THE MISFORTUNES OF BEING A WOMAN
Disclaimer: The Cullens, the Swans, and most of the characters mentioned in the story that are known from Stephanie Meyer's beloved Twilight Saga, are all hers and hers alone. I neither have nor wish to pass them off as mine. I do appreciate the fact that she did bring them to life and allows us to play with them in our imaginations. The only thing I will claim is the current storyline.
This chapter has been beta'd by dowlingnana and her work is making the story flow more smoothly.
Finally, Renee had had enough and shouted at the two to tell all of them what the problem was. And they both said just two words at the same time, "The Crew." Those two words brought silence to all as they fully understood the significance of what the meant.
"Charlie, how would our daughter be associated or even know of that bunch?"
"Renee, you just don't know and we have always prayed that you wouldn't have to know."
"Know what?" But, before he could answer the same question was being repeated from the people in Chicago.
But, before an answer could be given Renee screams, "Oh, my God, Bella knows them!"
Very quietly Charlie says, "No, not just know them or associated with them, in fact, not just a part of them, she is the founder of them and is referred to as the Server." No one on either end had a word to say; they had been stunned into absolute silence.
CHAPTER 34:
Edward was the first to break the stunned silence they all had experienced. "What the hell are you saying? There is no way my wife can be that person. Not Bella, she hates anything to do with this business:" He all but shouts into the phone. His temper is about a nanosecond from exploding from the stress and information that seems to keep hitting him in the face.
"Son, I can understand your concern, but, let me make a few things very clear. Firstly, my daughter isn't your wife and as yet she hasn't informed us of a pending marriage to you. Secondly, I raised my daughter and I do believe that I know more about her than you do. And, lastly, you aren't in a position to be telling me or any of my family what the hell we do or don't know, what the hell we can and can't do, or how we can or won't do it.
"This situation concerns my only daughter and if someone is driving her hard enough to even consider, let alone, decide, to call the group together then she is feeling that things are getting too far out of control and she will react at that point." Charlie had responded back to Edward with his steely, no nonsense voice saying each word with exact precision and clarity being very concise in what he was speaking to leave no room for any misunderstanding of what he was saying. And, everyone in Chicago understood perfectly the meaning behind Charlie's words. If push came to shove there would be trouble from another ruling, rival family and it would come without hesitation due to a member of that family being involved and threatened. So, far there had been cooperation between the two since they were joined by the mutual birth of a granddaughter, but, that granddaughter was now being threatened the same as the mother.
Add to that fact that it was happening on Cullen turf with a Cullen being involved and it makes for a very sticky set of circumstances. One that should have been handled long before now, but, the staying motive had been the fact that no one had known the extending circumstances surrounding the person being threatened until recently.
While each were dealing with their own thoughts in handling the information Charlie had told them, Carlisle knew that more needed to be said; more needed to be known, information that would enable them to deal more efficiently with what was happening and the threats coming from both the Blacks and from "The Crew". So, with this in mind he asked, "Charlie, will you tell us how Bella became involved in this? What caused her to form this group? And, just how ruthless are they? Is all that has been said about them the truth or just unfounded rumors?"
"Yes, Charlie, I would like to have that question answered." Renee demanded with a deadly calm voice, showing no emotion as she addressed her husband. "Just how did my daughter-"
"Your daughter?"
"Hell, yes, my daughter. You didn't carry her for nine damn mouths, putting up with your insides, from toenails to head top and all in between, being spewed forth every day. You weren't the one that looked like a waddling damn duck that had a watermelon resting in your gut for three quarters of a year. You weren't the one that had to put up with the pain that felt like your insides were being ripped out just to shove said watermelon out of a hole smaller than what a ground mole lives in. So, yes, my daughter!" she yells at him. "I want answers and I want them now. The whole damn forsaken story or believe me, you will indeed wish that you had spoken sooner." She finished with quiet, but, deadly calm once again in her voice that indicated trouble was brewing and very closely to the surface at that.
"Yeah, Dad, I knew lil' sis was awesome, but, never imagined to this extent," Commented Emmett.
"Shut, bro, you have no idea what you are talking about in this instance," Remarked Jasper. "Sis was getting too far gone and almost didn't make it back from the edge of losing herself in that mess. That is why she is so against being involved now. She knows what it almost cost her and she doesn't want to take that chance of losing herself again and becoming the monster that she sees in others that walk that path."
But, as the conversation reached a pause Renee was still waiting for answers to her questions, "I'm waiting and I will not continue waiting for much longer."
