Author's Note: Thank you everyone for all your reviews, comments, and views! This chapter is not only posted in happiness as yet another chapter to this wonderful story, but also because this story has reached a milestone number of views! Precisely: 150,000! Thank you so much to everyone! :)
Last time in Bright New Future:
[Tanya] stood there shocked before just sitting on the ground. She looked lost in thought as the man I never really wanted to see in my life walked in behind her. She stood quickly, and he leaned over and kissed her harshly on her lips before stepping away. She punched him hard, threw the ring at him, and ran out at vampire speed, cursing him the whole time. I heard the wolves outside howling out their laughter. He looked stunned before turning his bright red eyes onto me. They looked sickened by my presence; the feeling was mutual.
"Hello, Bella," greeted his musical voice in a falsely calm and collected tone.
*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*
"Sparkle Face," I greeted in return. I heard a wolf-y chuckle at the nearest window, so I looked over and saw Jake, well hidden from the road and neighbors but visible to the ones inside the house and in the back yard. Edward's eyes darkened at the sight of the wolf.
"That's not very lady like, Bella," he reprimanded.
I laughed. "Lady like? Did you forget that you're supposed to be a gentleman when you left me stranded in the woods? Or when you all abandoned me without any protection?"
"It's what was best for you, Bella. You don't belong in this world. In Phoenix, I made a promise that I wouldn't leave you again, as long as that is what is best for you," he reminded me.
"More like acting as though you cared apparently," I shot back at him.
His eyes darkened. "What I felt for you was real, Bella! I only led Tanya on because there was no way I could ever return to you without killing you by accident," he seethed out.
"If I had been the mate you claimed to think I was, you wouldn't hesitate to have turned me when I asked. I'm glad you didn't because I found my real mates. I have such a better life because of it. I know they love me, and I love them," I said.
He looked at me horrified. "Bella, you have no mate. You honestly believe you deserve one?" He looked at me then laughed. "How pathetic you are!"
"I'm not the one who's pathetic. I'm not the one that is so deranged that he can't see things the way they are, but sees them in a skewed and altered perception that makes everything twist into your delusion in a way that makes it dangerous for those around you. I'm surprised the Volturi haven't ended you decades ago," I informed him.
With that he started rushing forward, startling Ben enough to make him pause for half a second, but that was long enough for Edward to get by him; however, he was a lot faster because Ben had a hold of him in another half a second. Ben was so much faster than even the human eye could follow. There was a sickening snap that sounded like metal being grinded together and a bronze-haired head fell to the floor in front of me. There were four more snaps before he was in pieces on the floor.
"I need boxes; now," he demanded. "His body will put itself back together otherwise."
Charlie snapped into action, bringing four cardboard boxes down the stairs. Jake came back in wearing his clothes again.
"Can he feel or hear anything while he's like that?" Jake asked Ben.
He nodded. "Every touch on every part of his body, and definitely can hear."
Jake smirked and went over and punched Edward's stomach and slapped his face. "That's for being a jerk to my friend, leech."
Ben and Carmanos raised an eyebrow at the leech part but enjoyed watching the show. Ben put four parts in the cardboard boxes.
"Where's the closest store that sells safes?" Ben asked.
"Walmart," I answered. "Five minutes away driving."
He nodded. "Regardless of the fact vampires tend to avoid it and go to more upscale places if possible, anything will do for now. Carmanos, go get five safes at Walmart. We'll go get the boxes at the post office later. This will do for a few minutes, though."
He nodded, grabbed the keys, and left quickly. Billy, Charlie, Jake, and I started to move the pizza into the kitchen to reheat after the drama that unfolded. I got the pan and spread them out, heating each up only for a few minutes until nice and hot again. By the time the pizzas were reheated, Carmanos had come back and they had opened most of the safes from the boxes before putting parts of Edward in them. Once each part was locked up, we all sat and ate the pizza and the chips that Carmanos had grabbed while out at Ben's approval.
It was now around three in the afternoon. Ben had called a service for vampires to come and bring it to the designated spot. Godric and Eric were happily taking care of the cost to ship him to them to torture, and had expressed the necessity to have it done so quickly that they were sending it to the private plane that would bring it to Shreveport as soon as the safes were loaded and would send the plane back by tomorrow morning. I didn't want to start thinking about how much that would cost, but I did want to start thinking about the things they would possibly be doing to him.
