Chapter 05
He could understand her ‘fuck it’ attitude, but was it still really necessary? She had nothing to fear anymore, she was going to settle, surely she could move past the fact that she hadn’t been able to do whatever she wanted for the last few years?
He had. Loads of people were against tight spaces and didn’t like it when someone was being abused. Maybe it was soon for Bella. It had only been a day, really.
But still, the idea that she was thinking to get rid of the baby as if it was her decision. As if it was hers alone. It wasn’t. It took two to tango, didn’t it? He was just as responsible as she was, and they definitely needed to talk about it.
They were pretty much lost in their own thoughts when they walked to the house Bella had bought earlier that day. They were going to see what the damage was and to see what she needed to get done, but maybe it was a better idea to ask an adult. What did they know about houses and the state of it? He let out a whine. He didn’t want to be the responsible one. Being responsible sucked.
The house looked okay from the outside, at least, and the moment Bella opened the door, he was inside with her, closing the door and pressing her against the wall as he kissed her.
Bella giggled as she put her arms around his neck and tiptoed to make things easier on him but now that she was in the house, she wanted to go exploring. It didn’t look too dirty, just quite dusty, that was it. So far. “I want to see the house,” she said between kisses, causing Isaac to lift her up and stumbled into the living room. Bella hummed as her back hit another wall, causing her to briefly stop kissing Isaac to look her around. “Nice and spacey,” she said with a nod before tugging on his shirt. “Off.”
Isaac grinned at her as he pushed her against the wall with her legs wrapped around her and let go of her before pulling off his shirt. He then helped her out of hers and kissed her again before taking her to the next room as her hands buried in his hair. Her nails dug into his scalp as he made a turn and bit his lip. He let out a low growl as he bumped her into a wall again. “You drew blood,” he said as he looked at her. There was a big grin on her face as she wrestled herself out of his hold and jumped off of him, looking around the room. “Dining room.”
Bella huffed as she kicked her shoes off and looked at him to do the same. “We’ll get people to take the wall down and have a bigger living room.”
“No playroom?” He smirked, causing her to kick one of her shoes at his head at the suggestion. “Adult playroom.”
“No, a bigger living room so you can have all your friends over, and it won’t feel crowded.” She pulled him down to her level and kissed him eagerly, pushing him back into another room; the kitchen. “Ew!” she exclaimed in disgust as she pushed him away and looked around. “Are we in the dark ages? We’re going to get a new kitchen.”
“We are?”
“Yes.” She pulled off her jeans and threw them in his face. “No way I’m cooking in this shit.” Bella watched him hungrily as he got out of his jeans and didn’t wait until he was done before pushing him over and sat down on top of him. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Nope,” he grinned and kissed her greedily. He loved it how, just like him, embraced her new strength and agility and had fun with it, surprising herself most of the time when she tried something new. The look on her face was simply adorable.
“Good,” she replied while she kept kissing him and ground her hips against his groin. “How many more rooms are in this house?”
“I dunno,” he groaned as unhooked her bra. “Don’t care right now…”
“I do,” she said as she stopped kissing him and got up, helping him out of his jeans as she did. “Come on, next room.”
“Bella!” He whined, but got to his feet anyway and followed her to what looked like a scullery. There was room for a washer and dryer and some shelf space for other things and a door to the outside. The room was big enough but quite small. The moment he set foot in there, she was on him again, jumping into his arms and nuzzling his ear.
Isaac stepped out of there again, bumping against the wall before turning and getting into another spacious room. He decided to skip it and found the stairs that lead to the first floor. “Up we go,” he playfully squeezed her ass as he managed to take the stairs and not trip over his own feet. Luckily they didn’t fall as she scraped her teeth on his collarbone while she dug her nails into his shoulder blade, surprising him. “Hey!”
“Hey,” she smirked as she waited for the both of them to be upstairs and then let go of him again to look around on the landing. “Oh, I like this,” she said as she shimmied out of her underwear and headed into the master bedroom. “Isaac! The bedroom! Look! It’s beautiful!”
