Chapter 12 – Special Delivery
A/N – Special shout out to Avarenda for helping me with naming Renée's power. Thanks!
Bella was perched on the hood of Emmett's jeep, her knees tucked securely under her chin. Dangling from one hand was a rapidly cooling bacon and egg sandwich; its edges littered with miniscule bites. Bella breathed out a forlorn sigh before flexing seemingly stiff arm muscles to bring the sandwich to her lips. she winced slightly as the morsel scraped against her tongue like sandpaper before grating down her throat like a stubbornly reluctant lump.
"Stop sounding so sad, Lil' Bit." Emmett's voice was muffled given his current position under the vehicle. He slid out, tossing the wrench he gripped into the toolbox beside him before climbing to his feet. "Can I have a bite?" he teased, indicating to the sandwich.
"Bella rolled her eyes, despite herself. "You don't eat, Emmett," the brunette pointed out.
"I know. But it got you talking didn't it?" The husky vampire tossed her a full-fledged grin, full of mischief and boyish charm as he wiped his hands on a cloth.
Bella deposited her mostly uneaten meal onto a plate that sat obediently next to her. Dusting the few crumbs that clung to her jeans, she proceeded to slide off the jeep when Emmett dropped a gentle hand on her shoulder. Regardless of her comfort with Emmett, the sudden touch still caused her to forcibly repress a flinch.
"Don't worry, Bella." Emmett' voice project the sincerity of his convictions even as he ignored the way Bella suddenly tensed up underneath his palm. "Everything's going to be okay."
Bella ground her teeth together. "No, it won't," she replied harshly. She gestured jerkily to the window where a weak wash of sunlight flowed through. "Edward's been gone for hours. It's now dawn, Emmett." She tugged a frustrated hand through tousled chestnut colored hair. "Something's obviously not right."
"You're damn right, something's not right," a new voice announced, full of acrimony. Rosalie sauntered in the garage, her trademark scowl sitting firmly on her lips. She came to a stop in front of the pair. "Ever since you got here, our lives have been one big mess!"
"Rose…" Emmett shot his girl a warning glance that went about ignored as Rosalie set about making her displeasure known.
"YOU are what's not right," the blonde vampire snapped. "You come in here, disrupt my family, put us in unnecessary danger and all for what? For your safety?" She glared dangerously at Bella, daring her to disagree. "You're a coward."
"Rosalie, stop!" Emmett grabbed her arm and pulled her back away from Bella. Her glowered at his wife. "That's enough!" His voice had taken on a gravelly tone; it was one step short of a growl. "She didn't ask to be rescued, we stumbled upon her remember? We chose to pick her up. We chose to bring her home. And now, we're choosing to protect her."
"My mistake," Rosalie retorted icily. She shook off Emmett's hold. "What is she to me? To us?"
"Family," Emmett replied simply. He knew in his heart that Bella would be a part of his family; he could feel it in his bones.
"She's not my family." Rosalie remained stubborn. She swung around, wavy blonde locks flicking over her shoulder in a graceful maneuver as she stomped out of the garage.
Emmett sighed and shook his head, loving and cursing his wife's stubborn streak. He spared his departing wife a fleeting glance before focusing back on Bella. The girl simply sat on the hood of the jeep, a hollow, empty expression in her eyes. Emmett immediately shuffled forward, fearing that Bella was retreating into herself. It had been no easy task in extracting the brunette from Alice's room; Emmett had briefly considered barging in and hoisting the girl over his shoulder before dismissing the thought. Bella was still skittish at best; sudden moves like that would surely spook her. Instead, the burly vampire opted for emotional blackmail, citing that Alice had gone through so much trouble in taking care of her and now she was throwing all of the seer's efforts away. Emmett felt horrible as the words shot out of his mouth but it resulted in coaxing the girl out of the room.
Esme had a plate ready for her as she meekly followed Emmett down the stairs; the matriarch had pushed the sandwich laden plate into her hands with instructions to eat before retreating to her study. Carlisle had been called away to the hospital after an urgent phone call. Jasper had to hunt and since Rosalie would refuse to let Bella tag along after her, Emmett was assigned the task. He took it cheerfully, leading Bella into the garage and ensuring she was comfortable before getting down to work on his jeep. An hour or so passed in snipped silence, disturbed only when Emmett would ask the odd question and Bella would be forced to reciprocate.
Now, Emmett saw the haunted girl start to crawl back over Bella's features. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Hey, c'mon. Let's go kill some aliens huh? What do you say?"
Bella mentally shook the cobwebs from her head. She knew she couldn't spend her time moping around and she really didn't need any more hostility and conflict between herself and the Cullen clan. Therefore, she bestowed Emmett a watery smile before allowing the husky vampire to haul her to her feet. Maybe a few mindless hours of game playing would take her mind off things.
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Edward stared at his feet as if he had never seen them before. There was this tiny voice, in the far corner of his mind that was screaming blue bloody murder, asking him why he was he was leading Bella's parents toward the Cullen house. The voice shrieked, begged, rattled at the confines of its cages but did not have enough sway over Edward's actions. Nevertheless, it was definitely making its presence known, enough so that Edward acknowledged its presence and felt the prick of conflict.
