Bad News

After putting Hazel in bed, Rhett got dressed and met Teddy, Haldir and his own men in the living room.

Hadlir sat in the windowsill drinking Rhett’s whiskey from the bottle while Teddy sat on the couch watching television with James and talked about what had just occurred.

The guards were trying to put the front door on until it could be repired when the stores opened in the morning.

“So not that I’m going to complain since you saved my life and all, but what’s the beta from the Blue Mountain Pack doing in my house Teddy?” asked Rhett as he got to the bottom of the stairs. And when he saw Haldir, he asked, “And who the fuck is this guy drinking my best goddamned whiskey?”

“Rhett, may I introduce you to my father Haldir. Haldir this, of course, is Rhett Cameron.”

“Yeah, I know who he is,” said Haldir without looking back at either of them. He just stared out the window.

“Haldir? You mean the Haldir who’s supposed to make sure Hazel doen’t get killed doing some dumb shit like taking on seven armed men and a fucking wolf Haldir?” asked Rhett.

“That would be the one,” said Teddy.

“Do either of you assholes really think you could’ve stopped her? You saw her. You saw what she did. You can’t put the water back in the glass once you’ve broke it,” said Haldir as he got up from the window and walked towards Rhett.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” said Rhett.

“Listen, I’ve known her family a long goddamn time. Hundreds of years. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happen and you can be fucking sure it won’t be the last time she does it. She won’t be able to help herself,” said Haldir.

“This kind of thing won’t happen again,” said Teddy.

“You don’t know that Teddy,” said Haldir, “and it doesn't even matter. She’s got twins on the way. What the hell do you think she’s going to do the first time someone says something mean to her little ones at school or looks at them the wrong goddamn way?”

“You don’t know a fucking thing about Hazel, she wouldn’t hurt anyone,” said Rhett.

“She was just protecting Rhett, and I say we’re pretty lucky to have a weapon like that in our arsenal,” said James.

“She almost burned down the whole fucking forest Rhett. She killed that man and threw him across your lawn just by thinking it, stopped the bullets from those guns just by putting up her goddamn hand. She only stopped because she ran out of steam. What do you thinks going to happen the next time. It’s still early in her pregnancy, what do you think she’ll do when she’s big and grumpy and all those hormones are pumping through her? It’ll be fucking armageddon,” said Haldir loudly.

“Alright let’s say that’s true. How do we keep it from happening?” asked James.

Haldir shook his head and threw himself down on the couch. “You can’t. You can’t stop her. Teddy, you know who her grandad and mother are. You know what Daniel did. Those people were supernaturals and he wiped them away just with his mind. Hundreds of them.”

Teddy said, “She’s not Daniel. She’s just a sweet young woman who was scared for her family.”

“And Daniel was just a man trying to protect his wife and daughter. It was a massacre. Just because she’s cute doesn’t mean she won’t kill every motherfucker in her path if the mood hits her. Now I’m sorry Rhett, really, but you need to think about that,” said Haldir.

“So what are you saying?” asked Rhett.

“She needs to go back to her family,” said Haldir.

“No fucking way", said Rhett, “I just killed my own fucking brother because he tried to take my wife away. Don’t think I won’t cut your goddamn throat Haldir.”

Haldir laughed, “You could try. I’ve been shot, stabbed, poisoned and ain’t none of it took yet.”

Teddy intervened, “Haldir, I see what you’re trying to say even though you’re being a prick about it. But, I seriously doubt Hazel’s just going to pop on back to the other realm.”

“Her family can control her. Daniel’s a monster but he loves his family. He’ll teach her how to control it,” Haldir said.

Rhett asked, “Didn’t you just talk about how her grandad killed hundreds of people and he’s the one you’re going to trust to teach Hazel to control herself?”

“Daniel kills people because he likes it. He didn’t need to kill all those people. He attacked them because of his family, but he butchered them all because it felt good. He loves Hazel, he doesn’t want her to be like him. Rhett, I know you don’t want to hear this, and it’s ultimately your decision, I suppose. But think about it this way, what happens when it’s your pack or one of those nice townspeople who cross her. Or maybe she’s just having a bad day or some guy cuts her off with his car. Are you really going to risk the lives of all those people because you don’t want to get Hazel the help she needs?”

Rhett scoffed at that and then wiped his hand across his mouth. He really didn’t know how to answer that, but he knew he wasn’t letting anyone take Hazel away from him. Something Haldir said though made him worry. The part about Daniel liking to kill. That night with his mother, Hazel talked about how good she felt and tonight she did the same. His sweet wife couldn’t really be like her grandfather, could she?

“Let’s say I send her back with you Haldir, what kind of guarantee do I have that I’d ever see her again?” asked Rhett.

“I can’t give you one Rhett. I can’t say that her family would ever allow her to return. Then again, Daniel is one powerful goddamn psychic. There’s no guarantee he won’t find his way back to Earth and take her away from you the hard way anyway. You don’t want that, I promise you. He wouldn’t think twice about burning your whole fucking town to the ground to claim back his granddaughter. He can be kind of a cunt when he wants to be,” said Haldir.

“I don’t normally agree with my father on much, Rhett, but he’s right about that. I wish I could give you some good advice. I really do. You saw Hazel tonight for yourself. It’s not my territory, my wife or my pack. What are you going to do?” asked Teddy.

Rhett looked upstairs to his bedroom door and said, “Fuck, I don’t know.” Then, he got up and went back to check on Hazel. He sat down beside her and she started rubbing his leg, “Want to fool around Mr. Wolfman?”

“Not right now sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“I feel really good, just a bit tired and hungry,” she said. “I have to say, your wolf is so handsome, although I don’t know why I should be surprised that your alter ego would be anything else.”

“Yours was a little scary baby,” said Rhett.

She looked down at her hand and then said, “You’re afraid of me aren’t you? I can feel it.”

“No baby, I’m not afraid of you, but what I saw earlier was terrifying.You couldn’t control it could you?” asked Rhett.

Hazel’s eyes teared and she shook her head no. “You’re going to send me away aren’t you?”

“No, I won’t ever let you leave my side again baby. I’d die without you all,” Rhett said as he rubbed Hazel’s belly. “Haldir and Teddy seem to be concerned that your grandfather might try to come take you away from me though. Do you think that could be a possibility Hazel?”

Hazel wiped her tears away and said, “I don’t know.”