"Shit." Charlie mumbles under his breath, but, everyone still hears him. "Do you remember a few years back when Bella's friend, Laney's little thirteen year old sister was grabbed and then found in the woods raped?" and as he paused Renee, Emmett and Jasper all nodded yes while the ones listening to the story in Chicago waited for him to continue, although, shocked about the information of a thirteen year old being raped. "Well, Bella started asking questions from some of our people to see if anyone might have heard who would have been responsible. About six months after it happened another child, age twelve, was taken and this time word started to surface as to an individual involved with the Manson bunch -"
"Wasn't that the small group that was trying to invade our docking area and take over our shipments?"
"Yes, that's the ones." Charlie confirmed before continuing. "Well, once Bella found out, accidentally mind you, she decided something needed to be done, so, she called the police to tell them what she had learnt. As, you know Mac Manson got off on a technicality. That pissed her off. It was then that she decided she was the one to do something about it since the law wouldn't.
"She took the time to go over the records of certain people they had on the payroll and approached them with her idea of revenge against the ones that needed it. Revenge in a way that would leave no room for misunderstanding as to what they stood for and they were going to use the name "The Cleanup Crew" but it got shortened to "The Crew". There were six of them which included Bella and they each had certain obligations or duties to handle. It wasn't long before their reputation exploded among all of us and their identities remained secret."
"Are you telling me that you didn't know about this at all?" Renee questioned having a hard time believing that Charlie had no idea of what was happening.
"No, I didn't, just like neither did the rest of you." Charlie remarked back before continuing to answer the rest of their questions. "And, the reputation of just how ruthless they were is true. They went after anyone in the families that went beyond the norm of what was considered necessary for the job to be done. In other words, if it was just business that was one thing, but, if it involved innocent people, or, was satisfying a personal habit then they would become involved and meter out the punishment they had deemed appropriate, but, doubled for the pain of the lesson to be felt.
"To give you an example of what I'm talking about I'll refer back to the first case in point, Mac Manson. After they got a hold of him, he was strung up, spread eagled and naked. Then without any painkiller proceeded to cut off his uh – uh- um – pleasure stick and while they were doing it, he shit himself. After that they buried his uh – oh, what the hell, dick in his own pile and left him hanging. Once they exited the building a call was place to 911 to alert them to an emergency situation and gave the address.
"The reason I know this, as does Jasper, is because Bella told us about it. That was the start. But, with the marching of time, I saw the changes in my daughter and got to questioning her. It was accidental one night that Jasper and I happened upon one of her little sessions just as all had left but her. That is when we cleaned up the mess and talked with her. The Crew was retired shortly after that and Bella moved on to her present career choice. She had written and published her first book during all of this and decided that was the direction she wanted to take to get her away from all of this mess and the memories involved.
"Now, she is being thrown back into it again and we can only hope that she will back off after this one time." Charlie finished. No one had anything to say, ask or add to what he had told them. What was there to say? What comment would be appropriate for such information?
"We're on our way back. Please make the necessary arrangements for our return and an extended stay. I will be on hand to help my daughter." Renee told them. And as she said that she had left the room to begin getting packed and to call to have the plane fueled and ready for immediate takeoff.
"Charlie, tell Renee that we wish to help as well since this is a family issue. In the meantime, we'll get things ready for your arrival and a place to stay. Let us know when you will be arriving and you'll be met at the airport." With that said goodbyes were uttered all around and the call concluded. Each group had things to do to get ready for what was about to hit in the near future.
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While all of this was taking place, Bella was busy relocating once again and making plans to get back to Chicago to meet with her crew. She had to make arrangements for Jasmine to keep her safe and then the Crew needed to plan how the Black family was going to be brought down once and for all time. They would no longer be a threat to anyone.
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All the calls had been made and five individuals were answering the call of their chief. A call they never thought would ever be sent out again, but, it did come and they would answer. So, each person did what they had to do to make their way to Chicago.
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The Volturi brothers were trying to keep tabs on all parties concerned, but, had no idea of what kind of shit storm was heading towards Chicago and what their part in the finishing of the Blacks might be. If they had known they might have been busy getting ready for all hell to break loose.
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Edward and the rest of the family were in shocked amazement at the revelation that had just been handed to them by Charlie Swan. The fact that his daughter was a member, no not just a member, but, the founder of the bunch known as the Crew which struck fear in the heart of the worst of the worst had them questioning what they truly knew about anyone, even family members.
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The only people that were blissfully ignorant at the moment were Jacob Black and his unruly band of misfits. Hell was about to break loose on him and he had no clue.
A/N: Now, we know what put Bella on the path of her dark past, but, how will it affect her now that she is reopening that abandoned area of her life? What help can either of the two families be to her? Will Edward help her or even want to continue with her?
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