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down because fuck, she was such a tease, and he wanted to throw her on the floor and have his way with her. No, Isaac, he told himself, you do not throw a pregnant girl on the floor. She needs a bed.
A low growl coming from Bella pulled him out of his thoughts and followed her into the bedroom where she pounced on him. Her legs had wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck before her lips were on his again. All thoughts were gone out of the window as he could feel her wetness on him as her pert nipples pressed against his chest.
She had wanted to hold out some longer, for at least until they had been to all rooms. But his scent, something she was very much aware of now, had changed a little bit because of his arousal and it drove her wild. Bella wanted him in her, now. She didn’t care how. She whined when she felt that he was still wearing his boxers and let go of him.
Isaac blinked when she just stared at him with her arms crossed over her chest. When he didn’t get the clue, he followed her gaze down to his groin and grinned. “I’m not going to pull them off.” He laughed when she kicked his legs from underneath him causing him to fall to the floor. She tore his boxers off of him and sat down on top of him, grinding her wetness against him as she raked her nails over his chest. “Bella.”
“No,” she said as she slid down his legs and sat on them to keep them where they were. She then took his length into her hand and gently squeezed it, causing him to buck his hips and hiss. With a grin, she pumped it a few times before shifting again and slowly lowering herself on top of him. “I so like this view,” she smiled at him once he was fully inside of her, and she took a moment to get used to the feeling.
“Are you going to start moving anytime soon?”
She stuck out her tongue as she crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head as she looked at him, daring him.
“Please stop being a tease,” he groaned as he grabbed her hips and bucked against her.
“Or what?” She playfully rocked her hips, causing him to let out another groan. “You feel so good inside of me, I want to be like this forever,” she teased as she rocked her hips again. “You’re so big, and it feels so good…” she uncrossed her arms and gently placed them on his chest for support. “But sure, mr. Impatient…”
“Oh, I’m not the only one who’s impatient,” he laughed as he moved one of his hands to her clit and started to rub it. His action caused Bella to throw back her head and let out a moan. He allowed her to get used to the sensation but if she didn’t start to move soon, he was going to roll them over and have his way with her.
He felt weirdly proud of being part of her sexual awakening. Was it pride? Definitely. Isaac loved it when she decided to discover new things on her own and her reaction when he tried something with her but this – waiting – was just too cruel. He could feel the heat radiating from her body, her heart was beating faster, and she felt incredibly wet around him. She was just as ready for this as he was.
She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t moving. Feeling slightly panicked, Isaac looked at her to see if she was freaking out or thinking about something but she wasn’t. But she wasn’t moving. He removed his hand from her and gently rolled the both of them over. Settling over her, he started to kiss her neck. “Get out of your head,” he said with a murmur.
“I’m not,” she replied as she sighed, biting her lip as she looked at him. Her cheeks flushed a deep red and eventually she found the courage to say what was on her mind. “I wasn’t sure how to proceed next. I spaced out.”
Isaac brushed her lips with his own and then kissed her tenderly. “You still want to do this?” He had known this was going to happen. She had had a lot to deal with in the last few days, and she was going to break eventually.
“Yes,” she nodded almost as if she was a bobblehead doll. “I’m burning up. Please.”
Okay, he thought to himself, definitely not broken. Just her adorable self, spacing out. “Just for future reference…” he said as he started to kiss her neck again while he found his way inside her again. “The way we were the other moment, think of it as riding a horse, although you do all the work instead of having it bounce you around like crazy.”
Bella started to giggle uncontrollably at that remark. “I know that!”
“Good,” he laughed as he started to move. “But I have to say, brain farts are cute.”
Bella hummed a response as she dug her hands into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. It didn’t take the both of them to finish, Bella came hard, the world around her seemed to explode into tiny little stars that fell to Earth, burning in the atmosphere. It was a good thing that this house had thick walls. Not only was it quite werewolf proof, but they could also be as loud as they wanted to be without their neighbors having to listen to it.
