By meekobb · Twilight & Vampire Diaries
Rated T · 22 chapters · 76,341 words · Complete
Bella and Charlie move on from Forks to get away from the past, but really, she is only going further back. Almost immediately upon her arrival she begins experiencing things that she doesn't understand and scares her. Some potentially new friends makes suddenly awakens new instincts that questions what she believes she knew and her secrets. Damon/Bella.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised and bits added to it as of 07 Feb, 2016.
Driving along the main road into Mystic Falls, Bella stared out the window of the rental van that Charlie got that carried their essential belongings that they packed up for their move. A few months after she had the mental breakdown from the Cullens' departure, he sat her down for a long discussion and told her that they would be moving away from the area. Hopefully, to somewhere where she wouldn't have so many memories and could heal.
She had always believed their family was from Washington state for generations, but it turned out that shortly after high school, Charlie and Renee actually took off from Virginia. As far away from their families as possible. Neither of them believed their local legends and the stories that were told to them and chose to stay out of it. As he told her briefly about some of the histories, and his mockery of them, Bella remained quiet about the references to vampires, werewolves, and witches alike, that the founding families, like theirs were, once hunted.
She didn't have the heart to tell him that it was all true and very much real, but humans had no real defense against vampires, if they wanted to kill you. At least the kind that she was aware of. The closer they reached the town of Mystic Falls, Bella could feel something changing, almost shift inside her. Looking out the window, she watched the buildings and people walking on the street as they passed by. Bella could see them as they were, but she also saw everything as if it were another time, as if it were nearly a century or more ago. Like an overlay of an image, imprinted on another.
Her eyes met with one young man as he stood with two girls outside a restaurant and she felt something of familiarity with him that she couldn't place but she also knew she never saw him in this life. She saw him standing there staring at her in period dress, perfectly poised with a girl that was identical to the one that was with him now. Except the girl in the period gown had a cold, calculating scowl on her face as she clung to the boy's arm while the modern girl looked on curiously as her friend and he exchanged a few words.
Shaking her head from the tricks her imagination was playing with her, Bella turned back to looking around while Charlie quietly turned through the sleepy streets that he once grew up on. "Here it is Bells. The old Swan manor. I know it's more than what we're used to back in Forks, but it's been in the family for generations. I'm actually surprised that it's still in livable condition," he muttered as he stared at the building as the two climbed out of the moving van.
She looked at the house in shock as she seemed to know it from her dreams she'd had over the previous nights since she learned of their moving to Mystic Falls. Taking a few steps up closer to the old, wrought iron gate, her hands gripped the bars as her eyes fell down to the shrubs that wrapped around just below the large porch that ended at the side of the house where a section of the yard disappeared around the house. Her mind pictured a tall, handsome man with dark hair and an impish smile on his lips step around, as if he had been hiding, presenting a single orchid in his hand before the image disappeared.
"What the hell is up with this place," she murmured to herself as her dad came up behind her and slapped a hand on her back.
"Welcome home. Come on. Let's get the windows open and the place aired out while we start getting the stuff inside," Charlie smiled as he pushed on ahead of her, leaving her at the sidewalk, unknowingly in a stunned state.
~o.O.o~
Bella had just finished looking around the house and opening what windows that she could, surprised at how well the place was maintained. Charlie explained to her about the Founding Families Council and some of their duties that he recalled probably having something to do with the house and everything being so good, especially after he notified them about their coming to live there again.
After choosing her room and making sure that it didn't have a tree that was easily accessible to her window, Bella was heading back downstairs when the doorbell rang. Sighing, she knew Charlie was somewhere in the basement and likely hadn't heard a thing so she went to greet whomever it was. She blinked in surprise as she found the three faces from town that they had past that two she had the flashback vision of that she was trying to shake still.
Something in her, like a foggy memory of warning, told her to stay inside as she held the door open and behind it. Smiling at them, Bella met each of their eyes. "Hello," she greeted with caution as she eyed them as curious as they looked back at her.
The guy, who seemed to stare at her like he was seeing a ghost, was slow to respond as he smiled while the girl beside him seemed to take charge. "Hi! We just wanted to welcome you to Mystic Falls! I'm Elena. I actually live the next block over if you need anything," she smiled happily. She seemed nothing like the scowling creature of a woman in the scene Bella pictured, which confused her as she looked at her as she shook her hand.
"I'm Stefan and this is Bonnie," the guy introduced, finally finding his voice. He held his hand out, but Bella couldn't help but notice it didn't cross my doorway the way Elena's did. She looked down at it for a moment before slowly looking up at him and to the other girl, Bonnie. As she started to reach out to shake his hand, the scar from James' bite began to tingle, even sting the closer she reached. Something it never done before, causing her to jerk back from him and look up at him suspiciously.
"It's nice to meet you," Bella said as politely as she could, feeling uncomfortable under their scrutiny. Her eyes shifted to Bonnie as she seemed to stare back at her intently, making her wonder who she was and what she wanted with her as well since she wasn't in either of those flashbacks she just had – not that she was crediting them to anything other than hallucinating.
Elena looked from Bella and her reaction to her friends, frowning at them with her displeasure. "Ignore them," she said. "A bunch of us are going to be at the Grill tonight. It's really the only decent place in town to hang out. You should come join us."
Stefan evidently wasn't expecting her to invite her like that as he turned to look at her questioningly. After a moment he sighed reluctantly. "Yeah, it would be great. Elena's brother and mine should be back in town by then. Damon's always eager to meet new faces," he said as he looked at her curiously again.
Bella's head canted to the side as she looked back at him, seemingly lost for a moment, the blue eyed man with the orchid came to mind for an unknown reason. A blush started to grace her cheeks and shook her head. "I don't know. I don't do well in crowds," she said hesitantly, eying them.
"We can do something else, smaller. I promise. How about we have dinner at Stefan's? What do you think? You think Damon can be back in time to make his sauce?" Elena asked, evidently excited for the guy's brother to cook for them. Something about the girl's enthusiasm for the man's cooking, or perhaps just the sauce he made, had Bella amused as she suppressed a smile.
He hesitated but seemed more thoughtful on that idea. "Yeah, I'm sure that we can work something out there if you prefer that. I'm so sorry, we didn't get your name. Elena can come pick you up before dinner if you want to join us. Have Jeremy bring some movies to choose from?"
Bella's eyes jumped from each of them as she debated the invitation, drawing her bottom lip in between her teeth before answering. "Isabella, but I prefer Bella. Um, I have to ask Charlie – my dad... I'm sure he'll be happy to let me go. I'll be right back," she said as she went down to ask for his permission.
Hesitating at the top of the stairs, that led to the basement, she was extremely reluctant to go further. While she had no problems in the past going into the cellar at their old house, or even going up against a bloodthirsty vampire; new emotions, fears, begun to creep into her being. "Dad?"
"Yeah, Bells? Come on down," he called out, causing her to cuss inwardly. As she was about to step across the door, onto the top landing, she felt something like a cool breeze, or a breath across her back, causing her to turn quickly to look behind her.
Only finding nothing there. She hadn't come across a trace of Cold Ones along their travels, thankfully. And the sunny climate of Virginia wasn't particularly vampire friendly, so she could not help but wonder if she was truly going insane now. Believing things to be, that aren't.
"Bella? Everything alright with you?" Charlie asked as he had come to the bottom of the stairs when she didn't come down, finding her standing and looking out towards the kitchen still.
"Um, yeah, Dad. Actually," she started, drawing in a deep breath, her eyes taking one last sweep of the area before turning to look to him. "A couple teenagers that we had passed coming into town figured out where we live and came over. They want to invite me over to join them and some of their friends for dinner tonight."
He studied her for a moment, nodding slowly. "Sure. If you want to go, you can go. Just call if you want me to come get you. It's nice that you meet some friendly people. Might do you some good."
She swallowed, not wanting to rehash that argument with him about the Cullens. She already knew, and accepted that they weren't good for her. Especially Edward. Though, she was more hurt by the actions of the rest of the family, save for a select few.
"Thanks, Dad," she replied quietly, turning and heading back to the front door where she'd left her surprise visitors.
When she returned, the three had the same cautious smiles on their faces as she approached but still remained inside the house. "He said it's okay. Just come find me whenever I guess," Bella shrugged.
"Do you have a cell phone? I can call or text you when I'm on my way," Elena suggested.
She shook her head. "No, I don't. Not anymore. Don't worry, I'll be ready. There isn't much to do around here anyway other than unpack what is left of my clothes that I didn't leave behind."
"Okay then," Elena replied, wishing to understand her, but seeing that the girl was clearly hurting over something because her eyes held a troubled look that she was all too familiar with in someone else. "I'll see you later."
"See you later," Bella said to them, waving as she closed the door. Leaning against it, she bit her lip, wondering what the hell she just got herself into.
~o.O.o~
After their visitors left, Bella continued on with her afternoon, moving in and unpacking. Every now and then, Charlie's cell phone would ring and she would know it was Billy calling, or Jacob wanting to talk to her but she refused to talk to him now that he suddenly felt it was okay to speak with her after he was the one that stopped in the first place.
While she still had a grudge against him, it wasn't nearly as deep as the one against the Cullens. Every time she thought about them, she was just filled with so much anger that she felt like she might explode. She knew it was unhealthy and she did everything she could to control it which was why she was working so hard to put as much energy as she could into getting as much done with moving in.
Her room was much larger than any other she had previously and she knew it was take time to collect things to fill up the space. If she made friends here, she was sure she'd eventually be dragged to the mall at some point, something she wasn't particularly looking forward to. So when she went to open a box that she didn't recall packing, that had her father's handwriting on it labeling it for her room, she was filled with a familiar rage when she saw its contents.
