Catharsis
By Mama4Dukes
Chapter 03:
On Friday afternoon, Bella got into her truck to go home. She turned the key, but the engine wouldn’t start.
“Damn it!” she cursed as she opened the hood of the truck to check out the engine. Of course, she didn’t know a single thing about engines so she had no idea what she was looking for.
“May I help you?” a velvety voice asked from the side.
“Oh, hey, Sam. My truck won’t start.”
“I can try and jump start it for you.”
“Sure, that might work.”
Sam pulled his truck up next to Bella’s rust bucket, hooked up the jumper cables, and attempted to start the car. It didn’t work. After two more unsuccessful attempts, he unhooked the cables, and put them back in his truck.
“Since I don’t know anything else about cars, other than changing a flat, the only other thing I can do is offer you a ride home.”
“Sounds good to me.” Bella grabbed her things and hopped into Sam’s truck. “Thanks.”
“Anytime. If you need a ride to and from school on Monday, just call me. It’s no problem for me to stop at your house. I’m coming from La Push anyway.” He smiled at her, and she returned it with one of her own.
Gee whiz! She was so beautiful, and she was his imprint. Of course, she had no idea that she was his imprint. Breaking the news to her was a matter that he had to solve. He hadn’t told anyone yet of his new status as mated wolf. Billy had given him a break from his wolf duties while he was back in school so he didn’t have to phase. He was still the alpha, but unless it was a matter of great importance, the elders and the rest of the pack were handling things.
As Sam was turning into the Swan’s driveway, a voice on the radio announced, “I have two tickets to tonight’s Keith Urban concert in Tulalip to give away to the first caller to answer this question. What is the name of the rainforest located on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula? If you know the answer, and you’re eighteen or older, call 360-555-5555! Go!”
Sam and Bella both reached for their cell phones and started dialing the number. It was Sam who got through and shouted into the phone, “The Hoh Rainforest!”
“You’ve got it. What’s your name and where are you from?” the DJ asked.
“I’m Sam Uley from La Push, Washington.”
“Can you stop by at the station in Sequim before five pm?”
“I’m leaving right now. What’s your address?”
The DJ rattled off the address, and then said, “What’s the best country music station on the Olympic Peninsula?”
“Uh, WOCS-the Olympic Country Station.”
Bella opened the passenger door to get out after Sam hung up the phone. “Well, let me know how the concert goes. I’m really happy for you.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?” Sam asked.
“You want to take me to a concert?”
“Hell, yes! You were with me when I won it. Of course you’re coming with me.”
“Cool! Uh, let me just drop my backpack off and leave a note for my dad.”
“Okay, hurry.”
Bella ran into the house and quickly jotted a note for her father. She used the bathroom, ran to her room, threw on her cowboy boots, and grabbed some cash before rushing back outside. She hopped into the passenger seat.
“Are you ready?”
“I sure am. Let’s go!” After Sam started driving on the 101, she turned to him and said, “Thanks again for inviting me to the concert. Where is this Tulip place anyway?”
“Tulalip is north of Everett.”
“Oh, cool.” She had no idea where Everett was, but she figured he knew so it didn’t matter. “So, we should get to know each other a little. What made you decide to come back to school?”
“I was in a really bad place a couple of years ago. Something happened that changed my life forever, and-well-things were just really rotten for me.”
“Wow. It was so terrible that you had to quit school?”
“It was. It was pretty horrific.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m glad you’re back, though. It’s really nice having you as a friend.”
“Ditto. This week has been really good for me.” He paused a bit. “So my mom is your counselor?”
“Yeah, she is. Last Friday, she came to the high school to give a lecture about teen dating violence and domestic abuse to the school. I had a very public realization that my ex-boyfriend abused me emotionally and verbally.”
Sam had to control his anger after hearing that. He didn’t want to phase too close to her and hurt her. He settled on counting backwards from ten to keep himself calm.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he replied.
“It’s okay. When I figured out how abusive he was after going through your mom’s checklist, my moment of catharsis was so profound that I announced it to the whole school. So now everybody knows. It’s kind of nice to know that you’ve aired out your problems in public, and no one thinks any different of you. And I have a really supportive group of friends.”
