Title: Along the Desert Road
Pairing: Bella/OC
Rating: M
Genre: Hurt comfort/Romance
Word count: 2,457
Summary: She thought that she was done with all things supernatural, that is until a mysterious stranger comes along. Will she be able to trust him or will things happen on their long journey?
Warnings: Language, suggested themes, some violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own all things twilight, but I do own my original character!

Along the Desert Road

Bella POV

With an angry huff, I kick the rust bucket of a car. I've only had it for two weeks and now it decides to fuck up on me, and of course, it has to do it in the middle of bum fuck nowhere.
I have places to be, people to see. But no, this shitty ass car decided to kick the bucket, leaving me stranded. With a sigh, I lean against the car and slide down till I'm sitting on the cold earth. My hands run through my hair, almost tugging on it.
My life had been turned completely upside down - my mother remarried and because I was getting in the way of her happiness, I shipped my ass to Forks, Washington. That was the start of this whole bizarre, fucked up domino effect. Forks is supposed to have rain 365 days a year, rarely any sunshine and is meant to be a boring as fuck town… But no, Forks is a place for all things supernatural: Vampires and Werewolves - yeah, you heard me. All it needs is a witch, a fairy and a leprechaun dancing the jig and it will be the butt of a bad joke.
So anyway, still here and I'm thinking about the past.
Though the one person who had created a major shift in both my inner self and my life, was Edward Cullen. I, like every teenager in cheesy vampire romance novels, fell in love with a vampire. A 17 year old, that is in reality 110, a vegetarian and a holier-than-thou brat who thirsted for my blood.
So we established my history with him? Yes, well he left me two days after my 18th birthday; he left me high and dry in the woods, with a blood-sucking cuntpire with flaming red hair gunning for my head.

Now this is where the werewolves come in, all fur and fluff. They stepped in and found me - a few helped me with my issues. I became like a sister to them, a lover with one. Yes, I finally gave in and dated Jake. But like Edward, he left me too.
No one explained the imprinting bullshit and all of them knew for weeks about the little slut called Julie; thus terminating all contact with those furry fuckers. But I still speak to two of them: Paul and Leah, believe it or not. The bitch and the player, but they are true, not fake like the others.
Anyways, I moved to a new town, got myself to a good place and then the cuntpire showed up. I ran to protect those who know me and now here I am.
"Bumfuck nowhere with a psycho gunning for me - great, just great." I utter to myself darkly, standing to get some feeling back into my legs.
With a sigh, I grab my duffel bag from the back seat and sling it over my shoulder. I look down both directions of the road to see if anyone is coming, as was usual with my luck, no one is there. Just miles and miles of dirt, dirt and more dirt - with an occasional tumble weed or cactus.
I cast the car one last sneer and start walking in the direction I was heading to, hoping a car will come along to pick me up. I know Charlie would be rolling around in his grave at my means of hitchhiking; he'd kick my skinny white ass to the high heavens.

But I think I would prefer that to being in the predicament I am in now. I wouldn't be alone, freezing in the deserted night, walking to nowhere. I wouldn't be alone in the world. I wouldn't have been hurt so much if he was here and he would have neutered Jake and the boys for what they did, with Leah and Paul on his side as he tore through the community, sending off buck shots in their asses.

But that is neither here nor there, and as I look at my watch, I notice I've been walking for over an hour, with no signs of life. With another huff, I drop my bag and sit on it, my elbow resting propped on my knees; the heels of my palms pressing into my tired eyes.

I should give up, but my last promise to my father was to live with all I've got. When danger draws close, tell it to 'fuck off' and keep moving. I will not break this promise, this last wish of my dying father. No, I cannot, will not.

I sit for no more than five minutes, when lights in the distance catch my eye. Relief and yet wariness floods me as I watch it grow closer, the bright lights dimming ever so slightly to let me see a small, sleek, black car. There is nothing flashy about it, nor is it special in any way. It's tiny and old looking, yet looks so loved.

It slows and soon comes to a stop, the driver's door opening. Standing, I prepare to run, talk or defend myself; it all depends on the driver of the car. My spine tingles and I curse the Holy Gods above as the man comes into view. His skin is pale; an old coat, well-worn, drops to his ankles like a duster in those old movies mom loved so much. His hair is dark, maybe brown or black, or it could be any colour of the fucking rainbow, but will remain that way till I can see him in the light - if I live past this, of course.

But that's not what worries me. No, there in the darkness, peeking between gaps of his hair, are two vibrant red orbs staring back at me.

"Great, just great!" I huff out, throwing caution to the wind.

I drop my duffel once more, not realising I'd picked it up in anger. I glare up to the heavens with so much bitterness, that I see the vampire wince.

"Whatever the fuck did I do to you to warrant this shitty life? Did you just wake up one morning and make me with the idea of "hey, let's make her life a fucking hell"?" I scream, my hands flying up in the air as I pace.

I whirl around quickly, my finger pointing at the fucker who tried to move closer to me.

"Stay the fuck there, you sparkly mother fucker" I hiss out, "I will deal with you in a second"

To say he is shocked would be the fucking understatement of the Goddamn year.

"Fucking fate and all the bullshit that comes with it… got a vengeful vampire on my ass, the pack not willing to help, because I won't stay on their land and play ignorance to the little fucker and his imprint... Now I am here in the middle of fucking nowhere, muttering like an insane woman and there's a vampire not a mere 10 feet away." I utter darkly, before training my eyes back on the confused as fuck vampire in front of me.