"Dad?!" Bella yelled out before she went over to her door, crossing her arms angrily as she glared at him. He poked his head out of his own room and she knew she should have eased up but she was too enraged at that point.
"Yeah Bells?" he asked cautiously as he saw her expression.
"Where did that box come from? I know I didn't pack it. I purposely left that stuff behind. I didn't want it," she sneered, glaring back at the box in her room. She knew he knew exactly what box she was speaking of when his eyes flashed and the guilt filled his face.
"Sorry Bella. I didn't know. I thought it might have been overlooked and thought I would help. We'll just donate it," he said softly.
Bella dismissed him, "Normally I'd be all for that, but no. I want it burned." She turned back into her room, heading for the box and considered her options as she remembered every miserable day playing Bella Barbie for Alice. The supposed visions she had of her enjoying herself and liking the clothes was foolish. Seeing the lie for what it truly was now only stirred up more animosity within her against the coven.
Dragging the box over to the window, she had to fight with all her human strength to get it open in the godforsaken, ancient house. When she finally had it up, she took a breather, leaning on the window sill, her fingers gripping the aged wood so tight to control her anger that her knuckles turned a deathly shade of white. Her eyes searched for something, nothing, in the late afternoon sun, knowing that their kind wouldn't be around.
"See this Alice. This is what I think of your clothes," she muttered as she seemed focused on nothing in particular before she turned and started throwing the clothing from the box out the window in fits.
As soon as she was done with that, it wasn't enough into her desire for satisfaction against the vampire. She needed to take it further so she turned and flew down the stairs, her father, confused and concerned, on her heels, questioning what she was up to. Instead of answering him, she went straight to the back of their truck where she knew they had the spare gas can in case they ran out of gas during their drive across the country.
"Bella? What are you doing?" Charlie asked, but she could hear the underlying fear in his voice.
"Getting my revenge," she answered, feeling more free than she had in months as she started to move over to the pile but stopped by the end of the truck, her heart beating wild in her chest. She could hear Edward and Alice screaming in her head that she was crazy, that this was wrong, but she no longer cared.
"Bella...There are other ways to deal with your anger with them," Charlie said carefully.
"No. I think this way is much better. More therapeutic for me actually," Bella said with a grin. Her thoughts were running wild at this point, completely ignoring the voices from the Cullens that were quickly fading as they were losing influence over her. "I think you were right that this town might be real good for a change for me Dad."
She took a deep breath, allowing herself to cut another tie with that family, and went over to begin drowning the clothes with the gasoline before setting it on fire without a moment of hesitation or a blink of an eye to her decision. Charlie let her stay there in her silence, knowing she needed to grieve that part of her relationship of her life, but he couldn't help to be concerned for her.
As soon as she felt she was alone and he was away, Bella let out a huff of irritation. She thought about Edward and his final words to her. She would do what he asked of her. She would move on, but she would be the bigger person for it. It would take time though, she knew. "Stupid, sparkling, idiotic vampires," she mumbled under her breath. "One day I'll show you who's no good for me..."
After all that, Bella felt just worn out and really wanted to crawl into bed for a long nap. As she returned to her room, she stopped short as she saw a woman in period clothing like she did earlier that day. "What the fuck?" she asked herself.
She looked just like Elena, the girl that invited her to join them for dinner but this one had nothing but hate in her eyes making Bella stand still in fear as she watched the image over her circle around her like a whisper of a memory before the image turned and ran out the window.
Breaking out of the hold it had her under, she ran after it, to the window as she looked out to see if maybe she could see something, but there was nothing around as the sun was setting. She didn't have time to think about it as Charlie called up to remind her that her new friends would likely be coming soon for her. "This town is seriously really fucked up," she muttered to herself for like the millionth time that day.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised as of 07 Feb, 2016.
Bonnie, Elena and Stefan were having lunch at the Grill as the girls discussed planning a surprise party for their friend, Caroline's, upcoming birthday. Having asked to use the boarding house as the location, they wanted to include Stefan in with the arrangements. Something that afternoon changed. The vampire felt strange as he sat in the restaurant while the girls went on with their plans, his gaze drifting over the other customers. He couldn't quite place the feeling he had while he listened to Elena list of things that they needed still had to out and purchase.
On a passing glance, Stefan met Bonnie's eyes and she seemed to have the same confused expression on her face but didn't know what to make of it, so neither said anything. Probably for the same reason of not wanting to alarm Elena as this was the first time in since the drama that was named Katherine, or even Klaus, had been in town, that she found something to be excited about.
As the three were leaving, Elena pointed out a moving van that was coming through town. "That must be the new chief and his daughter. Caroline heard from her mom they're moving here all the way from Washington state," she said with a smile as she watched them drive by.
Stefan, on the other hand, could only stare confoundedly at the girl in the passenger seat. He swallowed involuntarily as he suddenly felt as if he should fear this obviously human girl that had the face of someone he once knew. Slowly, he pulled his eyes away as the vehicle turned the corner, out of sight, to Bonnie as she too remained fixed on the corner where they disappeared. "Did you feel that?" Stefan asked.
She nodded, unsure. "I felt a shift of power..." she said slowly. "I don't understand it."
"Do you know where they are supposed to be moving into?" he asked Elena as she looked at them confused.
"Um, yeah. The old Swan manor," she answered. "From what I understand, they are the last of the missing founding family that moved away like twenty years ago that finally decided to come back. What is going on, Stefan? Is something wrong?"
He didn't answer right away as he grabbed her hand and started down the sidewalk towards the direction that he remembered of the old house. "Yes Elena, something's very wrong," Stefan said through gritted teeth as he tried to figure out a way to understand what the hell was going on and how to break this kind of news.
"What? Tell me!" she exclaimed as she tried to keep up with his pace. Bonnie was just as curious but remained quiet as she understood more about the need for silence about the power this girl might have until they knew what kind of threat she might be or what she actually was. "Stefan! Slow down! Ow..."
Not realizing in his panic that he was starting to hurt her, Stefan froze and let her go. "Sorry," he muttered, running his hands over his face and through his hair as he paced just around the corner from the old house. He peered around an old fence from the neighbor's property to see the girl staring curiously at the building as if she was in a trance which, in truth, kinda freaked the vampire out. "Okay...I don't know quite how to say this..."
"Then just say it Stefan because right now you are really starting to scare me," Elena whispered. "What about this family is bothering you?"
"It's – the girl," he said slowly, looking at her.
She stared back at him, waiting. Of course she wouldn't get it because he didn't give her enough information. Damon was so much better at just laying information out and not caring. "That girl, well, she's a doppelganger. I knew her original, Isabelle..." Stefan started to explain but trailed off as he tried to find the words that weren't exactly his to share.
"Isabelle was what? Were you and her together?" Elena asked nervously, causing Bonnie to frown at him.
"No," he said immediately, looking her in the eyes. Smiling slightly as he thought about her, Stefan laughed some. "No, she and I were only ever just friends. Teased each other mercilessly like siblings. No. She was Damon's – until just before Katherine came. She disappeared and we never knew what happened to her."
The girls' eyes widened in their understanding. "No wonder you started to freak out. So how are we going to tell Damon? When was he supposed to be back?" she asked. "Oh my god! He will freak out!"
"This weekend, but I don't think we should really wait," he said as he pulled out his phone anxiously. "The last thing we need is him to stumble on her accidentally and we all know how he loves to overreact."
"Do you think she knows anything?" Bonnie interrupted as he started to dial, making him pause. "I mean, she is emitting some serious power for a doppelganger. Nothing like Elena so she's something more than just that."
That had him thinking too, because as a vampire, he shouldn't have felt something that strong himself the way a witch would. "You think she might be a witch?"
"It's very possible," she shrugged. "There are hundreds of reasons for that kind of power that I don't want to speculate on without knowing her. I'd have to at least meet or touch her to get some kind of idea of her history."
Stefan cleared his phone, deciding to hold off on calling his brother as he thought about that. Usually Damon was the impulsive one but in this case, he knew he needed to do something because he would be even worse off upon seeing this girl. Looking over his shoulder, back in the direction of the house, he grimaced as he came up with an idea. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this but I say we just go up and introduce ourselves. Welcome them to the neighborhood?"
"Play the friendly welcoming committee," Bonnie said, catching on with a nod.
Elena frowned as she eyed the two. "If Damon came up with this you two would be telling him what a bad idea it was," she pointed out.
"And this time, I'm doing it to protect my brother," Stefan said sadly. "You don't know what the loss of Isabelle did to him and he was human then. You only know how he reacted to losing Katherine as a vampire. If he was one with her...His humanity likely would never have come back."
"He loved her a lot?" she asked curiously, but Stefan was reluctant to give out more information about the relationship.
"They were close. That's all I'll admit to," he said firmly, not looking back at them he headed towards the Swan house.
Stefan didn't stop but he heard the girls' footsteps pause as they faltered. The Damon they knew now might not be into the idea of marriage anymore but he knew his brother still had his emotions no matter how well he masked them to protect himself. As his brother, he'd be damned to let him go through that again if he can help it.
As soon as they were all on the porch, Stefan knocked on the door. He was surprised to find himself nervous as they waited for someone to come answer, and even more so when it was the girl. He stared at her as she greeted them, at a loss for words just how much identical she really was to the Isabelle he had grown up with.
He was actually rather grateful that Elena had taken charge of speaking with her because he knew he would have really screwed something up bad but she threw him for a loop when she invited her to join their group for dinner that night. Initially she refused, but something about her dislike of crowds bothered him because his friend had loved throwing parties. Then Elena suggested Damon's cooking, Stefan inwardly grinned because he knew exactly where he had learned the recipe for that particular sauce and was right on board with that suggestion but was more interested in her dazed look when he mentioned his brother.
