Chapter Text
Getting up and making sure he left, Bell turned back towards Woods and Adler. " When were you going to tell me about the footage of me inside the anomaly?" She asked them, remote in hand. Both of them looking like a deer caught in headlights, neither of them said anything. Shaking her head, she changed the tv back to the DVD player, flipping through various clips of herself inside the anomaly. Doing household tasks on a loop. But once she saw the mall and footage of herself walking in and then the video glitching to show her not there anymore, everyone acting normal. " What the fuck?" She asked, rewinding it, seeing it glitch yet again. " We don't know what happened there. It's not the first glitch that we got from the signals. " Woods said, finally breaking the silence, watching Bell rub her hand over her stomach. " No I'm wondering why there's no footage of what happened. I... Mason he."
Both men sat up straight, Russell getting up and standing next to her. " What did Mason do?" " Why doesn't it show what he did to me?" Bell whispered, rewinding the video yet again. Russell put a hand on her shoulder, " Bell what did he do to you?" Bell stopped the video right before it glitched, pointing to herself on the screen. " He was interviewing the store employees for a break in that happened the night before. But when I looked at him, I don't know. He just.. He pulled me off to the side and down a hallway. Told me to snap out of it but I couldn't. I couldn't even think about resisting." Touching her head, she rubbed it gently. " Resisting resulted in pain greater than anything I've endured. But when he.." Touching her stomach again, she bit her lip hard. " He stabbed me and it triggered something inside the anomaly. Like everyone was forced to be still. Only a few were allowed to run over and help me into the ambulance. Said he was 'Trying to help me.' fucking unbelievable." Bell said, though looked back at the screen, fast forwarding it to when it showed her and Stitch standing in the hallway, then suddenly on the floor. Again fast forwarding it, she saw when it looked like the seventies, seeing herself with Hudson at the office in the police station. Turning it off when she saw a glitch Hudson talking to her to suddenly Hudson not being there anymore. " Bell what did Hudson do?" " I knew there was a reason he didn't like me." Bell muttered, putting the remote down and heading up to her room, closing the door. Looking at each other, Russell sighed, rubbing his head.
A week had passed before Bell and Mason were allowed to return to work, though only having light duties for the time being. Bell had been avoiding both Mason and Hudson, but relaxed a little when she walked in her office with Russell, seeing her coworkers happy to see her. Russell kissed her cheek, heading off to the elevator and head to his floor. Walking into her office, she saw Gomez sitting down in the chair in front of her desk. " Good morning sir." " Bell I was so worried the entire time. I thought I was going to lose my best agent." " Oh please, we both know I'm just alright." Sitting down in her chair, she looked at him. " You are my best agent Bell. I mean that. Jones comes second under you." Gomez told her, looking at her. " I have to ask this because I care about my agents-" " The hickeys are from Adler." Bell admitted, Gomez caught off guard. " Not what I was gonna say. I was going to ask.. I need to know if Hudson hurt you physically inside the anomaly. He's not talking to anyone and since Mason was outside of it by the time Hudson was pulled in, I can only ask you." Biting her lip, she told Gomez everything he did: Slapping, punching, kicking, using a belt to beat her, one time almost drowning her in the bathroom sink for putting his coffee to the left of him and not to the right. Wiping her eyes after a few minutes, Gomez stood up and left her office. Filling out files and paperwork, Bell kept herself occupied at work.
After work, her coworkers took her out to the bar near her house as a way of celebrating her return. Telling Russell that she would meet him there, Bell headed out and drove home, then walked over to the bar. Having a shot and drinking a cocktail for now, Bell was feeling slightly better. Mentally at least. With coping with reality again and not inside the anomaly was getting used to being back in reality. Finishing her drink, she sat back in her booth, watching as her coworkers sat with her and drank too. Looking at the tv nearby, she focused on that. Russell soon arrived, sitting down next to Bell, putting his arm around her. Talking with a few of her coworkers, Bell sat on the edge of the booth seat, Jones getting her another drink. " Enjoying your off time?" That voice pulled her out of her thoughts, turning her head and seeing Hudson walk up to her. Looking up at him with his sunglasses off this time, she bit her lip gently. Noticing her body language tense up, Russell kept his arm around her, staring at Hudson. " What do you want?" " Just wanted to make sure Gomez's best agent is fine. She's probably got a lot of work to catch up on." Touching her shoulder, Bell instinctively flinched away from Hudson's touch, whimpering, bringing everyone's focus in the bar on Hudson. " I need to leave." Bell whispered, tearing up, she got up fast and ran out of the bar. A few female coworkers followed her to make sure she was safe, meanwhile all the men nearby were giving him a death stare. Jones dropped the drinks in his hand, heading straight for Hudson, Grabbing his face, Russell grabbed his ankles as they threw Hudson out of the bar. " Don't you fucking dare touching her again or i will tell your wife exactly how short your fucking temper is." Jones told him with anger in his voice, looking up at the security guard outside. " Did you see a woman run out here?" Pointing to the group of women around Bell, making sure she was okay, Russell thanked them for keeping her safe, then took her home.
Rubbing her shoulders while they lied on the bed together, Russell made sure that Bell felt safe and at ease. " You don't have to talk about it. Just know that you are here. In reality. With me." He told her, kissing the back of her head. Feeling safe and back in reality, Bell relaxed her body. " I love you Russ." " I love you too Bell." He kissed her head, now feeling like he had what he had wanted from the beginning: a relationship with Bell. And now he has it.