When Isaac rolled off of her to catch his breath, she snuggled up against him on the floor and smirked. “I’d say this house is fully broken in.”
o~0~o~0
After they had retrieved their clothes and made mental notes of what needed to be done in the house for Bella to like it, they went to the supermarket to buy treats and food to celebrate the fact that the house was bought. Much to Bella’s surprise, Charlie was still at the Argent residence. “I thought you were going home?” Bella greeted him with a hug. “Are you staying?”
“For one night, yes. I was simply too fascinated by the things Chris had to tell me about your new life,” Charlie replied as he scratched his head. “It’s difficult to wrap my head around this, though.”
“Yep, welcome to the party,” she said with a grin before she helped Isaac bring the bags to the kitchen. “We bought food and drinks and I’m going to cook, we have something to celebrate.”
“You’re pregnant? Bella!” Charlie said with a whine. “I don’t think I’m ready for puppies yet!”
Bella rolled her eyes at him and huffed. “No. I bought a house here in Beacon Hills. And it’s awesome.”
“Hence the dust trail we’ve left all over town,” Isaac added. If she really wasn’t going to talk about the fact that they were going to have a baby soon – because it looked like she had switched on the ignore button – then he wasn’t going either. He was, however, going to make damn sure that everything was ready if needed. He was going to get a job and buy things for the baby, put things in storage and let Bella ignore it all. Definitely a plan.
“What? Why?”
“Dad, I’m not done with Isaac yet and he’s not done with me. That’s our agreement. We walk away when we’re done. And he has his friends here. So I’m sticking around. And as much as I’m thankful for Mr. Argent’s hospitality, I don’t want to stay at his house. I want my own space.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I’m not going back to Forks, but you can come here?” She said with a wolfish grin. “I’m sure Sheriff Stilinski could use the extra pair of hands!”
“I’ll think about it. But you bought a house?”
“Uhuh,” she nodded as she put things in the fridge. “That’s the thing, I don’t have to worry about money, so I bought a house. I’m going to hire people to make the house into something Isaac and I like, especially the kitchen, and then we’ll move in.”
“Would you like me to stick around to help you out a bit, Bells?”
She walked over to her father and put her arms around him. “You don’t have to help out. We can be lazy because like I said; I’m going to hire people. But I’d like it if you stayed for a bit longer so we can explore this town together.”
“I’d like that,” Charlie smiled at her, putting his arms around his little girl who had not let go of him yet. “As long as your boyfriend won’t mind.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“I’m not her boyfriend,” Isaac said at the same time as he poured himself a drink. He needed to talk to Mr. Argent about Bella’s situation; he could trust him and like Deaton, he’d shut his mouth about it. “I can’t wait to taste Bella’s cooking, let me get out of the way.” He kissed the top of Bella’s head and looked at Argent. “Can we talk?”
“Yeah, of course,” he said with a nod and led the teenager towards his office. Where he kept his guns. Not that he needed them for Isaac but still, the boy had a serious tone in his voice, and that required some alone time. He pointed to a chair as he sat down on his own. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” Isaac said with a deep sigh as he fell into the chair. “I mean, on the one hand, I’d like to finish school even though I detest it.”
“Education is important.”
“Yeah, but I could do night classes or just single courses too, right?”
“Of course.”
“But, I’m also old enough not to return to school and never finish it.”
Argent nodded again, confused as the boy tried to reason with someone, probably himself. “What are you getting at?” He observed Isaac as he tried to think of the question Chris had just asked him. It was almost as if he could see the cogs spinning in his head and he got fidgety. When Isaac didn’t say anything – which was unusual, he spoke up again. “What happened at Deaton’s?”
“Oh, well, he’s fascinated by the tiny bit of Cold One venom in Bella’s system, but other than that, she’s perfectly healthy.”
“That’s a relief.”
Isaac nodded, and Chris was surprised his head didn’t fall off. “She’s also pregnant.”
He was quiet for a moment, unsure how to react when he saw the insecure Isaac in front of him. Of all the bravado and seemingly not caring about anything, he did have this insecure, naive side of him that rarely reared its head. “Wow. How do you feel about that?”
