First, there is this general idea that if you have depression, you are depressed.
Not true.
For me, it means slowly going numb, I might feel something once in a great while, but it is fleeting and gone before I can realize that something cut through the numbness.
It also means I have to talk to myself each and every time I wake up on why I should get up. And then try not to feel guilty when I cannot manage to get out of bed. Or when I actually managed to get out of bed, why I didn’t get dressed, why didn’t I take a shower, why didn’t I do anything? Even though getting out of bed was a major achievement, I am reminded by myself how pathetic it is that I think that is huge.
It makes me wonder why I keep trying, then shrug and keep on trying. Since to me the alternative is worse.
I try to talk to my hubby.
I try to get back on track and do the things that were so easy just yesterday, this past week, last week, and so on.
I feel ashamed that I could not clean house because it felt too big a chore and start hating everyone and everything that didn’t clean up after themselves. I get mad and feel like it is useless to clean up when everyone won’t care to keep it up so why should I?
But it is an excuse to not clean. Because again, it is too hard to acknowledge that I failed to do anything.
I feel guilty for not doing things that are so easy for others. I feel guilty if I feel happy for a fleeting moment in time. I am depressed, I shouldn’t be happy.
I am bored to death, can’t find myself interested in even reading, or start on a new hobby that I asked to learn. I play crystals on a game only because for some reason it is the only thing that allows me to exist and not feel so lost.
I am not saying all this for sympathy points, but to have the chance to tell someone out there, that I DO know what you are going through.
One of the things that have helped me is a page on Facebook called the Mighty. Reading that, I find out more about people like me, who suffer through the same things.
Found out about the fog, but that other people might call it other things. I never thought of it as a fog, since to me fog meant I was not clear minded. I could think very clearly, but my feelings? The urge to get up and type out the stories playing out in my head was overridden by the inability to get out of bed. And for me, that is unusual.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a week. But RL keeps butting in and those few days that I feel able to work, are instead used to take people elsewhere, to spend time with hubby, who is trying, but not succeeding in cheering me up. I have actually taken days to write this post, in fact.
I forget to eat unless he makes me food. Unfortunately, this feeds into the existing condition where my body thinks I am starving it. I don’t eat enough but I never lose weight. Which of course doesn’t help with the depression.
Then there is my insomnia.
My personal demon and what led to everything going worse. It comes to haunt me all the time. Its been worse lately, leading to more and more of the thoughts that aren’t helping. The ones that make it harder to deal with everything.
But, through all of this, I will say this. My pets. They DO help.
They are freaking wonderful. When people talk about the things that make them conitnue, it is them.
Just this morning, they were the reason I got up. And I had all of them lying at my door looking up at me. Since then I’m not alone. At least one pet checks up on me, including my moms cat.
And then there are the wonderful ladies that help me. The betas and especially Royal Ember. They tell me they are there. That if I need to talk or just vent to they are there.
I just wanted to let you guys know, I’m alive. I’m fighting. And I’m grateful for you guys. Thanks for being patient as I work myself out of this funk. I know I need to announce the winners, and I will try to get there soon, as well as writing and posting.
please be patient, I’m getting there.
And please, if you need to talk, feel free to reach out. I will gladly listen to you.
For I know what it is like to think that I am a burden on others or that this is all a waste of time. Very intimately.
It happens, and you are not weird, wrong to think or anything else. You just need to realize that it is your depression talking and not really you.
i hope this helps someone, as it has helped me these last few days as I fought my way to being out of bed. To eat. To shower. To do anything at all.
Song I listened to for this chapter: Thrive by Switchfoot
Previously:
The Lady appears beside him, and with tears on her face, answers him, “They are perfect.” Finally, there is hope for them and the rest of the universe.
Now:
A couple of weeks has passed since they had all combined their knowledge to save Bella. The procedure had been a success, and everyone is thrilled that Bella will no longer be in pain.
However, it seems since they were released, Bella has been trying to hide from everyone.
Try is the operative word: Since something happened during that forever moment Bella and Bucky shared, and no one else had been a part of; is they can feel each other. All the time.
In fact, Bucky can feel her turmoil, how confused she is by everything that has happened. He is always close by, ready to talk if she wants, but he makes sure his presence is as unobtrusive as possible since he doesn’t want her to feel like he is crowding her, and possibly push her away.
During the time they waited for her to solve the storm in her head, Steve and Bucky spent some time talking, touching base on much that is seemed like they never had time to talk about. Bucky told him about the choices he’d had, and that he knew there would be consequences, but that Bella had been worth them all. Steve had opened up to him about waking in the modern world, and thinking that he had nothing.
They had also talked about the fact that Bucky had made the choices he did to save the millions of lives in New York City. Bucky had been shocked to learn during his meeting from with Bella that he had also saved her. But then, his first decision had shown him the real reason he made the decisions that he did. He may have not known that his decisions saved her like he did the first one, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have done it again, even with the same choices and end results, because Bella was worth it all, and more.
For his part, Steve told him how it was during that fight. He felt his heart break when he realized that Bucky had had to make the decision to kill their friend Howard. The other choice would have meant that Tony would not be who and what he is now. But Bucky had actually cried when he told about Howard’s wife and how she chose to die rather than the millions of lives in New York. Steve was there for him, knowing that the gentle soul in Bucky had hurt when he had done that assassination.
Not that the others he had killed were any better, but knowing he had a choice at that moment and had to do it was worse than anything else.
There was a lot of testing going on with the changes which had come about because of the new serum. Both Bucky and Steve wanted to know what was different, and to get answers this time since they had none the first time.
Hank McCoy had spent time showing Steve that what had made him so sickly before the serum was a mutation in his cells. But that same mutation is what allowed the change to happen, that is what made him the only success story with the original serum. That mutation is a family trait since Bella had it. It had made her clumsy, but it had manifested a shield to keep her mind her own.
For Bucky, it had been the fact that he had been given the serum as injections of Steve’s blood, as well as the other testing and experimentation they had done. There was also some foreign, non-human DNA in him as well, which may have allowed him to survive him. They are awaiting some information back from outside sources since there is an indication that there had been testing on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s side with the same DNA.
One of the things the serum had done was given him his arm back, but it fused to what had been left of his cybernetic arm, making it a combination of flesh and vibranium. The new arm was stronger than even the vampires flesh: Bucky and Steve, and everyone else eagerly spent time testing it. The only exception had been Loki, who had only remained so he could hopefully have a chance to speak with Bella. But even he had cast a few spells to see if it would react to it.
The truth was that it was stronger than his original cybernetic arm had been, and there was no ugly scarring from where the old arm had been joined to his body. There were only some odd lines in his skin showing where the metal had fused with his body, but other than that, there were no other visible signs that it was different. Those lines were so fine, they looked like baby fine stretch marks. Which of course had Steve teasing Bucky.
Then there was the whole deal with Loki. Steve was reluctant to have the God of Lies speaking with his sister, while Bucky insisted that she can handle the God. While it is true that Bucky is always around, and able to be at her side in a second, it is never because he doesn’t think she can handle herself. It is more that he wishes to know the minute she is willing to speak with him about their relationship.
Also, he is working with Jasper on what is different between the three of them and the vampires. Bucky was also soaking up all the information that Loki had been able to give him when he first woke up about the research he has conducted over the millenniums since he had found out about the Shield and the Warrior. He was doing all he could to learn what was needed in order to thrive in his new chance at life.
More time passed, and Hank and his daughter, and the Beast were all that remained. Banner had left when it was overheard that the Hulk might be hiding in that part of the world. Not wanting to bring any trouble to T’Challa, nor to Bella before they were ready, he left without telling anyone where he was going.
They had continued to run tests on Steve and Bucky, since Bella had seemingly disappeared into thin air. It was only the assurance of Steve and Bucky that told them that she was still around.
They had found out that while they had thought Steve had been perfect before, he truly was now. He would never age, his body would replace any part that showed signs of ageing back to the moment he had been injected the second time.
The most surprising thing was that Steve was the weaker of the two, which surprised them all, but as it had been explained, there was less for the 2nd serum to perfect. Steve was all right with this since it left him with stronger abilities, but without the worries that he needed to completely relearn everything like Bucky, and theoretically, Bella needed to.
Bucky had the messed up 1st serum in him, that had contained more of Steve’s blood, and more of what they now knew was venom. While he could take more punishments than most, he had still been human and just at the limits of what his body would allow. Only after much more testing and experimentation could he keep up with Steve when he was the Winter Soldier. So, the new serum fused with that, and the other changes they had done to him as the Winter Soldier, and he has become the perfect Warrior. Which as Peter had joked, worked, since that is what he was to be.
Before she had disappeared, then with Bucky’s input, they knew that Bella had a lot of the same things happen, but with her, there was nothing to physically tell that it had worked: Not if you hadn’t seen her before, or known the amount of pain she had been in. Now she is beautiful, but nothing otherworldly, just simple, down to earth, homegrown beauty.
However, she could do much more with her shield. Bucky reported that she was testing it and her abilities. Her calorie intake was still high, but then it was the same for all of them.
Neither she nor Bucky would ever be under the control of another for the rest of their lives. Her shield had done as the Lady had told them, and melded into Bucky’s head. While he cannot use it for others, it will form on its own and protect his mind and will either reinforce or protect parts of his body.
Not as much is known about Bella, but then, Bucky had made it clear that she needed some time to get herself in order. He and Jasper made sure she was fine, but otherwise left her to herself.
With his ability, Jasper listened to both Bucky and Steve tell about what had happened in the past, not only about themselves, but about Bella as well.
While everything was quiet, Loki decided that it was time to meet with the Lady who had his allegiance before she was ever dreamed of.
He quickly appeared in front of her, kneeling with his arms held out, showing he came in peace.
Bella chuckled, “I take it you have decided that now is the time you had been waiting for?”
He quickly looked up at her in surprise.
Tapping her head, Bella told him, “While we are not physically together, Bucky and I have the ability to still speak to each other no matter how far apart we are. Apparently, when I said yes, I agreed to never have privacy again.” The last is said partly bitterly.
Bucky was exceedingly polite and knocked when he wanted to talk to her, but Bella was an intensely private person, and having someone able to speak with her that way seemed to be invading her privacy.
Sensing this, Loki sighed. “May I sit down?”
She nodded, watching him.
He seated himself and then started to tell her, “I swore my loyalty to you thousands of years ago. I believe that what you and your warrior can do is miraculous, but then, we will need it from what I see.” Loki’s green eyes slide to the side to meet hers, “But not when you two are not together. Why are you fighting this?”
Bella sighed loudly and rolled her eyes as she asked, “Great. Another one that believes we should be in love suddenly and attached at the hip?” That is why she was hiding, she didn’t want to deal with everyone trying to get the two of them together.
Chuckling at the mental image, Loki told her, “No. I wouldn’t want that myself, and I cannot see why anyone would. But at the same time, milady, I wonder why you are unwilling to even try to work with him? Why are you hiding out here in the jungle and not inside the city itself?” He watched her, he genuinely wanted to know what she was thinking. He had seen and learned about her past. Loki knew that she wanted to love, and be loved. And she had a huge heart to share with those who deserved it. But with her out here away from everyone, those who are actually worthy have no chance to gain that love.
Bella looked out into the forest surrounding them, thinking. She finally answered him, “I just don’t understand anything. Bucky told me that I am perfect for him, but I don’t see it. I don’t see how any of what I have read or seen in my dreams is possible.” She has no idea why she is admitting this to the green eyed god next to her, but she did need to talk to someone. She had been going nowhere in her head for the last few weeks.
Smiling slightly, awed by the fact that she was actually talking to him, Loki nodded. “I can understand that. Imagine knowing that thousands died because you couldn’t survive torture. That my mind couldn’t keep others out. I had trained for millenniums so that I could assist you, and I couldn’t resist an inferior race’s attempts to break me.” He chuckled dryly. “But at the same time, I have learned we are often our own worst critics. We doubt things that others never see, fight things that others can never see, do things we don’t actually believe ourselves able to do. But then, that is where humans, and even the Gods are the same.”
He looked directly at her , “You are the only one in charge of your life. You are the one making the decisions. Do they affect others? Most definitely. Is it fair? No, it never is. But that is what keeps us fighting, living our lives. We want to be better. We just often give in to the worst voices inside ourselves that tell us that we are not able to achieve what others think we can.” Loki’s eyes went slightly darker as he remembered his own demons and all he had done to get through this game called life.
Coming back to the here and now, Loki told her frankly, “Unfortunately, that is life. You make the decisions, to thrive or just survive. To do what is needed to coast through life, to do all that is asked of you. Or to go that extra step. To live with everything that the universe throws at you. But to achieve it, you have to risk things that will hurt you sometimes. But if you never do it, you are back to surviving.” He stood up and looked out at the vista in front of them. It truly was an impressive place that she found to do her thinking in.
Sighing, Loki told her, “I am heading back to my life. I need to try to save others, but I fear I will end up making a fool of myself. But until I can learn otherwise, I will do what I can to make sure when you need me and the rest of the planets I rule, they will be ready for you. Until then, know you have my loyalty. If you need me before then, call. I will be here as soon as possible.” He bows slightly to her, then starts to leave.
Bella nodded to the proud king but reached out with her hand to hold him back when he went to pass her. “Thank you, Loki. I needed to hear that.” He brought things to light for her and allowed her to voice those things which bothered her. No, Steve and the others wouldn’t have laughed or done anything but help. But there was something that allowed her to trust Loki on a level that she might not otherwise be sane on doing.
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her on her forehead as he whispered, “Family is those you choose as well as those that are related to you. My Lady, I think of you more fondly than I should, but never more than familial. Keep yourself safe, as well as your Warrior. And please, thrive.” With that, he disappeared. His kiss remained on her where no other will see it except those who fear him. It may not have been much, but it was his hope to give her more protection.
For the rest of the day, Bella thought on what Loki had said, as well as the conversation she’d had with Bucky in that between place.
The world moved around her, and unknown to her, she was watched over by the jungle itself. It had hidden her many times during the time she had been hiding, protecting the Shield while she came to realize things about herself which she needed to face. It did this, knowing that she would be doing the same for it soon.
. He came to check on his Lady, watching over her with worried eyes, but he too left her alone to get her thoughts together.