"Yeah, I'm sure that we can work something out there if you prefer that. I'm so sorry, we didn't get your name. Elena can come pick you up before dinner if you want to join us. Have Jeremy bring some movies to choose from?" Stefan asked, glancing between the girl and Elena, trying to move the conversation along and get more information quicker.
When she said her name was Isabella, it took everything in him not to give an outward reaction. He merely smiled at her as she excused herself to get permission from her father to join them. As soon as she was out of earshot, he continued staring into the house as he spoke to the girls. "It's her. I don't know how, but I'm positive it's her."
"A doppelganger or reincarnation?" Bonnie asked, whispering. "I couldn't get into her head. I tried creating a small headache as a test, but she didn't react to anything, and I didn't see anything when I shook her hand."
"I don't know, but Damon is going to need to be headed off on this. If he sees her before dinner...I just don't know. I don't know," he repeated, frustrated with the situation but they couldn't continue the conversation further because Bella, as she preferred to be called, was returning.
As they squared away the details and said their goodbyes, Stefan started dialing Damon as they walked away from the house. Grimacing, he wasn't looking forward to this discussion. "Damon...I need you to come back tonight," he said as soon as he picked up before anything was said.
"Whatever for little brother?" Damon's sarcastic tone replied back.
Sighing, Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have a problem. Someone just moved to town and – well, you need to come home. We need to talk."
"Why would I care if someone moved to Mystic Falls? Why the hell would someone decide to move to Mystic Falls to begin with?" he asked back, both curious and irritated.
Thinking quickly, he decided to go with the band aid method as he looked back at the girls as they watched him with concern. "They moved into, um, the Swan manor..." he started, and at that he waited for some reaction but there was nothing but silence on the other end. "The daughter, she's around Elena's age and I think..."
"Don't say it," Damon snapped over the line loud enough that Bonnie and Elena could hear it. "Don't. She's dead."
"I know! This has to be a doppelganger or something. Bonnie thinks a possible reincarnation maybe. We don't know. Something is off about her and that's all we know. She felt a power shift when she came into town," Stefan rushed out the words before his brother had the chance to hang up on him. "We were planning on trying to lay out details that only you and I would remember and see if she picks up on it. We need to find out what she is because Bonnie couldn't get in her head nor could she see anything when she touched her. Whatever she is, she's powerful enough to block her. If Klaus or his psychotic family finds out about her and gets their hands on that kind of power – everybody is screwed so we need to know what we are dealing with and see if we can do something to protect Bella."
Damon was still quiet on the phone and Stefan wasn't sure if he took anything from what he said. Hearing the sigh come across the phone line, he knew he caved. "We'll be back in a few hours," he said before hanging up
Stefan swallowed as he turned back to the girls. "This is going to be a long night," Bonnie said as Elena went to hug her boyfriend who shifted his attention back to the house where the girl was looking out the window absently.
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised and bits added to it as of 07 Feb, 2016.
As Elena and Bonnie was setting up and waiting for the guys to return back from their trip early, Stefan had been up in his room searching through his journals for ones that held some of his entries about Isabelle. He didn't write about her often, but he knew he did have at least a photo or two of her tucked away that he hoped wasn't too decayed.
When he made his way back downstairs, he found Alaric and Jeremy walking in but no one else. Frowning he eyed the door behind them. "Where's Damon?"
"He dropped us off saying he had a stop he needed to make," Jeremy shrugged. "Why did we have to come back early anyway?"
Stefan didn't answer as he tried not to think about what Damon was doing searching out for the Bella girl. He only hoped that he didn't do anything foolish. Silently, he left the two in the hall as he returned the kitchen to wait.
~o.O.o~
Damon stood across the street from the Swan house, looking up at the window where he could see the girl moving around in her room. He understood his brother's reaction to her now that he'd laid eyes on her himself.
As much as he wanted to get a closer look, he kept a distance as he watched her as she unpacked the boxes the older man he assumed to be her father brought into her room. The corner of his lips curled slightly in amusement as she eyed a couple that she evidently didn't recognize. He was even more infatuated by this creature after she opened one and appeared want to spit nails when she saw whatever it was inside it.
There had been an exchange between the two that drew in his curiosity, completely enthralling him to the scene. He turned his attention back to her window, taking cover behind a large tree as he continued to watch while she stormed back over to the box with such fire that had him in a trance. She dragged the box over to the window where she fought it open and stared out it for a minute, seemingly to collect herself.
Her eyes were closed and she was breathing in through her nose, but he could see she was gripping the sill with her fingers quite tightly for her human body. "See this Alice. This is what I think of your clothes," she muttered with such passion and sincerity, he thought she was actually speaking to whoever this Alice person was. The next thing he knew she was grabbing things, clothes from the looks of it, from the box and throwing them out the window and onto the lawn.
Damon's lips smirked at the spitfire she was. As she was finished, he thought that was it, but before he knew it she was coming out of the front door and flying to the truck parked out front. "Bella? What are you doing?" The man called out from the door, giving Damon his first glimpse of the girl's father. All he could think of was what an awesome pornstashe he had.
"Getting my revenge," she answered like it was nothing and his head snapped back to her in bewilderment. He couldn't help but think, What the fuck?
"Bella...There are other ways to deal with your anger with them," the man said carefully.
She paused as she was pulling something out of the bed that Damon couldn't see but was wondering what had her father so nervous. Bella appeared to consider something then shook her head. "No. I think this way is much better. More therapeutic for me actually," she said and he could hear the grin in her voice. "I think you were right that this town might be real good for a change for me Dad."
The Bella girl moved into the line of sight for Damon again and he stood in shock as she proceeded to soak the pile of clearly designer clothes with gasoline before taking a book of matches out from her pocket with a smile and setting it ablaze.
Whoever or whatever she was, she definitely had a dark side. But it was one that appealed to him that he wanted to know intimately and see if it was something that could benefit their little group, but his concern was if the others would be able to accept that. He doubted his brother saw this in her otherwise he wouldn't have set up this dinner with their human friends participating.
She stood there staring into the funeral pyre of clothing while her father looked on with concern. Damon, too, was a little bit concerned for the girl's mental health for not knowing what caused her to react in such a violent way. It wasn't long before the man disappeared back into the house to leave her to her thoughts but she was still quite angry with something or someone, letting out small huffs that had him itching with wonder at the things going through her mind.
"Stupid, sparkling, idiotic vampires," she mumbled under her breath. "One day I'll show you who's no good for me..." With that she stomped back off into the house, slamming the door behind her where she returned to her room.
Outside, Damon leaned against the back of the tree, avoiding the house as he tried to comprehend what he heard her say. She knew of vampires, at least the other kind, and survived. However, she was left with some obvious resentment from whatever time she had with them but he would need to know more about her.
"What the fuck?" he heard her whisper to herself, making him peer around the tree to her room as she stared at something in her room, like it was moving around her, leading her to the window before she was left looking confused and frightened, but she couldn't allow herself to get caught up in whatever it was because her father reminded her that her new friends would likely be coming soon to pick her up and to get ready. "This town is seriously really fucked up."
The comment made him chuckle as he walked away, trying to wrap his head around everything. Damon had experience with doppelgangers through Elena, but he didn't know what to make of this one. This one had secrets. Secrets that he definitely wanted to weed out one by one.
~o.O.o~
Damon returned back to the house and was rather quiet as he went over to his personal bar to pour himself a drink. It didn't pass his notice that everyone's eyes were on him as they waited for something. He knew what they wanted. A reaction. Him flipping out, overreacting, killing something in a fit. He wouldn't give them that kind of satisfaction. It would be too easy.
"So, you guys got everything for dinner prepped?" he asked with a smirk as he turned to head for the kitchen, Stefan hot on his heels.
"Where were you?" his brother questioned heatedly.
Damon shrugged as he knocked back the rest of his glass, frowning that it was empty already. "Out," he said simply before looking at what was started while he was gone. "Great you started on the tomatoes. I'm thinking of leaving one key ingredient out of the sauce and see if she picks up on it. If it's a reincarnation, she'll know immediately. A doppelganger might be able to tell, but if she's got half the brain I think this girl does she'll know that something will be off with the sauce regardless."
"I figured you would go to Bella's," Stefan muttered as he narrowed his eyes on him. "What did you do?"
"I did nothing. Just watched. She knows about vampires – or at least Cold Ones. She mumbled something about sparkling, idiot vampires. Those are the only ones I can think of that fit the description. If we can gain her trust, then we'll find out what she is, but I don't think she knows what she is herself. She appeared too confused about the place," he shrugged back.
Stefan eyed him confused for a minute as he thought about what he said and shook his head. "Wait. What? Cold Ones? So she's familiar with the supernatural, then we can just skip over the formality..."
"No, you're not listening," Damon sighed as he turned to his brother. "I don't think she knows much. She may know of those kind. But she may be limited to them. Play it by ear and see what she gives. Play human for dinner tonight and see what goes. Something happened in that house that freaked her out while I was there. She saw something, I don't know what, but whatever it was it sounded like it started only when she arrived here because she complained about the town being fucked up – which it kinda is."
He thought back to earlier in the afternoon, as he watched her as she studied the house when she was in that trance like state. She muttered about something being up then, so he knew she was confused before as well. "You're right," he nodded. "She said something similar earlier. So what else do you have in mind? I know you."
Damon shrugged as he moved around quietly, as he was still thinking about the girl. "I don't know," he admitted softly. "She's – not like her. But she is. It's weird. This one has a fire in her and a taste for revenge that I find ridiculously hot. She does not like these other vampires she alluded to, so I don't know if it's just them or all vamps in general, but I plan to try to sway her my way," he grinned.
