Well, all was said and done. They had just graduated, and Camren had thrown a promising future in Quidditch away to travel around with Belle, hunting monsters. A part of her hadn’t wanted to let him do it--think of the comfort he was throwing away, not to mention the money.
But then, she’d never known comfort, and found she didn’t need it. Babs was getting cozy in her relationship with thee Devaux boy, and even as she promised to have Belle’s back, but Belle knew that one day her sister would retire into a lovely home with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids. Belle, on the other hand--all she desired was all she’d ever known: the open road.
And maybe Cam was just the same.
Anyway, how could she live without him, after the year they’d just gone through?
She popped the car door open and said, “Then what’re you waiting for? Get in the van, y’little shit. We’re going on an adventure.”
“ what are you talking about? this is not just a scratch ” CAMBELLE (sorrynotsorry)
Belle had herself bandaged up in record time; she was used to life on the road and having to patch yourself up as you go. She could understand Cam’s concern, though. She could only imagine how he felt, blaming myself.
“Listen, babe,” she said, slinging one arm around his shoulders while she clutched her bandaged side with the other one. “It wasn’t you that did this to me. Now, Camden has business in the next town over and I wrote him a letter last week. He said he could get me four months’ worth of Wolfsbane for a price, I think we should meet him.”
She didn’t know how the two got on as cousins, but she didn’t imagine Camren would be super stoked to go and see Belle’s drug kingpin ex boyfriend. He knew she had no feelings left for him, but still, it had to be weird.
But wouldn’t it be worth it, to ease the transformation?
“you can’t keep me safe from everything.” cambelle!
Belle turned around sharply, crossbow in hand with a hastily improvised safety keeping it from going off. “I never said we were safe. But this is my world we’re in,” she said. “Now, there is a thing in those woods out there that can tear us limb from limb, and I love you to pieces, but that’s why I need you to cover me and take the rear while I make the first confrontation.”
" – I can’t keep it down.” CAM TO BELLE (afterfirst-turn) muhahahaha
“Just get all the bad out,” said Belle, rubbing Cam’s back as he threw up into a bush. Their RV was parked about a half a mile up on the road, and there was nobody else around for counties--they were safe here. Well, from everything but themselves.
She’d been raised to revile werewolves, but nowadays, she knew better. She knew they were only human most days, and only opened fire if their malice was clearly premeditated in human form.
She brushed a hand through her husband’s hair and whipped a flask from her belt. “D’you want any whiskey?” she asked. “I usually travel with some, helps take the edge off.”
She didn’t ask if the blood he coughed up was human.
At first Belle wasn’t sure what to say. Of course she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this wonderful, sweet, funny guy, in a four-door sedan headed everywhere and nowhere. But it wasn’t that simple…
“You don’t have to pick up your life for me. Living on the road, it’s all I know. I was brought up in this world. Saving people ‘n’ hunting things. But you’ve got a life here. You’ve got Quidditch, a future…you can’t just forget all about it for me…”
Could he?
Her sister Babs planned on leaving the life to get a day job and play housewife to the charming and secretly pretty kinky son of the pizza shop owner. If Babs could turn her back on the road, surely Belle could too.
But she wasn’t sure she wanted to, and she knew it wasn’t fair to take Camren out of his own life so he could join her…but it was the dream of her life.
“Future?..With Quidditch?”
A small smile curled onto his lips as he released a small chuckle, shaking his head lightly. Maybe once upon a time that had been the plan. Get recruited from playing Quidditch, marry his school sweetheart, have a family. Life of luxury. That used to be the plan. Had it all planned out.
But it wasn’t his plan.
“Belle, that plan was over the moment Evangeline cursed my broom and caused the accident” he lifted his shoulders into a small shrug. “I had nothing better to do than to just think” he continued, “As much as I like Quidditch I can’t do it for a living. It was something my grandfather wanted more than I did honestly. Me? I just wanted to fly” He’d never forget the moment he realized that, just took losing his ability to do so in order to remember that.