As night descended, Bella stood up: She had come to her decision.
Bucky materialized from the jungle, coming to a rest beside her from her call, and she turns to him. “I’ve decided.”
He raised an eyebrow, waiting to find what their future would be like.
She smiled as she went into his arms.
He held her to him, as he asked, “And what have you decided to do?”
She said one word as she opened everything to him, “Thrive.”
Disclaimer: I do own any of the characters of the Hobbit that privilege is left to Tolkien. I am only borrowing them for this story.
} Khuzdul {
] Ancient Khuzdul [
“Fairy” Italic
>Black Speech<
~”Mental Speech”~
In the Shire, there is a lovely hole in the ground that goes by the name Bag End, which has currently been invaded by 13 dwarves and a wizard. It also has one very upset Hobbit running around, and a very feverish fairy, that coincidently the dwarves and wizard do not know about, but will be finding out about very soon.
Currently the feverish fairy was tossing and turning in her bed, unaware that her healers would be there to help her in moments of her waking from her having a flash back, but right now she is to delirious and unaware to understand that she is suffering from a nightmare that is being caused by, the poison from her wound, and her brothers emotions that she is feeling from her gift of empathy.
For now we will watch over her as she suffers her flashback.
<Flashback>
Today has been unusually warm, and I still haven’t found any rabbits for that stew Bilbo wants to make for dinner, maybe I should fly out further see if I have any luck.
As she is dreaming she is getting more and more tangled in her covers, which is causing her to whimper.
Why am I feeling so constricted all of sudden, there’s no one holding me down. What was that… Why do I feel fear?…I don’t see any one around me, wait I hear a child crying, I also hear….is that orcs?…Why are orcs so close to the Shire?…The last time they were that close was during the Fell Winter?… Oh no they have a family?…That one is very big, too big to be a normal orc. Maybe if I distract them the family can get away.
As her dream progress’ she is starting to whimper louder and thrash harder
No don’t hurt the family…Did they get away?…Why are they grabbing my wings like that?…They aren’t supposed to be able to hold my wings when I grow from my first form to this form….No!…Don’t do that!…So much pain!…NO!…She hears nothing but laughter from the Orcs that are causing her pain.
<End Flashback>
“NO!” She screamed out in her delirium and never heard the feet running to her room, or the door crash open.
When the hands grabbed her to hold her down, she started to fight.
“No! No more!!” She screamed out trying to get away from the hands trying to hold her down and keeps swinging.
“Bella!” She heard and felt the voice and emotions of her brother Bilbo and it stopped her in her tracks.
“Bilbo?” She said in such a small voice that sounded so scared everyone in the room wanted to cry.
“Oh Bella yes it’s me; no one here wants to hurt you. You were yelling in your sleep, and we got worried you would hurt yourself. Now can you open your eyes, it might actually help you calm down if you saw everyone sister dear.” She could hear the humor in his voice and had to give him a watery smile when she realized she didn’t open her eyes until he mentioned it.
When she did, she saw him smile when he saw her eyes and say, “There they are, my sisters beautiful eyes. Now I think you need to have Gandalf and another healer look at your back. Since you have a fever from what those orc did to you my dear.”
She just nodded at him in response to what he said, and then said, “Why are there so many dwarves in my bedroom?”
When everyone laughed in response, Bilbo just smiled and said, “Well you did scream kind of loud sister dear.”
“Oh I’m so sorry. Did I interrupt something important Bilbo?” She asked him
“It can wait till Gandalf and our healer look at you.” A deep voice said from her left, which made her startle a little, and when she looked towards that direction she saw the face of a very handsome young looking blonde dwarf that had a very lovely short beard and braided mustache.
She also saw two other dwarves giving him a funny look; one was younger looking than him, with a scruffy looking beard, that looked like he was trying to grow it in. The other was older, and had silver in his mane of black hair and also had a short beard. The main thing they all shared is similar looks, so Bella figured they were related, but she assumed the eldest was their uncle rather than father since the look was similar but not exact.
When the eldest cleared his throat, and the blonde looked at him, she got to see him go red in the face; she wondered why until the eldest turned to look at her and began to talk.
“Yes, as my nephew Fíli stated it can wait till Gandalf and our healer have looked at you. By the way I am Thorin, and the leader of this company of dwarves.” He told her with a wry smile on his face, and she returned it with a slight smile on her face, until the pain in her back got to be too much.
When that happened, it turned into a slight grimace and she cried out in pain, which brought Gandalf and another dwarf forward.
“My dear can you tell us where your pain is?” Gandalf asked her
“It’s her back Gandalf; the orcs cut off her wings, you see she’s a fairy.” Bilbo told them by way of explanation.
Everyone in the room froze when Bilbo told them that, then they turned to me in and Thorin said, “You are the last one then?”
Bella managed to nod in answer before crying out in pain again, which prompted Gandalf to jump forward and saying, “My dear I am going to have to rip the back of your shirt open if that is alright.”
“Just do it.” She cried out in pain again.
Gandalf just nodded in answer knowing that she was in pain, when he asked for a knife Fíli handed him one of his many daggers, and Gandalf reached forward, turned Bella on her stomach, and cut the back of Bella’s shirt open. When everyone saw her back they gasped.
“My dear you said it was orcs that did this?” the dwarf healer asked her
“Yes.” Bella said though clenched teeth.
Gandalf said something that really got everyone’s attention, “The orc used a Morgul Blade my dear, unless we can find Athelas to get the poison out there is no hope of healing your back.”
“Garden.” Bella managed to spit out from between her clenched teeth
“What my dear?” Gandalf asked her not understanding what she had said.
“She said garden.” Bilbo told him, and then he asked “What is Athelas?”
“Oh you would know it as Kingsfoil.” Gandalf told him
“Oh I know exactly where she planted that in my garden.” Bilbo told him then went running out of the room.
Bella would have laughed at the surprised look on Gandalf’s face if she wasn’t in so much pain, but she couldn’t at the moment.
“I take it your gift of foresight told you to plant it my dear?” Gandalf asked the poor fairy.
“Yes.” Bella almost hissed out at him in her pain, and Fíli did hiss at the wizard, this had his brother looking at him funny again, and his uncle looking at him in contemplation.
Everyone was distracted from the odd behavior, when Bilbo came barging back into the room with what looked like a bundle of weeds in his hands.
“I didn’t know how much you would need so I just grabbed a bunch.” Bilbo stuttered out because everyone was looking at him in surprise with how much he was holding.
“Well that’s alright my lad; we could always save what we don’t use for later on.” The dwarf healer said so cheerfully it had Bilbo grinning at him.
Bella would have smiled at him for it in thanks, if she could have, but she was in too much pain.
“Alright Bilbo we are going to need a bowl with some warm water, an empty bucket, and then a backless shirt for your sister.” Gandalf said to get everyone moving.
Bilbo nodded getting ready to go get everything. Then he froze, “Why backless?”
Gandalf looked at him and said, “Well she will need it for her back to be able to heal properly.”
Bilbo just nodded and headed out of the room, never even asking about the empty bucket, which Bella was happy about; because she knew he was going to be pretty upset when it came time for her to use it.
It wasn’t much later when all the supplies were together and ready to go, and Bella finally knew the name of the dwarf healer because he had asked what they needed the bowl of warm water for.
“Well Oin we need to shred the Athelas into it; then spread it onto Bella back, also onto my hands, and hers. Then I need to make a link with her to combine our powers to be able to heal her. When we do this we will both be speaking in her language which will be fairy, so please do not get upset if it sounds different than what you are used to. I will let you know now it is a beautiful language so please just listen, and I will translate what we said later if you must know, alright?”
Bella watched as some of the dwarves nodded in answer to what Gandalf said then she felt him spread some of the Athelas on her back, then her hand and held it in his hand, then he set another of his hands on her back, and then they linked together.
She took a deep breath and then when she felt that they were linked, and her marks glow, which had the dwarves in the room gasping over, which she decided to ignore for now, they both began to speak, “Spirits of healing, I call on thee from across the skies. Come forth! The power of healing that you can do, I ask of thee to deliver into this wound through and through. Oh spirits of healing, I call on thee. Answer my cry, so mote it be.”
When they were done she knew it was working because she felt the poison leaving her system, and Gandalf put the bucket in front of her, which she would have said thank you for if she wasn’t busy puking the poison out of her system.
“Oh boy, that has to be the worst ways to get rid of poison if you ask me. Dori can you go get her a throat soothing tea please.” She could hear Oin in the background, and she would have laughed at his statement if she wasn’t so busy.
She could also feel Bilbo’s distress for what she was going through, and knew he would need something in a moment. She nudged Gandalf hoping he would understand what she was trying to get across to him.
“What my dear, Oh never mind I understand.” Gandalf said almost to himself.
“Dori will also need to get poor Bilbo some chamomile tea.” Gandalf said to Oin in a low voice.
“Alright, I think a few of us will after this, we don’t like seeing women hurt no matter what race they are.” Oin said to Gandalf.
Bella felt nothing but honest gratitude towards Oin in that moment when she felt the truth coming from him. When she was done with her expulsion of the poison she fell back against her pillows, and couldn’t even complain when Oin came forward to wipe her mouth clean like she was a little baby, even though she was 2,000 years old. So she just smiled at him in thanks, which had him smiling at her in return, and patting her shoulder gently.
When Dori came in with her tea, she almost hugged the dwarf her gratitude was so great, and when Gandalf started chuckling, she just looked at him in question.
“He probably would have blushed all the way to the tips of his hair if you had been able to do so my dear.” Gandalf said in response to her thought, which had her wondering if he read her thoughts or her emotions.
When the dwarves around them gave them confused looks, Gandalf just chuckled even more.
“She was thinking about hugging Dori for bringing her the tea.” Gandalf said in answer to their confused looks, which had Dori blushing really red, Fíli giving him a really nasty look, Kíli giving his brother a confused look, and everyone else laughed in understanding.
“Well thank you for the tea, Dori.” Bella said to him in a very scratchy sounding voice, which had everyone wincing in sympathy.
“Oh sis please don’t talk until you at least sound somewhat normal.” Bilbo whimpered out
“Alright Bilbo.” Bella rasped out before going back to drinking her tea, which after a little while was making her feel rather good. She didn’t know what Dori put in it, but she was going to start having it in all her tea from now on if it made her feel this good.
Bella start shifting around in her bed feeling restless, tingly, and hot. If she didn’t know any better, this is the same feeling that she had felt around women when they were with their mates during mating season, but that wasn’t right, why would she be feeling like that. What would make her feel that way; unless….Bella looked down at her tea…Gandalf shot her a quick look before he gave a chuckle, and left the room.
“Bella, are you alright?” Bilbo asked his sister; because he had seen her shifting restlessly on the bed and began to wonder if something was wrong with her.
“Hmm, I’m just fine brother dear.” Bella said, and this time her voice came out sounding very smooth, with a slight purr to it.
Bilbo snapped a look at her, but the thought that went through his head was quickly dismissed because he knew it was impossible. He knew she didn’t get a hold of any honey and he didn’t give her any at all.
“Are you sure you’re okay sis?” Bilbo asked one more time, sounding very worried about his sister now.
“Oh I am just fine Bilbo dear.” Bella purred out, which had Fíli snapping his focus towards the bed, and Kíli and Thorin watched him, because their understanding was that he may have found his One. Thorin was denying it, because he wanted his nephew to find her in a dwarf not another race.
“What’s the matter Bilbo?” Oin asked sounding suspicious about someone second guessing his healing techniques.
“It’s almost like she got a hold of some honey, which for a fairy is something you don’t want, it’s an aphrodisiac to them, and they would need their mates nearby if they got a hold of it. Since Bella has yet to find hers that would be a big problem.” Bilbo explained sounding very troubled
“How big a problem?” Oin asked, and Bilbo heard a tone in his voice that had him snapping his head towards the healer.
“Why do you ask that way?” Bilbo asked slowly, which also drew Thorin closer, but to where he could keep a close eye on his nephew.
“There was honey in her throat soothing tea.” Oin said in a troubled sounding voice.
“To bad I don’t have my mate here then, because I would spread honey all over him and then lick it off very slowly, starting from his toes, then traveling up slowly north, towards his hmmm.” Bella purred out from her bed, which had everyone snapping a look towards her.
“That is why you don’t give her honey.” Bilbo squeaked out with a very red face, but it was a choking sound that drew a look from Thorin.
When Thorin saw the look on his nephew Fíli’s face he knew, he quickly walks over to the poor dwarf, and whispers in his ear, “Go find the bathroom and take care of yourself.”
Fíli just nods and stumbles out of the room, almost tripping over his feet in his hurry to get out of there.
“Uncle?” Kíli sort of questioned from Thorin’s right side.
“Your brother is having a reaction to what she said that is all.” Still wanting to deny that his nephew has found his One, but he saw the look on Kíli’s face and stopped.
“Uncle if he reacted this way, then she is more than just some female, he has never reacted to any female this way.” Kíli told him and saw the look of surprise on Thorin’s face.
“Are you sure, are you absolutely sure he hasn’t reacted to any female this way?” Thorin asked him, desperately trying to get Kíli to deny what he was now figuring to be true.
“Yes uncle and some of them have said things worse than this and not by accident. Some of have even thrown themselves at him, naked and on purpose, and he never reacted this way. Well he did but with disgust, you could even ask mother if she was here, or ask Dwalin, he was there for some of them. They only did it because of Fíli being a prince, and he has never reacted this way, that is why he has never been with a female.” Kíli froze when he realized what he just revealed to his uncle.
Thorin looked at Kíli in complete surprise and asked, “Are you saying he is a…”
Kíli just nodded really quickly so Thorin didn’t say it, and said with a red face, “We both are because we didn’t want to sleep with anyone that was after just the title.”
“Oh Kíli.” Thorin just grabbed Kíli in a hug, because he realized in that moment that his nephews missed out on a lot because of the females that were title chasers.
“You might want to help your nephew.” Bella spoke out of the blue from the bed, still having a purr in her voice, but she also sounded very frustrated.
Bilbo kind of giggled out of nowhere, and had everyone looking at him in question.