Maybe it was just me being sentimental, but I figured that Esme and Carlisle, regardless of the fact they abandoned me as well, should know about Edward. Ben and Carmanos agreed to go with me to the hospital to see if the doctor was there. Jake and Billy, and the pack, all headed back to La Push to prepare for Harry's funeral. Charlie went to prepare as well. It felt weird leaving Charlie unguarded after what happened. I tried to convince him to come with but he refused. I sent a text to Jake, and he said a member of the pack would watch him. We stayed until the wolf came; it was Paul. I thanked him, he nodded his head, and we left. It was a short drive to Forks General Hospital, but I was nervous to see him again. My phone rang.
"Hello, Eric," I greeted, smiling instantly.
"Hello, sweetheart. It's only me this time; Godric is getting everything ready for when sparkly penny-head gets here."
I laughed at that. "Why didn't I think of that nickname?"
He chuckled too. "Why so nervous, Bella?" he asked seriously.
I bit my lip. "Yes, please do tell your mate your insane idea that even I am hesitant to let you do," spoke the annoyed voice of my vampire protector Ben.
"Bella?" Eric and Godric questioned.
I sighed. "I want to go to the hospital here to see if Dr. Cullen is there so we can tell him Edward is dead. Esme was always nice; even if she did abandon me too, she deserves to know."
There was silence. "Isabella," spoke Eric in a dark voice. "Absolutely not. It is entirely too dangerous after what happened. Ben, please turn around. If she tries, stop her, even if it's only calling."
"Happily!" Ben replied, doing just that.
I frowned. "Eric-"
"No," stated Godric firmly. His tone of voice, the steel behind it with simmering anger, made me shiver. "Once you are out of harm's way in Florida, we will make the call, Isabella. Until then stay away from the Cold Ones or there will be consequences. Is that clear, Isabella?"
"Yes, sir," my body automatically replied. I could feel the power radiating off of Godric and Eric at that moment through the bond alone, and I was half way across the country. I could only imagine what their reaction would be if I was with them in person.
"Good," they both replied.
We pulled back into the driveway within a few minutes after that, Eric and Godric still on the phone. We all got out of the car at the same time. I didn't see Paul anywhere as we walked to the small front porch. We opened the door and the smell of rust and salt hit me. I reached for the door frame but Carmanos caught me.
"Bella?" Carmanos asked me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded. "Fresh air," I hinted.
He nodded and carried me outside. I saw Ben move around at vampire speed through the house before he came back out.
"The wolf is in the back yard knocked out; he's alive though. There is quite a bit of blood in the house but not enough for someone to have died from it. I can't find your father; call your friends," Ben told me.
"I'll call you right back," I told my mates. They said okay and we hung up.
I dialed Jake. "Bells? Didn't we just talk a few minutes ago, before you left?"
"Paul's knocked out; Charlie's missing," I told him, straight-to-the-point.
I heard something hit the ground. "What?"
"We need the pack or at least part of you to come and help. There's blood, Jake. They said it's a lot but not enough to die. I can take one guess as to who it is," I pleaded.
"Bells, if it is them, they just broke the treaty and will be destroyed," he reminded me.
"I need Charlie, Jake! I hope that some of them didn't help, like Emmett and Esme and Jasper and Carlisle, but I need my dad more!" I was nearing hysterics.
"I'm not saying we aren't coming; I'm just giving you a heads up, Bella. They might die; prepare yourself. We're on our way to your house," Jake said. "My dad wants to talk to you."
"Bella," Billy started. "Let me know when you find Charlie. I don't want to lose him either."
I smiled. "Of course; I'll call you as soon as I know what condition he's in!"
"Thank you, Bella!" he said gratefully.
"You're welcome, Billy." We hung up and started to wait for the wolves to arrive.
"Can you be sure it's the Cold Ones?" I asked Ben and Carmanos.
Ben answered, "Very; they have an extremely sweet smell to them. It's everywhere in there."
I nodded. "Thank you for telling me." He nodded.