"What do you mean revenge? Damon. If she's dangerous..."
"Don't sweat it Steffie! All she did was set some clothes on fire. Probably given to her from her old vampire friends that she wants nothing to do with. Her dad seemed to understand and left her to it, though I don't think he knows. Is he going to be working with Liz?"
"Probably. I'll have Caroline find out tomorrow," Stefan said, growing agitated as he started to second guess the dinner. "Maybe we should call this off."
Damon only smiled as he stirred the sauce because he could hear Elena's car pulling into the drive and two car doors opening and closing. "Why don't you go greet your new friend at the door. It was your invitation after all. I'm just the cool older brother here," he smirked before continuing. "Who will probably get the girl."
Stefan scowled at he as he walked out to the living room where Elena was leading Bella in. He could see the girl was equally fascinated by the house and nervous. "Hello Bella, welcome," he smiled at her. "Glad you can make it."
"Thanks for inviting me but you really didn't have to," she replied, his eyes catching her nervously tugging on her sleeve.
"I told you it's no problem. Hey! What was up with that burn pile in your yard?" Elena asked, completely oblivious to Stefan's intent curiosity.
He studied her reaction to the question and was intrigued and amazed at her expressions. At first she was nervous but she was quickly irritated and angry. He wondered if it was at Elena for asking but his concern was soon negated by her answer.
"Oh that," she huffed. "My dad decided to pack some things that I had wanted to leave behind that had been given to me by my um – ex best friend. I intended to leave them behind in my past, but since my father decided to bring that part of my life with us here, I chose to burn that bridge."
He glanced between Elena and Bella. "I take it you and your friend didn't end things amicably?"
She gave him a small glare but he could see the hurt behind it. "She and I didn't end things at all. It was her brother that ended everything. When he broke up with me, they all moved away without so much of a goodbye to someone they called a friend and sister," she said with a shrug as if it didn't bother her but he recognized the mask she was wearing. It was the same one Damon wore for a 150 years in regards to Katherine. Or maybe it was really about her?
"Well, Bonnie should be on her way back soon. She had to run home for something. Elena's brother Jeremy is around here somewhere. Probably upstairs in one of the bedrooms playing video games," Stefan shrugged. "Damon is working on dinner. I hope pasta is okay? He makes this terrific sauce but refuses to tell anyone his secret."
Bella's irritation over Alice and the clothes calmed down as she looked around and listened to Stefan as he spoke about who was joining the group for dinner. As he explained about his brother and his secret sauce, she couldn't help but to smile at that. "Well, that would be his prerogative if he's the one cooking. I don't like to share my recipes much either but I used to like cooking for some friends back in Forks. Some days, I swear they were raised by wolves the way they ate," she smiled to herself as she followed him through the large sitting rooms with large shelves of books that she really yearned to look at causing Stefan to smile. He knew Damon would enjoy that little tidbit of knowledge that this Bella was a reader like him.
Leading her into the kitchen, he was careful as he introduced her to Damon but she froze in the doorway, eying him as he faced away from her. There was something of recognition in her eye but she was also confused by it. "Bella, this is my brother Damon. Damon, Bella. She's one of the last of the Swan founding family," he introduced as he pulled out a stool for her at the kitchen island.
Damon slowly turned around to smile at her and she simply stared at him for a moment before shaking herself out of whatever it was she was thinking. "Stupid crazy town," she muttered so lowly that you had to be a vampire to hear it, causing Damon and Stefan to glance at one as they recalled their earlier conversation.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a shaky voice as she held out her hand to shake, but Damon being Damon, took it and turned it so that he could drop a kiss to her knuckles.
"Pleasure is all mine Miss Bella. I hear you moved into the old Swan manor. Nice place," he commented with an easy smile that caused the girl to blush and Stefan's eyebrow to raise slightly.
"Thanks," she mumbled uncomfortably as she shifted on her seat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear but both vampires' eyes caught the shift of the fabric revealing the edge of a scar on her wrist making them frown.
Damon was more concerned for her, while Stefan wondered what it would mean for them and Elena on how it would affect the girl. After all, their knowledge of the Cold Ones indicated that no one should survive their bite, unless they were to be turned. Then how would this girl be sitting here, flesh and blood? "So Bella. You said you used to cook in Forks for friends?" Stefan asked. "Maybe you can try Damon's sauce and duplicate it for us so that we can get a copy of that recipe in some way?"
The underhanded ploy earned an amused snort from Damon as he leaned against the counter with the wooden spoon, twirling it in his fingers. He looked over at Bella playfully and shrugged. "If you think you're good enough, you're more then welcome to try Gorgeous. I doubt you'd be able to though. No one will ever get this recipe. It was given to me by someone very special," he said with deceptive meaning behind his words that they all could see the curiosity in her eyes.
Bonnie had arrived then, rushing in while apologizing for being late, slamming her bag on the counter and smiled at Bella. "What did I miss?" she asked as she looked around, noticing for the first time the way Damon and the girl were challenging each other.
"Just waiting to see if Bella might be able to figure out what makes Damon's sauce so kick ass," Elena replied, watching them like it was game seven of the World Series.
Bella nodded, but they could see she was still nervous and guarded about something. "I'll give it a taste," she said, slipping off her chair and approached the stove where Damon gave the pot a quick stir and helped spoon a little bit of sauce out for her to see if she could tell any difference to what he might have done as compared to the sauce that his Isabelle taught him.
Bella was quiet as she tasted it for a minute, her eyes closed as she seemed to be focused on something in her thoughts. "It's good," she admitted with a smile before looking up at him. "But...It seems to be missing something. I don't know."
He frowned, considering it as he played along. He knew exactly what he left out so far, as it was one of the last ingredients to be honest. "What do you think is missing?"
She went to try another taste again, thinking it over more. "It tastes a lot like the sauce I make for my lasagna. I usually add some wine in. Merlot or something darker depending on how rich I want the sauce," she said as she set the spoon down but not before taking on last finger swipe from it and returning to her seat. "It really is good though."
Damon stood still, blinking as he stared where she was just standing. He knew Stefan could hear his heart beating faster with his own panic at her being right with the exact thing he left out of the sauce, something that wasn't necessary but entirely made the taste unique. That could only mean she was some form of reincarnation, but while he knew Stefan wondered what they would do next about her, he wanted to know if she remembered him.
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised and bits added to it as of 14 Feb, 2016.
When Elena showed up, a part of Bella was a bit frightened of her after what happened in her room. She wanted to ask her if she had any crazy experiences in this town but she didn't want her to think she was nuts herself either so she kept quiet.
"Just wanted to warn you – Damon can be a real pain in the ass. If he annoys you, just let Stefan or I know and we'll deal with him. Bonnie will be there too so if it gets to be too overwhelming, we'll just leave," Elena offered. "I think you'll really like it though."
"It's no problem," Bella smiled but otherwise said nothing as she looked out the window as they pulled up to the large house.
"It used to be a boarding house that was in their family. Now it's just their home," she explained to her, obviously seeing her curiosity about the building. "It has fourteen bedrooms I think, three sitting rooms or something. It's just old and stuffy. They like keeping the historic feel of the place. I think they are just pack rats."
She didn't have the chance to respond as Stefan had come up to welcome her. "Hello Bella, welcome," he smiled at her. "Glad you can make it."
"Thanks for inviting me but you really didn't have to," she replied but she found herself growing more nervous as her wrist began to tingle again in his presence and tugged on her sleeve.
"I told you it's no problem. Hey! What was up with that burn pile in your yard?" Elena asked, turning her attention back to her after a moment.
To that Bella's emotions about the Cullens simmered beneath the surface but it had nothing to do with these people so she didn't want to let her issues out on them. "Oh that," she huffed. "My dad decided to pack some things that I had wanted to leave behind that had been given to me by my um – ex best friend. I intended to leave them behind in my past, but since my father decided to bring that part of my life with us here, I chose to burn that bridge."
She eyed him as he looked between them with concern. "I take it you and your friend didn't end things amicably?"
Thinking about how Alice so easily gave into Edward and didn't bother giving her a warning that they were leaving without a goodbye hurt. She had claimed they were best friends and sisters from the very beginning causing her loss to hurt deeply. "She and I didn't end things at all. It was her brother that ended everything. When he broke up with me, they all moved away without so much of a goodbye to someone they called a friend and sister," Bella admitted, looking away with a shrug. She wouldn't let it get to her anymore. She couldn't.
"Well, Bonnie should be on her way back soon. She had to run home for something. Elena's brother Jeremy is around here somewhere. Probably upstairs in one of the bedrooms playing video games," Stefan replied, changing the subject to her relief. "Damon is working on dinner. I hope pasta is okay? He makes this terrific sauce but refuses to tell anyone his secret."
Her curiosity at this was piqued, causing her to smile some. She found it intriguing for a man to be interested in cooking and seemingly to be good at it. "Well, that would be his prerogative if he's the one cooking. I don't like to share my recipes much either but I used to like cooking for some friends back in Forks. Some days, I swear they were raised by wolves the way they ate," she joked as she thought about Jake and the rest of the his friends that Edward disapproved of her hanging out with. But just like the Cullens, all of a sudden, he no longer wanted anything to do with her and it only made her more than willing to go through with the move to Virginia.
She shook her head, refusing to allow herself to fall into that rabbit hole again as Stefan lead her into the kitchen where she paused into the doorway, eying the man at the stove who's back was to her. She only vaguely heard Stefan speaking at that point as she was stuck on the images that came to her of the dark haired man that morning. "Bella, this is my brother Damon. Damon, Bella. She's one of the last of the Swan founding family," Stefan said while she blinked in confusion, shaking her head.
