Troubleshoot
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Without Thought or Consequence
The night shift had proved uneventful. Charlie spent most of it chained to his desk, catching up on the never-ending paperwork, which seemed to be breeding in his in-tray. It was now eight o'clock in the morning and he was looking forward to going home and crashing for a few hours.
However, before he made the trip home, he followed his usual routine of stopping off at the diner for one of Cora's specials. It was a well-known fact to everyone – apart from Charlie himself, who remained oblivious- that the pretty waitress had a crush on him. Cora was always super attentive to his needs, going out of her way to make sure that the fit police chief made repeated visits to her place of work, just so she could engage him in idle chit-chat, hoping that one day he would finally pick up on one of her flirtatious remarks and ask her out on an actual date.
Cora was ready and waiting on the doorstep of the diner as Charlie pulled up in the cruiser. She ran toward him, her steps light, and wearing a broad smile.
"I've made your favorite, Chief Swan." She announced in a sing-song voice as she presented him with a two bacon rolls, dripping in his favorite sauce, fresh off the grill.
Charlie smiled up at her tiredly as he wound down the window. "Thank you, Cora." He said politely, taking the paper plate from her.
"Don't forget the napkins." Cora trilled as she passed them to him. "You wouldn't want to get that sauce down your uniform. The stain will never come out." She winked at him slyly. "I love a man in uniform. Did I ever tell you that?"
Charlie was barely listening. His mind was on the delicious food in his hands, his mouth watering, inhaling the smoky smell of the bacon. "Perfect." He mumbled.
Cora's good mood fell flat. She had been foiled again in her attempts to capture his attention – and by her own food, no less. Irritably she hoisted up the low neckline of her white blouse, adjusting her apron around her middle.
"I'll see you at the same time again tomorrow then, Cora." Charlie said, bidding her goodbye with barely a glance.
"Yes, same time tomorrow." Cora echoed him in a deflated tone as she watched him drive off down the road, balancing the bacon rolls precariously on his lap.
XXXXXXXXX
Charlie pulled up on the side of the road. The smell of the bacon rolls was so tempting that he couldn't wait an extra minute to drive the rest of the way home before devouring them. He quickly cut the engine, rubbing his hands together in glee.
Remembering Cora's advice, he carefully tucked one of the paper napkins into the collar of his work shirt, then reverently lifted one of the bacon rolls in his right hand, inhaling deeply as he did so.
"Wonderful." He murmured in delight, opening his mouth wide to take a huge bite.
His teeth never got a chance to clamp down on the bacon. Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie caught a glimpse of an approaching vehicle. A vehicle that was going far too fast, and way above the speed limit.
Instantly in full cop mode, Charlie abandoned the bacon rolls, carelessly throwing them on the passenger seat. With red and blue lights flashing, he gave chase.
Rachel turned the radio up, jiggling up and down to the beat. The open highway yawned wide before her with only a light smattering of traffic. Without a care in the world, she punched the gas pedal, weaving, passing, undertaking the other cars on the road.
Suddenly from behind there was a sudden blast from a siren and a police cruiser appeared in her wing mirror, the red and blue lights flashing brightly in the gathering gloom of the cloud-filled sky.
"Shit!" Rachel's good mood vanished in a puff of smoke and she increased speed.
Knowing that she would be in serious trouble if she was caught with the stolen vehicle, she sat rigidly in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. The minutes dragged by slowly and her heart rate beat faster as she continually checked her mirrors. Whatever maneuver she made; she couldn't seem to shake off the cop on her tail. She would just have to risk it and go even faster.
The blue and red lights of the cruiser were little more than smudgy illuminations in the slanting rain as it remained hot on her tail. It was trying to overtake her now. Rachel began to panic. This was more than she had bargained for. Swinging the wheel violently to the right, she attempted to overtake a car that was hogging the lane in front of her. It refused to move. She slammed her fist on the wheel in frustration, glancing in her mirrors, trying to get a clearer view of the persistent cop driving close behind her.
As her desperate gaze swung back to the road ahead, Rachel was suddenly forced to slam on the brakes as the vehicle in front stalled. The breath left her body as she was slammed violently forward, the seatbelt cutting into her sensitive flesh as it stopped her being forcefully propelled through the windscreen. The Mercedes screeched to a halt, inches from the rear bumper of the other car, leaving her shaking and shuddering in the front seat.
Behind, Rachel heard the black tires of the cop car squealing on the grey as it skidded to block the street, preventing her from moving, essentially blocking her only route of escape. She was royally screwed.
Minutes seemed like hours as Rachel waited with baited breath for the officer to get out and make his approach. Then finally the driver of the cruiser appeared in her line of sight.
"No! Oh no, no, no!" Rachel cried in horror as she immediately recognized Charlie Swan. It was like something out of her worst nightmare. She was sitting in his daughter's car, the one she had stolen from his house, along with a swathe of other valuables.
She saw him call a status report on his radio, his brown eyes, so like Bella's, were narrowed in suspicion as he studied the car, the taut expression on his face showing signs of recognition.