I called Godric and Eric back. "Little Isabella," Godric started, "Please tell us why they were wondering if you were okay when you walked into the house."
I sighed. "It'll seem silly," I tried, but they insisted. "Okay; when we walked in there was blood because someone took my dad. It made me dizzy."
Ben and Carmanos looked confused. "You didn't see the blood," commented Ben.
I blushed. "I know; I can smell it," I revealed.
Everyone's reaction was surprised. "What does it smell like to you?" Carmanos asked.
"Blood smells like salt and rust to me. It makes me sick and I want to throw up," I told them.
The reactions were extremely surprised. "Does vampire blood do that to you?" Godric asked me.
"Not really; vampire blood is different," I answered.
I heard wolves howling in the distance; I didn't have to wonder if it was the pack; I knew already. I wondered how long it would take them to get here.
"Are we going with the pack?" I asked the two vampires beside me.
The looked hesitant and unsure. "Bella, while the wolves outnumber them, even with the ones from Alaska helping them, not to mention I can kill them all in a matter of seconds, I think you should stay away. You and Carmanos can head down to the reservation with your friend's father. I personally can't wait to rip their sparkly heads off; I hate Cold Ones. However, it's very dangerous for you to be there," Ben answered.
"I agree," Godric stated strongly. Eric followed his agreement too.
Looks like I would be waiting with Billy. There were suddenly about a dozen wolves in the backyard, only one turned into a human; Jake. He looked grim, yet excited. I told my mates temporary goodbyes before turning my full attention to the wolves.
"Bella, I can smell the sickening sweet leeches that took Charlie. I know you have feelings for them but you need to make those feelings disappear. Sorry, Bells," he suggested. "Are you coming with us?"
I shook my head. "They think it'll be safer for me to stay on the reservation with Billy. Ben's going though."
Jake nodded. Paul turned back into a human for a minute. "Sam said that he's sending a few of the younger ones back with Bella."
Jake nodded before kissing my forehead. "We'll let you know when we're done and Charlie's okay." He ran back behind the fence and his wolf came back around. The pack and Ben took off into the woods.
Carmanos led me back to the front porch, using vampire speed to lock up the house and grab my purse and a snack before locking the doors and putting me in the car. We quickly started driving towards La Push after I told him which way to start going while putting the Black's address into the GPS. Once we were away from the main residential area of Forks, I saw the wolves through the tree line keeping pace with the car like it was nothing. It was a silent drive, but it was filled with worry and tension. Occasionally, I lost track of a wolf, but it looked like there were less and less of them. Maybe they were called to the fight, or maybe they went further away from the road in case. We were just past the Quileute treaty line when the car was impacted from the side and started flipping over. It rolled over a few times before landing upright. Carmanos was out of the car quickly, not being in total shock or being able to recover during the flipping.
My head felt heavy and fuzzy, confusion clouding every thought. There was a throbbing, aching pain radiating from the inside of my head. My eyes felt like lead as I leaned my head back against the seat. I tried to tell if I was injured anywhere besides what I knew to be a concussion from my vast collection of them.
I heard my cell phone ringing and answered it, barely able to find it, grab it, or slide the screen to answer it.
"Bella, are you okay?" I heard the frantic voices of my mates.
"Car accident," I managed to get out. "Something…" I breathed heavily, "Hit us from the side." I sighed. "Concussion," I grumbled out.
"Are you sure?" Godric wondered.
"Positive… Had too many," I groaned.
"Where's Carmanos?" Godric asked.
I looked around. "I just see… Carmanos… beside the car… can't tell what's happening," I told them. "Long blonde hair…" I commented as Carmanos stood up with the vampire in hand. "Rosalie…" I told them. "She never did like me."
I heard a grinding metallic sound and the frantic voices of my mates before losing consciousness to the blackness that was filled with dizzying pain.
*Carmanos*Carmanos*Carmanos*Carmanos*Carmanos*Carmanos*
After suddenly being slammed into from the side of the car, I glanced over and saw a blonde haired, sparkly creature. She had a golden-amber colored pair of eyes that were swirled with pitch black, showing contained rage. Once the car stopped flipping, I got out as quickly as I could and pinned the Cold One to the ground. She gasped, caught off guard by my speed and strength. She struggled beneath me, trying to get free from my grasp. That wasn't happening; I was almost three thousand years old!
