Chapter Fifteen: IOU

Author’s Note 

-Page Break- 

Jeremy moved and placed the basket with their food in the trunk of the car along with a pair of blankets that would be used later. He placed a few treats for Rosko in as well before he closed the trunk of the car. He turned his head as he heard the chief exit his home, he smiled and waved to the older man who waved back before getting in his police cruiser. 

Jeremy watched the man leave and once he was out of sight he whistled and watched as Rosko appeared from the trees and came towards him. Jeremy bent down and pet his dark fur. “We are going to show B a good time.” He moved to the car opening the back door and letting Rosko lay down inside the car. Jeremy got into the driver’s side and moved the car to wait outside of Bella’s home. 

He watched as Bella appeared locking the door behind her and pushing up her sunglasses to cover her eyes. Jeremy had to admit he misses the moments when he can’t see her eyes and see her truly as she is. “Did your dad suspect that you had snuck out during the night?”

“My dad doesn’t suspect much.” Bella spoke softly as she got into the car, she frowned as she saw Rosko in the back seat. “What is he doing here? I let him out already.”

Jeremy grinned, “Well you see, we are ditching… again.”

Bella huffed and put on her seatbelt. “We can’t ditch every time I have a bad dream.”

“Ah, but we can, because we have good grades and Luther already said it was okay.” Jeremy responded with a grin. “This time we aren’t going very far, besides we’re going to do something that we both said we wanted to do.”

Bella turned looking towards Jeremy and nodding her head. “Okay.”

Jeremy reached over taking her hand in his before he drove off, they didn’t speak throughout the drive. When they reached the reservation Jeremy parked and turned to Bella, “We are going to spend a day at the beach.”

Bella smiled, “I don’t think Rosko has ever enjoyed a day on the beach.”

“Then this will be fun.” Jeremy replied moving to get out of the car. “I’ve got a leash for Rosko, just in case. Take him down to the beach, I’ll follow in a second.”

Bella nodded, she caught the leash Jeremy threw to her as well as a small bag with toys for the dog. “I see you’ve thought of everything.”

“Just you wait and see.” Jeremy responded with a wide smile. Jeremy carried the basket in one hand while he tucked the blankets he brought under the other. He approached the beach and saw Bella moving and throwing the ball around with Rosko. He moved quietly and set up one blanket on the floor and placed the other with the basket. He sat and watched Bella play with her pet. 

After close to an hour Bella finally turned to him. “My arm is tired.”

“You have been throwing that ball for a while now.” Jeremy gestured to the basket. “I brought breakfast, but by now it is rather cold.”

Bella laughed, she moved turning her hand into fire. “Lucky for us both, I have a solution for this.”

“Sit down.” Jeremy urged as he opened the basket. “I’m starving, Bumble B.”

Bella sat and held out her hand allowing Jeremy to hold out the wrapped packages above her hands until they were warm enough to eat. Bella shook her hand watching it return back to normal, she grabbed the extended package from Jeremy. “You made us breakfast sandwiches?”

“It is the only thing I know how to make.” Jeremy replied with a shrug. “It was this or cereal.”

Bella smiled, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jeremy’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“You know you can talk to me about how you’re feeling.” Jeremy mentioned softly. “I know this is hard.”

Bella paused, set down the other half of her sandwich on the blanket suddenly not hungry anymore. She moved pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head on her knees. “I’m scared.”

Jeremy moved placing his arm around her shoulders and letting her lean into him. “Me too, B.”

“I spent so long secretly wishing for a family, friends, someone to love.” Bella whispered as her eyes tracked Rosko running along the water. “I have what I always wanted most and now… it will all disappear.”

“It won’t be forever.” Jeremy replied his tone soft as he thought of the years of separation between them. “Just a few years.”

Bella laughed bitterly. “Just a few years.” Bella scoffed, “You’re going to think I’m dead and I will be to you. I’m going to lose everything and I’ll be so utterly alone.”

“It won’t be easy.” Jeremy spoke tightening his hold on Bella for just a moment. “But I think about when we will be together and I remember why it would be worth it to try.”

“Do you really think about that?” Bella questioned curiously turning to look at Jeremy. “About the future. Our future.”

“Course I do.” Jeremy replied with a smile as his mind shifted to the idea of their future. “I hope you travel while we’re apart and that you get to see the beautiful things in the world. I’ll go to school and finally decide on what it is I want to do. And then one day we’ll be together again, and we’ll live in a city and make sure that it’s somewhere where we can bring Rosko along.”

