*Chapter 4: Home at Last*
After a feast of eating two males in the Barrens, they arrived at the Quarry to look at the view. Pennywise held her hand as they look at the lake. Belle smiled at the sight. The morning sun hits them. How she missed the warm feeling. She thought she will never see the light of day after being in the dark, sleeping for so long.
"So, what year is this?" Belle asked.
"It is 2016." Pennywise replied. "A middle of it."
"Wow. I still can't believe I slept through 27 years." Belle said. Pennywise giggled.
"I always keep on track." He told her. "I've written the years on my wall." Belle looked at him. She had no idea what he is talking about. Pennywise realized her expression. "Oh. I never showed you my years, did I?"
"No."
"Oh. How thoughtless of me." Pennywise smiled. "I'll show you. But...we don't have to teleport. We will...float there." Belle blinked at him. Float? "Let us see our town, my queen." Pennywise got his balloons in his hands. He held Belle's hand, guiding her to the cliff. "I've got you."
"Penny...I don't think-"
"Just hang on to me." Pennywise said. His feet is above the cliff. Belle is afraid. She looks down to see a drop. "Don't look down." Pennywise said with a smile. "I will never drop you." Belle took a deep breath, gripping on Pennywise's hand. She came over to his body and felt him lifting her up, holding her in place against his side. Belle wrapped her arms around his neck. She remembered when they float down the well 27 years ago after she agreed to drink his blood to become immortal like him. "Hold on tightly." Pennywise whispered to her.
"I'm not gonna like this." Belle says to herself. The two floated away from the cliff and float over the Quarry. Belle closes her eyes, holding onto her mate.
XX
"Open your eyes, my Beauty. Look." She heard Pennywise say. Belle open one eye, then the other as she let out a gasp. They are floating towards their town. Derry still looks so peaceful. Belle form a smile of awe. It's how she remembered it.
"It looks so beautiful from up here." Belle said. She turned to her right to see the Paul Bunyan statue.
"There is plenty to see." Pennywise said. Belle gasped as more red balloons appeared beside her. She grabbed the strings of them. Pennywise's arm is slowly releasing Belle. "Float with me, my queen. Don't be afraid of heights. Spread your wings..."
"Pennywise..." Belle slowly said as she felt herself floating along, holding his hand. "Whoa."
"This is our town, Belle. You do what you wish as always. We do what we want." Pennywise told her. Belle releases his hand. She looks around her home with a grin. If only she had done this before. "Heading down." She heard the clown spoke. She looked over at him to see him going lower. She follows him.
They land in the alley between the buildings with trash laying around. Pennywise lead his mate around the building and shows her the years he's been around. Belle stared at the wall. They are written in red. In blood. Dried up, old blood. Belle found the first year he woke up in. 1600. The year when Pennywise ate the baby. Belle shuddered at the memory she forced to watch.
Pennywise went over to the empty space on the wall and wrote on it with blood. His blood for now. Belle could see him writing the current year they are in.
"Home at last." He muttered. "With my mate."
"What?" Belle asked, not hearing him.
"We awoke together. I'm no longer alone." Pennywise told her. "And you are no longer alone." Belle walked up to him and took his hand. She smiled at him.
"We will be together always, Pennywise." She said. "We are strong together. And Nadia will be strong." She touches her stomach with her free hand. "As a new mother, I do anything to protect my little girl." Pennywise smiled a little. Belle was always motherly to children when she babysits them, and now she is becoming a mother herself.
They both hear a noise coming from across the street. They peek over to see a woman with long curly blonde hair, yelling at a man who accidently bumped into her. She walked into the pharmacy. Keene's Pharmacy.
"Oohhh. Recognize her?" Pennywise snickered.
"That wasn't Greta. Was it?" Belle asked. "She's still a little bitch. Doesn't she remember the fear I turn into years ago? The witch from the story."
"She must've forgot. Hahahaha. That was so priceless." Pennywise laughed as he remembered that day when Belle turns into a blind witch to scare Greta so bad. "Why not go again?" Pennywise asked. Belle form a smirk. The fun is about to begin already.
Greta is chewing gum behind the counter, reading a magazine while her father is slowly collecting the medicine people need to pick up at the store soon. Mr. Keene should be retired, but he needs to keep on going for his family. Even Greta works for him. Not for free anymore since she's the adult in a need of money. The doors open to reveal Belle. She walks up to Greta with a neutral look.
"Hello, Greta." She spoke. The woman looked at her. She stopped chewing her gum as she stared at the woman in a long silence. She squinted her eyes at her. "You know it's rude to stare." Belle spoke.
"...Whitehurst?" Greta asked. "No. It couldn't be you. She's dead."
"Dead? Do I look dead?" Belle asked with a sneer.
"...You look like you haven't aged a bit." Greta asked. "What's your secret? Are you on some kind of vitamins or something?" Belle scoffed at her.
"No." She replied. "Let's just say I will never age." She went around the counter to get to Greta. "Do you remember when you were a teenager, you saw a blind witch?" Greta stood her ground. Belle smirked at her. "The witch that eats children. Only if they are fat by eating sweets."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You...really shouldn't be behind here. My dad-"
"I think you do know. You were a horrible girl back then!" Belle snapped. "Somebody's gotta teach you a lesson at some point. I will do it again." Greta gave her a confused look.
"Again? You were never there!" Greta said.
"Oh no?" Belle started to turn into a blind witch. The same old witch Greta remembered. The witch let out a sick, evil cackle. Greta let out a scream, backing away from the blind witch.
"Stay away you fucking bitch!" Greta said, throwing bottles of pills at the witch.
"Nibble, nibble, little mouse!" The blind witch rasped. Greta turned away to run, but she tripped on her heels. She is shaking in fear. She slowly turned her head to see her worst fear. But the witch is gone. Mr. Keene came around to see his daughter on the floor with a mess of paper work and pills.
"Greta?" He wondered. "What happened here?" Greta didn't reply to her father. She couldn't even get up. She had no idea what just happened, but her fear has come back to haunt her.
"Fuck. My. Life." She said.
"I can't believe she is still afraid of that witch!" Belle laughed as she sat on the rooftop of the pharmacy with Pennywise. They are both laughing their heads off. Just like the first time. "Boy, she did not age well." Belle commented as she recovered from laughter. "And Mr. Keene. He should be retired by now."
"Well, the elderly can have a strong life." Pennywise said. Belle shrugged a bit.
"I guess so." She looked at him. "What's next, Penny?"
"It's still early, my sweet. There's lots more to do! We can look around town if you like, look for more prey, and go to the festival." Pennywise told her. They float down from the rooftop and Pennywise turns into Robert.
"I wonder if there are more familiar faces who still live in this town?" Belle said. "What about...Henry's goons? I killed Henry. But, the others lived. I only injured them to save Ben."
"They must've moved away like the Losers Club." Robert said, straightened his black jacket. "You did teach them a thing or two. After you killed Henry, they never dared to come back to torment you or the kids." Belle nodded. He does have a good point. They haven't seen Patrick, Belch, or Victor months after Belle fought them off. "Let us take a walk around town." Robert had his hand out. Belle took it. They walk out of the alley. Belle turned to the windows of the pharmacy. She could see Greta sitting on the chair as her father is talking to her. Belle laughs to herself as she and Robert walk pass the building.