Bilbo cleared his throat rather quickly and said, “She has the gift of empathy, so she can feel the emotions around her, and if she is still under the influence of honey and feeling frustrated it’s not her feeling frustrated. I laughed because it sounded funny to have her purring from the bed while sounding frustrated.”
Thorin snickered after Bilbo said that, until he realized who would be feeling frustrated, and why he would be feeling so.
“Kíli if you and your brother have never…has anyone ever explained how to…?” Thorin almost hesitated in his questioning.
Kíli rolled his eyes then spat out, “We haven’t ever not done anything with ourselves Thorin.”
Thorin relaxed, then said, “You might want to go remind your brother about something he neglected to do then, because if he’s feeling frustrated enough for her to feel it.”
Kíli finally understood what Thorin was alluding to and said, “Oh okay.” And took off towards the bathroom where his brother would be.
When he got close enough, he could hear his brother almost crying in frustration, he didn’t bother knocking he just opened the door, and went in.
Ever since they were younger and started getting interested in anything alluding to sex, they talked about it together. When they started to experiment with masturbation, they figured out real quick that they had to massage their balls first or they wouldn’t get anywhere with their pleasure, or they would but it would last forever. Which if they wanted it to last awhile was a good thing, but if they wanted to get it over quickly wasn’t a good thing.
So when he saw how upset and frustrated his brother was, and how sweaty and red in the face he was. He realized Fíli, had rushed things and forgotten to do things correctly. So instead of saying anything, he just crooned out, “Oh Fíli.”
He walked up behind his poor brother, and snugged up right behind him real tight, and rather than let him fight, like he knew Fíli would, Kíli reached down, and letting Fíli continue squeezing and rubbing along his shaft and tip, went straight for Fíli’s balls and massaged them; and the very moment he did he felt Fíli stand up straighter because every muscle Fíli had tightened. He also heard Fíli suck in a deep breath, and Kíli just tightened his other arms hold and continued to do his light massaging. He could feel Fíli speed up his work on his shaft, and also felt Fíli’s balls tighten and knew that it wouldn’t take much longer, so he reached behind where he was massaging, for the patch of skin, and lightly pressed and massaged the perineum. Once he did that, Fíli chocked and Kíli moved his other hand, which had been holding his brother to him, and covered his brothers’ mouth. When he had it over Fíli’s mouth, Fíli was able to hide the roaring shout that would have been quite loud otherwise, when he was finally able to orgasm.
Once he felt every muscle in his brother’s body relax, Kíli stopped his massaging, since it had only been causing Fíli to twitch, and held his brother to him. He also uncovered his brother’s mouth so he could breathe like normal, and once he did his brother spoke.
“How did you know?” Fíli asked in a quiet voice sounding very tired.
“Your One has the gift of empathy, and even under the influence of honey, was still able to feel your frustration. Thorin was the one to realize what was happening, and after I told him what was going on with us, about us not going after any females and such, he sent me to remind you about something you may have forgotten in your haste to relieve yourself. I came in here to tell you, and saw you were too far gone to talk, and decided to just help instead; which we will not be talking about to anyone ever, nadad.”
Fíli gave a tired sounding chuckle and said, “Don’t worry nadadith I would have done the same for you.”
Kíli just hugged his brother tighter, and then let Fíli up so he could get dressed.
Fíli then cleared his throat and said, “Although it’s going to be pretty difficult to keep what she said out of my head.”
Kíli just laughed at him and said, “I can imagine it will be nadad.”
They walked out of the bathroom after Fíli had finished getting dressed and cleaned up, and headed back into where Bella was, to find one very cranky fairy with an amused audience around her.
When Fíli and Kíli walked back into Bella’s room, Thorin looked at his nephews, and gestured for them to come over to where he was standing.
When they did, they noticed he had an amused look on his face, and looked at him in question.
Thorin shook his head and said, “Bella is pretty cranky right now because when her and Gandalf linked powers to heal her back of the poison something they didn’t expect to happen, happened.”
“Okay, so what happened?” Fíli asked in concern about what was happening with his One.
“I’m growing my wings like a newborn fairy.” A feminine voice growled from the direction of the bed, and their heads snapped in that direction and they saw Bella glaring their direction.
What had them looking at her in awe though, instead of hesitation or fear, was she had what looked like tattoo’s glowing on her face.
Kíli noticed that they were the same color as his brother’s eye’s and filed it away for later, because for now he could see that she was really irritated even though he had no clue what she had said.
“Alright, I have no clue what you said, but I can tell you’re upset.” Kíli said with his big innocent eyes and grin as he walked towards where all the others were standing.
When she looked at him in confusion for a second, then snickered and said, “I said, I’m growing my wings like a newborn fairy, and don’t think the innocent eyes and grin will get you out of trouble with me too often, curious little wolf. No that one I won’t explain so don’t try it.”
Bilbo snickered when he saw the look on Kíli’s face at what she just said, and also at what she just called him, because it was really fitting for him.
“Bilbo I wouldn’t snicker at that if I were you. I still have to pay you back for allowing them to dose me with honey.” She dryly said then raised her eyebrow when he glared at her.
“Why am I getting paid back?” Bilbo yelped out in outrage
“Well brother dear what else goes into soothing throat tea, it was your kitchen, and since I am your sister for the last 21 years I feel like it.” She said before sticking her tongue at him.
“Why do I have a feeling I liked you better when you had a fever for the last week.” Bilbo muttered.
“Be nice or I’ll let you go with all these nice dwarves on their adventure alone, and I’ll stay here and let Lobelia steal your house in a years’ time like she plans on doing. Besides you need to do this and you know it, or I wouldn’t have told you about company coming 2 weeks ago, and to get all those cookies made, which you really should be thanking me for Master Dwalin.” Bella said with a raised voice, so those out in the hall could hear her.
This had Dwalin himself yelping out in the hallway, and what sounded like a cookie jar breaking and the sound of someone getting smacked on the head.
“Now see what you did, now clean it up, and quit eating all of Bilbo’s cookies.” Came Balin’s voice from the living room.
Bella giggled from her bed, and she looked at Bilbo who was looking at his sister with a weird look on his face.
“Sister, are you telling me you knew all this was coming?”
Bella got a sad look on her face and took a deep breath, before she told Bilbo, “I told you a long time ago I have the gift of empathy correct?” This had Bilbo nodding his head, and had Bella looking at Fíli in confusion when he went very red in the face, which had Thorin clearing his throat; Kíli just turned his head and snickered.
Bella then looked back at Bilbo and said, “I also have the gift of Foresight, it can often tell me things years in advance of them happening, such as when the Wizards would be coming to Middle Earth; or the Shire was settled by Hobbits in 1601 by brothers Marcho and Blanco. There are also times I don’t see things in time to stop them or be warned about them, such as when Smaug invaded Erebor, and when I look back on it I asked why it would be that I wasn’t warned of why? I also had to ask why I wasn’t warned about Thrór’s madness getting worse when the Arkenstone was being removed from the mountain, and then I realized the two are linked.”
Bella stopped there when she heard Thorin suck in a breath, because she knew he must have realized the same thing, and when she looked at him she saw the look on his face. When she looked at him, she almost started crying in reaction to the heartbreak she saw on his face, but she waited until he spoke to say anything.
“Did we ask to be invaded by Smaug when we removed the Arkenstone from the mountain?” Thorin asked her hoarsely
“What was its name before it was renamed the Kings Jewel?” Bella asked him in a trance like voice, which had Gandalf snapping her a quick look, and raising a hand to Thorin when he would have said something about the question.
Thorin realized she was having a vision and instead tried to remember, it was Balin’s hoarse voice that answered from the doorway, “It was called The Heart of Erebor, my lady.”
“Heal the Heart of Erebor, King of the Mountain, and you will not have to worry about losing the Line of Durin, my son.” It wasn’t even Bella’s voice at this point.
Thorin dropped to his knees when he realized who it was that was talking to him.
“What must we do Spirit Father?” Thorin asked their Father
“Follow the Queen of Fairies, she will lead you home, my son. Do not question her too much, or she will lead you on a very merry chase indeed. She will tell you how to heal the Heart of Erebor. It was never meant to be the Kings Jewel, my son. True Kings don’t need a Jewel to rule, just a true heart, good people to advise them, and love for their family. This I know you already have my son, and you have the guide of a 2,000 year old mischievous fairy to guide you and keep you on your toes. I will warn you now my son; do not ever piss her off to much, because those that do don’t ever live to tell the tale twice. Ask her who removed her wings; he was the one who killed your grandfather Thrór, who just told me to tell you he is very proud of you. Let Bella deal with the Gundabad Orc, he will know more pain with her, than he ever would with you, my son. Now I must go, for to talk to you through Bella makes her tired. Know this my son; I am also very proud of you.” When everyone looked up again it was to see Bella looking at them with every mark of hers glowing.
“Umm Bella you’re glowing.” Bilbo stuttered out.
Bella just growled at him in answer to what he just said and he squeaked and went silent, and folded down to the floor in a very low bow. When Bella looked at Thorin, Thorin could see that her eyes had even started to glow.
“Azog is after you Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King of the Mountain.” Bella growled out towards him, and her voice had an ethereal quality to it this time.
Kíli saw, out the corner of his eye, his brother shutter in response to her voice, and nudged him to get him to focus; because they really didn’t need a pissed off fairy queen to feel a dwarf that was feeling lusty towards her.
“Azog still lives?” Thorin asked her hoarsely, in disbelief and horror.
“Yes it was him and his group of orcs that removed my wings a week ago, when I saved a family of hobbits from them.” She told him, only this time she sounded almost gentle.
“He still has the price on your head, but he also has a price on your nephews’ heads. This is why if we come across him, you will leave him to me, Thorin Oakenshield. If you go anywhere near him I will take my blood debt out on you instead of him, is that understood?” Bella told him sternly
Thorin nodded to her in understanding, even though she knew he didn’t really understand, and she also knew he would try to protect her as any overprotective male dwarf would. When she looked towards Fíli, she could feel the haze of lust and protection clouding his mind. She decided to gently push the lust back so he could actually think straight for a little bit, and once she did so she saw him snap a look of utter surprise and complete embarrassment towards her.
When Fíli saw her looking at him in confusion, he knew she didn’t understand the surprise or embarrassment, and he knew they really needed to talk. When she turns away from him towards Bilbo, he almost feels like she cut him off, and he had to admit he felt slightly hurt even if he knew she had done no such thing, let alone understood why it would hurt so much.
“Bilbo do we still have all that unused cloth?” Bella asked her brother
Bilbo thought for a moment and then he shook his head, and said, “No we ended up giving it to the Gamgee’s so they could make their new little one some clothes.”
“Oh drat that’s right.” Bella said then she sat there thinking for the moment.
Bilbo walked a little closer to his sister before asking her, “Why did you need the cloth sis?”
Bella looked up and saw more than her brother looking at her, but only Gandalf was looking amused, “Well this is the only backless shirt I have, and until my wings finish growing in I won’t be able to wear regular shirts. I also won’t be able to switch back to my second form until they are done growing.”
She watched as the look of realization crossed Bilbo’s face and confusion crossed the faces of everyone else. Before anyone could say anything she decided to explain.
“This form I’m in now is technically my normal form, and my fairy form would be the one where I am about 3 inches tall with wings. You see in this form my wings would cover my back in the form of a tattoo, and would probably be the same color as my marks when they show. When I am in my fairy form, my wings would be more transparent and the ribs would be the color of my marks.”
Thorin was the one to speak next and he sounded kind of confused, “Why do you say it that way when you say, the color of your marks?”
Bella looked at him for a second in confusion, then a look of understanding flashed across her face before she answered him, “Because whenever my marks have glowed or my wings have been visible I have never seen the color of them. So I do not know the colors they are, you see when a fairy is in the presence of her true mate, it is the only time they take on the color they are meant to be, and that is a unique attribute to her mate. I say it that way, because my mother’s took on my father’s hair color because it was very unique among his people. It had a green tint to it when he was alive, so her marks and wing ribs were a shade of green. So my marks and wing ribs would be the color of my mates’ unique attribute.”
Gandalf was the next one to ask a question, “My dear you say your mate like you don’t know who he is.”
“Fairies never do until the male tells her. So I truly won’t know who my mate is until he tells me Gandalf, just because I can feel the emotions around me doesn’t mean it would tell me anything. I also wouldn’t be given a clue by foresight; I tried looking a long time ago a saw nothing but blackness. When I asked my mother, she said I would never see my mate that way, and that I would have to be patient and wait for him to come to me and tell me I was his like all fairies have had to, and to answer any other questions yes fairies are only females. That is why no male fairies have been seen, well at least none with wings, so far at least.” Bella told them and you could hear the sadness in her voice when she told them she would never know who her mate was.
“Are you saying anyone could walk up to you and tell you that you belonged to them, and you would have to believe them?” Bilbo asked in anger, and Kíli felt the same way he did and Fíli felt like growling, which Kíli and Thorin knew so they held him back.
Bella actually started laughing at that one, and no one could understand why Gandalf joined in.
“No Bilbo, but thank you for reacting like a true brother would. You have to remember I have the gift of empathy. If just anyone were to walk up to me and tell me that I would feel their deceit. If my True Mate were to walk up to me and tell me I was his mate, he is going to be feeling what a True Mate is supposed to be feeling Bilbo, so I would feel the truth of what he is feeling. I would also have the reaction every female fairy has had since they began. You see, when a female fairy is told by her mate that she is his mate all her marks glow, and she can visibly see them for the first time in her life. Along with a special mark that is unique to her mate alone that only shows itself after they have bonded through their mating, but that will be determined by my mates’ race. So for the first time in 2,000 years I would be able to see my marks glow not just feel them glow.” Bella said with a giggle, but after she said it Fíli relaxed, which had Kíli and Thorin relaxing their hold.
} “Tell her soon, nephew” { Thorin muttered to Fíli.
Fíli just nodded in answer to what his uncle just said. Kíli just patted his brother in the back because he knew his brother was actually nervous about the conversation, so he decided to nudge his brothers’ memory of a certain item he had finished before coming to the Shire.
} “Don’t forget what’s in your left pocket nadad.” { Kíli muttered to Fíli.
