Disclaimer: don't own any of these characters (except for S.T.G. and Amos), even though I wish I did. So yeah.
Chapter 8
- Control-
Port Angeles
(RPOV)
They will pay for what they did to Bella...
The highway was blurring past my BMW, but not fast enough. I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal even harder. No one protested.
"We need a plan..." Edward's voice was rough in the passenger seat, his eyes focused unseeingly on the road before us.
"Why?" Emmett whined from the backseat, "Can't we just find them and take care of them?" He was as anxious as I was to get rid of them, but he was lacking control. We had to be careful. If we spilled any blood, the consequences would be dire.
I couldn't wait to get my hands on those mongrels, just as I had so many years ago; clothed in a white dress, seeing the fear in their eyes as they realized their prey had now become the predator...
"That's it Rose," Edward shifted in his seat to look at me.
"What?" I hadn't been planning anything, just reminiscing.
"We can use you as bait, Rose, " Edward's voice was high with excitement, "The prey becoming the predator?" He smiled, darkly.
It could work, I had to admit that. This would give me a chance to help avenge Bella.
"We'll be able to lure them out of the public eye, then we'll 'take care of them'," He said, shadowing Emmett's words from earlier.
"Let's do it."
"Sweet! When do I get to help?" Emmett's voice chimed in from the backseat, and I couldn't help but smile at his eagerness.
We had arrived in Port Angeles, and I rolled the windows down halfway, allowing the cool night air, and the scent of humans, into the car. Thankfully it had stopped raining.
Edward caught the scent first.
"They're in a bar. Take a right on Peterson." Edward pointed to a darkened street which led us to One-Eyed Pete's, the local pub.
I parked and unbuckled my seatbelt, the others following my lead, and stepped out of the car. I could see the inside of the bar, full of people since the rain had dissipated.
"They're sitting at the bar. The one with the green hat and the shorter man, darker in coloring." Edwards voice was taught; he was trying to stay in control of himself.
"Wait a minute, how do you know which ones they are? I thought you said they hadn't been there when you found Bella." Emmett sounded confused, asking my unspoken question.
"Well, despite the fact that they're still thinking about Bella as we speak," his mouth twisted into a scowl at the images their minds were portraying, "I've seen them before."
"How?" I asked, surprised.
"They were the ones who tried to attack Bella almost two years ago in Port Angeles, the herders."
I snarled.
"Rose, calm down." I was aware of Emmett's hand on my arm, trying to soothe me. He was right. I had to stay in control for our plan to work. I shook my head, trying to gather my self control.
"Okay. I'll sit at the bar next to them, on the empty stool. Edward, let me know when they've noticed me. They won't be able to pass up the chance for a little more pleasure when they already have the taste of it on their tongues." He flinched, but I went on. The sooner this was done, the sooner we could all breathe easy.
"Give me a signal to leave, and they'll follow. We can meet up in the alley at the end of the street." I pointed to a gap in the street lights, a dark alley between two tall brick buildings, well out of any human's earshot. I was cool and collected, trying to keep myself devoid of any emotion. That would make it easier in the long run.
Edward nodded, and I set off towards the bar, preparing myself for what was to come.
Cullen Home
(APOV)
"Okay, so explain this to me again. Leah and Seth are what?!"
Charlie's face was beet red with frustration, and even though the atmosphere in the dining room was extremely serious, I had to bite back a laugh.
Sue had been talking to Charlie for the past hour, trying to help him understand things and she was exasperated. Letting out a defeated sigh, she turned to me, pleadingly. Now it was my turn.
"Leah and Seth are werewolves, Charlie. So are Jacob Black, Sam Uley, and all the other over sized boys that follow them around. They can phase into their wolf forms at will to protect La Push." I was talking slowly, giving Charlie time to comprehend what I was saying. He seemed to finally take it in.
"And they're trying to protect La Push from... what exactly?" I sighed. We had gone over this before.
"The Quileute werewolves were brought back because of my family's arrival here."
"And your family is what, exactly?"
"You already know the answer to that Charlie..." Sue had already told him half a dozen times in the past hour.
Charlie sat there, contemplating the information he had just been given.
"Does Bella know this?" He asked, his eyes drifting to the staircase leading where Bella lay sleeping.