"Speak" I utter to him, my voice crisp with anger.

"You okay?" he asks me, his Australian accent clear and thick.

"Am I... Am I okay?" I ask back, with a slight insane hitch in my voice, before bursting out into laughter. "I call you out on being a vampire and you ask if I am okay?" I gasp through the giggles, stressing certain words as I look at the strange vampire in front of me.

"Yeah, so are you okay?" He says with a shrug - such an odd thing to do.

"Okay isn't enough to explain... I have had my heart broken twice, my soul crushed when my father died, there's a vengeful vampire out for blood because of some fucking cock sucker with a 1 inch dick and no balls. Oh and don't forget I am standing in the middle of fucking nowhere, because my shit rust bucket of a car broke down; I want to go find the fucker who sold it to me and ring his neck. And then there is you - a strange vampire with red eyes asking if I am okay." My voice is slightly hysterical now.

"Well, what else am I supposed to say? 'Not every day some bloke pulls over, with this heavy life or death secret, to find some Sheila who not only knows said secret, but at the back of Bourke going a bit mad?'" he asks me, his voice a little teasing.

"Well, fuck you too" I huff at him, with a roll of my eyes.

"Well I was going to give ya a lift, but I can leave you here if ya want?" he asks, gesturing to his still running car.

I look warily at him for a moment; nothing seems off about the fucker. I can't feel that deep dread in the pit of my stomach, an early warning system I have gained to danger, to a vampire who wants to kill me. With a huff, I pick up my bag and stride to the passenger side door, getting in and slamming it behind me.

"Hey, be nice to my car. She's a beaut and I want to keep it that way." He states as he gets in, petting the dash lovingly, thus causing me to snort in amusement.

"You're such a guy" I utter under my breath, but I know he heard me. He rolls his eyes before placing the car into gear and taking off. He drives fucking normal for once, sticking to the speed limit, surprising the fuck outta me.

"So, how do you know about my kind?" he asks, his voice soft, his eyes on the road.

"I dated one of you - got royally fucked over by the fucker too" I utter darkly, ending the discussion.
He's a smart man for not asking me any more questions, opting to sit in a strangely comforting silence. I rest my head on the cool glass of the window, watching the white line in the middle of the road fly by.
"The name's Maximus..." he utters, his voice a little wary as he breaks the silence, and I can't help but crack a smile.

"Who the fuck names their kid Maximus? Were your parents high?" I taunt out in a laugh, causing a smirk to form on his lips. The first I've seen for an hour. But there is no humour in his eyes, they are hollow - flat. Actually, this is the first time I get a good look at him.

"I wouldn't know. I was raised by my surrogate aunt and uncle back in Australia. I was a farmer, a bushman. I can't remember what happened in my human life, their names, and the town I grew up in or even what I did.

I remember how I was changed though; I was coming home from a long haul of a cattle drive, when I saw the house was on fire. I pushed my horse as fast as it could go to get to my family, the ones who raised me. But I knew it was too late, the house looked as if it had been burning for quite some time, but I went in anyways." he tells me, a faraway look in his eyes.

It was in the middle of the night, on a cool summer's eve. I was screaming as I ran into the house, calling names, the very ones of the people who raised me. The fire burned my skin, almost blinding me as part of the roof collapsed, flaring the fire bright.

I coughed and wheezed, pulling the front of my soaked, dirt clad shirt to cover my mouth and nose. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find them. I somehow managed to escape, falling to my knees as I coughed and wheezed for fresh air, to release the smoke from my lungs.

"Ohh, we have a survivor." a voice cooed wickedly. Looking up, I saw a woman, her skin pale with a light sun kissed tan.

Her hair fell to her chest in wild black curls, her eyes glinting a very vibrant and spine chilling red.
"Change him, Rachel, he has potential" a male spoke, his voice more English than Australian. He was tall, thin and had salt and pepper hair. He looked down at me with a sneer, then he swiftly pivoted on one foot and took off into the darkness.

I heard a cold cackle that made me shiver, before the pain took over. I felt every blood cell in my body sizzle and burn. I could have sworn I was being roasted alive, being turned into a black shrivel of coal. All the while I heard her voice, telling me she was my mistress and that she enjoyed the taste of the elderly couple she had drained. She left no detail out; proud of what she did, causing pain to my aunt before killing my uncle.

When I felt my heart stutter, a silent scream in my lungs, my eyes flew open. Anger burned deep in my soul at the monster before me, smirking, her arms open in what seemed to be a comforting gesture.

"I WILL KILL YOU" I snarled, lunging for the monster that created me. I knew what she was; the natives of the land having shared this secret with me, apparently many had been lost by these monsters hands.

Rachel was never expecting my assault, she was sure that I would forget my memories, replaced by her words in my burning hell. It took all of five minutes to kill her, throwing her into the fire mere feet away.

He snaps out of it, his eyes darkening as his hands clench the steering wheel tightly, but not tight enough to crush the wheel.

"So, Maximus, what can I call you? Maximus? Or some other name?" I ask, trying to lighten the tension in the air.

He shrugs, casting me a sideways look. "Friends call me Max."

"Howdy, Maxi, call me B." I tell him, holding out my hand for him to shake. He narrows his eyes at the name Maxi, yet shakes my hand anyways, only to yank it back as a spark zaps us, sending a warm jolt through me.

I look down at my hand before staring out the window, deep in thought. What on earth just happened? I wouldn't know, but for some reason it just changed everything, it means something big. Something that is going to change my life forever, but is it good or bad? Now THAT is the question of the year.