“And if i can fly anywhere, why not on the road with you? “
Camren gasped for breath, his body felt like it was on fire. But it was his neck that was killing him the most. It was like someone was tearing his skin open to get him. Clenching his teeth he had to hold back a yell of pain. They had found him, bleeding out from his neck, the wolf had gotten to him. But the while the wound itself hurt it was nothing compared to what he was feeling. It felt like he was poisoned, and it was tearing him inside out.
"AGH" he cried out shutting his eyes tight like he was trying to hide from the pain but it seemed to make it worse. Hearing belle’s words he forced himself to breathe and stare up into her eyes but the pain was clear in them.
Was this it?
His hand held on to Belle's arm for dear life as they tried to treat him, her and her old partner. But while she tried to keep him there in his state of mind the other hesitated. Having the silver and dittany ready to seal the bite wound to stop the pain. But.
“Leave him. we seal it up and he turns anyway.” he heard him say but Cam was in no position to argue against him groaning feeling blood on his lips as he shut his eyes again, gritting his teeth so hard he was surprised they didn’t crack. “-it hurts..” he whimpered before he felt the wound practically pulse before he cried in pain.
"It hurt like hell the last time I lost you.” CAMBELLE (maybe after she catches him trying to do himself in)
The Last time…oh right. Hard to forget something like that when it happened to you. But this and that were two completely situations. No one was keeping him captive doing what they want with him. He didn’t need to use a potion to freign death to get out of it. No the silver gun that was in his hand, before Belle pried it out, was very much his own. It would have been a cleanshot through the heart and it would be done. Safer for her and their child. But even with them on the line he still couldn’t pull the trigger. And what’s worse, she saw him. He couldn’t bare to look up at her, he could feel his hands shake now upset that he didn’t just do it when he had the chance.
"And if I live I’m going to lose you" he felt his voice shake, he gulped taking a breath before trusting himself to speak again.
“i’m…going to kill you Belle. One of these days…I know I’m going to break loose and….I won’t be able to stop.."
The dread that came when he transformed. No matter how tight she locked him up it was still there. That dread the fear of breaking loose and not stopping until everyone was dead. He couldn’t bare it.
"I…I can’t let it happen Belle…I just can’t” he said as he eyed the gun in her hand. “I rather die as me..than let that thing kill you.”
The autumn night was cold, no one was around so no matter how much he struggled he knew that he couldn't get out of his bounds. It didn't matter, days without food and water made him too weak to do anything.
He shivered in the cold wind, even though the bag covered his head he could still feel it, his breathing was labored as he felt his eyes close, it was all he could do to ignore the pain, he hadn't eaten in days his mouth was dry and he could barely stay awake. He tried not to think about it....but he felt just like he did in that chair...small and weak.
Helpless....
Belle.....she was the only one he could think of. It wasn't like whimpering her name in his head would magically bring her here. He had tried to get her attention but like everyone he was invisible.
He could feel the cold breeze through the mask of the scarecrow he was forced to wear. the breeze was strong enough to where he felt it through his hair. His body became relaxed at the feeling, like Belle's hand combing through his hair.
He closed his eyes holding onto the memory before his mind gave in and he passed out.
His eyelids fluttered open to a bright light, he was blinded by it but he didn't have the mask on. He was warm, floating, he didn't know where he was, but he felt comfortable arms around him. He didn't need to look up the smell of smoke from her cigarettes gave her away. His entire body relaxed as he rested his head into her lap reveling in the feeling of her fingers carding through his hair. For a time he felt safe, happy....maybe everything that happened was just a bad dream...
but as soon as he closed his eyes nuzzling into her touch, he opened his eyes back into reality. He heard and felt the coldness of rain. He swallowed a scream, his fist clenching feeling the binds that was put on him dig into his skin...literally. As much as he wanted to scream in frustration wanting nothing more to be put back in that dream...he knew that if he did...he wouldn't be waking back up.
the cloth of the mask was wet against his skin...wet...there was water...leaning forward he took as much as he could into his mouth and sucked the water that it absorbed from the rain. His lips felt like they were going to fall off and the mask tasted terrible, but he knew that if he didn't do it he'd die. Even a few droplets were welcome and if it would keep him alive for a few more days he’d do it.