Oddly enough, the only person who splintered from the group was Jessica Stanley. She didn’t want to be near someone with issues. This was perfectly fine because Sam was now part of the group, and he was super nice. Actually, he was hot and nice, but she kept that to herself. For God’s sake, she had just gotten out of a relationship with Edward, she wasn’t ready for a new boyfriend. She refused to be like her mother.
They arrived at the radio station in Sequim to pick up the concert tickets, and were given some additional swag including t-shirts and water bottles. After that, they hopped back in Sam’s truck and headed to Tulalip. Bella insisted on paying for a tank of gas when Sam stopped at a service station. She wasn’t at all like Leah who expected him to treat her to everything.
As they parked the truck at the venue, Bella received a phone call from Charlie.
“ I can’t make out your chicken scratch. What’s going on? And where the hell am I supposed to find tulips at this time of year?”
“Hey, Daddy. I’m with Sam Uley. He won tickets to a Keith Urban concert. It’s tonight. We just picked up the tickets from the radio station and we just got to the amphitheater.”
“ Where is this concert?”
“In Tulips.”
“ There is no place in Washington called Tulips unless you’re talking about Humptulips.”
“Oh, yeah, I think that’s it.”
“ I can tell you for a fact that there are no concert venues in Humptulips. There’s barely anything there.”
“Well, I don’t know where we are. All I know is that Tulips is part of the name.”
“ Ask Sam, then? I need to know where you are so I know exactly when to expect you home.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “Sam, my dad wants to know where we are. Can you just tell him?” She handed her phone to him.
He shrugged his shoulders and took the phone. “Hello, Chief Swan. This is Sam Uley.”
“ Hello, Sam. I understand you’re going to a concert with my daughter.”
“Yes, sir. It’s a Keith Urban concert in Tulalip.”
“ Tulalip? That’s four hours away!”
“I know. We just drove here. I didn’t realize how far it would be.”
“ Alright, just drive home safely. What time does this concert start?”
Sam pulled out a ticket. “Eight o’clock-about an hour and a half from now.”
“ Jesus, and that’s probably just the first act! You kids aren’t going to get home until three in the morning! I’m going to set up the sleeper sofa downstairs for you. I’ll call your mom. I don’t want you driving home alone at that hour even if it’s just to La Push.”
“But, sir. I’m nineteen years old.”
“ Yeah, and you’re still a kid in my eyes. Once you get back to my place, you’re staying on the sleeper sofa and that’s final. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Charlie Swan sighed as he got off of the phone. It was going to be a long night of waiting and worrying until Bella got home safely. He decided to call Alison Uley for permission to set up Sam on his sofa for the night. He dialed her number, but there was no answer so he left a voicemail, and decided to make some dinner for himself.
About an hour later, Charlie received an urgent radio call just as he was about to sit down and eat. He didn’t bother changing into his uniform, he just grabbed his gun and badge, and made his way to the Lindner apartment in Forks. He had to swallow a gasp when he saw the sight in front of him. Lorena Lindner was lying in a puddle of blood, her lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. Her husband Larry was slumped over on the dining table with a gunshot wound to his head-also dead. But what broke his heart was the fact that the couple’s three children were obediently sitting on the sofa. The oldest, who looked to be about ten years old, holding the younger two in his arms. None of the kids were crying. It was as if they accepted it as fact.
Charlie turned to Sergeant Ahiga. “Help the kids pack their clothes and school supplies. Bring them to Joel and Teresa Lindner’s house. They’ll want to care for their grandchildren. The grandparents are all those kids have left, and they’re good people. Lorena’s parents passed last year in a car accident in Chewalah.”
Sergeant Ahiga nodded and followed orders.
A few minutes later, Alison Uley showed up at the home. “Oh!” she cried as she took in the scene. “Oh, no! I was afraid something like this might happen.” She turned to Charlie. “When is this crap going to stop? Tell me?”
Charlie shook his head. “I don’t know. I wish I knew why this kind of senseless violence happens in the world. If I could snap my fingers and put a stop to it, I would. We just have to keep working hard, Ali. It’s people like you and me who have to stop it to the best of our ability.”
