Disclaimer:  Down own any of it.  My world, their characters.  Capiche?

Pre-Edit Count: 2,050 Words

Song: Robot Boy by Linkin Park

Previously:

Bella goes to run to her truck, wanting the little protection it can afford her. When she passes an alley, she is just gone. The sound of the book she had purchased hitting the ground with a thud is the only sign she was ever there.

Now:

Bella is gritting her teeth at the snarling redhead in front of her. She is enraged because no matter what, per the rules, she should not be after her. Bella didn’t touch James; he touched her. He bit her. He broke her leg.

Edward fought him, yes, but he did not kill him. In fact, Edward was losing the battle until Jasper came in. He is the one that killed James. Well, the last bit was Alice who took his head as Emmett and Jasper held him, throwing his head into the fire. But still, it was Jasper who had the vampire beaten.

So nowhere is there any reason that Bella should be the one hunted… Except that Victoria is a coward and is attacking the weakest of the ones that had been around James at the time of his death.

Victoria sneers at her when she sees her expression, “What? You don’t like my methods?”

Bella raises an eyebrow and tells her clearly, “No. You are a coward. You are coming after the only human. I did nothing but suffer and bleed. Yet you decided to come after the one person you are sure to win against.”

Victoria slams her hands on either side of Bella’s head on the brick wall she has her backed against, the dust from the brick crumbling around Bella’s head. “My mate died! So you are going to make him suffer! Mate for a mate!!” she screams at her.

Bella eyes darken as her anger rises up. She was tired of being the weak one. “My so-called fucking mate did nothing! He tried to fight your mate and lost. His brothers had to come in and save him. They each held an arm as Alice twisted his head off, throwing it in the flames. So how the hell am I going to make my mate suffer for killing your mate when he wasn’t the one who did so?!”

Victoria’s black eyes look down at her coldly. “It doesn’t matter. They protected you when they should have offered your bleeding body to him! It is our right to play with humans!”

Bella scoffs at the statement. “Mates are to be protected. If a mate is killed in defense of another mate, there is none to blame. But if the mate is not killed in defense of one’s own mate, then only the ones responsible for the killing can be held accountable. Your own fucking LAWS!!!”

Victoria stares at her and then she laughs, the bell like sound vibrating down the alley. “Oh how rich. A human is telling me the rules of our race.” Then she leans closer and asks with menace dripping from her voice as her venom drips off her teeth, “But, since you are so learned about our laws, you can tell me the first law of our world.”

Bella stands there, defiant. “Keep the secret.”

Victoria has an evil look to her face as she tells her, “And you know the secret. I will be following the laws if I kill you, so either way – I win.”

With that, she takes deep delight in kicking Bella in the same leg that James broke and watches her fall to the ground. While she is not hearing the screams she wishes for, she consoles herself that she will get those later as she continues.

Bella stares up at her, refusing to give in to the sick waves of pain rolling over her. She will not give in; she will not make a sound. She is not giving an ounce of pleasure to this sick woman in front of her.

Victoria laughs and then crouches, inches separating their faces. “This is going to be fun,” she says as her hand caresses the throat of her prey, using just the right amount of pressure to break the clavicle, enjoying the wince that causes, the only reaction she has gotten.

But for when the screams start…

“Not quite.”

A male voice echoes down the alley as a tall brunette man comes into view wearing a flannel shirt over jeans. He is standing there with his hands at his side, looking at the redhead. “I had this feeling that I needed to be here. So powerful, in fact, it ripped me from enjoying myself with my mate. So I think I will be taking it out on you.”

Bella looks at him and when her face pales even further, Peter nods. His knower told him to be here. He looks down the alley way to his mate and says, “Seems we have an unruly vampire and a human knowing of us, Char. This looks like it’s a case for the Kings, yes?”

With that, Victoria’s look grew dark and she evaluated her chances of taking the two. But the alley is dark and she couldn’t tell much about them. However, before she could do anything, she is grabbed and when she turns her head to hiss and fight, she sees a blond shaking her head.

She is dragged from Bella and realizing what is happening, she kicks out towards Bella. Managing to only graze her side was still enough for all the vampires to hear the song of bones breaking.

Peter is by her side in seconds and he grabs the redhead. “I have a feelin’ you just are makin’ the worst mistake in yer life.” His eyes are black in anger and his accent slips out. He does not hold with what is happening and he looks at Char. She nods to him and he bends down to Bella.

He takes in her features and likes the way that even with as much pain as she is in, she never utters a sound. He crouches in front of her and softly moved her hair out of her face. “You know what we are.” It was a simple statement.

Bella goes to nods, then winces from the pain and barely gets out the word, “Yes,” from the roiling pain in her body.

