Two women held hands as they walked down the road. No destination in mind. One rubbing circles into the other's hand to relax them. They slowed as they neared a still lively bar not too far from the town square. It had a large window that allowed them to look inside. They found their way to the front to take a look. They noticed many younger men and women enjoying themselves inside with live music.
"Do," Rosalie wasn't sure how to address what happened at the mansion. But she thought she'd ask, "Do you want to talk about what happened before?"
"No, not right now. I'm alright. I just want to look around town a bit," Serafina answered. She didn't like thinking about it. She knew she would have to tell Rosalie at some point, but she wasn't sure when. It wasn't like Rosalie was jumping to tell her about her past. She could only guess that it wasn't the best either.
Rosalie noticed that Serafina wasn't heading inside the bar they found. She just stood outside across the street and watched. With the music, they weren't able to hear much. But they could see that the people inside seemed to be enjoying themselves. Mixed company. They didn't seem to be having any issues, even with the involvement of alcohol.
They watched for maybe thirty minutes; then, a man seemed to have had too much. He forcefully grabbed a woman and pulled her over toward himself. Rosalie couldn't help her glare as she subconsciously took a step forward. Serafina held her back.
Rosalie looked at her in disbelief, "we should help her!"
"If needed, we will. But I need to see how my town has been doing in my absence," Serafina answered.
When the woman was grabbed, they saw she tried to fight him off first. She wasn't successful and ended up calling for help. The bartender jumped into action and separated the man from the woman. They could see arguing as the man was then pushed back. They saw punches thrown as more went to help the bartender. As soon as the man was subdued, he was hauled to the door and tossed onto his ass. Once he was tossed out, the bartender yelled, "Sorry about that, folks. The next round is on me!" followed by cheers from the other patrons. Before he turned to re-enter, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw two beautiful women. One he thought he recognized. He tilted his head as he looked. She nodded to him. But then the two disappeared. Did he see the Doña? He couldn't help puffing his chest out with pride at having been seen helping someone else by the Doña. He turned around and yelled into the bar, "Make that the next two rounds on me!" he shouted to additional cheers.
"Well, the closer we are to the town square still seems to be fine," Serafina said as they stopped further from the town center.
"It's so fun playing these tricks on the people!" Rosalie couldn't help her giggle, "We can't do any of this in the real world."
"This is still the real world," Serafina said, looking at Rosalie strangely.
Rosalie pushed her, causing Serafina to lose the exaggerated expression and laugh, "You know what I mean! They don't know what we are, but we don't have to hide. It's nice."
"I know, I know. I'm just kidding," Serafina answered, "Come on," she said, gesturing for Rosalie to hold onto herself again so they could continue walking.
"Why do you do this? You said you're checking on the town. But how so?" Rosalie wondered out loud as she grabbed her arm, and they continued walking.
"Well, the town still grows while I'm away. So I walk from my home at the center of town to the outer layers to ensure they didn't let some undesirable people into my town," Serafina explained.
"Back at the bar?" Rosalie asked.
"If no one helped, I would have," Serafina answered.
"That's it?" Rosalie didn't think it could be that easy.
"Just seeing me is enough. Usually, if not, I have my ways," Serafina smirked.
Rosalie just hummed in acknowledgment as they continued walking together. It was pretty late in the evening, but as the bar showed, people were still awake. They could hear movement inside most homes. If they slowed enough, they could listen to conversations. But Rosalie could tell Serafina wasn't interested in what they were saying or doing. It was almost as though she were looking for something specific. She wasn't sure what until Serafina stopped and turned her head to look toward their right.
They changed directions to head that way. Rosalie was momentarily confused until she heard the raised voices coming from a home in the middle of the block. More like one raised voice while another cried and pleaded for the first to stop. It wasn't loud enough for the neighbors to hear. It seemed to be more toward the back of the home. Rosalie became upset again and wanted to help. Serafina walked her across the street under a streetlamp. She kissed her on the cheek and asked her to wait. Serafina didn't feel right having Rosalie do her job.
Serafina walked up to the home in question and knocked three times dramatically. The noise inside stopped. But they only seemed confused, believing they had misheard things since it was too late for the company. Serafina knew they were disregarding it and knocked again. This finally got their attention. She heard grumbling from inside. The man was swearing under his breath at her visit.
"Who the hell is it?" he asked, roughly yanking the door open.
Serafina didn't cover herself at night like she did in the day. Only her eyes. She looked at the man, "Hello, I'd like to speak with the lady of the home." She smiled.
"It's the middle of the night. Wait until tomorrow," he scoffed as he attempted to slam the door in her face.
