Ben
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. I apologise for the lack of updates.
Anyway, on with the story. I apologise in advance if it's crap…. I tried my best.
Chapter Sixteen-An Unusual Alliance
Being proactive in the search for Luka gave Bella something to focus on. Sitting and waiting around for Alice had been demoralising. The little psychic was beyond devastated. She was beginning to doubt everything about herself when she struggled to envision him. Esme was renting an apartment in Forks and Alice was staying with her. When Bella told them about Jacob's suggestion that they begin looking for Luka themselves, they had pleaded with her to let them be involved. Bella had been reluctant at first. She wasn't sure how either Jacob or his brothers would feel about aligning themselves with the vamps again, especially in the aftermath of the newborn battle. But after discussing it with both Jacob and Sam, she was relieved to learn that they were willing to accept any help in their quest to track down Ben's vulnerable older brother.
To her surprise Paul Lahote had been the most vocal in support of finding Luka. He had thrown himself into the search, even putting aside his antipathy toward Esme and Alice. Jacob had confided to Bella that Paul felt an affinity towards Luka's situation because it reminded him of his own abusive father. This saddened Bella and made her see Lahote in a more sympathetic light than she had before.
Esme's rental apartment had become the unofficial headquarters for operation Luka. In order to keep the chaos away from Ben, and to ensure neither Charlie or Billy found out, it felt like the easiest option. They had already canvassed the local area, including the small towns surrounding Forks. Esme and Alice had printed up hundreds of missing person posters with a copy of the lifelike drawing Alice had made of Luka. This included the few details they knew about him and also a private cell number the public could contact if they had any information. They were careful to avoid putting these posters up around Forks or anywhere close to home in case Charlie came across them. Their main intention was to spread them around Port Angeles and then further afield, even venturing out as far as Seattle if they had to.
Bella rested her head on Jacob's shoulder as he drove her old Chevy toward Port Angeles. They had already spent one whole day there and covered a lot of ground, but wanted to canvass the area again in case there was somewhere they had missed. Most of the people they approached were sympathetic to their cause, but some showed disinterest, or were downright rude.
"If this is the reaction we're getting, then just think of the reaction Luka could be getting if he asks for help." Bella lamented. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to stem the tide of her tears. She couldn't understand why some people had to be so cruel about a missing child's plight.
Jacob reached for her hand and squeezed it gently in understanding. He was struggling with the same thing. It had been so hard rein in his anger at some of the responses they'd been getting during their search. People were so caught up in their own petty lives they didn't seem able to express any empathy toward a vulnerable boy who needed help. Some acted as if he deserved to go missing, assuming that there was a problematic reason behind it, as if it was Luka's own fault that he had been forced to run.
They had been checking in with the others every few hours. So far there had been no leads and it was disheartening. It was like Luka had vanished off the face of the earth. Where could he have gone with so little money and in an area where he knew no one? All Jacob could assume was that Luka was used to having to take care of himself, he had been doing that for a long time, even when he had been responsible for more than just himself when he was protecting little Ben.
Jacob had to let himself believe that Luka was safe. He wouldn't accept any other outcome and neither would Bella. He listened as she called Charlie and checked in on him and Ben. Charlie had taken Ben on another fishing expedition. Billy had gone with them in order to ease the police chief's burden about entertaining the little boy all by himself. They had asked Jacob and Bella to go with them, and hadn't bothered to hide their disappointment when both of them had refused. Bella wished she was with them. She was worried about Ben; she was worried about Luka. She wanted to rip herself in half so she could be there for both boys, but it was impossible.
"Is Ben enjoying himself?" She asked Charlie anxiously. If Ben was having fun then it would ease her guilty conscience a little that she wasn't there with him. She wished she could explain to the troubled little boy that she'd had to leave him because she was trying to find Luka.
Charlie sighed wearily. "He's been very quiet. We camped out overnight and he had a nightmare. None of us got much sleep. We're thinking of cutting the trip short. I don't want to overwhelm him too much. It would have been better if you and Jake were here."