Fíli startled and looked at his brother wide eyed, and Kíli almost laughed, because he realized his brother actually did forget. When Fíli’s hand went to his left pocket, and felt that it was actually still there and his brother relaxed, Kíli did snicker, Fíli nudged and muttered for him to shut up, Kíli continued to snicker.
Balin was the one that brought up Bella’s courting rituals by asking her, “What are Fairies courting rituals when they finally find their mates?”
Thorin look at Balin in surprise for his asking such a question, and said “Balin don’t you think that might be a secret where her culture is concerned?”
Bella looked at Thorin and said, “No it’s alright, and to answer your question Master Balin, it would all depend on the race my mate came from. You see Hobbits for example, court by going to parties and asking their mate to dance. Then they give her a potted plant so she can have a flower or plant to grow for years to come, and not just a bouquet of flowers that would wilt and die. They would then exchange more gifts that would get them prepared for their lives together as a married couple, and all the while prepare for their wedding. While this is all going on they would have chaperoned outings together to get to know one another better so they would know things such as favorite flowers, colors, and childhood friends and memories. Now if I was unlucky and found my mate in an elf there wouldn’t have been much courting because when one finds their mate in an elf they are basically bound as soon as they know they are meant for the other, and they sleep together under the stars as soon as they find their special spot within the woods. As soon as that happens they are then wed, which I find the least romantic of all the races if you ask me, and they all act as if they are the best of all the races. I do have to admit they have some great healers, but for the rest they sure are stuck up assholes.”
Bilbo sputtered at that one and turned red in the face when he saw the look on Gandalf’s face. When he saw everyone looking at him for an answer, he just shook his head and said, “She called the elves stuck up assholes.”
All the dwarves started laughing in response, even if Dori looked pretty scandalized that a lady used such a term.
“So you’re saying that you have to use the courting rituals of the race your mate comes from?” Kíli was the one to clarify and he sounded happy and upset all at the same time.
Bella looked at him for a moment with a blank look on her face before she gave him a gentle smile and said, “Yes, but I do not mind curious little wolf, as long as he is not from the elves I won’t mind. Of all the races, the 2 cultures that I find I love the courting rituals of the most are the dwarves and the hobbits. Well I find the dwarves come before the hobbits in regard to who I love the most, but you guys get the idea. I mean as a fairy I feel close to nature, but I have always felt more drawn to healing plants than to all of the plants in nature, I have also found myself drawn to gems when out in nature. I remember over 1500 years ago I was in the mountains and I felt this call, talking to it the whole time, and when I followed it to the end, I found the most beautiful sapphire that I have ever seen. It wasn’t all the big, but it had no flaws that I was almost afraid to bring it out of the earth. It finally convinced me to do so, and I have had it with me ever since. In fact, Bilbo can you go get me my jewelry box off that shelf over there?”
Bella pointed to the shelf she was talking about behind where Thorin himself was standing. Bilbo nodded and went and got it for her, thinking over some things because he had been watching everyone for their reactions to what she was talking about, but it was Fíli he had watched the most. He was beginning to suspect Fíli was his sisters’ mate, and from the poor boy’s reaction earlier to what she had said when she was affected by the honey, he knew of something that would make the perfect wedding gift if he was indeed her mate. He would watch and observe, but he would be making his purchase anyway, because his hobbit instincts where telling him he was correct about the wedding gift being needed.
Once Bilbo handed Bella her Jewelry box, she opened it, and got out the sapphire she was talking about. Everyone gasped when they saw the sapphire the size of an acorn, which was completely clear and completely flawless.
“Oh my, you have a priceless jewel there my dear. Would you mind telling me where you found it?” Balin asked in a pretty hushed voice.
Bella got a pretty wicked smile when he asked that, and Gandalf started chuckling, which had the dwarves and Bilbo looking at him funny.
“No I don’t mind telling you where I found it. It’s just pretty ironic, that I found this little guy 1500 years ago, in a mountain that would later on become the very mountain we are going to go and reclaim from the dragon Smaug. This sapphire came from Erebor you guys, but 1000 years before it was Erebor.” She told them, and saw the awe on their faces when they realized the history behind the sapphire she had.
Thorin looked at her, and gestured towards the sapphire in question.
“Yes Thorin you may hold it, but you cannot keep my sapphire. It still talks to me, won’t tell me what it wants to be yet, but it says it will tell me when the time is right. Never had a jewel turn clairvoyant on me before, and it also said it would decide then if it wants to be a boy or girl. Was pretty sure it was joking, but you can never tell with something’s.” Bella told them, and watched as Thorin cradled her sapphire like it was a little baby, and had to shake her head and smile.
When she looked at Gandalf she saw he was also shaking his head, and she said, “You think he’s gonna start singing it a lullaby next?”
Gandalf broke out in very loud laughter from her much unexpected question, and when she looked towards Thorin she saw him giving her a very grumpy look.
“Don’t look at me like that, grumpy little wolf, you’re the one cradling it like a baby that needs swaddling clothes and a bottle. You looked like you were gonna start crooning a lullaby to it next, and it prefers the ones I sing anyway, so don’t try any of yours at all Thorin Oakenshield.” Bella told him before sticking her tongue at him.
Thorin gave her a grumpy look for calling him grumpy even if he didn’t understand the rest of what she called him, which was until she admitted to singing the stone a lullaby, then he broke out in laughter of his own, and handed her sapphire back so she could put it away.
“Don’t lose that it is truly priceless like Balin said before learning where it came from, based on the clarity alone, but now that we know where it’s from its would be worth a lot because of that.”
Bella nodded her head, then told him, “I wouldn’t sell it for any amount of gold in the world, no matter if they offered me your mountain and all it held in it Thorin Oakenshield.”
Every dwarf looked at her in utter shock when they heard her say that, because to admit that her sapphire was worth that much to her, told them just how loyal a person she would be, and helped them feel just that much more comfortable around her.
Thorin smiled at her, and said, “Then you are a rare person in this world to know what something is truly worth Miss Bella, and I will let you know now that I am glad that you will be coming with us on this quest.”
Bilbo decided to intervene before anymore silliness got in the way by going back to his sisters original question, “Bella I was wondering do you have enough coin to buy the cloth needed for making up some shirts you need for while you are healing, and anything else you would need to wear while during that time?”
Bella turned to him and smiled before answering his question, “Yes but you know that neither of us are very good at that kind of sewing. I’m not bad at hemming garments, but I have always been better at leather work for sheaths, quivers, and saddles you know that Bilbo. So unless we find a tailor that is willing to work overnight I am out of luck.”
Thorin stepped forward and said, “Dori has the skills of a tailor if you don’t mind him doing some of the work.”
Bella turned to the mentioned dwarf and saw him looking at her in question, and gave him a smile and said, “I will give you the needed coin to buy the cloth, leather for the corsets I would need and any supplies you would need. I don’t trust Bilbo with our coin, he has gone to many times to the market and come home with nothing but food, smoking tobacco, and books, and completely forgotten the other supplies I had on our lists, so I no longer let him around our coin. You, however, I can trust, Master Dori.”
Dori gave her a big smile, even though they could all hear Bilbo grumbling about it being only a few times.
Bella looked at Bilbo in disbelief and yelped out “Only a few times, you have been doing this for the last 15 years Bilbo. At first I thought if I took you to the training yard as punishment and had you do your worst skill to train as punishment for 3 hours you would get over doing it, but after being shot in the foot with an arrow, and the ass with the arrows for the past 10 years I gave up trying to teach you archery skills. For someone who can be so deadly with throwing daggers and have no skill with a freaking bow is grrrrr.” Bella threw her hands in the air.
“I have no clue how I have lived the past 21 years training you to fight and survived that is all I know.” She finished with a huff.
By the end of it the dwarves were laughing and poor Bilbo was looking like a grumpy fauntling.
“Wait are you saying he has 21 years of training on throwing daggers under his belt?” Thorin asked in a disbelieving croak.
Bella looked at him in confusion and nodded before saying, “Yeah I started teaching him when his parents were killed during the Fell Winter, and he had such terrible nightmares from not being able to save them or others in the Shire from the wolves, Orcs, and Goblins that had come across the ice and invaded the Shire. There had been no help from the rangers that winter because they had been up in the Blue Mountains helping Lord Agnor with something, and could not get down here; but I had heard the screaming and came to help. I was able to fight off the rest, but when I heard Bilbo’s screams from watching his parents get killed by the orc and goblins and not being able to do anything about it. He was only in his 20’s at the time, and in Hobbit years that would make him about 50 or so in dwarf years so just a wee lad for you guys but he felt so helpless and he was an only child. I felt such rage that I had never felt before, and I had felt drawn to him like he was a sibling. So when I saw them start to advance on Bilbo, I lost it and I don’t remember much after that, but Bilbo said I had started to glow and killed everything that was evil within my sites and didn’t get out of my way fast enough. When the rest saw what was going on amongst them, they ran and I was able to kill the ones that didn’t. After everything had settled down, and I had helped clean everything up, I asked Bilbo if he would like to learn how to fight so something like that wouldn’t happen again and he said yes. So for the next 21 years we went to the training yard we made and trained every day in swords, throwing daggers, because this little guy is wicked good when it comes to things like that, and hand to hand fighting combat. So now when we go hunting together, I am the one that uses the bow, and Bilbo uses his throwing daggers, which is a much better arrangement for everyone’s feet and ass if you ask me.”
Thorin looked impressed but still kind of upset over what he heard, and it wasn’t until Bella heard about how everyone was introduced to Bilbo that she understood. That was when she had to say something about it.
“Well did you ever think that maybe he was insulted about how everyone was treating him, his house, and how not even the same day he was asked about the quest he has dwarves show up on his door step demanding food he never knew he was supposed to provide. Gandalf never informed him you guys were coming until this morning, if I hadn’t of told him about it a few weeks ago, you wouldn’t have had all those lovely biscuits and cookies to snack on.” Bella told him, and then before they could act on the rapidly escalating anger she could see, this time directed towards Gandalf.
“Also Thorin, you did only ask about if he used sword or axe, singular. He uses dual swords, and throwing daggers. So I can see why he never mentioned any of his weapons or skills, he had already had enough of being disrespected by the very people wishing for his help, and all for a home they had lost. You see you came here hoping for a burglar you had already decided to hate because you refused to admit you needed help, well Thorin I think its high time to get the fucking stick out of your fucking ass, before I beat to fucking death with it, and see your heir on the throne.” Bella growled out in anger, and all because she was pissed at their arrogance at the way they treated her brother.
“Bilbo top drawer of my dresser I have a blue velvet sack full of coin. You will hand that to Dori and take him to Daisies house I know it’s late, but you tell Daisy she owes me a favor and I am calling in my mark.” Bella told him, and then told him one more thing.
“If she still gets uppity, tell her if she wants to keep her husband alive she will do as she’s told or I will refuse to make his potion.”
Bilbo looked at Bella in complete shock, and decided not to ask any questions for once. He went to her dresser and got the sack of coin, and handed it to Dori.
“Dori any supplies you need for making these cloths or any others along the quest you buy them while you’re there, and anything else you see while there that you think we may need along the way, go ahead and grab it.” Bella told the dwarf and saw the poor dwarf nod without arguing.
“Dori I also want you not to stint on quality you silly dwarf.” She saw him relax when she said that to him with a gentle smile because he had realized she wasn’t angry at him.
“Oh and Bilbo that gift you thought of earlier, Daisy has it in, so go ahead and grab it while you are there, along with all the things that go with it.” When Bilbo shot her a look, she just looked at him with a wicked smile before shooting him a wink.
“You are so hard to surprise you know that, it gets frustrating sister dear.” Bilbo muttered out as he walked out the door.
“I’m not the one it will be surprising Bilbo.” Bella shouted after him.
She just laughed when she could hear Bilbo squawking and choking on a laugh. She then laughed when she saw everyone else but Gandalf looking at her in confusion; he was just trying not to laugh too hard.
“Oh Gandalf this is going to be so much fun.” Bella said to the wizard, and it had him choking on his pipe smoke.
“You just say that because they don’t have any clue what you’re talking about my dear.” Once he was done coughing.
“Yes isn’t it lovely. Especially certain people that the surprise is meant for, and when the time comes it will be ever so much fun.” Bella said with excitement because when she got the vision of the gift he meant to buy it showed her who it was meant for and why.
This gave her a huge clue who her mate was, now she just had to be patient for the silly dwarf to ask her to allow him to court her.
She all but huffed, “Hmm maybe I need to relearn my skills of being patient.” She started muttering to herself.
Gandalf starting laughing really loud because the dwarves were watching her sit there with her arms crossed the very picture of impatient fairy, muttering this to herself and it was rather adorable.
“Meditation might do the trick my dear.” Gandalf told her humorously.
“No I’ve tried that in the past and I always fall asleep, or I just flicker between forms and that just gets exhausting. I found my best form of meditation is target practice with my bow and arrow, I hold the pose before releasing. My longest hold time is 1 hour so far, and I plan on lengthening that if I can just to see if I can. I also use training with my swords or dagger throwing and as a form of meditation since it’s all repetition. I just have to find sparring partners that I haven’t sparred against for the past 21 years to really get out of my mind because going up against Bilbo isn’t a challenge its meditation for the both of us.” Bella told him in complete contemplation while thinking.
Thorin asked her a question that he had been thinking about since Gandalf helped her heal her back.
“When will you be ready to go on the road?”
“I only need 1 day. Tomorrow I will go to our training field and see after some stretching and some combat fighting with Bilbo, what I can do about sparring, then I can tell you if I can leave the next day and just do some healing chants or drink some Athelas teas and things of that sort, but I will be able to assess more after tomorrow morning. Will that be alright with you?” Bella let him know what she thought she needed to do.
Thorin nodded while thinking over what she said, and then said, “Yes that will be fine, and for sparring I think it will be me or Dwalin for swords, but I would also like to see you use your bow if you feel you are able or your throwing daggers either one you feel you are able to show me.”
Bella just nodded in answer to what he asked, not telling him that she felt she would be able to show him both. She sat back and relaxed and watched as the others were sitting around getting comfortable and talking with each other. She wasn’t too sure why they had chosen her bedroom to do this in, but she wasn’t going to complain because it gave her company while she was healing.
“So you are 2,000 years old?” she heard from Kíli’s curious voice next to her, and when she turned to look at him, she saw that Fíli was standing next to him.