"Why are you trying to kill that girl?" I questioned.
"She's horrible! She's the reason my family is ruined! My insane brother actually believed he could save her from humanity by emotionally torturing her and then killing her. He planned on killing Charlie last October but we left in September; he was going to come back but got distracted trying to get Tanya to become his fiancée to torture Bella further," the Cold One revealed.
"Thank you for your cooperation," I told her before standing up with her in my hands.
I twisted my wrists and her head came off. Since it was only Bella and her pocket book in the car, everything else at Charlie's house since we took our bags out to get the safes at Walmart, there would be no loss; and it would be hiding evidence of vampires. We had gotten rental insurance for the car, so that wouldn't matter either. I noticed Bella had passed out after I heard her talking with Godric and Eric. They were still on the line screaming for her to talk to them. I picked up the phone after breaking the door to get it open.
"Godric; Eric," I started. "Bella's passed out. Everything else is out of the car. I just need to take her and the pocket book out before I put the Cold One in and then set the car on fire."
They happily approved of my plan. The wolves that I suspect were knocked out systematically were arriving on the scene. It looked as though they were content to play with the pieces on the ground as chew toys. I took the phone out of the sparkler's pocket and put it in mine for later. I put Bella on the ground by the wolves, one in particular guarding her very clearly, and her pocket book beside her.
I double checked there was nothing in the car before moving it to the center of the road and then put the pieces of the new chew toy into the car. I happily lit it on fire, grabbing Bella quickly and putting her pocket book on my shoulder before taking off running the direction we were going as the wolves ran behind me. We all made it far enough away before the car went up into flames.
I slowed down and asked the wolves to lead the way to Billy Black's house. A smaller wolf that was grey and brown pranced forward with his mouth nearly smiling and tongue lolling out the side. He led the way to a small red house with a shed a bit far to the side. There was a ramp on the front porch that was white. With one little lick to Bella's face with its wolf-y tongue, the wolves all stopped as they were except one, who patrolled the perimeter. I continued towards the house, hearing the transformation before the sound of clothes moving around was heard.
A young boy, maybe fifteen years old, ran over to beside Bella.
"Hi! I'm Seth Clearwater," he introduced.
"Carmanos," was my reply.
"Is Bella going to be okay?" he asked worriedly.
I nodded. "She'll be fine."
The young boy opened the door, calling Billy over. The older man in the wheelchair that was very friendly earlier quickly let me in and I put Bella down on the bed that Seth led me to as Jake's. I called Godric on Bella's phone.
"Bella?" he questioned impatiently.
"Not quite; she's still passed out. Did she say anything in particular about how she felt before while talking?" I asked.
"Concussion," he answered instantly.
"Do you want me to feed her my blood to heal her?" I wondered.
There was a quick conversation on the other line between him and Eric, lasting only seconds, before the vivacious answer came. "Please; we don't want to take the chance of it being more than that."
I clicked my fangs out, biting my wrist, before putting said wrist to Bella's mouth. I had to open her mouth slightly to let my blood drip in. After a few moments, she lightly started drinking it. I gave her enough to heal her of a minor concussion, hoping that's all it was. I told them that's how much I gave her. They were okay with that for now, just in case, because of the side effects.
I told them what the sparkling disco ball told me about Charlie and Bella and their plans all along. They were not happy to say the least, and neither was I. We hung up after. During the short time I had known Bella, she was extremely kind, happy, caring, good, and above all else, welcoming of family from the moment she finds out that's what you are. It was such a rare set of traits that it made me want to keep her safe.
I went back out to the small living room. I sat beside the young boy who led me here. "You said your name was Clearwater; can I assume you are related to the man that Bella's going to the funeral of?"
He nodded. "Yeah; he's my dad." A small tear ran down his face.
"My condolences then," I said. We all sat there waiting for Bella to wake up.
*Ben*Ben*Ben*Ben*Ben*Ben*
The wolves tracked the scent of the Cold Ones to a white, three-story house in a clearing about a mile from the road. It was secluded; perfect. There was an argument going on inside the house.
"I'm not helping!" declared a Southern-accented voice.
