The rage she felt from hearing his voice struck a chord in her soul when he brought her out of her musings.
She stood up quickly, cigarette dangling between her lips, knife casually in one of her hands, the other resting on her hip. Looking directly up at the branch he was perching on, she expected to see him angry, but instead all she saw was disappointment and something she couldn't quite place. That didn't take the wind out of her sails though. She was still pissed.
"Would you just fucking eat me already?" She was exasperated, her hand with the knife slicing the air to enunciate each word.
"I'm really sick of the whole existing thing and playing 'knight in shiny armor' thing, it isn't gonna work." her tirade continued even as she used air quotes, knife still in hand.
Peter watched from his perch slightly amused and slightly hurt. Their conversations often looked like this, if she wasn't ignoring Peter, he was being yelled at. Typically he shrugged it off, this time however he caught her in the act of harming herself.
He had only been gone for roughly 5 hours, and for being short, that little spitfire could travel. He had found her 10 miles from the house. When her scent diverted to the forest he began to worry and ran faster, when he found her sitting under a tree he felt relief, until after a while he watched her pull out the knife.
He desperately wanted to understand why his little human hurt so bad. Unfortunately he was aware he couldn't take a wrecking ball to her walls. She would have to let him in. This was all on her terms. He couldn't force her to let him in, but perhaps he could persuade her to give him time.
She cleared her throat after he had just sat there watching her. Peter realized he'd been trapped in his thoughts longer than intended.
"I've already told you I can't eat you" He raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.
"Can't or won't? Because you are Peter, the people eater after all." She started calm, "And I've been told I taste REALLY FUCKING GOOD, PETER THE PEOPLE EATER!" unfortunately she divulged into rage.
His mouth went dry, he swallowed the lump forming in his throat.
"It would physically hurt me– to hurt you with the intent to kill." He spoke only loud enough for her to hear him, his little human was kinda scary while flailing a knife around with rage.
Perhaps she was having withdrawals, he hadn't accounted for that being a possibility. Fuckin hell, good job, Whitlock.
Bella felt her eye twitch at that statement, she'd heard that before from the reason she detested vampires. Or maybe the reason she detested bunny munchers. Peter the people eater was fine other than not wanting to eat her. It would explain why even though she was delectable, her wounds were a hate crime. Unfortunately this was Bella, and she couldn't find any fucks left in her bucket.
"Oh cut the bullshit, I've heard that before, you can't fool me." She held her chin up indignantly with her hands on her hips. "You're just bored. All humans are to your kind, are distractions" she spoke with venom lacing her words as she turned to walk back the way she came.
Peter wasted no time jumping down in front of her, carefully yet quickly disarming his little spitfire, she'll be a feisty newborn, no doubt. He gently yet firmly pulled her into a hug, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
"Just give me a year– just to be your friend and have fun." He spoke with an emotion that Bella couldn't place.
She was still seeing red even though the haze was quickly fading. She felt safe with him wrapped around her and almost relaxed. We can't forget that it's Bella however, she's stubborn as a mule.
"So, you'll eat me in a year?" The question clear in her voice as she paused before continuing, "You know that tracks for your kind." She finished with a sneer.
Peter flinched at the venom in her words. He'd gotten hopeful she'd be easy just this once. He held her back slightly looking down at her. Her face was a mask of indifference, but he still thought she was the most divine creature on the planet. He felt grateful to be in her presence. It was obvious, however, she had abused her body the last couple of years, but even then. Her face was heart shaped, and her brown hair had natural streaks of auburn. It had been cut and styled into a longer shag. Her cheekbones were sharper, from aging and also from just merely existing. She'd only been doing enough to exist after all.
He forced himself to focus, realizing he was spiraling slightly, he took a deep breath.
"I don't know who started your prejudice," He took another pause to center himself. "I'm not whoever the fuck it was that ditched you, darlin'." He finished with a sternness. His spitfire needed some desperately.
If his suspicions were correct, he wouldn't be compared to that eternal virgin. He wouldn't stand for it. If Peter had the heart he might just let her walk back home. Unfortunately bears were out, and aggressive this time of year. Spitfire or not, his little human wouldn't be able to take on a bear.
Bella speaking brought him back to the present.
"You're right…" Her words barely above a whisper. Her eyes were glued to the mossy forest floor, almost as if it would swallow her whole, A lady can dream, right?
She wanted to be angry at his accusations. She hadn't actively kept a tally, he had just said the same words as Cullen had. Would thawing a bit be such a bad thing? Peter the people eater was fun after all. She enjoyed his company. Even if she had spent the last five days brooding and attempting to ignore him. At least until he poked the proverbial bear too many times.
Bella hadn't done enough heroin that night too have hooked her into withdrawal. She just hadn't been sleeping well. It wasn't that the bed wasn't divine, or those fucking sheets. God, those sheets. Bella was well aware those sheets were worth more than she was, but if she could die in those sheets, she'd die happy. Something had just been missing, her nightmares were gone, well different not gone. Just oddly empty. No longer plagued with panic, fear, and red eyes, they were just calm. Wading through a forest. It left Bella waking up with an eerie feeling even though the undertones of the dream weren't necessarily sinister vibes.
A distant clap of thunder brought her out of her thoughts as she finally found it in herself to look up at Peter. He seemed to be lost in his own world so she took a moment to let him.
Hearing those words from her mouth sounded like a foreign language to him. He hadn't expected her to lose her stubborn streak this soon. Perhaps a little stern talkin' to was all his feisty human needed, the clap of thunder brought caught his attention with a delay, he cleared his throat a bit just to clear his mind.
"I'm just asking for a chance, one year that's all." He spoke with a firmness, and an emotional undertone she couldn't place, or refused to put a name too at least.
"We'll take it day by day," she sighed with exasperation, she may be considering thawing, but she would never make it easy for him.
"I refuse to give you more than that, I can't actually," she continued on, her face taking up her infamous bitch face.
Peter had let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, his shoulders slumping a fraction.
Good enough for now, he mused to himself. He could handle that, they could travel nomad style and stop at all the weird shit on the side of the road that humans find fascinating. Maybe that would break down the 500 foot high walls that Bella had built around herself.
"Deal." He agreed happily before swinging her into his back without warning. Bella let out a squeal before clinging to him, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms wrapping around his neck.
She hadn't realized he smelled… well he smelled like home if Bella didn't have the emotional IQ of a wet napkin. But she won't find it in herself to admit that yet. His skin smelled like sunshine after a rainy afternoon, and worn leather, with something else, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
" No more pancakes," she started, "well maybe just for breakfast." She finished with a giggle. She hadn't truly giggled in a long time.
Feigning hurt, he replied.
"You love my pancakes" She could hear the smile in his voice. She responded with her own.
" Yeah, they're pretty great.. Just not for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." She snickered and Peter just scoffed and rolled his eyes.
The unlikely duo of Peter the people eater, and Bella the angry pancaking eating human, headed home.