Rachel's panic grew stronger as her mental faculties gave way to emotions. She wanted to jump right out of her skin and disappear. She felt just like a child again, shaking, terrified. The constricted feelings grew, as if she was strangled by just the air about her. She had to do something. Anything. She couldn't let herself risk being caught. She would do time. Go to prison. No. She couldn't bear the thought of being incarcerated. It was much too much. She needed to get out now.
The Mercedes Guardian was built like a tank. She could easily ram the cruiser out of her way if she slammed her foot on the gas.
Resolve darkened Rachel's eyes as she followed through with the irrational thought without considering the consequences. She rammed her foot down hard, feeling the powerful engine purring in delight at being unleashed from its chains. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring rigidly ahead, as the car surged forward, straight for the white body work of the cruiser.
Rachel hardly felt the impact as she slammed into the cop car, or of Charlie's body as he failed to get out of the way in time. To the sound of screeching tires and grating metal, she pushed her way past the cruiser, the highway once again free and clear ahead of her.
Reaching for the radio, she turned it up again, drowning out the noise of the other horrified drivers as they ran around Charlie's broken body, a bloody mass lying in the middle of the road.
Embry looked carefully at Bella, assessing.
"Hey, you're not going to faint or puke or anything?" He asked, noting her grey pallor.
"I don't think so." Bella gasped.
"You don't look so good. Maybe you should sit down."
"Okay." Bella mumbled. She put her head between her knees.
Billy had retreated to the tiny kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He held it in his hand, gazing sightlessly ahead, expression listless.
"Well, there's not much we can do now but wait for Jake to come back." Embry sighed. He glanced into the kitchen at Billy. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Billy turned his head to look at him, his dark eyes pained. His skin pallor didn't look much better than Bella's. Embry hoped the older man wasn't going to pass out from the shock.
"I'm fine." Billy muttered. "Just attend to Bella."
Embry sighed again, leaving Jacob's father to his own devices, he returned to Bella's side. "You feeling any better yet?" He said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Bella raised her head to look up at his concerned face. He was always so unfailingly kind. He must hate being forced to babysit her. "I'm getting there." She promised. "Don't look so worried."
"Jake would never forgive me if I let you get sick." Embry joked weakly.
Bella blanched at the word sick. She moaned, wrapping her arms around her middle. She hoped she could hold onto her breakfast. She was a fool to insist on coming. Jacob had been right. She should have let him handle it. Her presence had just made things worse. Paul might not have kicked off so badly if she hadn't been there.
Well, it was too late for what if's now.
"I've just made things worse, haven't I?" She said to Embry, her tone full of regret.
Embry hunkered down in front of her. "Paul would have kicked off anyway." He said matter-of-factly. "Don't beat yourself up about it."
"What happens now?" Bella questioned helplessly, looking toward the kitchen where Billy was staring into the middle distance again. "Is he going to be alright?"
"Eventually, I guess." Embry surmised. "Its not the easiest thing to hear that your own daughter is a liar and a thief. It'll take some time to wrap his head around it. We just need to give him the space to do that."
"And Paul?"
"Paul is an unknown quantity." Embry admitted honestly. "He's tied to Rachel through the imprint, so it was always going to make it that much harder. That doesn't give him a free pass in the way he acted toward you. I'm sorry about that."
Touched again by his kindness, Bella smiled up at him in gratitude. "Thanks for being so understanding."
"It will all work itself out." Embry assured her. He gave her shoulder a gentle pat, then pushed himself back into a standing position. "Can I get you anything-food, water?"
"Water would be good."
As Embry left her alone to fetch a glass, her cell went off. Impatiently Bella dug in the pocket of her rain jacket for her phone.
"Hello, Dad?" She said, seeing the number of Charlie's workplace flashing up.
"Hi, is that Bella? Bella Swan?"
Bella recognized the voice as belonging to that of one of Charlies deputies. "Hi, Mark. Is everything okay?"
"Bella, something's happened. There was an incident – "Mark paused; his voice tight with strain.
A feeling of dread washed over Bella, causing her heart to clinch painfully in her chest. "What is it? Is it Dad? Tell me? Is he okay?" She demanded.
"You need to tell me where you are, Bella. I'll come down and fetch you myself."
"I've got my truck – "
"Bella, please, let me come and get you." Mark interrupted hastily. "Oh, jeez, I would rather have done this in person…but I went to your house and it was empty. All I found was signs of a break in."
"A break in?" Bella cried in alarm. "Oh, God, was that the incident? Is my dad hurt?"
"Shit, I'm doing this badly." Mark groaned, sounding all shook up. "No-that was a separate incident. Look, I'll tell you more when I come get you. Please, just tell me where you are?" He begged again.
Shakily Bella gave him the Black's address. Mark promised he would be there within fifteen minutes then hung up, leaving a distressed Bella staring at her phone in stunned silence.
A/N-thanks for reading!