“We should live someplace warm, with lots of sun.” Bella commented softly. “That is what I miss the most about Phoenix, feeling the heat.”

Jeremy smiled, holding Bella just a little tighter. “So we will live somewhere sunny. Any other requests?”

“A home where I don’t have to worry about the neighbors complaining about the noise when I play.” Bella spoke softly, feeling the tension release in her shoulders. “I’d like a backyard too.”

Jeremy smiled, “I think I would want one of those homes that has those old timey trees with a tire swing, like the ones you see in the movies.”

Bella laughed at his words, “I’m starting to think you want to live on a farmhouse.”

“Oh no.” Jeremy replied with a shake of his head. “Nope. I have seen horror movies and nothing good comes from living in homes that are so isolated.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be one of those people that does a full background check on a house before buying it in case there were any murders.”

“Absolutely.” Jeremy responded with a grin. “I have to be utterly sure that we’ll be safe in our own home. We inevitably attract bad luck, so we must be careful.”

“Okay, so what else do you want?” Bella replied sincerely curious, moving so she could rest her head on Jeremy’s shoulder and wrap her arms around him. 

“Well, I think for our fairytale ending, I would very much like to be able to live alone, but still be close to our family and our friends.” Jeremy replied with a smile. “We should also definitely get another pet, preferably one not as terrifyingly scary looking as Rosko.”

Bella smiled up at Jeremy. “We could have a pack of wolves.” 

“I kind of want a cat.” Jeremy replied looking at Bella. “We can name him rabbit.”

They remained silent for some time, their minds drifting to thoughts of their future, the one they get to spend together. 

“I didn’t think she hated me enough to kill me.” Bella spoke quietly after several silent moments. She leaned into Jeremy’s side when she felt him stiffen slightly. “I always knew she didn’t love me like a mother, that was always clear to me, but…”

“Was she always so… evil?” Jeremy questioned curiously. 

“It got worse over the years. When I was younger it was more about showing me off to the other mothers, I was a prodigy from a young age and she always wanted to show that off.” Bella replied with a frown. “She used to make me practice for hours, I got out of school, went to cello practice, then ballet, and then when I got home, I practiced until night.”

“What about dinner and homework?” Jeremy responded with a frown. “When did you have time for those?”

“Mornings before school and I rarely had dinner, only what the school provided.” Bella responded with a shrug. “I had to fend for myself if I wanted a meal outside of what the school offered. During the summertime, I would come spend a month with Charlie and he always made sure I had food. The man learned how to cook for me, he wholeheartedly embraced my meatless diet for when I was here. The other part of the summer I spent cooking for myself.”

“Did she get worse when Luther came around?” Jeremy questioned wanting to know how it was for Bella. 

“She got meaner. She wouldn’t really speak to me unless she had to, and the only time she spoke to me was when she wanted to remind me that both my fathers hated me and neither wanted to deal with me on a full-time basis.” Bella sighed, she moved and stood up. She walked towards the ball and whistled for Rosko to turn to her. She jiggled the ball around before she threw it.

“I like my life here.” Bella spoke turning to Jeremy as she waited for Rosko to bring the ball back to her. “I feel loved here and for a while I felt truly normal. I went to school, had friends, had a boyfriend who would sneak in through my window, and now I’m reminded at every turn that things will never be this way again.”

“What do you need me to do?” Jeremy questioned standing and moving towards her. “What will make this easier?”

“I want everyone to stop acting so weird all the time.” Bella replied honestly, she turned fully towards Jeremy. “I want to hear about the schools you’ve been accepted into, I want to help you fill out scholarships and look at dorms and apartments. I want Alaric to tell those weird stories about his time in college. I want everyone to let me continue to pretend that I’ll have a normal life.”

“Won’t that hurt more?” Jeremy questioned confused. “To be reminded that you won’t have what you always worked for.”

“Of course, it will hurt.” Bella replied with a sad smile tears in her eyes. “But when I’m alone I want to think back to these moments and remember how great it used to be. I want to know that when your memory is wiped, when you forget that I’m really alive that you too will have good moments to look back on. I want to remember what it was like to be with people that I love and love me.” 