“Scared. Stupid. I mean… who screws a random girl without a condom?” Isaac huffed as he ran his hands through his hair. “Deaton said that something about us bonding during that night and shit like that that I can’t even start to understand because she wasn’t a werewolf then so how is that possible? And it’s just… the fuck!”
“Technically, she was a werewolf, just spelled not to be one.”
“Technicalities suck. How was I supposed to know and how the fuck did it happen that I bonded with her? She doesn’t take it seriously. She’s ignoring the fact that she’s carrying a baby. She—” He took a deep breath and realized he had a drink on him, so he took a sip. He needed to calm down. “I mean…”
“I understand. This is all new for all of us, not just you and Bella. Did Deaton really say you bonded?”
“Mated, bonded, whatever. What the hell does that even mean? He said he needed to do more research because it’s rare.” Isaac used quotation marks when he said ‘rare,’ causing Argent to smile. “It’s ridiculous.”
“It is. And it’s unheard of, it’s just as rare as True Alpha’s,” Argent said calmly, not wanting to upset the young werewolf in his office. “A mate, what Bella is to you, according to Deaton, is something that goes far deeper than a simple girlfriend. Most werewolves feel lucky when they find a great woman or man who wants to stick with them for the rest of their lives, but it’s not as if they’re a mate. You two were drawn towards each other and the details are fuzzy for you, but you’re in for a hell of a ride.”
“I don’t even know if I like her like that!”
“Yeah, you do,” Chris smiled at him. “The way you’re looking at her, the way you subconsciously move towards her when you feel she’s threatened or sad… Did Deaton ask if you bit her?”
“No.”
“Did you?”
Isaac let out a whine. “Not the first few times… but yeah. I bit her, once. By accident. On the shoulder.”
“Yes, you’re in deep, buddy.”
“Can it be undone? I mean, she and I have an agreement. What if she doesn’t want me anymore? What will happen then?”
“I’m not quite sure. Deaton’s right in saying that what you and Bella have is rare, not much is known on the subject either, if there were, I would have known about it. But I think you can compare it to Swans. Swans mate for life. If their mate goes away or dies, the mate left behind is miserable. Some even die of heartbreak.”
“I don’t want that, can we be fixed?”
“Isaac… You didn’t hear me.”
“Yeah, I heard you! But I’d rather be aware of my actions and whatnot than to be at the mercy of this thing between her and me!” Isaac said angrily, pounding his fist on the heavy table, not even denting it. “I don’t want things being able to control me when I don’t want to.”
“You sound a lot like Bella now.”
“Yeah well, she’s right. It’s much easier to be in control over yourself when you have it.”
“Or,” he said calmly as he kept looking at him. “You could learn how to control it, learn how to work with it instead of seeing it as something beyond your control. Anything can be learned.”
“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I think I want to find a job so I can work on the baby’s nursery in secret. I know she has money, but she’d rather get rid of it or ignore it until it’s actually here. At least for the moment. That’s my real dilemma right now; go back to school, finish it, or find a job.”
“It’s likely you need an education to work.”
Isaac shrugged. “My dad worked at the graveyard; I used to have a job there, so… maybe they’ll take me back.”
“Isaac…” he sighed.
“No, I want to do something. I don’t want to be a kept boy. I know she has money. But I want to be responsible, and actually you know… take care of her.”
“Alright,” the man nodded. “Seems you have it all thought out already, why do you need me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’d say something I would actually like or hadn’t thought of,” Isaac sulked as he emptied his glass and got to his feet. “But seems like I’m not as brain damaged as I thought.”
He got to his feet and rounded the desk before gently giving Isaac a pat on the back. “You’re a smart kid, you’ll know what’s best for you, your girlfriend and the rest of your life.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“And I’m certain you two will make the right decision about the baby. Bella has a good set of brains on her shoulders, just like you.”
“It’s just scary.”
“Isaac, you know this. Women are scary. New situations are scary at first, but you’ll deal with it. I have every faith that you two can deal with the new situation at hand. Together.”
“Even when she ignores the things in front of her?”
“Yes,” he smiled reassuringly. “Don’t forget, she’s had a lot to deal with in the last few days. Give her some time to process.”