"Jasper, please! Help me because you love me!" pleaded a voice almost like bells ringing, but sounding more like nails grating to me.
"Alice; we've been over this before," reminded this Jasper. "I'm not in love with you anymore. You manipulated me into believing that we were mates."
I felt bad for this Jasper if that was true. It seems to be a common trick in this family so far.
There was a window opening and someone landing before a gentleman around the age of twenty with numerous scars from Cold One bites ran around the corner towards us. He stopped in front of us, not that surprised.
"There's only one other person besides me that isn't part of this; Emmett. He looks like a football player on steroids and has short black hair. Charlie is in the garage," he told us quietly before taking off.
The wolves and I let him pass, more than glad for the information. "Thank you," I told him, knowing that even though he was further away than I would have thought, he would still hear me. The wolves spread out around the house before we attacked. We rushed in quickly, but they heard us coming. The blonde haired girls that looked like sisters came at me. Since I'm much faster and older, I merely twisted my wrists to decapitate them. It only took about a second each.
A darker woman with dark hair and golden brown eyes came towards me with a European male with dark hair, the same color of eyes, and an olive skin complexion. The woman I decapitated in a second, but the man was more capable of fighting. Even so, it was only about three seconds to end him. I saw one of the wolves tear apart a pixie looking girl that screamed so loudly at such a high frequency it hurt my ear drums; I assumed this was the Alice talking to Jasper. I watched through the mind of the wolves as a caramel color haired woman (Esme) was torn to shreds quickly, along with a short blond haired man (Carlisle). The blonde haired woman from earlier took on one of the wolves and lost, being torn apart as well. All the wolves took longer to kill them than I did, but the wolves were slower and weaker.
As I was watching this play in their mind I headed into the house to the garage, merely ripping open the door. Charlie was tied to a chair that was in a tank large enough to hold him and the chair times two. It was almost taller than me. It was starting to fill up with water, having been activated before they came out most likely. I also saw it was hooked up to a car battery to where the acid would eventually pour out, slowly infusing with the water dripping every now and then. As it was, it was starting to burn him already. It would be a slow, painful, and torturous death to be sure. As the water was only about three inches deep, much more water pouring in than acid, breaking the glass wouldn't cause water to go everywhere.
Charlie was screaming quietly, having been gagged, with tears coming down his face. He was in excruciating pain. I broke the glass after telling Charlie to close his eyes. It broke easily under the force of my strength. I reached over and tried pulling the chair up but it was bolted into the floor industrially. I reached into the water barely touching the ankle braces and broke them. It burned my hands as I did so. I quickly undid the hand braces as well as the one across his chest and head. He was now free. I pulled him out, placing him on the ground, before turning and shutting of the device. I took his mouth gag off and threw it to the side.
In a rash decision, I bit into my wrist before placing it at his mouth. He struggled at first.
"It'll heal you; you're severely injured. If you want to walk well again, I suggest you drink!" I informed him.
He stopped struggling instantly, drinking obediently until I pulled my wrist away a short time later once he got enough. He gasped for breath for a minute when I did so. After his breathing calmed down, he looked at me.
"Thank you very much; I mean it. That means a lot that you would do that," the officer relayed gratefully.
"More than you realize; it's extremely rare for a vampire, especially of my age and philosophy, to do that for a human, even more so if they only recently met them," I let him know.
"This means more than you'll ever know," he continued. "It's a chance to stay alive for my daughter." There were tears in his eyes.
I looked down at his legs and feet. Moving around the fabric some, I realized he would need to take off his shoes and pants to heal properly. I told him as such and he did so while blushing like Bella did. Another vampire showed up then; he had short black hair and looked like a football player on steroids.
"You must be the Emmett that Jasper told us about," I started.
He nodded and held out some shoes and pants to Charlie. He looked surprised, but gratefully accepted them and dressed after making sure all the acid was off of him.
"They might not fit the best but it's better than nothing," he said in a voice that was loud but almost childlike. "I already have everything from here I'm taking in a bag. I'll be right back with that and the keys to one of the cars so you don't have to run back."
The big guy disappeared for a minute.
"I always knew I liked that kid!" Charlie exclaimed smiling.