"Of course Charlie. She knows about...us... and the werewolves." I was trying to be patient. Bella hadn't needed this much convincing. As a matter of fact, she had figured it out on her own.
"That can't be true Alice. You're one of the nicest girls I've ever met. Carlisle is the best doctor in Washington, maybe in the states. How can such nice people be such... such..."
"Monsters?" I finished for him, guessing the word he had been looking for. He gazed back at me, ashamed for even thinking the thought. I shrugged.
"We try not to be monsters. We hunt as humanely as possible, only drinking from animals. In our eyes, only monsters treat humans as food." As I spoke, I was carried away by my concrete views on the subject, giving no thought to the man sitting next to me. Jasper flinched at my words.
I took his large hand in my smaller one and squeezed it apologetically, instantly regretting my thoughtless words.
"Wait a sec," Charlie interjected, "You only hunt animals?"
I nodded to Charlie's question, gazing over at Jasper. He was gazing out the glass wall, his eyes unfocused. I shivered uncomfortably. I had hurt him.
"Then I don't see what the problem is!"
"What?!" Jasper's full attention was focused solely on the man before us now, incredulous at his statement.
"You only attack animals, right?" Charlie shrugged. "its no different than me, or any other person for that matter, going hunting with a shotgun."
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
"I don't know what you guys are so worked up about."
Whatever I had thought Charlie's reaction would be, this hadn't been it. So much for betting against Alice.
Port Angeles
(RPOV)
I was fiddling with the lime wedge on my Cosmopolitan, waiting for Edward's signal from across the room. So far, I had turned down a total of 15 men in the 16 minutes I had been sitting here at the bar. Emmett sat glowering in the corner of the room opposite me, and I could tell he was debating on whether or not to deviate from the plan and stake his claim on me. I would have to make it up to him later. I caught his eye and winked, making a huge grin spread across his face.
A quiet cough came from Edward's corner of the room and I met his gaze. It had begun. I quickly paid my tab and headed towards the door, brushing past the one in the green hat, who slapped me on the butt as I walked by.
I was a fraction of a second away from tearing his body apart limb by limb when Bella's face flashed before my eyes, pale and bruised. I had to control myself, for her. She couldn't avenge herself, so I would do it for her.
I looked over my shoulder, seeing the two men whistling and grinning at me, and I winked before turning and heading out the door. I could hear cat calls and whistles coming from the busy building behind me.
It didn't take long for them to follow.
"Hey lady! Wait up!" I walked faster.
"Don't walk away from us, beautiful!" Their footsteps were growing faster. I walked faster, almost too fast for a human. I needed to reach the alleyway before I lost control.
I could hear Emmett and Edward tailing us, quiet enough for the humans to be oblivious, and I felt relieved that I wasn't alone. I was close to the alley, and I could hear shouts from
behind me, telling me to slow down.
Ten yards... Eight yards... Six...
I was so anxious for their end to come I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth.
Three.. Two...
I turned the corner into the alley and waited there, in the shadows, for my followers to arrive.
This one's for Bella.
Cullen Home
(APOV)
"You're sure you're okay with this? I mean, I can understand why you wouldn't want to marry me after all the secrets I've been keeping from you..." Sue trailed off. I could tell she was trying to keep her desperation hidden. She was scared to death that Charlie wouldn't accept her family anymore, after learning the truth.
Charlie looked at her like she was crazy.
"Of course I still want to marry you!" He practically shouted. I raised an eyebrow, and Charlie looked at the floor, embarrassed by his outburst.
"That is," he continued, still staring at the floor, "If you'll still have me."
A brilliant smile broke across Sue's face as she pulled Charlie close for an embrace.
"Always."
I led Jasper away, grabbing the recently forgotten Barnes & Noble bag that had been sitting on the table, and headed up the stairs
"Charlie took everything extremely well, don't you think?" Jasper nodded, taking the bag for me, walking at a slow human pace to our room.
"How is the hunt going?" Jasper asked me, opening the door to our second story room, just down the hall from the room where Bella lay, still asleep.
"They'll all be fine. They're being careful not to spill any blood." I tightened my hold on Jasper's hand and he leaned down to kiss my cheek in response.
"About downstairs..." I felt horrible about what I had said when describing our hunting habits. Nobody knew more than I did how hard Jasper worked on his self control. His motivation to stay with Carlisle's way of 'living' was his love for me. I knew he would do anything for me, no matter what the cost, and I had, though unintentionally, called him a monster.