Jeremy nodded, his hand moving to cup her cheek. “Okay, Bumble B. I’ll make them memorable.”

Bella nodded leaning forward and pressing her forehead against Jeremy’s. “Thank you.” She closed her eyes once Jeremy’s lips met her own and kissed her slowly. This is what she wanted to remember the soft kisses and the whispered words; these were her moments.

-Page Break- 

Bella appeared in her father’s home; he was reading by a fire. Bella scoffed at the book. “No matter the research, there is nothing you can do.” Bella spoke, she grabbed the book from his hands. “Soulmate lore, Uncle Nik give you this? I think I’ve seen this before on one of his bookshelves.”

“I was hoping there might be another solution to this dilemma.” Luther responded watching as Bella sat down across from him. “Something on your mind, Maeva?”

“I had another vision.” Bella spoke as she looked through the book. 

“And this time, what was it about?” Luther questioned learning forward. “Did something change?”

“The plan works, I was even able to discern the exact date.” Bella replied with a sad smile. “I die six weeks before graduation, just a week before prom.”

“I am so sorry Maeva.” Luther responded as he finally saw the pain his daughter was going through. 

“And right after my apparent death, I saw the person who killed me.” Bella responded continuing, not being able to look her father in the eyes. “I saw red eyes and a familiar face.”

Luther closed his eyes finally discerning who exactly his daughter had seen. “Maeva… I have no words.” 

“It’s upsetting.” Bella replied with a frown as she avoided looking at her father, she wasn’t eager to see the look of pain and guilt on his face. “I thought you would like to know.”

“Maeva, you must know…” Luther began but was interrupted by Bella’s soft scoff. 

“That she loved me?” Bella shook her head. “Even you know how ridiculous that really sounds when my own mother has gone to great lengths for the chance to kill me. I know what love feels like and it isn’t this hate she feels for me.”

“I can go after her and stop her.” Luther spoke quickly. “This can be what is needed to change things.”

Bella shook her head. “The Volturi now know my identity, they know of my friends and my family, of Jeremy. Killing her now will just ensure we all die with her; this is how it has to be.”

“I’m sorry this is something you have to go through, Maeva.” Luther responded watching as his daughter still wouldn’t move to meet his eyes. 

Bella nodded, “I just…” Bella’s voice broke before she could finish speaking. She felt Luther sit beside her and wrap his arms around her. “I’m scared.”

“I’ll deal with your mother.” Luther promised. “She won’t be a problem after this, I can promise you that.”

“Not about her.” Bella replied quietly wiping at her eyes. “About having to be on my own and giving up everything. I’m scared because I love living here and having so many people around me and in a blink of an eye it will all be gone.”

“Maeva, I have learned through experience that surviving difficult situations will often lead to the best outcomes that make it all worth it.” Luther replied softly. “Every corpse has fought during their human years in order to get to where they are. My dear, you are in good company of people who have suffered. Your struggles may be different, but know that there is another side to this, there will be a time when you will be able to do as you wish without the fear that you or your loved ones are going to die.”

“I want it to be time already.” Bella commented quietly. “I want a future, I want it with Jeremy.”

-Page Break- 

Bella arrived home late into the night, she was sure Charlie was asleep and she knew Rosko must still be with Jeremy. She looked around her room and paused, she needed to remember these moments and these memories. She moved towards the desk knowing Charlie had gotten her a journal when she first moved in and she had tucked it away somewhere. She searched through the drawers and found it at the bottom tucked under other papers. 

Bella moved she opened the journal and opened to the first page. She wrote down the date and wrote about the details of the day, including everything her and Jeremy discussed in their future. She paused for a moment before ripping out a page and writing a short message on it. 

Bella took the note and jumped out of the window, she headed over to Jeremy’s room, she could see Jeremy already asleep on his bed with Rosko at his feet. She moved placing the note in his hands before she jumped back out the window. 

Jeremy blinked his eyes open, he turned his head as he felt the breeze from the window and frowned as he had left it close. He moved to get up but paused as he felt the crinkle of paper in his hands. Jeremy carefully opened the note and smiled as he read the contents. 

I.O.U. A fairytale ending with a big house, cute pets, and everything we’ve ever wanted.

Forever yours, 

Bumble B.

Jeremy smiled he folded the note gently and tucked it away where he knew it would be safe. Afterall, he would need it for when the time came, he planned to cash in on this note.