"Stupid crazy town," she muttered under her breath, knowing for certain that something was seriously going on that she wanted answers to. It was more than coincidence that there were not one, but three faces she saw in something like flashbacks that she couldn't understand.
"Nice to meet you," Bella said with a shaky voice as she held out her hand to shake, but Damon being Damon, took it and turned it so that he could drop a kiss to her knuckles.
"Pleasure is all mine Miss Bella. I hear you moved into the old Swan manor. Nice place," he replied making her blush, but it was the familiarity of his greeting that continued to make her suspicious of everyone.
"Thanks," she said uncomfortably, eying him before going over to her seat that Stefan had pulled out for her and tucked her hair behind her ear, looking around. Damon and Stefan seemed to share a look with one another that she recognized with the Cullens when they communicated wordlessly with one another and it bothered her somewhat.
She was about to comment on it but again, they managed to save her, which she welcomed. "So Bella. You said you used to cook in Forks for friends?" Stefan asked. "Maybe you can try Damon's sauce and duplicate it for us so that we can get a copy of that recipe in some way?"
She looked at him, amused at his determination to get to the bottom of this sauce that had him so infatuated. Before she could answer, Damon let out a snort as he looked over at her. She narrowed her eyes on him as he spoke, "If you think you're good enough, you're more then welcome to try Gorgeous. I doubt you'd be able to though. No one will ever get this recipe. It was given to me by someone very special."
Bella hadn't had the chance to answer as they stared one another down because Bonnie rushed in, apologizing for being late. "What did I miss?" she asked as she looked around, noticing for the first time the way Damon and Bella were acting.
"Just waiting to see if Bella might be able to figure out what makes Damon's sauce so kick ass," Elena replied, watching them like it was game seven of the World Series.
Bella nodded, nervous as she felt nothing but a sense of warmth flood her despite the constant tingling her wrist was giving her as she slipped off her chair. "I'll give it a try," she said approaching the stove where Damon smirked as he gave the pot a stir, spooning a bit of sauce out for her to test. She couldn't help but think it odd the way he and Stefan stared at her so intently as she tasted the sauce, her first taste, taking in the flavors with her eyes closed, she was well aware of the feeling of being watched. The sauce was familiar to her. Too familiar. It was like it was her own, that she had made many times before, but it was also off.
"Its good," she admitted with a smile before looking up at Damon. "But...It seems to be missing something. I don't know."
Her eyes took in his features, comparing him to the man in the images that she saw that day, unable to do anything but to wonder if they were one in the same. After all, if vampires existed, why couldn't other supernatural beings? As he reacted to her words, a strong desire in her to reach out to sooth away the frown that came to his lips, surprised her greatly. "What do you think is missing?" he asked softly.
She went to try another taste again, thinking it over more, keeping her eyes on him this time. "It tastes a lot like the sauce I make for my lasagna. I usually add some wine in. Merlot or something darker depending on how rich I want the sauce," she explained as she set the spoon down but not before taking on last finger swipe from it and returning to her seat. "It really is good though."
Bella didn't notice his frozen reaction as she walked away from him as Bonnie and Elena drew her into a conversation about when she would start school with them the following week. As much as she appreciated their company and conversation, she found her thoughts straying back to Damon, a soft smile on her lips every now and then as she watched as he continued cooking. Little things, moments, movements, that would catch her eye that felt more known to her, making her think that there was more going on that someone wasn't sharing. That she was going to demand answers to eventually.
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised and bits added to it as of 14 Feb, 2016.
Throughout dinner, Bella continued to observe the group casually. The feeling of familiarity with them, even Bonnie to a certain extent, with the exception of Elena's brother, wouldn't go away and made her increasingly nervous that she felt the need to escape to the bathroom for a short reprieve. It gave her a chance to evaluate things, to think. The visions she had experienced through the afternoon, for lack of a better term, were confusing but felt so much more real with each one she had. Stronger each time.
She wanted to question them, demand answers to questions that she wasn't sure if they knew the answers to. While they appeared to be copies of the faces from the images, these memories, she felt like she was experiencing, she also felt a sense of peace with this group that was missing back in Forks with Jacob and even the Cullens.
She didn't understand why she felt so much. She was told, repeatedly, that she had no sense of self preservation. That in the face of danger, she was naive. She felt the intensity, the allure that both Damon and Stefan possessed. For them to hold the same faces as the ones in her earlier experience that she knew was dated so very long ago, she might have believed them to be vampires and while flesh and blood, it confused her and her knowledge of the supernatural world. Still, she felt she could trust them, much more than she ever gave herself to the Cullens.
Once she composed herself enough, Bella flushed the toilet, despite not having used it. Only making the excuse to make the escape for her privacy. Splashing some water on her face, she took a deep breath to prepare herself to go back out to rejoin the dinner party, but something stopped her as she reached out for the doorknob.
Danger… The words, though faint and in an accented whisper were familiar and welcoming. Her eyes looked up to the door as her hand jerked back from the knob. Straining with her human ears, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, right up into her throat as she leaned carefully against the door to listen.
~o.O.o~
Damon watched Bella inquisitively as she excused herself for the restroom, mentally comparing the differences between her and the Isabelle he remembered. While the similarities were obvious in appearance, he found that what he learned of this girl so far was that she had much more spirit that the one he had loved over 150 years before.
"Leave her alone and let her get used to things for awhile before you scare her off," Elena commented from the couch, making him scowl at her.
"I'm not going to do anything to her, Elena," he sneered, still feeling bitter about everything that had happened between them in the recent weeks. As much as he understood it wasn't her that tricked him into kissing her, she also knew how to play on his emotions to get what she wanted which rattled him. And he hated it.
Jeremy let out a huff as he glared at the two. "Look, will you two cut it out? Bella is just down the hall and will be back soon. We all know how much of a dick Damon is so just leave him be and ignore him. I hate to say it Elena, but he's actually been pretty chill today so lay off."
"Aww, isn't this cute," a familiar but ice cold voice sounded with the sound of heels clacking on the tiled floor of the foyer leading to the sitting room where everyone was gathered. "Seems that the mail misplaced my invitation to the party. Pity. Damon. Hello Stefan," she purred as she ran a finger over his shoulder as she passed behind him before rounding the sofa to glare down at her mirror image. "My pitiful excuse for a replacement."
"What do you want Katherine?" Stefan questioned her as he kept his face neutral while Damon casually made his way over to block the hall that led to where Bella was for her safety.
"I just came to see you. Same reason I was here last time. Figured you might have changed your mind and see if you were bored with your human," she shrugged as she strolled around the room casually before stopping short at the loveseat where Bella had been sitting with Damon while everyone had been talking minutes before. Her eyes were locked on the cushion, momentarily frozen as she blinked through the fog of the familiar scent came to her. Leaning down to press her hand to the cushion, inhaling it deeper, recognition set in and her eyes flashed up angrily to everyone in the room."Where is she?!"
They looked at one another confused. "What are you talking about?" Damon asked, leaning against the wall as if she lost her mind, and thinking that she may have finally done so.
"Don't play dumb with me Damon! I know she is here!" Katherine growled as she flashed over to him to get past him but he threw her back into one of their end tables, destroying it, without hesitation and she was back on her feet ready to go again, but Stefan was beside him, ready to fight as well causing her to freeze. "You don't know what you are getting yourselves into with that girl. If you were smart you would just kill her and be done with it. I've already killed her every time I've crossed her. The bitch won't stay dead!"
"What are you talking about? She's just a human girl, one of Elena's new friends that's starting school!" Stefan exclaimed, making her laugh hysterically.
"You know that isn't true. You thought she was a Swan doppelganger the moment you laid eyes on her," she said smugly and frowned as she backed away from them. Uncharacteristic for her, she offered some parting advice before she ran into the night. "She is so much more than that. The longer she's alive, the more powerful she'll become and the harder to kill. Do it now. Kill her Stefan, otherwise she'll bring trouble. Believe me, I know."
They all were silent as they tried to make sense of what just happened. While the humans were still pretty much in shock, Damon was the first one to break. Pacing in his anger, he practically vibrated with his rage against his vampire ex-girlfriend.
"Witchy? Can you please find out what the hell that cuntpire is talking about? There has to be something in your ancestors journals or maybe the judgy spirits know something? Just – find something that we can use to protect her?" he whispered harshly so that Bella didn't overhear as he reeled back to check to make sure that she wasn't coming out of the bathroom yet.
Bonnie blinked up at him in surprise and suspicion of his actions and behavior towards the girl but nodded anyway as she had been considering the same thing herself. "I'll see what I can find out tomorrow morning," she replied.
He frowned for a moment as a thought crossed his mind, glancing at her very briefly. "Thanks," he mumbled, surprising her before he turned to go to the bar and poured himself a drink. Everyone was quiet as they heard the door down the hall open and tried to act normal.
"Is everything okay?" Bella asked, her eyes glancing over everyone slowly. She could sense the change in the atmosphere in the room, most notably in Damon, who swallowed a nearly full serving of liquor in his glass in one shot.
"Everything is fine now, Bella," Elena smiled as she tried to make everything seem right. "We, uh, just had an unexpected visitor from someone we don't particularly get along with. That's all."
The girl nodded slowly, recognizing the lie and secret, hidden among the truth of her statement. She spouted similar words to her father over the months with the Cullens to keep herself sane, to tell him as much as she could without actually giving him the details. "Uh - huh…" Her attention shifted back to Damon, who had already refilled his glass and was taking another large gulp of the amber liquid. Concerned by whatever occurred while she was in the other room, it had obvious upset the man greatly. "Are you okay?"