"Alice, don't worry about it." He set the bag down on one of the huge wooden dressers in our room, and sat on the edge of the bed, easily pulling me down with him.
"I know you didn't mean any harm." He pulled me up to him to kiss me lightly on my frowning lips. "You were speaking the truth to Charlie and I can't hold that against you, nor would I want to."
"But I shouldn't have-"
"Alice," - he cut me off - "stop talking. You didn't do anything wrong, my love."
I sighed, laying my head on his chest as he scooped me up onto his lap, cradling me to him.
What had I ever done for God to bless me with a gift such as this?
Port Angeles
(RPOV)
It took a lot to scare me, but Edward was succeeding. I had never seen him so dark and angry, pushed to the edge by what these creatures had done to Bella.
He had Amos dangling three feet above the ground, held up against the brick wall by his throat.
"Do you know why you're here in this alley tonight?" Edward's teeth were bared, gleaming in the dim light. The man let out a garbled response. Apparently, Edward hadn't gotten the response he wanted, because he proceeded to break the man's arm at the elbow. I had to swallow the rush of venom that flooded into my mouth at the sound of the bone snapping. I heard Emmett shifting his feet uncomfortably, holding Amos's companion still, a huge hand clamped over his mouth to keep him from screaming.
"Tell me the truth!!" Edward snarled. "Do you know why you're here?" The dangling man couldn't reply, overcome with pain. Edward snapped the other elbow. I heard a whimper coming from the human behind me.
Edward reached into the man's jean pocket, pulling out something small and sparkling.
Bella's ring.
"Do you know who this belongs to?" My brother's voice was low and deadly. For his sake, I hope the man gave Edward the response he longed to hear. The man shook his head.
Edward pushed the man up against the brick wall again, and I could hear several ribs
cracking apart.
"This belongs to Isabella Swan. My love. My mate. My life." Bones were breaking from the pressure of Edward's hands, punctuating his words.
"Your life for hers." I recognized the fear in the man's eyes a split second before his neck was snapped and he dropped to the concrete. Edward turned to face the other man, and Emmett released him; he was too paralyzed with fear to run, having seen the body of his former friend.
"Please... don't kill me..." Edward walked closer, ignoring the man's words.
"Don't kill me... show me mercy..." Edward stopped dead.
"Mercy? MERCY??" I flinched at the rage in his voice. "Mercy like you showed Bella, leaving her half-dead in the cold, her body broken by your MERCY?" The man looked confused. Edward rushed forward and quickly snapped his neck, making the man's body go limp.
He moved quickly, piling the bodies onto each other for a quick disposal and headed off, running into the direction of the forest nearby.
Emmett let out a low whistle.
I punched him in the stomach.
"Shut up! He can still hear you!" Emmett rubbed his stomach mockingly; we both knew I couldn't put a dent in that thick hide of his.
"I don't think he's been doing a lot of hearing lately. Did you see him just now? It was almost scary." Emmett ran a hand through his hair. "He almost lost it back there."
I nodded. Emmett took my hand and we waited there together for Edward to get back.
"Did you see that last guy's face before he died?" Emmett asked suddenly. I glanced up at him, surprised. Had he seen it too?
"He looked confused. Wonder why."
"Whatever it was, Edward didn't take too kindly to the answer. He finished him off after hearing whatever last thought the man had." Emmett's voice was full of pride at his brother's effortless killing. I grimaced.
"Why don't you ask him?" I asked, batting my long eyelashes up at him. He gulped.
"Umm... I don't know Rose..." He shifted unsteadily, looking anywhere but at me.
"Please? You do want to know, don't you?" I pressed my body to his, knowing he'd be fully aware of how close I was to him, and took advantage of how disoriented he was by my touch.
He let out an unintelligible gurgle.
There was a coughing sound from behind us, where Edward now stood.
"Oh. Sorry." I broke away from Emmett and made my way back to the BMW, his hand in tow.
"As for the answer to your question," Edward said, as we drove back home, "He was confused because he didn't know Bella was still alive." He paused, trying to keep his words steady. "He figured they had beaten her to death, since she had lost so much blood and wasn't moving. Once I said she was still alive, he wished they had double checked so they could have taken care of her properly." He snarled at the thought.