She smiled at the both of them in answer to the question, but looked at Kíli when she answered, “You know it’s never a good thing to ask a woman her age, but since I was technically the one that spilled the answer, yes, curious little wolf, I am 2,000 years old.”
Kíli huffed when she called him that name again and not being able to understand it, and Bella had to smile when he did.
“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” Kíli asked sounding quite grumpy about it.
Bella laughed softly about his grumpiness and when they both looked at her in question, she said “I can tell you are definitely related to Thorin by how you sounded just now alone. In answer to your question I will answer it someday, but only when I feel you deserve to know the answer and have let me know by your actions.”
Kíli shook his head and said, “Now you are sounding like Gandalf with talking in riddles.”
They all heard a laugh from across the room and when they looked they saw Gandalf looking over at them.
“Who do you think taught me to talk in riddles Master Kíli?”
Bella laughed at that one, and smiled at Gandalf before saying, “You should have seen how frustrated he use to get when trying to get answers out of me when I talked to him that way. Then he learned how to talk that way and learned how fun it was to do the same to others, especially after I told him it was a way to teach someone that they often learn the answer to the very question they are asking along the way.”
Kíli got a look of understanding on his face and when she saw that she had to smile at him, especially when he looked at her and said, “So you will only tell me the meaning of what you called me when I discover for myself who you are to me?”
She laughed softly before saying, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that are anything but smart Kíli Durin Son.”
Kíli puffed up when she called him that one, and Fíli had to laugh at him for it. Kíli elbowed his brother and said, “Just you wait till she gives you a nickname and see how frustrating you find it that you don’t understand it.”
Bella had to smile and when Kíli saw that he grinned at her, but she beat him to it when she said, “Who says I don’t already have one for him?”
Fíli looked at her in question and was a little pink in the cheeks knowing she had a nickname for him already. When Kíli saw his brother blushing he almost laughed but he held it in, and asked Bella his question instead.
“So what is it?”
Bella smiled softly at Fíli before answering Kíli’s question, “My golden lion, and he will also have to wait to gain the meaning of that one.”
Before they could pester her further everyone saw that Bilbo and Dori had returned, and were carrying quite a bit of stuff with them. Bella knew that Bilbo had hidden the item he had bought to surprise Fíli with later on, and by the blush on Dori’s face he had figured out what it was. She also knew that he wouldn’t say anything about it.
She had to laugh because the poor dwarf was blushing all the way to his ears, and wouldn’t look at her. So she looked at Bilbo and he came up with a good excuse as to why Dori would be blushing like that.
“Daisy is officially terrified of you and happy to hear that you are leaving the Shire, but glad to know that her husband will be safe since his potion has been locked in for the next 5 years since she not only gave us access to her shop but gave us a discount on everything we bought. At first I thought it was because I had brought Dori with me, but she said a dwarf was less frightening than you and even asked if he would be able to protect her from you if needs be.” Bilbo was giggling by the end of it all and he only laughed harder when he saw the evil looking grin cross Bella’s face.
“Good it will teach the evil little strumpet to mind her place.” Bella purred with her dark voice, and it had poor Fíli shuddering again.
Kíli, Thorin, and Bilbo were the only ones to notice though, and when Thorin looked at Bilbo in question he just got a wink in return and almost growled. Bilbo just giggled and got a questioning look from Bella.
“Bilbo what are you up to little brother, and why are you teasing Thorin?” Bella asked him, and had both Bilbo and Thorin looking like they got caught with their hands caught in the cookie jar.
“Shit.” Bilbo sputtered out without thinking, because he had never been really good about hiding things from his sister.
“Bilbo!” Bella said with a sputtering laugh of her own, and then gestured for him to come over to where she was sitting. When he was close enough, she asked him what she had on her mind but in a way no one but Gandalf would understand.
“Why are you teasing Thorin about knowing Fíli is my mate?”
When both Thorin and Fíli looked are her funny she knew they understood that she was talking to Bilbo about them, because they had understood their names, but not what she was talking about.
“When did you figure it out?” Bilbo asked her with quiet excitement and happiness that had Bella smiling at him gently in return, because she knew that he approved.
“When you decided on the surprise.” Bella answered in Westeron, and had to laugh when Bilbo groaned and Dori blushed bright red to the point that his brothers started questioning him what was wrong, and why was he blushing so.
Gandalf started laughing again, and Bella looked at him and said, “Yes Gandalf I am going to have ever so much fun along the way.”
Thorin just shook his head and told everyone it was time to head to bed so they could get some rest, and then he grabbed his nephews and dragged them both out of the room.
“Fíli stop arguing nothing is going to attack her in here, and you need the sleep so you can think about how to approach her tomorrow.” Thorin finally said in irritation when Fíli kept arguing about needing to be close to protect her.
Bilbo finally stepped forward and said, “Why don’t they both sleep in front of her door, if that will help.”
Thorin jumped because he hadn’t realized how Bilbo had gotten so close, and saw Bilbo look at him in apology but thought over his suggestion and nodded his agreement.
“You both must stay outside her bedroom though.” Thorin growled at them when they looked at him like eager puppies.
They both just nodded and walked back the way they came with both Thorin and Bilbo watching them. Bilbo tried really hard to muffle his snickers, but he didn’t do too well because Thorin heard them.
“I take it you figured out what Fíli is to your sister, and it doesn’t bother you?” Thorin asked him gruffly and looking pretty intimidating.
Bilbo just looked at him and had to admit to himself that Thorin was pretty good at looking intimidating, but he had 21 years of living with Bella who could be scarier.
“A word of warning Thorin, you are intimidating, but my sister is scarier. To answer your question though, I figured it out when Fíli had to rush off to the bathroom earlier and her marks glowed a color they never have before, and match the color of his eyes. I also have good instincts where this kind of stuff is concerned, and when I went out earlier with Dori I thought of a surprise that would be great for her and Fíli later on. That is what was making poor Dori blush so red, and my sister saw a vision of it and figured it out but is waiting on Fíli to do something about it on approaching her. Anyways, if you must know what the surprise is since I can see you want to ask, its honey dusting powder that you use with a partner in the bedroom, and I bought it for them as a gift for later on.” Bilbo got to see what a rare sight of Thorin blushing red was probably when he figured out what honey powder is for.
“Well…Um yes… I guess…hmmm.” Thorin stuttered out, before he had to stop and clear his throat.
“Then you have no issue with my nephew being with your sister, I take it since you got them such a gift?” Thorin gruffly asked just to make sure and watched as Bilbo blinked at him for a second then giggled.
“No Thorin I do not.” Bilbo gasped out before giggling again.
Then he just shook his head and said a rushed goodnight, and headed off to bed.
“What did you say that had our Burglar laughing so hard?” Dwalin asked him from the doorway to the living room.
Thorin just stood there kind of stunned at what just took place, because he had to admit it was kind of nice that Bilbo took his embarrassment so well, and it was kind of endearing.
“I asked him why he didn’t find me intimidating, and he said he found his sister scarier than I.” Thorin said sounding stunned.
Dwalin barked out a laugh because he had to admit he was stunned about it himself, but had to admit the fairy reminded him a bit like Dis.
“Come my friend let us get some sleep. If we are to spar with the little fairy come morning we will need the sleep. I have a feeling she will keep us all on our toes.”
Thorin followed him into the living room where all the others were settled down and already falling asleep. Having a feeling that the next morning would be interesting but never knowing how interesting. They would all find out though that you never mess with a pissed off fairy.
A/N: Final Word Count was over 11,000. Hoping everyone enjoyed this first chapter. My muse would not let me stop typing until the words were done being spat out of my head.
Please Click on the Author’s card to be taken to their site.
Cold. That’s the first thing that came to mind when Bella woke up on the soggy, wet ground.
The next thing Bella registered was the faded buildings. All looked like something out of a western movie. All looked abandoned.
Well, clearly I’m not in Forks anymore.
Bella tried to remember how she got there, but all she could remember was sitting in her room, feeling nothing but emptiness and depression, when she smelt this smell, kinda like sulfur, and blacked out, waking up in Creepsville.
In fact, Bella was sure this was the first time in a long time she’d actually paid attention to where she was and what she was doing.
She groaned as she realized she didn’t have her phone, meaning she couldn’t call anyone for help. She couldn’t see anyone about and she was getting a bad vibe, like this place was evil or something, but that couldn’t be right. Then again, with all she had witnessed in her short life, Bella was open to the possibilities that something strange, and possibly supernatural, was amiss.
“Hello?” Bella called, knowing that was probably a stupid thing to do but, then again, Bella had always been stupid when it came to danger. In fact, some said she was addicted to it because she always found herself doing something or being somewhere dangerous, but could never seem to stop herself from seeking danger out because, for her, it was the only way she really felt.
Bella heard a noise behind her and turned around, startled to see a man in army uniform and a woman with long, straight blond hair who was wearing a long, thigh-length, black leather jacket, grey jeans and black boots.
“Erm, hey, er- who are you?” Bella asked, wincing when she thought of how her dad would totally reprimand her for being so stupid. Then again, he wasn’t there at the moment and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” The dark-skinned man said, his tone suspicious.
“Erm, Bella.” Bella said, her eyes flickering between the man and woman in question.
“Jake.” The man said, stiffly.
“Lily.” The woman added, moving her arms to hug around herself. “Look, do you know what’s going on?”
“No, do you?” Bella answered.
“No.” Jake said, looking around. “Come on, let’s check out one of these buildings, see if we can find out where we are.”
They went the nearest building, looking around, finding nothing but debris and, if it wasn’t already obvious before, it was definitely clear now that this town was abandoned and, by the looks of things, a long time ago.
“Do you think we’re the only ones here, or, are there others?” Lily asked as they walked back out.
“One way to find out.” Jake answered before loudly calling. “Hello, anybody there?”
“Hello?” They heard someone call and looked to each other before going around the side of the building.
“Hey!” called, seeing two men and a woman coming up to them.
“Hey, you guys alright?” A brown haired, brown eyed, man with a questionable hairstyle asked. He was wearing a tan jacket, white shirt, a light blue undershirt, dark denim jeans and boots.
He looked to be the leader of the trio.
The other guy was wearing a black jacket, a light gray hoodie, a blue top, jeans and worn out, trainers as well as two guy necklaces and silver ear cuffs. He had short cut, brown hair and brown eyes.
The girl also had brown hair and brown eyes, only hers was shoulder-length with bangs. She was wearing a light khaki green jacket, a purple top, dark jeans and fading dark-washed jeans.
“Think so.” Jake answered.
“I’m Sam.” The man said, his eyes asking them what their names were.
“I’m Jake.”
“Lily”
“Bella”
Sam looked past them and asked, “Are there any more of you?”
“No.” Jake said, shaking his head slightly.
“How did we even get here?” Lily asked, “A minute ago I was in San Diego.”
“Well if it makes you feel any better, I went to sleep last night in Afghanistan.” Jake answered, turning to face her.
Guess that explains the army get-up.
Bella thought as Sam said, “Let me take a wild guess, you three are all twenty-three.” Jack and Lily looked at him in question while Bella’s eyebrows furrowed, she was only nineteen, then again, Renee always said she was born twenty-three and grows more middle aged each year. “We all are, and we all have abilities.”
“What?” Jack asked while Bella looked at him in shock, not even the pack knew about her abilities, no one did, so how did he?
“Started a little over a year ago you found you could do things, things you didn’t think were possible.”
Jake and Lily looked at him in wonder and question while Bella was just confused.
What did he mean by, ‘we all have abilities’, I thought my abilities steamed from James’ venom? Have these people been bitten by Cold Ones too?
“I have visions, I see things before they happen.”
“Yeah, me too.” The woman said quietly, looking down.
“Yeah and I can put thoughts into people’s heads, like make ‘em do stuff.” He must have seen guarded looks on our faces because he quickly rushed on, “Oh, but don’t worry, I like, I don’t think it works on you guys.”
He started walking up the steps, turning his head back to say, “Oh, but get this, erm, I’ve been practicing. Training my brain, like meditation. Right, so that now, it’s not just thoughts I can beem out, but images too. Like anything I want, just like BAMN, they see it.”
“Great, another mind raper.” Bella muttered under her breath, earning an odd look from Lily as the guy went on to talk about some guy who he made see gay porn.
There was an awkward silence before Lily said, “So you go Simon says give me your wallet and they do. You have visions, I’d kill for something like that-“
“Lily listen, look, it’s ok-” Sam interrupted.
“No, it’s not. I touch people, their hearts stop. I can barely leave my house, my lives not exactly improved. So screw you. I just wanna go home.” Lily said, turning around to leave.
“And what, we don’t-“ Jake asked her, rhetorically.
“You know what don’t talk to me like that, I-“
“Wo, guys, you know what please, whether we like it or not. We’re all here and we all have to deal with this.” Sam said, interrupting the argument.
“Who brought us here?” The other guy asked.
“Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know.” Bella asked, reminding them of her presence.
“It’s less of who, more of a what.” Sam said.
“What does that mean?” The other girl asked.
“It’s er,” Sam paused the said, “It’s a demon.”
“A demon?” Bella asked, looking at everyone’s disbelieving faces before looking back at Sam, “What like a Cold One?”
“You know about Cold One’s?” Sam asked, surprised.
“Er, yeah, I er, dated one. Ripped my heart out, said I was too fragile, too weak, and then, few days later I can do all of this crazy stuff. I thought it was because of some leftover venom in my system, but it’s not, is it.”
Sam looked at her and was about to answer, but Jake butted in before he could.
“Hold on wait, I’m still stuck on the demon part.”
“What’s going on?” Bella asked, looking directly at Sam who sighed before explaining all he knew.
—(‹•›)—
“So we’re soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocolypse?!” Jake asked, angrily while he paced back and forth.
Sam had just told them all about how he and his brother hunts demons and how this yellow-eyed-demon fed them his blood when they were each 6 months old, giving them powers now, and how they were to be used in some kinda, as Jake put it, ‘Demon War’.
“When you put it like that-“ Sam started.
“An-and we’ve been picked?”
“Yes.”
“Why us?”
“I’m not so sure, ok, but look, I just know-“
“Sam. I’m sorry, psychics and spoon bending is one thing, but demons?” The girl, who’s name Bella had learned was Ava, said.