Surprised by her question, he swallowed as he made his way closer to her. She shifted slightly, still unnerved by the new, warm tingling sensations that the scar on her wrist gave her, but Bella met his gaze bravely as he nodded slowly. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Perhaps because of the liver transplant that you're destined for the way you're knocking back those drinks?" she replied, a small, playful smile on her lips.
Damon smirked. "I think my liver will be just fine. However," he said as he dramatically set the glass down. "It would be a great honor to escort you around town tomorrow, Miss Bella?" He bowed slightly and reached for her hand.
She stood there blinking, her throat going dry as she stared at him in shock. The familiarity returned, so strongly in his words, his touch. She could see him with a bit longer hair with a slight curl to it, presenting her with a single flower.
"Bella?" Stefan called her name as he approached slowly, eyeing her curiously. "Bella, are you alright?"
Shaking her head clear, she forced a smile and looked back at Damon briefly before facing him. "Uh, yeah - yes," she answered, her eyes finding Damon again. "I think I'm just getting tired is all. Long day…"
"I'll give you a ride home," Damon murmured, his hand soft as his grip tightened around hers, no ready to let go.
"I'll take her home. I'm going that way anyway," Elena interrupted, not liking the stare down that was going on between the two.
At that, Bella was reminded that there were still other people present and it was not just her and Damon in the room. "Thanks anyway," she said softly. "I'm sure we'll see each other at some point for that tour." Turning to look at Elena, she couldn't help but frown at the expression of disapproval she was giving the man. She didn't know what he'd done to cause it, nor did she care. It wasn't as if he had to answer to any of them, and as much as she would have enjoyed more time, she knew she needed to go home.
Before he had the chance to respond, Elena had pulled Bella out the door with a frown on her face. As they pulled out of the drive, she let out a huff as she looked back at her, but Elena spoke up before she could get out a word about how she felt. "Bella, I know Damon may seem charming but he really isn't always the nice guy he appears to be. He can be really dangerous and – evil," she said after a moment's hesitation.
Frowning, Bella glared at her as she shook her head. "Thanks for the warning but I kind of like to make judgments on people for myself. So far, all I saw was someone who was nothing but nice to me, although maybe a little broken at times. If I went by everything that people told me, or by crazy voices in my head, I shouldn't be talking to you or be your friend either. Here's something you need to know about me Elena, and you can tell your friends after you drop me off, I don't care. Do not tell me what to do because nine times out of ten, I'll more than likely do the opposite. I make my own choice, my own decisions. I will not be told what to do or have my choices taken from me again so if you want to be my friend, don't do that to me. Got it?" Bella snapped at her with fire blazing in her eyes that echoed her anger from that afternoon.
Elena glanced at her as she drove, as if to measure her sincerity of her words, but could do nothing except shrink back in her seat at the imposing threat that her gaze reflected. "I understand. I just wanted you to understand where we are coming from and that you don't get hurt. He has hurt us all in some way over the past year, badly. In ways that I can't tell you."
"If you can't tell me," Bella started slowly as she sat back in her seat to look forward out the windshield. "Then we have nothing to discuss. Without knowing the details then they aren't important and therefore insignificant to me. Look. I understand the need for secrets. I have a world of my own that I can't share. If I told anyone, I'd end up in the looney bin. But when you say something like that to keep people from making friends, it's more than one person you're hurting there Elena. When you came and invited me to dinner with you guys, you implied that he was your friend too and now you're telling me that I can't be friends with him. It sounds kinda selfish and hypocritical and makes me wonder about the future of your relationship with Stefan if you have some secret feelings for Damon that you aren't aware of."
The girl literally choked on her own saliva as she looked over at Bella and glared. "I do not have those kind of feelings for him! He hurt my brother! Nearly killed him if you really must know! He's a monster! How could anyone even like someone like him who would do something like that?!" she demanded, not realizing just how much she revealed, causing Bella's eyebrow to rise in question.
A monster... she thought, Edward's words replaying in her head as she sat frozen in the seat as she got lost in her head, in the pain of that time before allowing her resentment to take over. "You need to know the pain that caused the man he is then. Until then, you would only see a monster Elena," she whispered, looking at her with a world of experience behind her words behind her eyes. She noticed that they had pulled up to her house and was relieved. Opening the door, she paused before getting out. "If you can't give him your friendship, then at least be civil like you were tonight at dinner, but don't give him more than that and don't interfere again if we choose to be friends. I've already given you the benefit of the doubt after some things that I've – experienced in town today. I don't want to doubt you, so please don't make me doubt Damon and Stefan as well. You've been nice and welcoming to me and it's more than I can ask compared to other places I've lived, which gave me some hope for this place. I really don't want to lost that. Have a goodnight Elena."
The words continued to replay in her head while she walked back to her house, eying her yard as she saw groups of people in period dress again, this time milling about like it was a picnic or a party of sort. She blinked as if to try to clear her vision but Elena's face appeared before her again, the same cold and calculating expression on it that filled her with fear as her eyes seemed to dilate and expand before it ended and she was alone again in the dark, breathing heavily as she watched the brake lights of the girl's car turn the corner and disappear.
~o.O.o~
It had taken everything in him not to react when Elena all but dragged her away from him after he offered to give her a ride home, causing him to glare at the door as they disappeared from his sight.
"She means well Damon. She is only afraid that you will hurt her," Stefan murmured as he eyed him. "She just doesn't know the extent of your history with Isabelle."
He turned his glare on his brother. "How much did you tell them to begin with? That's my business!"
"Just that you two were close and it hurt when she disappeared. I wouldn't say more. Bonnie can atest to that," he said, causing Damon to glance at the witch who nodded in affirmation. "As much of an asshole as you are lately, you're still my brother."
Damon narrowed his eyes as he chose to focus on his alcohol instead, growing uncomfortable with the scrutiny they had him under. "She's different than her. Aside from what I witnessed earlier, she's - I can't explain it," he admitted with a sigh. "I like it a lot. More than I really should Stefan. But this girl - whatever she is hiding, what if Katherine is right?"
"And what if she is wrong? Katherine is a jealous and vindictive bitch. We all know that. We can admit that she has some kind of power to her that I'm sure the witch spirits can give us answers to tomorrow. For now, let's just get to know her. Whatever power she might have may come in handy in protecting Elena, too," Stefan tried, only to earn a growl from his brother.
"Forgive me but Elena is the last one I care about helping after that stunt she just pulled," he snapped, shaking his head, trying to calm down. "Do you have Bella's number? I want to be able to call her before I get her tomorrow."
Bonnie spoke up then, her voice soft and sympathetic. "She doesn't have one," she shared.
"Bella mentioned something about not having one anymore. I got the feeling that something happened to it that she wasn't particularly keen to have contact with someone," Stefan added, furrowing his brows in thought.
That gave Damon a thought, making him smile as he already had plans forming for the following morning. "I think it's time we call it a night. Much to do, much to do," he said cheekily causing Bonnie and Jeremy to eye him oddly.
"Yeah. I want to also stop in and see Caroline at the hospital as well," Bonnie added, making Damon stop short with a concerned expression. "What?"
"You don't think Katherine would..." Stefan said as he approached Damon as they were lost in their thoughts.
"She would. She's enough of a bitch considering she just admitted to killing Isabelle for whatever reason she has," Damon huffed as he tried to figure out what was going on. "She said she wasn't a doppelganger, right? What does that leave? Reincarnation. She knows Isabelle's recipe, so obviously she has to know more, but maybe doesn't realize it or doesn't want to say."
"What are you getting at Damon?"
"Hush up Witchy," he waved her off. "I want to trigger reactions. Do things that I know will get a response that she has to remember."
"Damon - that is not a good idea considering..." Stefan hesitated.
He scowled at his younger brother. "Give me some credit for once. I'm not stupid. I'll think of something, just you all get some answers from the witches and deal with Caroline. I'll deal with Bella. Starting with getting her a new phone and a vervain necklace."
~o.O.o~
The following day, Bella had spent most of the morning exploring the grounds and generally milling around her room as she thought about the day before with the people she met. She was still undecided about Stefan and Bonnie, as they had kept a respectful distance from her. They were friendly, but not overly so, which was okay by her. Elena's brother Jeremy she had taken a liking to, as he reminded her of Seth back in La Push in that he was so easy going.
As she wrote about her thoughts in the journal she had picked up during the move as something to use get her feelings out since Charlie wasn't exactly someone she could confide in, she soon found the subject coming to Damon. A small smile came to her lips as she looked out the window of her room, thinking about the strange conversation she had about him with Elena regarding him being a monster. She couldn't seem to find any words to say, sighing as she took to doodling in the book instead, a delicate flower that soon resembled the bloom of a vanilla orchid. As her thoughts turned to the end of the evening and Elena, she was still firmly in the negative still with her after her comments regarding Damon and slammed the book shut, not wishing to continue with the negativity.
As she was putting the journal away, Charlie called up to her. "Bella! You have a package!"
Confused as she hadn't ordered anything, she made her way downstairs where her father handed it off to her as he wandered off with the rest of the mail, leaving her to her business. Returning to her room, she tried looking for a return sender, but she noticed that it wasn't actually mailed.
Opening the paper, she was surprised to find a brand new cell phone in its box and a small note card. Bella peered out of her bedroom door to make sure her father wasn't around and closed it, making her way over to her favorite spot in the window seat as she pulled the card from the envelope.
Dearest Bella,
My brother had mentioned last night after you had left that you didn't have a cell phone anymore during your conversation at your house in the afternoon. Personally I find it ridiculous that a beautiful teenage girl such as yourself doesn't have such an important piece of modern technology and felt the need to remedy that situation.