"I'm sorry Edward." Emmett said softly from the backseat. I nodded in agreement.
It was silent the rest of the way home.
When we arrived back at the house, we met Alice, Jasper, and Esme in the living room. Alice stood up when we entered.
"We sent Charlie home for the night. He knows everything."
"Everything?" I asked, astonished.
"Everything." Alice beamed. "He was surprisingly calm about it too. Once he got all the facts down, he didn't need much convincing. He's more like Bella than we give him credit for."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Edward at Bella's name, and Esme calmly patted his arm.
"Jasper and I were planning on going hunting with Carlisle and Esme after Bella's exam." Alice looked at me. "Do you and Emmett want to come with?"
"Sure." Edward needed some time alone with Bella without the rest of us breathing down their necks.
"Edward, can I speak to you for a minute?" He nodded his assent followed me into the dining room away from the rest of our family.
"Be gentle on her Edward, don't be too hasty to touch her or sit too close. Understand that these men overpowered her. They were stronger than her, and they took advantage of that fact and hurt her. Don't be surprised if she's a little bit distant at first, okay?" He nodded, pain written across his face.
"She's scared senseless Edward. She needs you to prove to her that you still love her. She doesn't think she's worthy of you anymore." His mouth turned down into a sharp frown.
I tried to smile warmly at him.
"I trust that by the time we get back tomorrow, you will have proven otherwise?"
He gave a small smile at my words and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks Rose, for everything you've done for Bella."
"That's what sisters are for." I winked. "Besides, she's beginning to grow on me."
He let out a low chuckle and followed me back into the living room where Carlisle had joined the others.
"She'll be fine, Edward. I wrapped her ribs, seeing as most of them were broken, although thankfully, her lungs haven't been punctured. There's no internal bleeding that I can find, although she does have plenty of cuts and a deep gash on the back of her head where she was knocked unconscious. She has bruising all over, and she's still extremely tender, so be gentle," Carlisle chided, unnecessarily.
"So you're done looking her over?" Edward asked, relieved at his chance to finally see Bella.
"For tonight. Tomorrow, however, I will bring back some testing kits from the hospital so I can test for any Sexually Transmitted Diseases." Edward stiffened beside me.
"Its just standard procedure, son, you know that. Nothing smelled off, though, so I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I just gave her something for the pain, so she should be dozing off in a few minutes" He gave his son a warm smile before turning to his wife.
"Shall we head off?"
Esme nodded and we all filed out the great wooden door, shutting it with a thud behind us.
(BPOV)
I heard the front door close and my heart thumped painfully. Had they left me alone?
There was a light knock on the door.
"Bella?"
I shifted guiltily against the mountain of pillows that were propping me upright and gasped sharply, the movement causing me pain from my broken ribs.
Cold arms wrapped me in a blanket, laying me comfortably on my back, surrounded by pillows.
"Are you more comfortable?" the velvet voice asked.
I nodded. I was too ashamed from my earlier behavior towards him that I couldn't even look him in the face.
"Bella." He sat next to me on the bed and brought his face down to mine. "Look at me."
It was as if my eyes moved of their own accord at his command. I couldn't help myself. His golden eyes were touched with pain, pain I knew I had caused with my cold words earlier that evening.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered, just loud enough for my weak human ears to hear.
"Shh..." He stroked my hair, brushing my bangs back, his tenderness bringing tears to my eyes. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for, my love." He kissed my tears away from my cheeks, slowly and gently, trying not to make me uncomfortable.
"I will always love you. Always." I was only dimly aware of his presence now, the pain killers were starting to work. I felt him push something lightly onto my finger. My ring.
"How did you get this back?" my words sounded like mush.
"It doesn't matter anymore Bella. Sleep now, my love." He started humming my lullaby, and I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: phew!! so this chapter was almost twice as long as the previous chapters, an attempt of mine to hopefully make up for taking so long to update, and i think the chapter just needed to be long, personally. SHOUTOUTS: thanks to PattinsonGirl513, CherryBlossoms016, SolBeowulf19, Faerie of Murtagh, Lilly McShepin, anime123456781, Liz16, and the-vampire-act for REVIEWING! YOU GUYS ROCK!
Special thanks to my new BETA, angcull008, who is absolutely amazing! :)
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