"Aren't you just simply delicious?" Renee massaged the back of Edward's neck even as she kept a firm hold on him. She leaned over his shoulder to coo in his ear. "You're taking us home right?"
"Yes," Edward responded, his voice a flat monotone note that made Alice's blood run cold.
Alice was being led along by Charlie, who had, in a moment of humor, handcuffed Alice's hands behind her back. The handcuffs were useless on a vampire of course but a not so subtle warning that should she try anything "funny", Edward's head would be used as a football. The pixie vampire clenched her teeth together, shaking her head slightly as a drop of water trickled over her eye. Charlie had tossed her into a nearby lake, for kicks as well as to clean the blood off Alice. He was only partially successful. Holding Alice under water for minutes at a time did not manage to leech all the blood off her clothing and as a result, the copper tang of blood still wafted off the spiky haired vampire. Bits of the now dried liquid still clung to strands of hair and Alice could feel the heaviness of it. After the initial effects of being blood-drunk wore off, all the seer felt was guilt and shame. She had put her and her brother in this current situation because she had been unable to help. Now her family was going to pay the price.
"Don't worry, little girl," Charlie drawled. He aimed a kick at Alice's back, sending her sprawling into the dirt. Without stopping, he stooped down to pick her up, setting her roughly back onto her feet, almost dragging her along as he kept one eye on his wife and the seer's brother. "Got some big things planned for you." He smiled down at her his eyes alight with malevolent intent. He set a big hand over her shoulder and squeezed, his manic grin widening as a crack sounded off.
Alice bit down on her tongue to combat the pain. She refused to give him the pleasure of her suffering. She simply closed her eyes and waited until the pain abated and her shoulder healed. She realized very early on that Charlie and Renée were newborns, their physical strength was astounding. They also had powers, unfortunately. Renée's was obvious. Her power of compulsion was why Edward was now leading them straight home. However, it seemed as if she had to be in contact with her victim. Alice kept that tidbit in mind. Charlie seemed to be able to mask his scent and presence. This made him undetectable which was why Edward had been unprepared when the former police officer jumped him.
Carlisle had theorized that a vampire's special ability stemmed from their human personalities. Therefore, in accordance with that theory, it would make sense that Charlie would be able to mask his presence. Being a cop meant that vigorous training was undertaken to ensure that the individual would be able to remain as inconspicuous as possible in the presence of perpetrators. As for Renée, maybe she was a very persuasive human. The vampire in question suddenly trilled out a sentence that would have made Alice's heart skip a beat if it were still beating.
"We're home!" Renée sang the last word with unbridled glee. She turned to her husband. "Let's play."
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"There, no there! There!" Emmett was getting wound up; Bella's head was obviously not in the game and they had already been defeated twice. Emmett sighed in resignation and hit the pause button before turning to face the brunette. "Did you not see the big huge green blob coming at me with that big huge gun blaster?" He jiggled a knee as he impatiently waited for an answer.
"Sorry, Emmett," Bella mumbled, her eyes distant as she stared out the window.
Emmett rolled his eyes. "Earth to Bella." He waved a hand in front of the girl's face. "Lil' Bit?"
Bella snapped back to reality and scowled. "Of all the nicknames…" she snarked. "Why that one?"
'Because it fits,' Emmett thought smugly. To Bella he answered, "First one that came to mind." His ever-present grin was tugging at his lips. "What would you suggest?"
"How about bitch?" Rosalie offered as she descended the stairs.
"That's enough, Rosalie!" Esme came down behind her and towered over her, her stern motherly expression pasted on her face. "You're not helping, Rose," Esme berated. "I know that the situation is tense right now and whilst your mood is understandable, please try to be more considerate." She reached out to touch her daughter's arm. "There's no need for name calling."
Rosalie sighed in exasperation. "Tell me you don't blame Bella for Edward and Alice disappearing or for the fact that her totally psychotic parents are probably out there right now, bidding their time, waiting to strike. We're all in danger because of her!" The blonde's voice had taken on a pious edge as she tried to make her adopted mother understand her plight.
Esme opened her mouth, ready to let loose a lecture that would pierce through Rosalie's stubbornness. However, she was interrupted when a heavy mass slammed against the front door, sending it flying off its hinges. The door slid down the hallway before coming to a spinning stop at Esme and Rosalie's feet. Both parties gasped as they recognized the body on top of the door. Edward was sprawled on its surface, his limbs twisted and multiple cracks adorning his face. In addition, standing on the front porch was Alice. Alice who was flanked by two vampires, one of which had a potentially fatal grip on the seer's neck.
"Hi!' Renée chirped. She was positively tingling at the looks of horror on the house occupants' faces. A cruel smile cut its way across her face as Bella and a heavily muscular vampire came into view; the vampire trying to keep Bella behind him. "Hi, honey," Renée called out, chuckling as she saw Bella flinch. "Guess who's coming for dinner?"
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