Isaac nodded and sighed. “Thanks. I just… it’s…”
“It’s called growing up. Maybe a little bit faster than you’ve anticipated, but you’re on the right path. We’re all here to lend you a hand if needed. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back, Isaac,” he gently squeezed Isaac’s shoulder. “Now, let’s see what that Bella of yours is up to because whatever she’s doing, it smells delicious.”
A couple of weeks later, Bella was sitting on the steps to her house, waiting for the contractors to arrive to deal with the changes she wanted to be made. She was all alone, had been for a few weeks now. Her father had left after a couple of days, he insisted on inspecting the house and make his own observations and he came with good suggestions, not all of them she was going to listen to, but some. To make him happy. It took some arranging of agendas and planners for the contractors go come and she was glad everything finally worked out.
She didn’t understand why Isaac went to get his old job back at the cemetery. While she understood that he didn’t want to go back to school, he didn’t need a job. She had plenty of money. Hell, she even offered to split the remaining money in half but he didn’t want it. She didn’t want the money either. It was far too much for one person, especially if they weren’t going to travel around the globe – she quite liked it in Beacon Hills so far. No, Isaac wanted to earn money and do something with it. Some sort of secret project he had been mumbling about in his sleep. Bella was sure that one of these nights, she’d get to hear what this secret project was.
Scott and everyone else were back in school until their next break which wouldn’t be until Christmas and even though Chris Argent didn’t mind her staying at his house during the day, she had started to feel a little bit useless and had left the house. It was a good thing that the workers were coming today so she could at least do something even if it was just to open the door.
Yes, it had started to become slightly colder now that Autumn was here, but it was still California and she loved it. No thick jackets or starting to wrap herself up in thick layers of clothing, just a simple cardigan would do and she loved it.
When she saw movement down the street, she looked up from her styrofoam cup of tea and sighed when she saw that it was Peter. She didn’t know him that well, not as well as some of Isaac’s friends, but she thought he was entertaining. He was there in Derek’s loft at her first full moon and hadn’t given her shit yet so he wasn’t on the ‘meh’ list so far. He seemed to move a little bit awkwardly, almost as if he was in pain. Had something happened? “Morning,” she greeted him.
“Oh good, you left out the ‘good’,” Peter sighed as he sat down next to her on the steps. “Nice house.”
“Uhuh. What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s not a good morning and you move stupidly. Did you fall down the stairs?”
Peter let out a low growl and absentmindedly rubbed his chest. “Some idiot with no mouth broke into the loft and threw an icepick at me. He left me for dead.”
“You’re not.”
“Obviously not.” He waved to the house, changing the subject. “Did you buy it with my money?”
A couple of days ago, someone broke into the Hale vault and stole Peter’s money. He’d been on a warpath since, and Bella had been fortunate to have been left out of the war zone. Until now. At least he wasn’t snarling at her, she’d snarl right back at him. “No. Why do you think that?” Bella asked as she took a sip of her tea.
“You’re the most recent thing coming into Beacon Hills. Not much is known about you other than you’re a special werewolf and that you tend to hang with the wrong people.”
“Oh,” she smiled at him and grinned. “I’m a suspect? That’s so cool!” She turned a little to face him with a big smile on her face. “You think I stole your money? Because I bought a house?”
“Amongst other things.”
“I have my own money. I’ve earned it for being the human pet of a bunch of vampires,” Bella said morosely as she looked at Peter. She then giggled as she saw the look on his face. “I get it why you think I have something to do with it but seriously? I’m like the person who’s the least needy for money.”
“Fine,” Peter sighed and dismissively waved his hand. “What about that boy of yours?”
“He’s a puppy.”
“Yeah… he doesn’t really have the mind of a criminal mastermind.”
“Hey! Give him some credit, will you?” Bella laughed as she nearly inhaled her sip of tea. “Did you tell Derek?”
“Oh! About that,” Peter groaned as he got to his feet when the vans of the construction crew showed up. “He’s hired someone to find the person responsible for the heist. Her name is Braeden. Isaac knows her. Don’t tell him she’s back in town.”