I chuckled at his expression and choice of words. The burly Cold One came back with a bag, a set of keys, and box. He put the box in the back of a jeep, along with the bag. Charlie climbed in the back seat gratefully. I climbed into the passenger seat, letting Emmett drive. He backed out of the garage far enough where it was a safe distance before parking it and getting out.
"I'll be back in a second. Every bit of that place is horrible. I can rebuy all the stuff I need and want. Every bit of money this family has is somewhere else. Not a bit of it is in there anymore. I'm burning the house down," he recited gravely.
He made sure the wolves were out of the way, putting the bodies of the Cullens and the ones from Alaska in the home before setting it on fire, starting with their bodies. He ran back to the jeep after safely getting out of the house. With something they had inside the house, it went up in flames at first, but quickly turned into an explosion. He pulled the car out with a smile on his face. We went down the mile long driveway and turned right. We crossed a bridge a few minutes later and after another minute we were in town.
I took my phone out of my pocket and called my progeny. He answered after the second ring. "Hello, Ben," he greeted a bit glumly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"You first; how did it go?" he stalled.
"All dead but the two that are on our side or no side. The one named Jasper left and won't be a bother to Bella; in fact I think he's on our side; just needs some time. The one named Emmett is on our side and is helping us tremendously," I informed him.
"Good," he commented.
"What's wrong?" I repeated more firmly.
He sighed. "Bella," he answered. "How's Charlie so I know when she wakes up?"
My eyebrows shot up. "Wakes up?" I echoed him to process what he said. "Charlie's going to be fine. What do you mean when she wakes up?"
He sighed again. "We were attacked by one of the Cullens. The girl, Rosalie is what Bella called her, knocked into the side of the car. I'll tell you more later about what she told me their plan was. Bella has a concussion for sure; not sure about any other injuries until she wakes up. I had to give her my blood; I got Eric and Godric's permission first."
I knew I couldn't say anything about the blood. I knew he had come to care for the girl; plus I gave Charlie mine.
"I had to heal Charlie the same way. They had started to kill him torturously. They had him tied to a chair in a tank filling with water and battery acid," I revealed.
I heard him gasp. "They what? That's horrible!"
"It is; we're nearly at Charlie's house. I'm going to help clean up a bit so she doesn't come home to blood everywhere and nearly pass out again, or actually do so this time. Besides, I'm rather sure Charlie doesn't want to see blood everywhere and honestly my control is a bit less when there's that much blood." I then remembered the car. "If that Cold One crashed into the car, where is it?" I asked him curiously.
There was a hesitation before answering, "I had to make it explode."
"You did what with the car?" I paused. "That car's a rental!"
"There would be evidence of vampires otherwise!" he rebutted.
"And everything in it?" I wondered.
"Nothing else in it. The bags are still at Charlie's; I got Bella and her pocket book out; I double checked for anything else before lighting it on fire with the Cold One in it," he explained.
"Very well," I accepted reluctantly.
"What about how much to tell Bella and Billy about what happened?"
"The wolves plan on telling all so you may as well not hide it."
With that we said our goodbyes. We pulled into the little driveway of Charlie's. Thankfully the only damage done was to the plaster when the penny head punched the house while throwing a tantrum. They wouldn't have a hard time selling it. I turned to Charlie.
"One of the other Cold Ones, a Rosalie, attacked Bella and Carmanos on the way to the reservation. The car wrecked, Rosalie died, and Bella has a concussion at least. We won't know about other injuries until she wakes up. She's resting," I let him know.
He nodded and thanked me. The football player looked rather sad.
"You okay there?" Charlie asked him.
He was silent for a moment. "Rosalie had led me to believe she was my mate for seventy years," he answered. "I found out three days ago."
While I felt for the guy, I had things to do. "Are you staying here or leaving like Jasper?"
He shook his head. "I can't abandon Bella again. They forced me and Jasper to leave last time. She's like my little sister from my human life; and I let her down when I left without saying goodbye because they wouldn't let me."
Charlie patted his shoulder a couple of times before he got out of the Jeep and walked around to the other side. "You coming?"
Emmett nodded and got out too. We all three went into the house to clean up the mess left by the rest of the Cullens that met their end and get ready for a funeral, with the exception of Emmett.