She had also learned that the other guy was called Andy and that he had met Sam before, Sam had had a vision of someone mind controlling people to kill and thought it was Andy when it was actually Andy’s twin brother, who he never knew about, and then the brother tried to kill Andy’s crush and then Sam and his brother, Dean, had to stop him and, well- you get the picture.
Ava had met Sam before too, only this time it was Ava who had had a vision of Sam dying and wanted to stop it so she went to find him and warned him and, well he lived but then Ava disappeared and, apparently, she thought this was only a few days ago but was actually five months ago and-
Er! I sound like Jessica, or worse, Lauren.
Bella shivered slightly and looked up as she caught the tail end of what Sam was saying.
“-all gathered here together, that means it’s starting and that we go-“
“The only thing I gotta do is stay away from wackjobs, ok? I’ve heard enough, I’d be better on my own and, FYI, so would you!” Jake’s voice got louder and angrier as he spoke then stormed off, ignoring Sam calling to him.
They just stood there in silence, each wondering the same thing- What were they going to do now, and how are they going to get out?
“Well, I don’t think you’re crazy.” Bella put out there.
“You don’t?” Sam asked, looking at her with hope in his eyes.
“Nope. Well, I do,” Sam looked away, the hope leaving his eyes, “But then again, I think we’re all crazy and, well, let’s just say I’m used to crazy.”
“What do you-“
“Tell you later.” Bella said, hurriedly getting up and running in the direction Jake went in, “Jake needs us.”
Leaving no time for questions onto how she knew this, she ran off, Sam not far behind. They saw Jake in what looked to be the old school building, a little girl who was definitely not human in front of him, a blackboard with the words ‘I will not kill you’ written over and over again behind him.
Sam acted quick, grabbing a long, black iron poker and, as the iron went through the girl’s waist, she turned into this black, smoke-like, substance and went out through the door- Lily, Ava and Andy, who had just got there, ducking to miss it as it went flying past.
“And just so you know.” Sam said, panting slightly, “That was a demon.”
—(‹•›)—
“Well, that thing. I’m not sure, but I think it was Acheri, a demon who disguises itself as a little girl.” Sam stated, matter-of-factly.
“Cool!” Bella said, earning odd looks from the others, “What?! It is! Well, aside from the whole trying to kill you part but, I, er, I mean, I-“
Bella faltered as the others were looking at her like she was crazy, which she supposed she kinda was.
Sam sighed, “Still doesn’t tell us where we are. Andy, you with me or what?”
“Give me a minute, still working through ‘demons are real’.” Andy said, looking, and sounding, freaked out.
“Hey, it’s ok, I was a little freaked out when I found out about Cold Ones.” Bella said, reassuredly.
“You were?” Andy asked in that I’m-totally-not-the-only-one-freaking-out voice.
“Well no, but I-“ Bella cut off, seeing the looks on Lily and Ava’s face, “Er, I’m gonna go over there.” She said, pointing towards Sam and Jake and hurrying off.
“I’ve seen that bell before.” Bella heard Sam say as she drew nearer. “I think I know where we are now. Cold Oak, South Dakota, a town so haunted, every single resident fled.”
“Swell. Get to know somewhere so historical.” Ava said, looking like she was trying to find something positive in this whole ordeal.
“Why in the world would that, demon, or whatever, put us here?” Lily asked.
“I’m wondering the same thing.” Sam answered.
“You know what? Doesn’t matter, clearly the only sane thing to do here is get the hell outta dodge.” Lily turned and started walking away.
“Wait, hold on, Lily the only way out’s through miles of woods.”
She stopped but said, “Beats hanging out with demons.”
“Lily, look we don’t know what’s going on yet. I mean, we don’t know how many are out there right now.”
“Yeah, he’s right, you should ju-“ Jake tried to say but was cut off by Lily whirling around and shouting,
“Don’t say we, I’m not part of we, I have nothing in common with any of you.”
“Look, look, I know-“ Sam started.
“You don’t know anything.” Lily said and Bella could tell she was five seconds away from exploding, “I jus- I accidently touched my girlfriend.”
Everyone looked at her in shock and pity, all knowing what that meant.
Poor girl, she’s a danger to everyone. Ha, guess we have more in common than she thinks.
Bella thought as Sam said, “I’m sorry.”
Idiot, don’t you know that’s the last thing she wants to hear?
“Whatever, I feel like I’m in a nightmare and it just keeps getting worse and worse.” Lily said through gritted teeth.
“I’ve lost people too. I have a brother out there right now, I, he could be dead for all I know.” Sam said, empathetically. “We’re all in bad shape. But I’m telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together.”
“Fine.” Lily said, almost silently.
“I’ve got a crazy, psycho bitch after me.” Bella put out there. ”Been going on for about one and a half years now. Around the time I got my abilities. Around the time that my boyfriend and his family skipped town, leaving me behind. For, every day that I live, someone else dies.”
“Wow, ok, that’s er-“ Andy stuttered as they started walking back into town, Sam leading them, holding his iron poker firmly.
“A real Debby Downer? Yeah, kinda why I just want to hand myself over to the bitch and finish this but some friends of mine won’t let me, real annoying if you ask me.” Bella said, nonchalantly, as if she wasn’t talking about her own death.
They all stopped to look at her, each wondering if she was entirely sane or not.
“What?!” Bella asked, obliviously.
Sam just shook his head and went back to walking, the others falling back into step behind him.
“We’re looking for iron, silver, salt, any kind of weapon.” Sam told them as they got closer to the buildings.
“Salt is a weapon?” Jake asked, disbelievingly.
“It’s a brave new world.”
“Well, hopefully there’s food in your world cause I’m freakin’ starving.” Andy said as they went into one of the houses.
“That makes two of us!” Bella added.
No one noticed Lily hesitate at the door. And no one noticed as she walked away.
—(‹•›)—
“Hey, guys! I’ve found something!” Bella heard Andy call from the kitchen and went to investigate.
When she got in there she saw Andy holding up to sacks of something, a big grin on his face.
“It’s salt!” He said, his smile going impossibly wider with happiness and pride.
“That’s great Andy, now we’ve all got s-“ Sam cut himself off suddenly and looked around, “Where’s Lily?”
They all looked around but Lily was, indeed, now where to be seen.
“Lily?” Bella asked.
“Lily?” Ava called.
“Lily?!” Sam shouted, almost giving Bella a heart attack at the sharpness in his voice.
They suddenly heard the sounds of a child’s laughter, one that sent chills down Bella’s spine, and they rushed out of the house only to see Lily hanging up on a noose, high up in the sky, on the turning, wheel thing (Bella didn’t know what exactly it was).
“Lily.” Bella whispered in shock.
“Oh my god!” Ava cried, clamping a hand over her mouth then going on to cry, “Ok that’s, that’s officially, de, Sam, she’s dead, she’s dead, you said we were chosen for a reason, that’s not chosen that’s killed! Ok, you know, we have to get out of here.” Ava said but was blocked by Sam.
“Yeah, I second that motion.” Andy added, still staring at Ava’s hanging body.
“Not sure that’s an option.” Jake stated.
“What?” Ava asked.
“Lily was trying to leave, the demon’s not going to let us get away that easy. We might want to gear up for the next attack.” Sam said, looking back at Lily.
“Oh, yeah, gear up? Ok, well I’m not a soldier, I can’t do that.” Ava told them, desperately.
“Well if you want to stay alive your gonna have too.” Sam told her. He looked back up at Lily, mournfully, then said, “Let’s go.”
Ava walked past them and went back into the building, probably to calm down.
“I’ll get her down.” Jake told them.
“I’ll help.” Bella added, finally tearing her eyes away from Lily and going to help get her down.
—(‹•›)—
As night fell, the group found themselves in a room in one of the houses, all of the entrances salted up.
Andy was asleep at the table, Ava was sitting at the end of the table looking off into space with a blank expression, Jake was standing guard at the door, Sam was asleep by the window and Bella was sitting in the corner of the room, looking on at the scene with watchful eyes.
At some point, though, she must have fallen asleep as the next thing Bella knew she was waking up to Jake telling her Ava was missing.
As soon as they woke Sam up, Jake and Sam left to search for her, telling Bella and Andy to stay there.
“I’m gonna go check throughout the house.” Bella said once she heard Sam and Jake leave the building, “Stay here.”
“But, what, no, Sam said to stay here.”
“Er, hel-lo.” Bella said in a sing-song voice, “No self-preservation and danger seeker here, after what I’ve faced? Puff, a haunted town full of demons who want to kill us or worse? Yeah, I’m totally fine. See you in five!”
Bella walked out, keeping her shield up around her as she went through the house. It was as she entered the living room that she felt a dark presence in the house and rushed upstairs, just in time to hear Ava screaming and see Andy’s dead body on the floor.
Bella was about to go up to her and ask what happened, but something held her back, like a warning. Bella had had these feelings before, always when something evil was nearby but, that didn’t make sense, Ava was a sweet, if slightly scared, girl- she wasn’t evil. Then again, Bella remembered what happened last time she ignored these feelings.
Ava still hadn’t seen Bella, so she stuck into the shadows and kept her shield up, which helped her stay invisible to the naked eye as well as protected, just as Sam came stumbling in, looking towards Andy in shock.
“Sam! I just found him like this.”
“What happened, where’s Bella?”
“I don’t know.” Ava said and Bella had to give it to her, the girl was a good actress, she genuinely seemed sad, but the darkness Bella felt from her said otherwise.
“How’d they get in here?” Sam started looking around, doing his best to ignore Andy’s bloodied body on the floor, when a thought occurred to him. “Where were you?”
“I just went to get some water from the well. I was only gone maybe like two minutes!”
“You shouldn’t have gone outside. Ava, we have to stay in here.” Sam stopped as he saw the brake in the salt. He pointed towards it, “Who did that.”
“I don’t know, maybe Bella or Andy-“
“Andy wouldn’t do that and Bella doesn’t really strike me as that stupid.”
Aw, really? Thanks!
Bella thought, sarcastically as she watched Ava and Sam like a deadly game of tennis.
“Ava, that line wasn’t broken when I left. Ava.”
“What you don’t think that I-“
“I’ll tell you what I think. Five months, you’re the only one with all that time you’re gonna kill for. And that headache you got, right when the demon got Lily.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“What happened to you?”
“Nothing!” But then, suddenly, her whole demure changed and she stood up straighter, her tears stopping, “I did go on though didn’t I? Yeah, I’ve been here a long time, and not alone either, people just keep showing up, children, like us. Batches of three or four at a time. You know I was actually surprised that there was five of you, this time, one of you must be a latie from the last load.”
“And you killed them? All of them?”
“I’m the undefeated heavy weight champ.”
“Oh my god.”
“Oh, I don’t think God has much to do with this Sam.”
“How could you?”
“I had no choice. It was me or them, after a while it was easy, it was getting kinda fun. I just stopped fighting it.”
“Fighting what?”
“Who we are Sam, if you just quit your hand ringing and open yourself up you have no idea what you can do. The learning curve is just so fast it’s crazy, this switch that just flips in your brain.” Ava laughed. “I can’t believe I just started out just having dreams. Do you know what I can do know?”
“Control demons.”
“Ahuh, you are quick on the draw.” Ava put her hand to her temple and this black, fog-like substance started coming in under the window and through the gap in the salt. “I’m sorry Sam but, er, it’s over.”
Just as Bella was about to a move to stop her, she saw Jake enter the room and snap Ava’s pretty, little neck with one, swift, SNAP.
The demon left instantly and both Bella and Sam looked to Jake in shock.
“So, I guess she’s dead then?” Bella asked, stepping out from the shadows, making the boys jump and look at her in shock.
“How long were you there for?” Sam asked.
“Long enough.”
—(‹•›)—
“I think we can make it out of here now.” Sam said as the trio made their way out of the house.
“But the Acheri demon-“
“No, no, Ava was summoning it, controlling it, it shouldn’t come back now that she’s dead, we gotta go.”
“Not we Sam. Only one of us is getting out of here, I, I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I, I had a vision, a yellow eyed demon or whatever it was it, he talked to me, told me how it was.”
Bella knew who he was talking about, she had a vision of a yellow-eyed-demon too, the only difference was that Bella had decided not to act on the demons words, trusting her instincts, which were telling her she could trust Sam, instead.
“No, no, Jake you, you can’t listen to him-“
“Sa, Sam, he’s not letting us go, only one, now we don’t play along, he’ll kill us all. Now, I, I like you man, both of you, I but do, but do the math here, what good it do all of us die. Now I can get out of here, get close to the demon, I kill the bastard.”
“You come with us, we can kill him together.”
“How do I know you won’t turn on me.”
“I won’t.”
“I don’t know that.”
“Well, I definitely won’t.” Bella put in, “I’m loyal to a fault, hell, I waited two years for my boyfriend and his family to come back, even when it was clear they wouldn’t. Always defended them, no matter how much danger they put me in, still loved ‘em. Hum, what does that say about me?”
“That you’re loyal, trustworthy, we both are, come on Jake, you really don’t want to do this.” When Jake just stared at him, Sam said, “Ok, look.”
Sam moved his jacket and carefully took his knife out and lowered it to the ground.
“Just come with me Jake, don’t do this, don’t play into what he wants.”
Jake lowered his weapon to the ground too, and, just as it looked like he was going to agree with Sam, he punched him, sending him through a fence.
Bella screamed and started towards Sam but Jake stopped her, pushing her back against the house.
From where Bella was, she could vaguely see Sam and Jake fighting but couldn’t see properly thanks to the black spots in her vision.
Bella shook her head and managed to see just as Sam was about to hit Jake with an iron bar.
“Don’t.” Bella called, getting up and ignoring the pain along her back as she walked over to him, “It’s not worth it.”
Sam looked at her and nodded, dropping the bar. Just as he went to say something, they heard a noise and they looked over, only to see two men coming down the path, both holding a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other.
“Sam!” The younger one called out, relief evident in his voice.
“Dean!”
“Friends of yours?” Bella muttered, weakly.
But before Sam could answer, Dean shouted, “Sam look out!” and Bella scream, once again, as Jake drove a knife through Sam’s back.
The very knife that Sam had put on the ground to show Jake that he could trust him.