“Why not?” Bella cocked her head, feeling worried and possessive for a moment as she watched Peter take his leave, hearing him quietly snicker as he walked off. “Asshole!” Yeah, she didn’t have anything to worry about. Isaac was hers.
She hung around for a little while to make sure that the contractors indeed knew what they were doing and headed into town when she was satisfied. There was no need to stick around, really. There wasn’t anything to steal in that house and she had other things to do; such as getting a Nutella pancake. Or get the ingredients, go to Argent’s place and make Nutella pancakes. She was sure that the smell would wake up Isaac and when he was awake, they could have sex.
No, that was too selfish. She could go for a nap herself. Just curl up next to him and doze off. No, that would be stupid. Or maybe not, seeing as it was the full moon again tonight and she’d probably be up all night because Scott wanted to keep an eye on her. She scoffed as she kicked a small pebble on the street. She was fine. It was the new kid that Scott bit that he needed to worry about.
While she had tried to stay away from Scott and his friends as well as she could, Isaac still hung out with them somewhat, after school and staying in the loop of supernatural happenings. She wasn’t interested in that, not even when Isaac mentioned that morning that Scott bit someone to save him from a killer with no mouth.
When Peter had mentioned the guy earlier, she didn’t bat an eye. It wasn’t really her thing to get involved, was it? She felt bad about it, sure, but she had her house to think about. Her own nest. The excitement of the house finally being remodeled made her nauseous at times, but that was great. A house. For her. And Isaac.
While she and Isaac had been ordering things online for the house, she couldn’t help but window shop a little. She had liked the way her room looked in Forks, the fairy lights, for example. Done right and it was romantic. She definitely wanted to have them again. Maybe not in the bedroom, seeing as she was going to share it with Isaac. She had called him stupid for not wanting to be involved in the decorating of the house. It was his house just as it was hers. When she said that he could have the house when she was tired of him, he got angry and possessive about her and fucked her senseless after dragging her out of Argent’s house and into the woods behind it. It was very hot.
She ducked into the store and bought fairy lights in all sorts of colors before heading to the supermarket and get some snacks for everyone. If she was going to have to suffer through another full moon of Scott keeping an eye on her, she wanted to have the good stuff to keep her entertained. Taking a nap right now sounded great.
~o0o~
Bella wasn’t sure why the lights were off in the lake house for when Liam arrived, but it wasn’t as if they needed the light to see anyway. Being a werewolf had its perks; extra sight and all that. She was sitting on the sofa, all cozied up to Isaac when the boy arrived and Stiles said it was some sort of intervention. The look on Liam’s face, when things were explained to him, was hilarious, especially when he asked Stiles what he was. “For a little while I was possessed by an evil spirit. He was very evil.”
Bella liked Stiles. He was the only human in Scott’s pack, but his wit and sarcasm fit right in.
“What are you now?” Liam asked, slightly irritated by Stiles’ remark.
“Better?”
Liam’s frown turned even more sour before his eyes fell upon her and Isaac. “Werewolf and a werewolf with vampire venom in her blood? How does that work?”
Bella shrugged for an answer, not wanting to poke the bear. Liam was angry enough. He had a lot to deal with, just like Bella had to do, but considering Liam’s life had been pretty decent apart from his bursts of anger while growing up, everything must be quite a shock. She listened to the conversation a little while drawing little circles with her index finger over Isaac’s shirt and had to laugh when Liam called them all psychotic nutjobs.
The boy was this close to losing it, the room had started to feel tense and Bella had to admit, when Liam started to double over from sensory overload, she scooted even closer to Isaac before noticing that there were cars coming. What the fuck? They were supposed to be all alone at the Lake House, who invited more people? This was a clusterfuck waiting to happen.
While Scott and Kira carted Liam off to the boathouse – great, open space, Bella thought that was a bad idea – Malia showed that she still hadn’t learned to control herself and Stiles brought her to the basement. “How are you feeling, Bella?” Isaac asked her softly as he caressed her hair. “In control?”
“Of course,” she replied with a nod. “And horny.”
Isaac chuckled at that. “In the mood for a party?”