She easily stopped the door with her hand, "You don't understand. I want to speak with her right now. Get her for me." She said in a more demanding tone.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Move!" he said as he tried to slam it shut again.
Serafina exaggeratedly sighed, "It seems I have to show you your place." She said as she caught the door again but forcefully pushed it into the man so he was knocked backward as she let herself in.
"What the h-" the man was cut off as Serafina grabbed him by his throat and lifted him into the air. He struggled as she shoved him against the wall. She found his struggling annoying, so she allowed her eyes to glow as she removed the eye cover. The man stopped struggling as soon as he saw it.
"I said I want to speak with the lady of the house. Call her," she said as she loosened the grip on his throat.
He called out for her. When she entered the room, she let out a small scream but didn't make a move to help him. She was more afraid and hung back, not knowing what to do. Serafina could see the bruises littering the woman's body. She was black and blue all over except her face. Serafina supposed the woman still had to keep up appearances when outside. Small mercies thanks to her husband.
"Are you alright?" Serafina asked in a soft voice.
"Of course she is. It's just a little discipline. She's my wife. It's my right," the man gasped out. Fully thinking what he was saying would appease the unknown woman.
He was wrong. Her grip tightened, "I wasn't asking you. I was asking her."
The woman didn't understand what was happening. She was afraid. But at this point, she was fearful of most things. Her husband glared at her, and she began to shake. She looked down, shrank herself a bit, and whispered, "I'm fine."
The man smiled triumphantly and looked at the woman, "I told you." He said.
"Do you know who I am?" Serafina ignored him.
The woman shook her head as in no.
"Have you ever been to the town square?" Serafina asked. She was pretty disappointed with her answer. Serafina herself knew she might be a tiny bit vain. But she felt a little better because she noticed that the man looked at her confused when she asked the question. It seemed it wouldn't take long for him to realize who she was.
The woman nodded but never raised her head.
"Look at me," Serafina raised her voice.
The woman flinched as she looked up.
"Have you ever seen the statue in the town square?" Serafina asked. The woman nodded. "Have you ever read the plaque?" Serafina continued. The man let out a gasp as he realized what was happening. As he looked at Serafina, the fear on his face made said woman smile. The woman nodded again. "Then, this time, answer me honestly. Are you alright?"
The woman shook her head as in no as tears sprang to her eyes. Was this the angel that the people spoke of? The one who protected women and children? Was this the Doña?
"Then how do you want to handle it? I like giving people choices." Serafina said as she finally dropped the man. He slid to the floor while gasping for breath. He couldn't move, though; he was frozen in fear as he looked up at the Doña.
The woman immediately began to cry, "I don't have any options. I can't do anything. I'm stuck with him." she cried as she put her hands on her tiny baby bump.
The gesture wasn't lost on Serafina. She sympathized with the woman, "The people here can help you. You don't have to suffer with this man. The choice is yours. I don't know how long you've been in town. I don't know how long you've suffered. So I will give you two options."
The man finally understood that his fate was in the hands of his wife. He turned his attention to her as he began to stand. But Serafina caught him easily again by the throat, "Don't try to intimidate her." Serafina chided. She looked back at the woman, "As I was saying. I will give you two options. I don't know how bad it's been for you. Maybe this was just a one-time thing? I couldn't say." She shrugged, "So the options you have are as follows. One. I warn him. He will be marked, of course, so everyone will know to keep an eye on him and keep an eye out for you. Or two. I kill him, and you take care of yourself from now on. You won't be alone. There are resources in town for our widows. They can help you."
The woman looked at Serafina, unsure if what she was saying was true. She looked at her husband, who was struggling in her grip as he would randomly glare at her. Could she be free?
"Won't I get in trouble if he disappears?" she asked timidly. Her husband struggled more fiercely after hearing her question.
"He's not going to disappear. I'm going to kill him. Then I'm going to tell everyone that I killed him. You won't get in trouble," Serafina smiled reassuringly at her, "It seems you've made your decision."
The woman nodded in agreement.
"Then pack up your things and wait outside with the beautiful woman waiting across the street. She'll protect you." Serafina smiled.
The woman did just that. She ran back to her room. She packed a suitcase and filled it with clothes and what she knew had value. Then ran back to the living room where Serafina still had her husband pinned but was stopped before she reached the door. The Doña handed her her husband's wallet and then shooed her away.
The man was terrified. How did she get his wallet? He didn't feel a thing. He was released and fell to the floor again. He looked up at her. But her smile was gone.