“NOOOOOOOO!” Dean screamed as him and the other man rushed over while Bella used her abilities to push Jake back, away from Sam.
The older man ran after Jake while Dean clung onto Sam, calling his name, and Bella just stood there, trying to understand what had just happened.
“Look at me, it’s not even that bad, it’s not even that bad, alright?” Dean told Sam, desperately, even though both him and Bella could see the blood and knew Sam would be dead in a matter of seconds.
“Sam! Hey, listen to me, we’re gonna patch you up, ok? You’ll be as good as new. I’m gonna take care of you, I’m gonna take care of you, I’ve got you. That’s my job right, watch after my pain in the ass little brother. Sam? Sam? Sam? Sammy?!”
Bella had tears streaming down her face as she watched Dean cling to Sam. She flinched as Dean screamed, a single tear falling from his eyes.
—(‹•›)—
“Erm, er, thanks, er, thanks for the ride.” Bella said as they stopped in front of the police station in the nearest town.
Dean and Bobby, as Bella found out his name was, reminded silent as she sighed and opened the door.
“Look, I know this is the last thing you want hear right now but, I’m sorry. Sorry I didn’t see, sorry I didn’t try harder I mean I should have-“
“Stop, just stop kid.”
Bella looked at Dean in surprise.
“Yeah, I know your just a kid, your what, 17, 18?”
“Try 19.”
“Ok, 19, you got your whole life ahead of you. Just, I dunno, go do whatever it is teenagers do, get drunk, hang out at parties, go to collage, be normal- just don’t get dragged back into all of this.”
“I make no promises.” Bella said, slightly teasing but on seeing the serious, deadpan expression on Dean’s face she quickly added, “No, I, just, I, I mean, wherever I go, death and danger seems to follow, it’s like I’m addicted to it, I just… I can’t keep doing this, putting people in danger, not being any help. I.”
Bella looked out of the car, tearing up a bit.
“You’ll be ok, kid.” Bobby said, “We all will.”
“No, I won’t.” Bella stated.
She looked back at Sam, the tears falling from her eyes, then looked directly into Dean’s eyes, “But we can sure as hell try.”
Dean smirked a bit but Bella could see he just wanted her gone so he could get out of there and mourn in peace.
So with that, Bella left, not really sure what else to say or do. She watched the black Impala drive away until it turned a corner and was out of view. She sighed and turned, walking into the police station and up to the desk sergeant.
“Hello Miss, can I help you with anything.”
“Yeah, erm, yeah- I need to get back home, I should be on the missing person’s list?”
“Ok then love, what’s the name.”
“Swan. Bella Swan.”
—(‹•›)—
“Daddy.” Bella cried as she hugged her father close, her tears wetting his jacket.
“Hey kiddo.” Charlie Swan said, holding his daughter tight and not letting her go.
It was in this moment that Bella decided that she would no longer wait for Edward Cullen. That she would no longer hide away and watch the world pass her by. She would spend the rest of her life protecting and caring for her loved ones, she would tell them she loves them every day for as long as she lived.
And even if this experience would change her life in ways she did not know back then, even if fate would make her break her vow- she would never forget the events of Cold Oak. And Bella certainly would never forget the man named Sam Winchester.
Song I listened to for this chapter: Sing It Out by Switchfoot
Previously:
He grins as he hears Scott complain, “Why can’t I have one of those instead?” as they ride down the road to the palace and hopefully the solution to Bella’s problems.
Now:
Steve and Bella ride through the winding road up to the castle, both of them grinning as Steve leans the bike into the turns, as well as going faster and faster through the them.
Basically, they were having fun.
Too soon for them, Steve and Bella pull up to the Palace of the King. Steve rolls to a stop in his regular spot, then turns off the engine, holding the bike steady as Bella gets off. As soon as she is off, he grabs the helmet that she holds out to him and puts it on the bike in one fluid movement. Grinning at her, Steve ushers her through the doors being held open for them.
Knowing that T’Challa is looking forward to meeting Bella, Steve wants to get that over with quickly since he wishes to speak with her on other matters. Like how he thinks of her, his thoughts on how she is like a sister to him and what is going on with her cousin as well as her comment about giving love another chance.
T’Challa is waiting for them in the throne room. Seeing the woman whom he has learned so much about from Steve walking in, he descends from his throne and is soon in front of her. He quickly moves to stop her, shaking his proud head at her and attempting courtesy, T’Challa tells her, “You are most welcome in my kingdom, Isabella Swan.” He smiles down at her, waiting for her to raise her head.
His world is turned upside down when he looks into her eyes, and his widen. “The Lady?” T’Challa’s mind is going a mile a minute as he tries to think of what it can mean that the Lady is working with this young woman. He flips through the memories of the prophecies he had learned as bedtime stories, as well as his duties to this woman if she is what he suspects.
Steve and Bella glance at each other, then back at him. Steve raises an eyebrow as he asks, “Excuse me, Your Majesty?” He had never mentioned the Bright Lady since it is something only talked about in person. Not to mention the fact that The Bright Lady is one of those ‘need to know’ situations, which very few actually need to know about. Steve had planned to speak to the King about it later, but how did he already know?
Waving his hand at the title, T’Challa asks Bella, “You are being contacted by the Lady?” His eyes are looking at her face, reorganizing things in his head as things are now put on the backburner that may have been important to him only moments before.
Amazed that he could see it somehow, Bella finally asks with the need to clarify, “The Bright Lady?”
Nodding, T’Challa waits.
Licking her lips then biting the bottom one nervously, Bella nods her head as she glances back to Steve for assurance. He steps closer to her to give her his support and to act if need be.
A smile appears again on T’Challa’s face as he comments, “Finally. It’s good to have you here where you belong, Chosen One. My Kingdom is yours for as long as you need it, and then it is your home after that time.” He is amazed that he had no idea before that this woman matched the prophecies so much. Then again, who would expect that a prophecy that had been spoken thousands of years ago would be fulfilled in his lifetime?
Both of his eyebrows shoot up and Steve asks, “What’s going on?” His head is slightly tilted to the side. Steve wonders if he will need to contact his backup plan on this. Steve had only finally sent the files to him to see if he can help, or bring his extensive infrastructure to find out more information.
Turning to his friend, T’Challa tells him, “We have been waiting for the Chosen One to come for a long time. She is the one that will shield us all from what is to come while her Warrior protects our universe by fighting for her and our planet. In fact, the Black Panther was formed in that distant past with the help of the Lady, to be able to assist her Chosen in completing her tasks. For as much as the Warrior is mighty, the Chosen One is the one who will be the protector of us all, making us able to concentrate on protecting the Universe from the threats bombarding it.” He explains, wanting to let Steve know that there is nothing wrong with this and, in fact, the one Steve calls his sister is now the most protected person in the kingdom.
Her eyes wide, Bella has to inquire of the man who might know more than she does, “Do you have more on this? She never tells me anything.” The last is said with a sense of one who is getting used to knowing nothing of what is wanted and just having to work blind.
Unable to help himself, T’Challa laughs. “Maybe because she knows you so well?” Shaking his head, he discloses to her, “I will ask my advisors to find all the documentation we have on it for you to look through. But I do have to ask, is Steve your Warrior?” He looks between the two, confused, “It has long been assumed that the Warrior will be your soul mate.” Steve has mentioned that she feels like a sister to him.
Blushing, Bella quickly stammers out, “N-n-n-o!” She might not like it, but she is acutely aware of who the Warrior is and what he will mean to her. She is just not willing to risk herself for the man.
Things start making sense to Steve. He might not be smart on the subject of girls, but he has had everything relating to this idea shouting at him. He turns to Bella as he asks incredulously, “Bucky?” His mind is racing with how he had already noted that Bucky would have loved to meet her from the first time he, himself, had met her.
The furthering blush of Bella answers the question for the two of them. T’Challa starts at first, then remembering what they have told him of her, he quickly realizes that the Winter Soldier would be perfect for the young Chosen One.
Where she is trusting, he would be protecting. The Winter Soldier would be the one who would see the threat that she would just not be able to see. Steve would be more likely to see the same as Bella, but they needed the worldly knowledge of the soldier that Bucky became. The lessons he’d had to learn had been hard, but those lessons will only further their cause now.
He thinks about how Steve has spoken of both Bella and Bucky; he would be firmly on their side. Since Steve is such a worthy opponent and a more than capable leader of the Avengers, it could only add to their dynamic.
Yes, this might be the best and exactly what was meant to happen in the future. For who knows what will happen, but with the links between these three, there is not much that will separate them.
With all of this in his head, T’Challa looks to Bella and asks, “You know how to free him?” For he has no doubt that things will be moving quickly. He already plans to make sure that Banner is working on a cure for her, as well as make his people who are working on the cure aware of who she is to them.
Ignoring Steve’s suddenly sharp gaze at her, Bella nods. “I was taught how to shield his mind from anyone trying to tamper with it for now. Eventually, I was promised that it would become part of him, that no matter how far away from me he gets, or what is happening to me, he will be protected as I am.” She had planned to surprise Steve, or at the least talk with him about it. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time. Besides, who would have thought this conversation would be happening now and with the King?
Thinking through the information T’Challa has on her, it suddenly makes sense. He tells her, “My people and I are at your command, Chosen One. I will tell them to bring his capsule up so you can start working on him when you are ready.” He waits for her as he inwardly smirks at how this young woman has no idea how much power she now controls.
When Bella nods, T’Challa smiles at her as he informs her, “Now that we are done dumping information on you, I will let Steve take you and ask his questions of you as I greet your family. I will also show them to the laboratory that Mr. Banner has taken over working on whatever he is doing. But off you go, I suspect you two have a lot to talk about.” He stands to the side, indicating a room to the side for them to use for their talk.
They both nod, and Steve is soon escorting Bella out of the King’s presence, while the tall black man is watching them leave, knowing their world is changing yet again.
Exciting times indeed.
Deciding to take her to where Bucky’s Capsule is awaiting them, Steve quickly reroutes them to another room. He knows that the capsule is on an elevator from the chamber that he is being kept. It will take less time than the two of them walking that way for the capsule to be moved up there.
Plus, the view from up here is remarkable, with the Black Panther snarling out of the mists with the backdrop behind him of the forest and falls. No one else is up there, the room is dark with only the outside light and the glow from the controls on Bucky’s current home.
Ignoring the man that has taken up much of her mind lately, Bella leans on the railing around the room, looking out into the amazing landscape hinted at by the mists. She can just make out a structure in the clouds far off on the cliffs, and she wonders what it really is, her imagination running wild, thinking of wings and other things.
Steve had stopped by Bucky’s capsule, outwardly checking the stats showing on the side, but inwardly his mind is swirling with all the information he had just learned. Soon enough, Steve has it all worked out and joins Bella, leaning his back against the railing facing the room as he comments, “I expected some surprises today, but nothing like this.” His eyes slide to look at her profile beside him.
Snorting, Bella wryly comments back to him, “Try from my end.” She sighs. She has more than enough of these types of surprises that seem to come from out of nowhere, though some of it must be more surprising to Steve since it is things that affect him more. On the other hand, being told that she had been prophesied about is more than a little strange for her.
Their eyes meet, and the two can’t help but chuckle as Steve comments, “Our curse it seems. Though I would dearly like to know who cursed us with interesting lives.” Smiling in ease, he grins at her, shaking his head as he wishes that he could find that person.
She laughs, “Me as well. Might have a word or two to share with them.” Bella has had enough of the exciting times for more than a handful of people. The only ones that might have more are here in the room with her.
The two of them chuckle again as they think of what they would have to say to that person. Then Steve sighs, “Hey, I wanted to talk to you, but with all this information…” He turns slightly to her, shrugging since he has no idea what to do now. So much more information is being thrown at her once again.
Nodding her head, Bella admits to Steve, “I wanted to either talk in person or surprise you with Bucky being free and awake.” She gives him an odd smile like she is sorry that her surprise had been ruined and that it had been her fault.
Steeling himself to ask her the questions that might make them both uncomfortable, but that he wants to get out in the open. Steve proceeds with the first issue, “And I take it with the comments Hope was making, along with the information we have just received, that you and Bucky are meant to be together?” He hates this, but with him thinking of her as being his sister, he needs to find out what is going on. And if she truly is thinking of not giving love another chance, he needs to know what she is thinking. And why.
Closing her eyes, steeling herself to impart the information she never likes to share, Bella confesses to him, “Supposedly. But you know I don’t agree with this whole fate thing. Been there, done that, got the pain and dying from it.” Her hands grip the railing tighter and only release when she feels the metal start to give under her fingers.
His eyes look at the man he considers his brother, whom he would go to hell and back for, then turning to meet his sister’s eyes in the glass, Steve offhandedly replies, “Well, there is no one I would like better for the woman I consider a sister than the man I wish was my brother.” He glances down at her fingers, hearing the metal complain as she tightens her hand again in response to his statement.
Shocked, Bella turns to him, and with her entire body reflecting her consternation, questions him, “What?” Bella couldn’t have heard what he said right. He wants to claim her as a sister and he agrees that Bucky would be right for her?
Smiling, he stares at the reflection in the glass of his best friend in his capsule. “I have thought of you as my sister pretty much since we met. Nothing else fits what I feel for you, and I was going to ask you to be that person in fact, once we had the chance to talk here. Instead, we get blindsided with all this information. I asked myself why was it that after I heard all that I was angry. Was it because it came up before I could get the chance to ask you to be my sister, that you were already thought to be hooked up with Bucky? Then the thought came right after that, who else would I trust with my sister?”
Shrugging, Steve admits, “I needed the chance to put my thoughts in order, and soon realized that everything was okay. Though I will admit I really want more time thinking of you as my sister.” He waits to see what she comes back with.
Bella huffs, “Well don’t get to thinking there will be wedding bells anytime soon.” She hates that it seems that everyone is for her and Bucky to be together. What about the two of them? Maybe they might hate each other?
Shaking his head in disbelief, Steve asks, “Why?” At her questioning glance, he asks, “Why are you fighting against this? The more I think about it, the more perfect you two will be together.” There were never truer words. The two of them complimented each other in ways that he never put together until he started to think about them. As he had mentioned, when he had met her, the first thought was that Bucky would have loved to meet her and, in fact, would have asked her to go dancing within minutes of meeting her.