“Hell no.”
“I think Scott needs help with Liam.”
“Yeah, he might need an extra pair of hands…”
“Then again… Scott has a fox with him. Stiles is all alone.”
“Let’s just go home,” Bella sighed as she nuzzled his earlobe. The living room started to fill with partying teenagers and she didn’t want to stick around.
“But Scott—”
“He’s a big boy,” Bella smiled at him. She had realized a week ago that there wasn’t really a spot anymore for Isaac in Scott’s pack, especially not for Bella despite her somewhat accepting him as an Alpha. They were on the outside, looking in. More like floaters, like a turd in water. Or whatever. “You can ask him if he needs us? But we’re basically here because he didn’t trust my control. Thinking it was a fluke.” She was waiting for Isaac to realize her thoughts about Scott’s pack too, but the boy was so happy to be back in Beacon Hills that it was going to take some time. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t be friends anymore, they just lead different lives now.
“It obviously isn’t.”
“Obviously,” Bella whined as someone sat down next to her. “Go ask. Tell him we’re leaving if he doesn’t need us.”
~o0o~
She thought it was sweet of Isaac to watch his friends play a Lacrosse game a few days later, and that he felt saddened that he wasn’t playing anymore. Maybe, just maybe, Isaac had made the wrong decision of going to work instead of finishing school, but he told her he didn’t regret anything. It was sweet of him of not telling her when he was hanging out with his friends, but she knew. He’d leave for work early during the day and in the morning she’d find torn or dirty clothes and she didn’t say anything about it.
Bella wanted to, she was slightly worried that he had become interested in another girl and that there would come an end to their agreement, but she also knew that she could trust him. He had missed them and he wanted to spend more time with his friends, helping them out, especially with Liam.
Since she didn’t have anything to do – apart from making sure the house would turn out okay – she wanted to help too, but Isaac told her she didn’t have to, that she should enjoy exploring Beacon Hills and Beacon County without having to worry about everything. It was only after the CDC closed down the high school that she learned what was going on.
Mostly because one night, Stiles was in Argent’s weapon’s locker and she overheard them while Isaac was out helping Scott. Talking about a dead pool of supernaturals in Beacon Hills, that there had been many casualties and that so far, Scott and his pack had been safe but that they were now going to try to catch the elusive leader of the dead pool. The plan sounded ridiculous and probably wouldn’t work. Of course, when she was about to leave and see if she could help – anywhere, her stomach decided to twist itself into a knot and she had to throw up.
She was sick of being sick. There wasn’t a day going by where she didn’t throw up and it was a bug she didn’t seem to be able to shake. It threw a wrench in most of her plans because she usually felt so drained after throwing up, that she wanted to take a nap or move very slowly. Or stuff her face with food but she was afraid that if she ate too soon after expelling it from her body, she’d have to do it again.
In all honesty, Bella felt like a miserable old hag and she was glad that Isaac wasn’t around much because she didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t want him to leave her because she was grumpy and sick, and sometimes crying because she felt miserable without being able to stop it. It felt like PMS, but worse.
The next morning, she realized Isaac hadn’t come home and even though she didn’t want to act like the controlling girlfriend – because she wasn’t his girlfriend – she tried his phone a few times and didn’t get any answer. She called Scott, but he was too busy and he immediately told her that everyone else was busy as well but assured her that Isaac was a creature of habit and wouldn’t just run away on her. That didn’t help her much, it only helped to grow her agitation. She got dressed and cursed her jeans for not fitting properly anymore and ripped a little of the sides to help her get in.
She grabbed a banana off the kitchen counter before heading towards the house that was still being remodeled, maybe Isaac was there, working on his secret project or whatever and had fallen asleep. She was humming to herself when out of nowhere, Peter stepped in her path. “Morning!” He greeted her as he stopped her from walking. “Did you hear about the dead pool?”
“Yeah, yesterday.”
“Only yesterday?” Peter blinked and slowly shook his head while making a disapproving noise. “Why didn’t they tell you before?”