"I wanted to be there, Dad." Bella's heart clinched in her chest at the knowledge that her poor brother had a nightmare and she hadn't been there to comfort him.
"I know you did, kiddo." Charlie apologised tiredly. "I didn't say that to make you feel guilty. I'm just doing the best I can. He just seems so much more settled when you and Jake are around him. I just wish he could feel that way with me, too."
"Give it time, Dad." Bella was close to tears. She felt Jacob squeeze her hand again in sympathy. He could hear every word that was being said. "Can you put Ben on the phone now?" She pleaded.
"Okay, though I doubt he'll say much." Charlie sighed again.
There was a moment of silence before Ben's small voice came on the other end of the line. Bella could hear Charlie prompting him to say hello.
"Hello."
Ben's voice was like a whisper on the wind it was so quiet. Bella pressed her cell harder against her ear in order to hear him better.
"Hey, Ben, its me." She tried to inject some lightness in her tone. "Are you having fun?"
There was a short pause before Ben answered. "Wilbur gone." His breath hitched and then he was crying. Small, quiet sobs that broke Bella's heart all over again.
"Ben…. Ben…?" Bella tried to get him to talk but Ben was gone and Charlie came back on the line. "Dad, what the hell happened to Wilbur?"
"Wilbur?" Charlie seemed confused for a minute. "Oh, you mean that soft toy he carries everywhere with him." There were muffled voices in the background, Bella could just about make out Billy's trying to comfort Ben. "We were sitting by the bank fishing when Ben accidentally leaned too far over and dropped it in the water."
Bella could have cursed she was so mad at Charlie for being so blasé about it. It may be only a silly soft toy to him, but to Ben it meant the whole world. Wilbur was something to cling to when the world around him made him anxious, it was his own form of comfort. And now Wilbur was gone, just like Luka, just like she was.
"You need to get Wilbur back for him." Bella demanded.
"Bells, its floating in the middle of the lake. I can't…." Charlie began.
"Oh, yes you can!" Bella cut in. "You'll wade in there and save Wilbur right now!"
"You're being ridiculous. I'll buy him a new one." Charlie stated impatiently. "He'll calm down in a minute."
"He won't calm down and neither will I." Bella blazed in response. "You want to prove to him that he can trust you, then you go in that water and save Wilbur."
"For the love of…." Charlie huffed. "Take this." He barked at Billy as he passed him the phone.
"Be careful, Chief."
Bella could hear Billy yelling in the background. She waited with baited breath as Billy gave her a running commentary of what was going down. Even Ben's sobs had quietened as he watched Charlie wade into the cold water. Bella held Jacob's hand tighter as she heard Billy announce that Charlie was submerged past his waist and was being forced to swim.
"He's got it! He's got it!" Billy crowed down the phone after another few tense minutes passed. "Do you see that, Ben? Your old man saved your pig."
Bella heard a small cry of joy from Ben and she burst into tears. She glanced at Jacob to find him grinning at her. She laughed, feeling like she was on a high. Jacob winked at her as Billy explained that Charlie was on his way back to reunite Ben with Wilbur.
"I think Ben's got another hero now." He chuckled.
"I think so, too." Bella agreed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Alice was so lost in her own head when she walked through the sliding doors of the small Deli that she was totally unaware of everything around her. She collided with something hard and would have fallen on her butt if a hot hand hadn't reached for hers to pull her back on her feet.
"Look where you're going, Pixie." Paul scowled.
If not for his abrupt manner, his appalling wet dog smell would have given him away. Alice glared up at Paul, craning her neck so she could see his face. Why did all the wolves have to be so tall? She frowned at him and snatched her hand back as if his touch burned her.
"What are you doing in this part of town?" She snapped. "You're supposed to be looking on the south side. This is my patch."
"Your patch?" Paul laughed derisively. "You're not doing a very good job of covering it if you weren't even aware that I was standing right in front of you."
Alice's eyes slid guiltily away from Paul's as she dug her hands in the pockets of her light jacket. He was right to criticize her. If she was concentrating properly, she would have been aware that he was nearby. "You're right." She said miserably. "I'm a failure. I can't see Luka no matter how hard I try. I can't even search for him properly the old-fashioned way."