I hope you do not mind, but I added you to my plan – and before you try to argue, it won't cost any extra, not that I would take no for an answer on this. Besides, in this town, you never know when you might need to call someone for an emergency. I am pretty sure that I can anticipate you not wanting to accept such a gift from someone you just met, but I ask that you let me give you this as I am simply concerned for you. If you are truly unhappy with the arrangement after perhaps – 6 months? - then we can revisit the subject to get your own account.
The phone already has some numbers that I thought you should have, and maybe a few extra. I included everyone's that was at dinner last night as well as a few of the others in our group that you will likely meet soon. I just hope they don't chase you off, but I think you would be fine.
Unfortunately, I also cannot be there to take you on that tour this afternoon as I had hoped as something came up, but I promise to make it up to you soon.
Please be mindful when you are out by yourself, and never invite anyone inside your home that you do not know or trust. It is a long standing policy in Mystic Falls and I am sure you will hear it often in the coming days.
Soon,
Damon
Bella smiled softly before smirking at moments in the note. She was unable to do anything but think of what a cheeky bastard he was to go out of his way to get her a phone simply because he worried about her having communication in an emergency. While she was well aware that she was harboring a crush on the man, she didn't want to allow herself to think that he might like her back, especially after the hurt she suffered with Edward and then Jacob's rejection of her, despite him only being a friend in her eyes.
Taking the phone out of the box, she powered it on. As she waited for it to load, she flipped through the instruction manual for the device quickly before letting out a chuckle at seeing Damon's face on the screen. Shaking her head, she figured that as he added his friends to the phone book, he also took a silly selfie photo and set it as her wallpaper.
After all the painful thoughts she had that morning, it was just the thing she needed to pull her out entering that pit of despair she was close to rolling into. Opening his contact page, she quickly sent off a text message to him with a smirk on her lips.
Cheeky bastard ~ Bella
It wasn't long before she got a response. In fact she practically jumped as the phone vibrated in her lap as she tried to think of an excuse to explain the phone's appearance to Charlie.
One night and you know me so well! ~ D
You didn't have to do this. I was planning on getting something eventually ~ Bella
I'm sure you were...eventually. But I wanted to. Just say thank you Bella. It's not hard. It's 2 words. Try it. ~ D
Chuckling, Bella shook her head. He was somehow well aware that she had a hard time accepting things and knew just how to press her on it. As much as she wanted to continue to deny him, to insist on taking the phone back, the pure fact that it was from him stopped her.
FINE. Thank you Damon. ~ Bella
You're welcome Bella. And I'm sorry for today. I had something come up that I needed to take care of. ~ D
It's fine. Things happen. Don't worry about it. Besides I need to mentally prepare myself to start another new school ~ Bella
Good luck with that! You'll have the Scooby Gang with you at least. I finished awhile ago so no more school for good ol' me! ~ D
Asshole ;) ~ Bella
So true, but you like it ;) ~ D
Bella laughed as she put the phone down, her face red as she couldn't even face him via text message with a little smiley flirting. "I am so pathetic," she muttered to herself before laughing again, feeling like a silly teenager for the first time.
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised and bits added to it as of 14 Feb, 2016.
~o.O.o~
The first order of business the following morning for Damon was a trip to get Bella a new cell phone and add her to his plan. He made sure that it had everything that a girl could possibly want – mainly because he hoped she would be willing to call and text him as much as her heart desired. As his heart desired, and that was a great deal.
He barely had enough time to finish that when he got word that their suspicions the night before were confirmed. Katherine indeed had gotten to Caroline in the hospital and before they could have had someone with her to help her, she had managed to keep herself together, after feeding of course to complete her transition, that she was discharged but now confined to her house until nightfall. Damon was growing more pissed off by the obstacles that his bitch of an ex was throwing at them now, for simply not allowing her to kill their new friend.
While was waiting for Liz to return to her office, he penned out a quick letter for Bella to leave with the phone and wrapped it together, but saw his friend entering with Bella's Fuck Awesome Pornstashe father. That was one discussion that was going to have to wait now, so he turned and headed out the back of the station as he tried to figure out his next move and Katherine's until the witches came up with some answers.
Gaining some cover, he called for a crow to compel and sent it over to Bella's window to keep an eye on her there so that at least there was one thing watching her, making him think about the possibility of having Alaric include her in his Buffy ass kicking classes with Elena and Jeremy one day.
Quickly, he dropped off the package by Bella's and hightailed it out of there before anyone could see him, but ran into a familiar face not two blocks away that only raised his suspicious nature. "John. How many times do you have to die that you get the picture that no one wants you around?" Damon asked with a sarcastic smirk as he tried to step around him and walk away, only to be stopped.
"Oh, you can keep trying and I'll keep coming back. I don't really care. I believe I told you that I want you and your brother away from my family. Specifically Elena," John said.
"It's not me you have to worry about with her you know. Stefan is the one in love with your doppelganger daughter. I want nothing part of that little party anymore, so aside from keeping her pretty little neck alive, that's it for my participation in her life. I got my own issues that I've got to handle like killing a certain slutpire that looks remarkably like your daughter," he replied nonchalantly.
"You're planning on killing Katherine? What? Why?!" the man demanded before looking around for prying ears.
Damon leaned against an old white fence and picked at the chipping paint. "Hm, could use a touch up. I'll have to see how much they may want for the work. I might know someone looking for some a simple job for easy money," he murmured to himself before looking at John with boredom. Grasping him on the neck painfully, he dragged him along the sidewalk to the back of the Swan property where he knew there was an old vampire holding cell. "Katherine admitted to killing my human girlfriend before she came in and played with Stefan and my heads before we were turned. For me, that is inexcusable and those feelings don't exactly go away. You're not a vampire John so you don't understand, you can't relate. So I'll try to explain the whole thirst for vengeance with relationships for you in layman terms. When we have strong emotions for someone, whether it be strong love, or strong hate, those feelings are increased when we change. Total devotion, downright enemies. You following me bud? Your friend Katherine took my human life, my human girlfriend that I had every intention of proposing to, even had my jackass of a father's approval for something with her, and she murdered her. Then she went on compelling us into her little playthings that everyone knows the story of time and time again."
Reaching the edge of the property, Damon shoved John into the wrought iron bars roughly, causing his face to get scrapes against the damaged metal. "So the girl is dead from over 150 years ago. What does that have to do with now?" he wined as he struggled to stand without support.
"What is wrong John, is that she is back. We're thinking it's a reincarnation and it's the best bet considering the reaction that Katherine earned just from her scent on my house last night. Now John...If I let you go, will you promise to stay the fuck off my back in regards to Elena? I want her safe just like you but I always want to keep this other girl safe as well and I can't be in two places at once, so I need Stefan to watch Elena when he is with her. I'd have others do it, but the vamps I know of are young, not yet stable enough for that kind of duty. And the others I know that have control, would rather feed then worry about the work later. So unless you have someone that these girls can trust to get close enough to their inner circle, then yeah but otherwise, you know damn well we are their best bet...On second thought, I think not. You can sit in here and rot for awhile," he said as he pulled at the chains of the tiny private family mausoleum that only had a stairway entrance to a secret holding cell of cages. Thankful that he chose to wear his leather jacket, he was careful in opening one of the cage doors and threw John in unceremoniously. "By the way, the metal is soaked in vervain and wolfsbane. Super concentrated stuff that I don't even think Katherine's little immunity trick can handle. Have a nice life!"
Damon's mood was growing more sour as the afternoon rolled on, especially since every time he wanted to go to check on Bella, something else kept coming up to draw him away that needed to be dealt with. He sent another text message to Bonnie, asking for an update, but there wasn't any response from her and that just added another concern piled onto his ever growing list that he didn't want to have to deal with.
"What are you doing here?" Jeremy voiced up, making Damon look around, wondering how or why he was at the Gilbert house.
"Dunno. Just – dealing with shit. School let out?" he asked the kid.
"Yeah. Head's up though, Elena's not too happy with Bella," he said as he lead the way into the house. Before Damon could question him, Jeremy beat him to the the explanation. "Evidently, she tried warning her away from you last night when she took her home and Bella went off on her, so now she's thinking that Bella is too naive for our world or a massive bitch. I think that she just didn't like whatever truth that she might have heard."
"Do you know what was said?" Damon asked darkly, the urge to go find the doppelganger and rip her throat out himself was growing strong.
He shook his head. "Nah, but I'm sure I can see if I can find something out if you want. Bella is supposed to start school with us tomorrow. I don't think she'll want to sit with Elena at lunch if she's riding her bitch fest."
"Good. Do some sleuthing and fill me in on that chick fight. I want all the details," he grinned back as his phone beeped with a tone he had reserved for someone special in case she ever contacted him in any way. He couldn't help but laugh as he read her text, shaking his head while he sent back his response.
"Bella?" Jeremy asked with a small smile, eying him with curiosity.
"Yeah. I've still got some things to do to make sure that Katherine isn't lingering around but I have to find Bonnie first to see what she knows. Catch up with you later. Call me if you hear anything or text me if you got my brother listening around. I don't down that Elena has him dropping eaves for her. If you also hear from Bonnie before I do, send her my way. We seriously need to know what we are getting ourselves into. I'm not changing my mind about protecting Bella, no matter what the situation is. Just making that clear," Damon said as he looked back at him.
Jeremy met his gaze with one of his own, equally concerned about everything going on. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
~o.O.o~
On his way back home, he sent another message to their resident witch for an update, as he hadn't heard from her all day. Less than pleased as he walked into the boarding home, he went straight to his liquor bar to pour himself a drink when his phone rang.
