The Welcoming

My eyes slowly blinked opened when I felt the trickle of water slid down my forehead. My mother held a wet cloth to my head while my dad and Aunt Sarah talked in hushed voices outside of the room. The twins looked genuinely shocked and sat by my side. Jacob was sound asleep in his cradle.

"Jim, Sarah, she's awake," my mother called and the two glanced worriedly in the room.

"Belle," dad crossed the room and held my hand.

Everything was fuzzy, and a knot was forming on the back of my skull.

"I thought you two weren't coming back for another week?" I groaned and everyone gave a nervous laugh.

"Are you alright?"

"I just hit my head, I'll be ok," I answered, trying to sit up. Slowly everything was returning to me but I was still a bit shaky. I looked around taking in the people in my surroundings.

One person wasn't registering. Max wasn't leaning against doorway or hiding in a corner, he wasn't there at all. You couldn't really expect him to stay did you?

"Belle, I am so sorry-" Aunt Sarah began, actual sincerity dawning her face.

"It's fine, Aunt Sarah. It wasn't your fault."

"I'm just glad that we came home in time to catch the dirty rotten scoundrel," Doc and Trusty meandered in, and took their places next to me.

Dirty rotten scoun- oh no! "Wait who do you mean is the dirty rotten scoundrel? The girl right, the girl named Sara?"

"No, when the police came, the boy who you knew was arrested. He was caught red handed," Trusty continued, and I jerked upright. I felt dizzy from the sudden movement but I didn't care.

"No! Max was helping me, Sara and Butch were the one's robbing the place!" I hastily climbed to my feet but my mother gently pulled me back down. "We have to stop them, please! Max was only doing the right thing. He saved my life!"

Before I had finished my sentence, Doc and Trusty had sprinted out the door. I clambered to my feet and started to follow. "Belle you are in no condition to go anywhere. It started storming when we got back, you can't-"

"Dad," I interrupted "I have to help him." I then stumbled out of the room and down the stairs. I didn't even bother to grab a rain jacket as I plunged into the storm.

I didn't have any direction of where the car had went with Max but I could see Doc and Trusty sprinting down the street to my right. I followed behind, tucking my head into the rain and dashing after them.

For two older men they had some speed, and it took me some time to catch up. "Lassie, what are you do-"

"Doc, I have to find him," I yelled through the freezing wind. Trusty was intently staring at the tracks on the ground and would head off in the direction he believed was right. Trusty had been in the war as a tracker and had won several medals for it.

I trekked behind mindlessly when Trusty took off a sprint so furious that Doc and I couldn't keep up. The wind increased and the silly heeled shoes that I have to always wear became slick against the mud. I struggled forward and Doc made better progress than I did. That when we heard the tires screech and a loud yell.

"Trusty!" My legs couldn't move fast enough as we reached the intersecting street. The police car was crashed against the side of a building. Trusty stood in the middle of the road, shock written across his aged features.

I turned to the car and looked at the crumpled frame. "Max," I whispered. My heart pounded, my head hurt, and my ears filled with blood as I pushed to the car.

"Max!" I yelled as I tore at the door. A policeman stood nearby, doubled over from lack of breath. "Please," I yelled at him and I tugged at the lock. He gathered his wits and quickly opened the door. Max lay slumped on the ground, his leg at an awkward angle. His hands held his leg just above the knee and he held his lip in between his teeth.

"Max," I whispered, the sound of rain softened inside of the car.

"Pidge, I knew you couldn't stay away," he chuckled as I settled next to him.

"Don't worry, help's coming," I whispered, trying to keep my eyes on his rather than on his leg.

"Belle, I'll be fine. How's your head?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I ran in a storm to get here so I'm assuming that I'm fine." I sat down next to him and he cautiously placed his left arm around my shoulders.

"I'm sorry this happened, I wish I had just left you alone. I wish I wasn't so blind."

"I don't. I'm glad you did. I don't regret it at all." I whispered, letting my head rest against his shoulder.

"Yea, I'm not either. I thought I would make you feel better," he shrugged.

I tentatively pressed my lips against his cheek and he smiled. "You call that a kiss?"

"I do, in fact." I answered, smiling back at him.

Suddenly he crashed his lips against mine. "That's a kiss."

A/N Hey guys, I just want to inform you that there will be at least one more chapter! Yay! I hope you guys are ok with the changes that I made. At the time I was writing this I was watching a youtuber play a horror game so I wasn't exactly focused but I figured it wasn't too bad.

I hoped y'all like it! And thank you for reading this far!