Gritting her teeth, Bella reminds him, “I was told that before. And look where it got me.” Why can people not respect her decisions? Doesn’t she have enough to worry about right now, mainly if she will live long enough to find out any of this?
Turning to her, and taking her gently by the shoulders, Steve turns her to him. “I get it. I really do. But as you told me with Peggy, I got to move on. Learn to live again. Why are you not taking the same advice?” He reminds her of the conversation they had one evening in his apartment. How they had discussed their past relationships, and how Steve felt so lost since the last he remembers he was asking Peggy to dinner after having kissed her before getting on the plane. Now he is 70 years late for that date, and it is a giant leap to take in his mind.
Closing her eyes, Bella remembers that night and thinks. She replies to his question, “Because I am not sure what is left of me to offer. I gave everything to him, and he left me, Steve.” Opening her eyes to him, she continues, “Now I am being told that this person is perfect for me. That I will be his soulmate and he mine, but what happens when he leaves me? There is hardly anything left to me, why would he want to have so little?” She throws her hand out at Bucky, as she takes a step away from him, allowing his hands to fall to his side, “Look at him. Why would he want someone like me?” The last was said in a hard voice.
Looking down at his little sister, Steve asks, “Why wouldn’t he?” When she goes to protest, Steve puts his finger on her lips as he answers her unsaid protest, “He is broken as well, little bird. His soul has been damaged by all that he had been made to do. He will think himself unworthy of you, even as he fights with everything he has to give you the right to choose if you think he is your one. He is my best friend, the one that stood up for me when I was that sickly youth that was beat up all the time.” And the more he talks, the more he sees that they are right for each other. They both fight to give the other the choices they think are being denied to the other.
She shakes her head as tears come from her eyes unknown to her, “But see? He deserves more than me. He is worthy of a whole soul, one that can love him completely.” Why is this so hard for anyone to understand?
When she starts to argue, he reaches up and pinches her lips together gently, “No. Take the time to think about it. You need that time with all the information being thrown at you and who knows when you may get the chance again. I will go get Banner and see what he will need from you.” When she looks away from him, he releases her lips and gives her a little shake, as he advises her, “But seriously think about it, Bella. I truly believe that you two are what the other needs.” With that, he hugs her, then kissing the top of her head, he leaves the room, hoping that she will do as he asked.
She hiccups slightly, allowing the sob out that she had held in so Steve wouldn’t see. Then Bella straightens up, and finally looks at the man everyone is trying to convince her is worth it. Swallowing, she informs him, “You are worth more than me. I will give you what you need, but I will not make you like me or anything else. You have suffered more than anyone else I have ever thought about. And I will make it so your mind is your own. Anything else is up to you.” She is standing before his capsule, her hand resting on it. And she gives him a look, admitting he is everything she ever would wish for in looks. Her life has changed, and she just wants someone that can take care of her, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to be the damsel in distress yet again.
Shaking her head at her thoughts, Bella gets to work, taking the time to make sure her new brother gets his best friend back. Then she can rest and try to push it all away.
Down in the Labs where Banner is, Hope is aware of when Steve walks into the room. He comes up to her as he tells them all, “I did what I could,” and shakes his head as he rubs the bridge of his nose. How in the heck has Bella gotten to the place that she thinks she is not worthy of love?
Watching the two, Scott is lost, but he notices the rest of their group nod in understanding. Unable to stay quiet, Scott comments, “I’m glad someone knows what he is talking about.” He nods… then pauses as he says, “Wait.” He points his fingers around as he announces, “That’s right, everyone but me knows!” He extends his head slightly, waiting for someone to explain what is going on. When no one does, he tilts his head a little more, telling them without words that they need to explain.
Unable to help themselves, they all smile. Hope pats his back as she walks by, “It’s ok, Scott.” She turns her head away, hiding her grin at his antics.
He cocks his head to the side, waiting for her to explain but when she doesn’t, and in fact continues walking away from him, he grouches, “Man, what is this, a conspiracy against Scott?” He shakes his head, turning to look out the window at the scenery with his arms crossed.
Hank P. just chuckles as he works with Beast to make sure all his files transferred completely. He is updating the files with the latest that he and Hope did that morning before they left San Francisco. He has also answered an email from an inside source in S.H.I.E.L.D. It was from one of the leading biochemists in the world, and they are willing to work with them on this.
From where he is standing with his arms crossed, Steve shakes his head at Scott’s antics. Remembering his questions, he turns and moves to Banner, asking, “So now that everyone is here, can you tell us what is going on?” He waits patiently for his friend to tell him what he knows that can save his sister.
Turning from his microscope Banner smiles at his friend. “Not everyone is here.” He knows how important Bella is to Steve and will do all he can to help them. He is shocked to find out that what is happening to Bella is related to what Steven went through and that Dr. Erskine went so far so make the serum in the first place.
Shaking his head sadly, Steve laughs ironically, “You expect Bella to want to be here?” While he wishes she would be, he meant for her to take some time to herself to think about everything.
A voice comes from the door, “No, but since I am here to help out, I should be here.” It has a southern drawl to it, recognizable as Texan.
A quick glance shows three individuals at the door, and it only takes a second to realize what they are. With everything Bella has explained about her ex it is their physical beauty which gives him the answer. He drops his arms and clenches his fists, wondering why the hell they are here.
Before they can do anything, another voice sounds out as he appears in the room, “And I.”
“Loki!”
Before they can do anything else, T’Challa is there holding Steve in place as he tells the rest of them, “Relax. I have his promise not to interfere. He was contacted by Banner regarding all of this.” He waits until Steve nods to release him.
When Steve turns to look at Banner to find out why these people are here, he sighs and rubs his temples. “Now that everyone is here, I can explain all of this.” He knew that it might not be what Steve wants to know, but he has been talking with Loki since he left the Avengers in Sokovia. He had been planning to leave the Earth when the call came for him to help Steve. When he found out the specifics, he had immediately come to help his friend, one of the few to understand and like him.
He gets up and heads over to a screen in the middle of the lab which is big enough for them all to see, and with a few clicks Banner has pulled up a chemical compound diagram. “Seems your Doctor had knowledge of Vampires. The serum actually has their venom in it. It is what helps you become so much more. It toughens your skin, makes you stronger, perfects you. But what your doctor did Steve, is make it so the serum didn’t make you a vampire. Instead, it made you become a better specimen of a human.” And it boggles his mind how everyone has missed this. The only thing that comes to mind is that none of them knew, nor did they have the idea that magic needs to be used as well to make the most stable viable version.
With this in mind, Banner rubs his thumb on his eyebrow, “The venom is the missing piece from all the attempts to recreate it. But when you sent Bella’s blood, I saw something I had not seen except in your blood. And with the knowledge you guys passed along…” He waves his hand at the newcomers.
Of the three who had walked in last, the short haired blonde nods, “And we confirmed it. We are willing to help the three here that are affected by the venom.” He leans against the wall, waiting for the theatrics to be done. Little Bird, as her brother calls her and he loves the name, needs them to remain occupied while she works on the Winter Soldier.
Trying to piece this information together with what he knows about Bella, Scott frowns, “But I thought the Captain was a successful experiment, the only one ever made by the serum?” Why would they need to help him if he is stable?
Having looked over the information, as well as what Banner had been telling her beforehand, Hope explains, “But he would have been checked over by the doctor after the application, and any trouble would have been fixed. Instead, the good doctor was killed before any of the tests were even done, and on top of that, Captain Rogers was frozen for so many years, and we have no idea if that affected the serum. We never had a baseline from the one person who would be the best to know what that baseline needed to be.” She frowns, then explains, “For one thing, it seems to have deadened your nerves somewhat. We are not sure if that is good or bad.” She shrugs her shoulders as she shakes her head, trying to figure out why no one had asked until it was too late for what the good Doctor thought would be the baseline and see if Steve had them.
Remembering when he first came out of the capsule and how everything seemed too heightened, Steve answers, “Good. Definitely good.” He cannot imagine everything being more sensitive.
They chuckle, but Hank explains the pluses to Steve, “But at the same time, it could be bad. Maybe your heightened senses may tell you something that you needed to know? We are aware your hearing and eyesight are improved, but your sense of touch should be as well.”
The long haired blonde vampire nods, “Touch and feeling help sometimes. It has often been the only thing that has saved my life by feeling the difference in the air moving to warn me of another attacking me.” His southern drawl explains as he watches them all, leaning against the wall next to his brother.
Steve looks like he is thinking about what they are saying then slowly nods. “I can see what you are saying. I don’t know how much it would help with the suits I wear.”
The Beast rumbles from his place standing behind them all, “Then there is how he made the serum not change you: For you not to suffer like Bella is.” He shakes his head as he looks over the lab work they have on the two, shocked by the similarities between not only Steve and Bella, which makes sense in a roundabout way with them being related, but also the Winter Soldier.
Standing with his arms crossed, Loki comments, “Which is where I come in.” He has his own reasons for being here beyond what he is willing to admit, but he wants to make sure Bella, especially, does not suffer and at the same time he remembers his own torture at the hands of Thanos: He’s hoping to help the friend of Captain Rogers.
Turning to him, Steve demands, “And why are you willing to help?”
His green eyes piercing Steve suddenly, Loki explains the part he is willing to admit to, “Because without her and her warrior, we will not survive what is to come. Nothing will. I think you would agree my survival is enough to guarantee my participation. There is no need to be King of nothing.” He gives the answer that he knows the Man out of Time will accept.
“And your attack on Earth? Did you know she was there? She could have died!” Steve asks in a hard voice. It is one of the things he will not forgive Loki about that whole escape, that Bella had been so close to dying in that mess.
Losing all color in his face, Loki answers, “No, I did not. And that wasn’t completely under my control. I was as much controlled as Barton and Selvig were. I can be held accountable for what I have done afterward, and only one person on this planet has that right.” And she will be who he needs to talk with after he is sure that everything is ready for that discussion.
Shaking his black mane, Loki explains what he can to Rogers. “No, I wouldn’t harm the Shield no matter what. I have been looking for her longer than any other. Only the Enchantress holds more appeal for me, and in a different way. I only want to protect the Shield until her warrior is ready to take over.” He dryly comments, “Unfortunately, the Allfather and Thor were sufficient distractions for me to know that both of these ladies are here now.” His eyes narrow as he remembers when he found out that it may not have been accidental that his attention was elsewhere.
Catching onto the capitalization of the name, Scott asks, “Enchantress?” Maybe this man will give him some information.
Loki shakes his head, “One Lady at a time, Ant. We need to concentrate on Miss Swan first. Her skills will be required soon if what I remember from my fall is true.” He cannot help the slight smile as he talks with the man. He has kept Loki amused many a time with his conversations with his friends.
Clearing his throat to bring attention back to him, Banner tells them, “Loki is right. Without him, the serum wouldn’t work to the full effect that we will be needing from what the vampires and Loki are telling us. And per our agreements with them, only three people will receive the benefit of our research. Steve, Bella and Bucky.”
From where he has been standing off to the side, T’Challa asks, “And the knowledge afterward?” He is only worried that it might be used for others. He cannot see any good coming from this because of all the failed attempts to remake the serum.
Quickly answering him, Hank Pym answers, “Destroyed. Only the people in this room have any knowledge of it. And it is only because it is dangerous to those three that we are doing this.” He will never allow this formula to get out. He, too, is aware of how many have tried to replicate it.
Wanting to make his objectives clear, Loki interjects. “That is what you humans want. I want the Shield and her Warrior to be ready for what is coming.” Not sharing that he cares about the Soldier is another way to make them believe that he is dismissive of their attempts. He doesn’t need anyone realizing how well he knows the people in this room.
When they all look at him, Loki starts to pace back and forth in front of them. “Do you think it is just coincidence that all this is happening now? Think about it. We have always had the beings for this. Earth, and its guardians. But for this all to happen now? Much has guided us all to this time and place.”
Looking up to them, Loki clarifies his words. “Thanos is on the move for the first time. The Dark Elves have returned. Other events, far from your knowledge, are happening. Earth is the center of all that is going on. And it also happens to be the birthplace of the Shield and her Warrior?” Shaking his head, Loki advises them, “Beyond my petty squabbles with Thor and everything else, the universe is gearing up for a showdown which is unprecedented since the Celestial Beings had their war.” And that personally scares him since he knows how many worlds were destroyed by those beings.
He stops and pierces them all with his green eyes, “It is why I want to be King, to help protect my people and others from what is to come. It is why the Shield has held my allegiance since my 100th year when I found information on her which I hid from all others.” Loki hides his real reasons. He never wanted to be King, had hoped to help guide Thor in all that needed to be done. Instead, he has had to stretch himself thinner than is good for everyone, having to do both the job that Thor was supposed to do, as well as his own.
The beings in the room are quiet, watching and listening to the God of Magic.
Lifting his head, Loki continues to make known to them all, “And her connections? Think about it. She is the self-professed sibling of the Soldier. A man not able to be surpassed in his ability to lead others. She will have the Warrior, one that will actually be able to beat my own brother in his own strength. One that is taught in the crucible of pain. She has the loyalty of the God of Magic, and later, you will find that the Enchantress will also give her loyalty to her. Her Uncle is the man who invented the suit for the Ant-Man before you, the one who can rival Stark with his suit and mind. As well as the loyalty of the mutants as they help. She even has the loyalty of the vampires in this room. As well as the Black Widow and Barton. And there are so many more you will find that have ties to her.” Loki shrugs as he tells them what should be crystal clear. It is up to them to take what he is admitting to them of the plans he has been making as well as information that can only help the Shield.
“No, the information in this room wouldn’t matter if it leaked. It would need someone like me, or the Enchantress to help make the serum that we are gathered to make work. And neither of us would agree to this again. And I wouldn’t agree if it hadn’t been for the Shield.” Loki stares at the others. “Now I think we have given the Shield enough time to work her powers on her Warrior. We need to get the serum made soon so that the three of them will be able to work on what is to come.”
With the words that Loki uttered, Hope jumps to the screen and brings up the room that she had glimpsed Bella in earlier. With a curse, the blonde vampire left the room to retrieve Bella from where she has fallen in front of Bucky’s capsule.
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