Alison Uley put her head on Chief Swan’s shoulder and cried. She hated it when this happened. It was a senseless death. Lorena was a good and kind woman, who went to church, and loved her kids with everything she had in her. She had been trying to summon the courage to leave Larry because she was tired of his violent alcoholic rages. Clearly, that courage had come too late.
Two hours later, after Charlie wrapped everything up, he found himself sitting across from Alison at Sully’s chatting. He felt compelled to keep her calm because he knew that she’d had an upsetting night. Heck, who wouldn’t have an upsetting evening after witnessing the scene they did.
As he took the first bite of his burger, he asked Alison, “Did you get my voicemail?”
“No, I didn’t. I haven’t had a chance to check my phone.”
He nodded. “Our kids are at a Keith Urban concert in Tulalip. I told Sam that he was to stay the night on my sofa tonight because I didn’t want him driving home so late.”
“Tulalip? That’s four hours away! And where did they get the money to go to a Keith Urban concert? Do they even have the money to get home? They need money for gas, the ferry, and food. That’s eight hours round trip.”
Charlie slapped his forehead. He didn’t even think about that. He’d bet his last dollar that the two of them didn’t even consider the money factor.
“Bella said that they won the tickets from a radio station and they had just picked them up. Actually, what the hell was she doing in his truck even? Where is her truck?”
“And you call yourself a cop? I’ve known you my entire life Charlie Swan, I never thought you were this clueless.”
“Hey, I get clueless in front of a pretty gal like you.” He’d known Alison Uley his entire life. She had been in his grade at school and they’d always gotten along well.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Flirt.”
“Alright, what do you propose we do?”
“Well, we can either let them have their stint of independence and wait for them at my house or we can…” Alison stopped talking and cursed. “Those kids! Oh, that Samuel will be the death of me.”
“What? What is it?”
“The last ferry leaves Edmonds at 11:45. It takes at least a half hour from Tulalip to Edmonds. If they are at a concert, they won’t even be out of the parking lot until midnight at least.”
“Geez! Alright.” He let out a deep sight. “How about if we finish eating, and then take my truck to Tulalip? It looks like we’re going to have to stay overnight with the kids there. We can’t leave them stranded there. Where in Tulalip is the concert?”
Alison searched up the information, rolled her eyes, and threw her hands up in the air. She started laughing. “Oh, you’re going to love this.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s at the casino.”
“Great,” he said sarcastically, “There are drunks and gamblers at casinos.”
“I know.” She took a bite of her burger.
“Let’s finish up here and get to Tulalip. You can leave your car in my driveway. I have to grab my truck anyway.”
“Sounds good to me.”
The parents quickly finished their meals and headed to the car. Those two kids were in for an earful when they got hold of them.
Sam and Bella had walked around the parking lot and gone from tailgating party to tailgating party where they were able to mooch off of strangers and fill up on burgers and hotdogs before the concert. They were offered beer, too, but stuck with soda because, after all, they still had to drive home. Neither of them had driven so far away without a parent.
By the time the concert had started, they had each purchased concert t-shirts, and were hooting and hollering with the rest of the audience. They were singing along, more like yelling along, and just generally having a great time.
At one point, Sam threw Bella on his shoulders since she couldn’t see anything. He relished in the feeling of having her so close, making him wonder when and how he was going to tell her that she was his imprint.
“Sam, this is so much fun!” Bella linked arms with him and danced around with him. “Oh, I love this song!”
Sam was drunk with happiness. He hadn’t been this relaxed in two years when he was positive that his life had ended. He had turned into a wolf, dropped out of high school, and been responsible for protecting La Push from vampires. Billy surmised that he went through the change before everyone else since he had been attending Forks High School rather than the tribal school like everyone else. The reason why he attended Forks High School was because it was within walking distance to his mother’s job, and there were more opportunities for him. Sam had been a smart kid, a straight-A student with hopes of becoming valedictorian and going to college. The arrival of the Cullens had ruined it all for him. A year later, when his then girlfriend had phased into a wolf and imprinted on his half-brother Embry Call, he spiraled into a deep depression.