Alice's dejected response touched a nerve with Paul. His brows turned down and he rubbed the back of his neck to distract himself from the fact that a tiny part of him actually felt sorry for her. The little vamp was only trying to help.
"I may have been a bit…. harsh." He muttered.
Alice peeked up at him from under her eyelashes, startled by the grudgingly apologetic tone in his voice. "Thanks…I was just going to check this place out. Maybe ask the owner if we could put one of the posters up in his window."
Paul shrugged and motioned for Alice to go in ahead of him. She smiled her thanks, while he rolled his eyes in response as he followed her inside. The tiny delicatessen sold mostly sandwiches and fresh food produce. Paul couldn't envision Luka coming in here. Alice had already found the owner. He was a bald, harassed looking guy, standing behind the counter, fussing with the display.
"What can I do for you, little miss?" He asked Alice when she approached him.
Alice smiled at him politely as she went through her practised spiel about Luka and how desperate they were to find him. The Deli owner gave her a sour look when he realised that Alice wasn't going to buy anything, but he did condescend to give a quick glance at the missing poster. He perused it for barely a second before his brows drew down.
"I've seen this kid before." He announced tetchily. "I caught the little shit rooting through my bins. Disgusting behaviour. I tried to catch him but he ran off before I could call the police."
A deep growl erupted from Paul's throat as he pinned the Deli owner to the wall with shaking fists. He was fuming. The manager gulped as he pleaded with Alice to call off her boyfriend. "I didn't mean anything by it." He begged. "I'll call the police. I will."
"Mmm…I don't think so. You're not exactly in a position to negotiate terms." Alice tapped her lips with her forefinger as she regarded the panicked man thoughtfully. She was as riled up as Paul about the way the guy had spoken about Luka. If he was rooting through food bins to find something to eat it must mean he had run out of money and could be starving. She hid her disturbed feelings behind a bland expression as she gestured for Paul to set the guy back on his feet. "Let's start again, shall we?" She asked the trembling man. "When did you see Luka?"
"I don't know." The Deli owner said shakily. He cringed when Paul let out another growl and backed behind his counter for safety. "Um…I think…. I um remember now. It was a…a…. few weeks ago. Three…maybe four… I saw the boy hanging around outside, he was sat out on the sidewalk begging for change. I called the police on him, and they moved him on. Then that same night I was closing up the shop when I caught him rooting through the bins…"
"And that was the last time you saw him?" Alice demanded.
"Yes. I promise you." The guy cringed when he caught Paul scowling angrily at him. "Please, tell your boyfriend to back off."
Alice stared the horrible little man down for a minute, assessing him carefully. She could tell from his body language that Paul had frightened him into telling the truth. More customers filtered into the shop. Alice glanced toward them slyly, keen to get some sliver of revenge on the odious little creep.
"I've just seen a rat. A RAT!" She yelled.
"What?" The Deli owner expostulated. His customers pulled disgusted faces and quickly exited the shop. "You can't do that!" He cried.
"I just did." Alice responded sarcastically. "And I wasn't lying. They just didn't know the rat was you."
Paul laughed darkly as he followed her out of the Deli and back onto the sidewalk. "Nice come back, Pixie." He praised her.
"I'm glad you think so." Alice said with a faint smile. Her expression turned troubled as she thought of Luka out there all alone, possibly starving.
Paul caught her worried frown and his own smile faded. "Its not much, but it's a start." He said, trying to sound reassuring. "At least we're headed in the right direction. Hopefully someone else has seen him."
"I hope so." Alice murmured. "I'll call Bella and Jake to update them, then I'll continue on with the search."
"Want some company?" Paul found himself offering.
Alice looked at him in surprise. It seemed he'd surprised himself. He was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as if he was already regretting it. "I suppose I could use a guard dog." She teased lightly.
"Watch it, Pixie." Paul grouched.
Alice hid her smile as she pulled out her cell and called Bella.
A/N-thanks for reading!