“Because what can I do? Vomit all over the list or the killers?” Bella stepped around him and continued to walk towards the house. “I don’t know, maybe, deep down, Scott doesn’t trust me. Isaac’s been helping him, I know that, but other than that?”
“You’re still angry with Scott?”
“Yes,” Bella kicked against a rock and heard it shatter a window somewhere. “Werewolves should do what they’re supposed to do; kill when able or necessary. Killing the Cullens was necessary and he let a few of them walk.”
“I don’t want to play Devil’s advocate but…”
“What? There are enough of them left to find a new family, make a new family, and try it with a new girl all over again. How’s that not a big enough of a threat?”
Peter shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. “I would have killed them.”
“Exactly. But Scott thinks that everyone, including bad people, should have a chance to redeem themselves.”
“Yes, which is mostly the reason why I’m still here,” Peter said with a grin. “Because of my redeeming qualities and Scott’s inability to kill.”
“I think he’s able, he just doesn’t like to do it.”
“He has me and Derek for that.”
“Apparently,” she kept walking towards the house, but already knew it was going to be a bust. She didn’t smell Isaac at all and hadn’t found a new trail since leaving the house. She could follow his scent to his job and the supermarket if she wanted to, but it was his day off today. And last night he went to help Scott. “Did you see Isaac last night?”
“I’m afraid not. I was doing some bonding with the daughter I didn’t know I had.”
“Malia?”
“You know?”
Bella shrugged for an answer. “It’s easy to tell, really. Same bone structure, the forehead…”
“Daughter of a cop.”
“Yep,” she grinned as she frowned. There weren’t any vans outside the house while normally there were and she didn’t receive a call that they weren’t going to come today. “This is odd…”
“Trouble?” Peter asked, looking at the young werewolf.
Bella huffed as she opened the door. “Of course not, who would want to go after me?” She got a fright when she saw Aro standing in the living room, accompanied by Jane and Alice. Out of instinct, she pulled Peter closer to her so that Jane couldn’t hurt him and Alice couldn’t read him. “The fuck!” she exclaimed as she looked at the threesome. Usually, Marcus and Caius weren’t far behind where Aro was concerned, but they were probably with Felix and his buddies to be protected somewhere close by. “Get out of my house!”
“Come now, Bella, is that the way you treat old friends?” Aro smiled at her and opened his arms wide, almost as if he wanted her to hug him. She simply stared at him, trying to control her breathing as not to turn into a wolf. While the walls were probably werewolf-proof, she was certain that they weren’t Cold One proof and she didn’t want the house to come down upon them. “I guess it is,” Aro said simply, clasping his hands in front of him again. “You probably want to know what we’re doing here.”
“You want to kill me.”
“Hardly,” Aro replied as he nodded towards Alice. “When Alice and Jasper came before us, confessing what they had done to you and why, I could not believe them. Not even after reading their thoughts. Young Bella Swan, the golden boy’s savior, a werewolf? And killing Cullens? It’s simply unheard of! And what will young Isaac think of you being with this man?”
Bella blinked at that, looking at Alice for answers, but she wasn’t talking, only looking to the floor as she stood there. Jane was concentrating, hard, Bella could see that, but as long as Peter stayed with Bella, he was safe, and that was probably very frustrating for her. Her eyes fell back onto Aro’s face and she let out a snarl. “What did you do?”
“Oh, no harm has come to the young werewolf,” Aro smirked. “But please, allow us to take you to him. You can leave your friend here.”
“In exchange for what?”
“We’ll discuss the terms in a more… suitable environment. We brought our wives with us as well, let’s have a civil lunch together.”
“Bella, don’t,” Peter warned her and she looked up to him.
“They have Isaac. I’m not going to allow them to take away my toys.”
“How many of them are there?”
“Probably a few. But don’t worry, they know they’ll lose the fight. Nothing will happen. Go home, Peter.”
“No.”
“Go home.”
“No, not up for discussion.”
Growling, Bella shoved him away from her, out of her bubble, giving Jane the opportunity to hurt him, quite bad. “Don’t kill him,” Bella said to Jane as she motioned for Aro to lead the way. “Or I will kill you.”
