Pre Edit Count – 1,519 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Castle of Glass by Linkin Park

Previously:

He has a destiny to keep everyone on. Moreover, it is his job to keep it going the way he sees it coming out in the best interest of all. There is a lot of changes that need to come, and new people to lead the world towards the future.

More than that, it is pure fun. By the time he is done, so much will be righted, and the world should happily spin on for a couple thousand years while he plays.   It will be nice to have new toys!

Now:

For the next few months, it was actually quiet for the most part.  As the leaves turned colors and fell, there was not much of note going on.  Mostly just the same old thing.  Everything is waiting…

On his end, Cole keeps up with his goal of getting his world under his control, making sure that everyone knows he is the one in charge, but never saying who he is.  He wants things to be ready when he goes to meet with Bella, to be with her and woo her.  He is not making the same mistakes he did with Phoebe.

The fact that he is still alive and is the Source is what he wishes to be kept from the troublemakers who would attack just to cause as much chaos as possible, and it is one of the reasons he keeps it from Bella.  He wants her to have as normal a time to finish school as she can have, even with being marked by him.

He especially wishes to keep those nosy Elders occupied.  He has no doubt that Bella is on their list to try to keep ‘safe’. Even though she is safer, better than she was before he came into her life, they don’t care.  It only matters that the Source be killed, and never have a chance at love.

He had his thoughts about what they would do with the information about him being there.  With everything he has seen of her life before they encountered each other, the Elders certainly hadn’t cared before he arrived where he is.  Now, it will be imperative that she is kept from him now that he is the one who is actually keeping her safe: They will send someone who doesn’t know any better to save her, and they will both suffer for the Elder’s nosiness.

It won’t matter that without him, she would die.  No, they will stick their nosy asses in, and by doing so, will lead her to her death…

Not on his watch.

Bella is walking out of the library with her reference materials, her mind busy on the assignment she has been handed by Cole when she bumps into a wall.  At least that is what it felt like to her.

She lands on her butt, and winces at the pain.  Too many times has she fallen on ice, but lately, her coordination has been better and she has not fallen until now.  However, it is only the beginning of the icy season for Washington.

The man’s eyes widen and he immediately offers her a hand up, explaining, “Sorry, I never saw you, I had other things on my mind.”

His accent is British, and she looks up at his eyes, and blinks.  “It’s ok.” His eyes are amazing, but his whole demeanor is very polite.

As she stands up and brushes herself off, she looks over the man in front of her. He has dark curly hair that is more unruly than Edward’s hair had been.  His sleek body makes her blink again, then ask, “If I may, who are you?!  This is a small town and I haven’t seen you before.” She turns her head to the side, curious.

He rubs the back of his neck and answers her, “I am moving into the house off Sherriff’s Hideaway.” He looks at her sheepishly.

She chuckles.  “You got in the Robin Hood development?” That may not be the actual name, but the entire area was named after Robin Hood places and characters.  But it was hard to find homes in area.

He shrugs, not worried what she or Cole in her stead would find out. It was legitimate.  If nothing else, the Elders learn their lessons somewhat. “Not much I could do about that one.  I didn’t even know that it was a whole area.”

She holds out her hand, “Isabella Swan, but everyone calls me Bella.” She is more likely to give him a chance.  She gave Cole one, and look how well that had turned out.

He smiles at her.  “Gregory Scirloc,” and works very hard not to smirk.  His name gives everything away on who he is, but unless she is well read, there would be no idea.

She chuckles, “Your parents didn’t have a chance did they?”

He just chuckles, and wonders if she really gets his name. Then again, he always had liked playing with fire.

The two talk, then Bella excuses herself, telling him, “Landing on ice is never good for your clothing.  No matter how fast you get up.  If you will excuse me?” She is getting chilled, and Cole is waiting for the results of her study today.  She has some unique ideas on how to solve his dilemma which he had presented her with Monday.

He smiles at her and gives a short bow, holding her hand, “Of course, milady.  Maybe we can meet some other time?  Hopefully without the fall that necessitated you leaving to correct any issues?” His eyes look up to her, and she laughs.

With a curtsey back to him, after she retrieves her hand, she replies, “I would be happy to, kind sir!  Mayhap we should meet at the coffee shop tomorrow about this time?”  She couldn’t help it, his courtly words brought her mind back to the books she had enjoyed for such a long time.

They both laugh and go their own ways.

Cole on the other hand is not aware of the meeting, but is getting irritated with the pack and their inability to stop the redhead from being a threat to the one who is his.

He has demanded that his team keep multiple watches, and has threatened everything they hold dear if the red head hurts his Bella.  However, his minions had been ordered to only stop the redhead if she was about to harm his Bella.  He wants the mutts to realize that they need his help, and they are not everything they think they are.

He wants to teach them a lesson. However, even he had not expected them to fail this badly!

So, here he is, looking at map of Forks and the surrounding area with his demon in charge of Bella’s safety. He is leaning on his knuckles as he looks over the map. Seeing the incompetence of the pack makes him growl as he straightens up.

“She seems to be working a pattern.  What pattern I have no idea, but there seems to be a pattern.  If we can predict it, then there might be a chance that we can get her.  I will say Sir, that she is a slippery little bugger.” The dark headed minion has long given up a chance to survive this alive.  He is doing his best, but he would not be surprised to be killed at any time.  His charge is not the easiest to keep safe.  He counts it a major miracle that he has survived longer than his predecessors.

Turning back to the map, Cole has his arms crossed as he is looking at the trails, seeing the same as his minion, but also unable to make sense of it to use to predict them. “How are the mongrels dealing with it?” His eyes are darkening, his Demon is making itself known that something like this may have a chance to threaten his Bella.

Lance runs his hands through his hair and sighs, “They suck.   But then, they are only children.  There is no way for them to know how to deal with this.  They are trying, and they manage to turn her away, often by chance.”

With a disgusted look, Cole moves to his desk and sits, his mind busy.  “They only need to ask for help and they will be gifted with it.  It is their stubbornness to see beyond their borders which is causing the issues.  Once they cross the borders, they seem to not try as hard.  This shortsightedness is going to blow up in their faces.”

Sitting across from his boss, Lance looks down in the book that appears in his hands. “The idiots on our side who are tracking her lose her when she gets into Seattle.  The reports we are getting from there are telling us she is forming something.  There are more deaths with bloodless bodies than normal.  The warlocks and such in the city have already applied for protection.”

Rubbing his hands over his face, Cole then tries to bring his focus to this impossible situation. He places his elbows on the desk and steeples his fingers in front of his face as he runs through his options.

Looking up at his boss, Lance quietly advises him, “She is safe, for now.  There needs to be a decision made though.” He watches him, remembering how he came to this place, all for the love of a woman who he loved more than his own soul.  He sold it to protect her. And Balthazar kept his bargain, letting her die peacefully in her old age surrounded by loved ones.

It is why, while he suspects he won’t survive, he will try his hardest to keep Cole’s woman safe.

With his hands still in the same positon, Cole finally nods once, “The next time she comes through call me.  It is time to end this.” He has trusted his most loyal minion to her safety, knowing he would do everything to keep her safe.  He also knows Lance thinks he will die, but Cole is more than prepared to give him a few chances. 

Turning his attention back to the map, he decides that is beyond time to handle this situation.  His Bella has more important things to learn before he comes to her again.  This is now a footnote in their lives to come.

Final count: 2,524

Fairfarren~