Fast forward to today, and things had changed dramatically. He was back in high school, and had a terrific imprint-even though she had no idea that he was his imprint. He had also made some new friends. The new friends, so far, seemed very genuine-not the type of friends who dropped him at the first sign of trouble. He knew that this was just the start of something better.
He turned to his side and smiled at Bella, who was bouncing up and down, and singing to the tunes along with everyone else.
“Are you having fun, Sam?”
“Yep, I sure am.”
“Good. You deserve to have fun!”
“We both do, Bella. We both do.”
The concert ended at about ten minutes to eleven. Their ears were ringing and they were still high from the excitement of attending such a big name event. They got to the truck and were surprised to see their parents standing by it.
“Hey, Mom, what are you doing here?” Sam asked.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Did it occur to either of you that the last ferry leaves Edmonds at 11:45?” Alison asked.
“Yep, we were just about to head out. It takes forty minutes to get there.”
“Samuel, the ferry leaves at 11:45. Look at the time now.”
He checked his cell phone. “It’s 11:15. How could it be 11:15? The concert ended before eleven.”
“If you take a look at the crowd still walking out of the concert, I think you’ll have your answer.”
They both turned to see the throngs of concert goers still departing, and then noticed the line of cars trying to exit the parking lot. It would take a miracle for them to make it out on time for the ferry.
“What are we supposed to do?” Bella asked.
“We’re going to have to get rooms for the night,” her father replied. “Sam, you’re with me, and Bella will be with Alison. We figured it would be easier that way. First, we have to move Sam’s truck to the hotel.”
“Are we staying here, Daddy?” she asked with wide eyes full of wonder. “This place is fancy!”
“Hell, no, we aren’t staying here, little girl. This isn’t a vacation. We’re staying at the Comfort Inn across the street.”
“Well, at least they all serve free breakfast.” Bella nodded her head. “Whenever we traveled with Phil’s baseball team, we had to stay at a Comfort Inn. I think their eggs are powdered, though.” She crinkled her nose in disgust. “The waffle machine is pretty nifty, though. Speaking of food, can we get something to eat? I’m really hungry.”
“Yeah, I’m hungry, too,” Sam agreed.
“We have to save you from having to spend the night in the truck, and feed you, too?”
“Of course, you’re our parents.”
Alison and Charlie started laughing.
“Alright kids, you’ve got a deal. I saw a whole bunch of restaurants down the road from the casino. We’ll get you something to eat. I’m kind of hungry myself,” Charlie said.
They hopped into Sam’s truck and searched for food. They ended up at a twenty-four hour diner, not far from the hotel. After they ordered their food, Alison asked, “Now, how did this whole concert thing come about?”
“Oh, my truck broke down and Sam tried to jump start it, but it wouldn’t start so he offered me a ride home. We got to the driveway, then the DJ at the country station announced that he had two tickets to tonight’s concert to the first caller to answer a trivia question correctly. Sam was the lucky caller who got through.”
“What was the question?”
“What is the name of the rainforest located on the Olympic Peninsula of our state?”
“You kids lucked out.”
“We sure did.” Sam nodded his head. “Anyway, we picked up the tickets and went to the concert-only we didn’t think that Tulalip was four hours away from Forks! All I knew was that it was north of Everett because that’s where the people at the radio station told me it was.”
“Well, that’s obvious. I just wish you had called to tell me what was going on. I first heard about it from Charlie.”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“Well, enough about that. I’m just glad we were able to get to you before you were stranded for the night. Even if you had made the ferry, I wouldn’t want you driving back home at this time of night. How was the concert?”
“Oh, it was so good. I never screamed so much in my life,” Bella said. “And we sang along to every song, too-even the ones we didn’t know!”
“I’m jealous that you got to see Keith Urban. I like his music.”
“I never dreamt that I’d be able to go. It was just so cool! One minute, Sam was dropping me off at home, and the next minute we were off to a concert! I’ve never had anything so spur-of-the-moment happen to me before.”
“Same here! I’ve never been this spontaneous before. It was a lot of fun.”
“I’m happy that you got to have fun, Sam. Truly, I am,” his mother told him. “You, as well, Bella. You both needed a bit of whimsy in your life.”
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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