"I'm curious. Did you hit her because she was a woman? Maybe because she was smaller than you? Was it because you knew she wouldn't leave you because of the insecurities you drilled into her head with what you've been doing to her?" Serafina asked.
He stayed still on the floor, looking up at her, "I- I- I-" was all he managed to stutter out.
She struck out quickly and grabbed his wrist. He struggled as he tried to free himself. She punched him on his arm, mirroring where he had bruised his wife. She did not hold back her vampiric strength at all. The bone broke, and he screamed. He continued screaming as Serafina gave him what he had given to his wife tenfold.
The neighbors heard the screaming. The police had been notified. When the police arrived, they saw a beautiful woman standing outside with one of the town residents. Some people left their homes once the police arrived. They were standing near their front doors to watch. They saw the beautiful woman as well. Gossip spread quickly in small towns. They knew this was a special friend of the Doña. They also knew the woman standing next to her was their neighbor who lived next door. The police stopped. Unsure of how to proceed.
The screams lessened. Soon only whimpers and crying were heard. Finally, the home burst into flames as the cries ultimately ended. No panic came from the neighbors. If this was a normal situation, they might have feared the spread of the fire, but seeing the beautiful angel watching brought them some solace. They looked to where she was looking as the Doña emerged from the flames unscathed.
"When your face isn't enough of a deterrent for bad behavior, you resort to murder?" Rosalie asked as she wiped a drop of blood from Serafina's face. Thankfully, the smoke was enough to keep the delicious scent masked. She also began to tidy up her clothes.
"A necessary evil," Serafina shrugged, "the people in this town should know what I expect of them."
The two didn't lower their voices as they spoke. The surrounding police officers and neighbors could hear. An officer cleared his throat as he approached, "Is there something wrong, Doña?" he asked.
"Take this woman to the hospital. She needs to be checked out. Then I'll make a statement. I punished the man who lived in that house." She said.
The house was still burning. Not normally. It was a towering blaze; if anyone looked outside, it would be noticeable from even the opposite end of town. Even the patrons leaving the bar for closing time saw it. They stood together and watched, unsure of what was happening. It was intentional, of course. Serafina had to reestablish her dominance. The fact this couple slipped through the cracks annoyed her a great deal.
Once the woman was placed into the police car, Serafina extinguished the flames, and she and Rosalie did their disappearing act. They arrived at the hospital before the police car. The officer swallowed nervously as he opened the door for the young woman. He escorted her inside with the Doña and the other angel behind him. They found the woman was severely hurt, and to ensure the safety of the fetus, it would be best to stay overnight.
The officer frowned after hearing it. He understood more about why the Doña was there if what he knew about her was right. He noted it and left with the angels agreeing to meet them back at their station. He met them back at the station, where he took her statement. The other officers lingered close, trying to overhear what was being said. Their chief was part of the council. He took the notes and locked them in the cabinet on the Doña. So what if she killed someone? They must have deserved it, and it wasn't like they could do anything to her anyways. They thanked her and sent the two on their way. That was all they could do.
Rosalie was in an excellent mood. She swung Serafina's hand happily as they walked. She thought they did the right thing. A good deed. But she gave Serafina a knowing look, "The others aren't going to like to hear that you killed someone."
"It should be fine. I didn't feed from him." Serafina shrugged.
Rosalie knew where she was going with that and laughed, "That's not why they don't want you to kill people."
"What do you mean?" Serafina asked.
"It's not that they don't want you to kill people by feeding. For them, all killing is wrong," Rosalie said simply.
"You saw him! Did he deserve to live?" Serafina asked unbelievingly.
"No. But I don't have that big of a problem with murder," Rosalie shrugged.
"Oh. Well, then, I don't care what they think. Simple as that," Serafina relaxed as she answered.
Rosalie smiled. She couldn't help herself. She liked that Serafina only cared about her opinion, "are you feeling better?"
"I felt better as soon as you held my hand," Serafina answered honestly.
"Good," Rosalie rubbed circles on her hand.
The two returned to the mansion, where an overexcited Alice and Emmett greeted them. It turned out that Alice had a vision of Serafina setting a home on fire. When Emmett went outside to look, he saw the inferno. The whole family was curious about what had happened and patiently waited to ask. Although Carlisle and Edward verbally disapproved of what she had done. Even the disapproval was minimal. Carlisle only disapproved because he believed she could've just had him incarcerated instead of killed. While Edward had to admit that if he had no inhibitions, he'd probably murder the man as well. He was jealous of Serafina's lack of morals sometimes. But they were all happy that she was in a better mood. They had already agreed not to bring up what had happened before. So they just discussed what had happened after they left.