head while Sam slowly approached Bella.
"Hey, Bella. How's it going?" Sam attempted small talk as he sat down across from her, and she just narrowed her eyes at him.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Gee, I'm not sure, Sam. How would you feel if you found out your father had some sort of secret life and was hiding things from you for no apparent reason?"
Sam chuckled uncomfortably. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you I know exactly how you feel, would you?"
Bella rolled her eyes and angled her body away from him, choosing to stare out the window instead. "Whatever."
Movement on the stairs caught Sam's eyes, and he got up to meet his brother at the bottom of the stairs. He pulled Dean aside, looking over his shoulder to see Bella staring intently at the two of them.
"Dean, I was thinking...maybe we should just tell her. I think she'll understand. She has a lot more in common with..."
Dean shrugged out of Sam's hold. "Just stop. She's not like us, so get that idea right out of your head. Charlie is going to come here and set her straight. She'll be out of our hair before the day's out."
Sam stared at him pensively. "Why do I get the feeling that maybe that's why you're so bent?" Sam smirked. "I think part of you is angry because you want her to stick around..."
Dean let out growl and shoved Sam with his shoulder as he walked past him, shaking his head, mumbling something about Dr. Phil bullshit.
Sam busied himself with a book, figuring it was best just to keep quiet. He sort of expected Dean's reaction, and now he had the opportunity to observe his brother and Bella silently in the background. Bobby had made a phone call to Sheriff Mills to find out how long Bella had been in Sioux Falls and what she was really doing there. Bobby knew Jody didn't pull any punches, and he had a sinking suspicion that she was up to something when she hired Bella. Unfortunately, Sheriff Mills had left for the day and no one could reach her at home.
Bella glared at the men in the room. "So we're just going to sit here in silence the entire time?"
No one said anything. "Look, I'm not some little girl, okay? I don't need to wait for Daddy to get here to soften the blow. Why don't you just tell me how you know my dad."
Dean stalked over to the chair Bella was sitting in and stared down at her with hardened eyes. "Maybe Charlie doesn't want you to know."
Bella covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "He speaks!" she said sarcastically.
"Don't act cute. The minute Charlie gets here he's going to whisk you so far away from this place you won't know what hit you."
She pushed back her chair and swiftly shot to her feet. She narrowed her eyes at him, a fire burning behind them. "Like hell he will. He doesn't control me. This is my life...my job...he can't just come in here and..."
The front door swung open and Charlie walked in. He looked around the room and saw Dean and Bella face to face in a heated argument. His heart twinged with pride to see his daughter so confident and strong, not backing down to anyone. Then a sinking feeling settled deep in his belly knowing that the man she was going toe-to-toe with had the power to crush her whole world with just a few words.
Approaching Sam first, he gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "Hey, Sam, I wasn't expecting you here. I thought you'd be at school. It's good to see you, son." He gave Dean nod and Dean quickly took a few steps away from Bella and nodded back. "Dean."
"Charlie."
Charlie rounded the corner and came over to Bobby. Bobby got up from the desk and the two men shared a manly embrace. Bella looked on in wonderment. What the hell was going on? The men separated and Charlie turned around to face his daughter.
"Hey, Bells."
Bella's nostrils flared as she walked over to her father. "Don't 'hey, Bells' me. How the hell do you know these people? We've sat in silence for almost five hours. I want answers, and I want them now."
E/N- Charlie, you got some 'xplainin' to do. See you guys soon!