Peter nods, taking in the damage she has taken. He tells her, “I need to pick you up and take you to our room. Then we will need to know what is going on. Either way, we are going to Italy.”

Closing her eyes, she tells him, haltingly, “I need t-t-o leave a not-t-e for Ch-ch-ar-lie.”

He looks down at her and he asks, “Can you write the note? Tell me where you live and I will make sure he gets it. I don’t want to move you too often. In fact…”

His Mate’s voice comes down the alley, “On it, Peter. You go ahead and take her to the plane. I will take a long route with our guest.” She shakes the redhead who is still trying to get away.

Bella swallows. “Sh-sh-she has t-t-tal-ent-t-t.”

Char chuckles. “It’s okay, sweetie. I have my own talent. You go with Peter and let me know if he tries anything. I’ll take care of it when I get there.” She gives the brunette a smile, then she is gone.

Peter sighs and rubs his eyebrow in a manner that is vaguely familiar to her. But before she can trace down the trait, he tells her bluntly, “This is going to hurt. No and’s, if’s or but’s about it. Brace yourself.”

When she nods, he moves as smoothly as he can and has her in his arms. Seeing her grit her teeth, he tells her softly, “I know, sweetheart. Just bear with me.” With that, he takes off for their plane.

The alley way that almost saw death was saved for another evening.

Peter deposits her carefully on the couch in the main cabin and is soon back by her side with some paper.

Bella swallows, lying with her head against the cushions, trying to keep conscious. When she has control over the pain, she holds out her hands.

Handing her the items along with the clipboard he’d grabbed for her to write on, she writes a note. Then, on the second sheet she writers her address and where to leave the note. She looks him in the eyes and writes, ‘Be careful. Others there that hunt red-eyes. Guard home. If you cannot leave note, fine.’

He grins as he reads it. “I expect it be that wet dog smell we caught when we passed through? It’ll be fine. Now, I am going to drop this off for you. I would say 15-20 minutes and I will be back. If you can sleep, go ahead.”

She rolls her eyes at him and he chuckles. “If nothing else, I will ask for you to be changed as a Whitlock. You deserve it as the little warrior you have shown yourself to be tonight.” And with that he is gone.

Bella couldn’t fight off the lethargy setting in and drifts away trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

The sound of voices waken her again and she can feel the vibration of the plane under her. When she opens her eyes, she sees Peter and Char sitting there and when her eyes search for Victoria, Char tells her, “I have her in many different pieces. This ain’t our first rodeo.”

Bella chuckles.

Peter grabs some pillows and asks, “Can you sit up and if you still can’t talk, maybe write up what happened? We are in the air and it will be a long time.”

She nods and he helps her carefully sit up. Char is there and tells Peter, “Leave.” He nods and heads to the pilot area.

She looks at Bella. “I need to check you out first. Can you sit there for me and just let me know where it hurts.”

Bella watches her and soon after a brief, but thorough examination, Char has her phone out. “Alec, this is Char. We are coming in with a Rogue and a Human. The Rogue had given the Human a thorough beating but no skin broken. I will need a stable transfer to the castle and a way for us to bring her in. Plus some pain killers will be helpful.” She listens and smiles, saying, “Peter has already claimed her so she will be one of us, but we want the Kings to hear her.” She nods, “That will be perfect.”

Peter walks in and glancing at his mate, asks, “Well?”

Char smiles at the woman in front of her, answering, “Eight ribs broken on her right side. Her clavicle is broken as well as her thighbone. There is some internal damage but the bones are our problem. She needs to not be jarred. I set the leg as best as I can. There is nothing we can do for the other bones.”

Peter winces with remembered pain from the injuries he had as a human. “Well, sweetheart, as soon as the Kings are done with you, we can change you.”

Bella nods, knowing she had no more time. To give her family, friends and hell, her town, the freedom from Victoria, it will be worth it. To find out she will be changed; well, she had a new appreciation for life. Who knows what can happen? Surely there were the vampire equivalent of hook-ups right?

Peter sighs, “The story, sweetheart. Can you give it to us, so we can try to help?”

She sighs, then slowly begins to tell them her tale. Both Peter and Charlotte looked at each other when she mentioned the Cullens. Then later, when she tells of why Victoria is hunting her, they are amazed when she got away from the Pixie and Jasper. Then they both growl at why she is alone.

By the time she finished, given all the stops and starts from the pain she is in, they were over the Atlantic. Bella closed her eyes, and the two looked at each other.

Char tells her, “Sweetheart, get some rest. When we get there, it will be better for you.”

Not able to stop the blackness overtaking her, Bella finally gave out a pained sigh and succumbed to the darkness with those words following her into the black.

Final count,  2,082 words.

Fairfarren~