"It's about time you called back," he snapped.
"Well, I haven't had the best of luck with the spirits out here," Bonnie admitted. "They don't want to talk about the girl."
He wasn't pleased with hearing that and his fingers clenched around the glass he held. "They have to give something. Katherine wouldn't have targeted her for without a reason that they wouldn't know of. I doubt whatever it is, there's gotta be some stupid balance loophole that you could exploit!"
He could hear her sigh on the other end, knowing that it would be a stretch. The spirits were largely uncooperative when it came to working with vampires, but in rare circumstances, their hand could be forced. "I will try again tomorrow. I need to get home and get some sleep. I have school tomorrow."
"Fine. Whatever," Damon muttered, throwing back his drink, emptying it.
"I said I'd do it, Damon."
"I know! I just - I'm just worried about her…" he admitted, falling into an armchair to stare into the fireplace.
"Get yourself some rest. You won't be any help to her if you're going to be drunk most of the day. We'll find answers somewhere. It just may take time."
Damon nodded, even though his judgemental witch acquaintance couldn't see and hung up. She was his best alliance, aside from Stefan, when it came to Bella and he knew well enough to tread lightly with her. Pursing his lips and cursing Katherine, he threw his empty tumbler into the fireplace before storming up to his room.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised as of 14 Feb, 2016.
Bella's first day of school was as expected. Boring. She didn't share classes with any of Elena and Stefan's group because they were juniors and she was a senior. If she was honest with herself, she was fine with that because she was still feeling rather hostile in regards to Elena for what she pulled with Damon.
By the time their lunch period came, she had even less interest in sitting with the girl and her friends, opting for an empty table outside, ignoring the curious looks that she was getting. She could feel her temper beginning to get the better of her, the stares and whispers behind her back.
As she looked up from her meager lunch that she had lost an appetite for, she saw Elena across the school campus staring back at her, but Bella simply knew that the girl was inside the cafeteria with her friends. Narrowing her eyes on the girl, she glanced back to look to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating again and sure enough, there she was. When she looked back, the other girl was gone.
Standing up from the bench, she looked around more alert because what she saw wasn't some illusion or hallucination that she had been experiencing the two days before since they got into town. This was someone very real. Bella looked back towards the table at Elena with renewed agitation and desire to keep a distance from the girl until she knew exactly what was going on.
Evidently whatever was going on with her hadn't slipped by their attentions completely because she saw Stefan coming through the doors toward her.
"Are you okay Bella?" he asked, nothing but concern on his face as she eyed him approaching.
She wasn't sure yet as to his intentions because anytime he was near, her scar continued to remind her of its presence which put her on edge. "Umm..." she hesitated, looking back to where the Elena look-a-like had been.
"Bella?" he asked again, turning towards where she had been eyeing, wondering what she was trying to see.
"I don't know. I – I thought I saw Elena, but I know she was inside with you," she said with confusion, and enough suspicion that made it clear she knew something wasn't right. She watched him as his eyes widened slightly and he pulled in a breath, holding it fractionally before letting it go and nodded. "I wasn't imagining it, was I?"
Swallowing, Stefan held out his hand, laying a soft touch on her arm to guide her back to the building, almost in a protective manner that she was familiar with as he kept an eye on the distance behind them. "No. You weren't. I – can't explain it right now, but I promise you that I will. Can you promise me that after school, you'll go straight home? Either Damon or I will come there and talk to you. This girl, the one that looks like Elena – we don't know what she wants with you, but we're trying to find that out, but I am begging you to trust us. We will tell you everything we know."
Bella looked back up at him searchingly as she considered his request, feeling nothing but honesty in his words, making her want to believe him. For that, she felt the need to be honest with him with what she knew as well. "Okay. Um, just, be careful," she said, her voice wavering as she felt as if this being, whoever she was, could be a potential threat to him.
He smiled gently as he nodded. "I will. You do the same," he said as he walked away to return to his group as they started questioning him curiously while Bella quickly escaped to go to her locker and finish out her classes for the day.
Since lunch, she was extremely distracted, wondering what Stefan would have to tell her. He had said that this look-a-like wanted her but that they didn't know why. She wondered how he knew that she wanted her and when he found out that she did. The more she thought about it, the more questions she had.
~o.O.o~
By the time Bella got home, she dumped her backpack on the floor just inside the front door with a sigh. Immediately her eyes found the note Charlie had left for her that he was going to be late as it was also his first day with the sheriff's office.
Thinking about Stefan and Damon, she was anxious to see them, pacing the length of the foyer as she pulled out the cell phone that Damon had delivered to her. She debated about calling him to see if he was coming, hoping. Why she wanted to see him, she wasn't sure but she did. As much as she felt okay around his brother, she felt safer with him.
It baffled her the strength of the feelings she was having after having only met the two and couldn't but wonder if it had anything to do with the strange visions she was having that seemed to feature them. Biting her lip, Bella was about to dial one of the brothers at random, but a knock at the door stopped her.
With her heart racing, she spun to stare at the door for nearly two full minutes before she started to move towards it. Slowly, she opened the door, almost afraid of who she would find on the other side. The initial sight of black leather leaning against the door frame before more of Damon was revealed as she opened it the rest of the way.
"Damon," she greeted, breathless with relief, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.
"Hey Bella. You okay? Stefan told me that I needed to come over. That something happened at school but didn't say what. He would be here as soon as he got Elena situated," he said softly as his eyes drifted over her face before shifting behind her for something. "Can I come in?"
Bella blinked as she nodded. "Yeah, sure. Come in," she muttered, stepping back to let him in.
He brushed past her, his hand coming down over her arm reassuringly. "Are you okay?" he asked again, not believing her answer.
She teared up as she wrapped her arms around herself as she shrugged. "I don't know Damon. So much is going on that I don't understand."
Damon was confused as he looked at her before he pulled her into the living room, sitting her on the couch. Bella watched him as he took a seat on the coffee table in front of her, as he too kept a close eye on her at the same time. "Tell me what happened. Stefan didn't tell me anything other that I needed to get here. I'm sure I have an idea of the direction it might be and trust me that whatever it is you want to say, you won't surprise me."
Bella remained quiet as she considered what to say, her mind going in different directions as his fingers rubbed gently over her wrist that was meant to be a calming gesture, but all she could focus on his proximity to James' bite mark. Her eyes slowly turned to look up at him, curious, contemplative as he sat watching her with his own equal expression that had his own worry for her.
"I don't know where to begin," she started, frustrated and scared.
"Let's start with what happened at school then. What got Stefan all up in a tizzy that he sent me here for protection detail?" he smiled, thumbing at her chin to get her to look back at him.
His words made her narrow her eyes on him before answering. "I thought I saw Elena across the campus, but I knew it couldn't have been her because I had literally just saw her inside with her friends and purposely went outside to not have to sit with them," she replied, her emotions growing unsteady again as she recalled the scene and the angry expression on the look-a-like's face. "Stefan must have been looking out at me and saw how confused or whatever I was feeling because the next thing I knew, he was coming out to check on me. I told him what I saw and convinced me to finish the day and come home where he or you would come talk to me."
Bella, despite the roller coaster of emotions she was feeling, was surprised at how calm she got that out but was fairly sure it was because of the composure that Damon had been holding himself in that allowed her to keep herself together as he listened. She had been watching him, for his reactions, and saw his eyes widen with something that she saw in Stefan's eyes at the mention of someone looking exactly like Elena.
Damon let out a sigh as he ran his hand over his face, looking at her almost as if he wasn't sure what to say or do. "I want to be honest with you but I don't know about you Bella. We all barely know each other, having met only a few days ago," he said but it felt off to her as she furrowed her brows. She hadn't felt more at ease and familiar with someone before and it was that what made her nervous now with the brothers. "I understand if you don't want to trust us, but we don't want anyone to hurt you."
Pulling her hand back from him, she pushed herself up from the couch and walked away as she felt the familiar flames of rage licking at her heels. "Damon. If there is one thing I hate, it's liars. I've been through that before and I won't go through that again. I would certainly like to be friends with you and your brother but if either of you can't be honest with me – if you can't trust that I am incapable of thinking for myself, then there is the door. I've survived well enough without you."
He sat there, staring at her as he tried to understand what he said that provoked a reaction like that but he certainly was able of sympathizing. "If you want me to be honest with you, I can. But I don't think you would like what I have to say and I don't know if I would like how you might react."
Bella pursed her lips as she glared at him. "Try me. Can't be any worse than what I've already been through," she threw back, making him raise an eyebrow curiously.
"If you want it that way," he nodded. "First you need to understand that Mystic Falls, is anything but your typical town. It's a bit – mystical."
"No shit. I kinda got the gist of that when I started having fucking hallucinations my first day here," she bit back, starting to pace the floor again as she grew anxious, wringing her hands nervously from her memories and the images that had assaulted her.
He was quiet for a moment as he seemed to think about how to proceed. "Can you tell me about some of these hallucinations?" he questioned cautiously.
Bella shrugged. "Most of them seemed harmless. Only a couple really freaked me out so far. The first one seemed to have Stefan and Elena but in clothes from like a really long time ago and they were in town. Except Elena looked like to be a grade A bitch."
"Uh huh," he murmured as he stared at her, speechless. "Go on."
She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. He didn't seem very surprised about what she said, but continued anyway, wondering what he seemed to be waiting for. "Um. There was one that there was some kind of event on the grounds here. I just remember feeling extremely scared from it, like I was being caught and taken."
He nodded again as he moved closer, his eyes looking deeply into hers. "Tell me everything you remember," he said strongly, but there was a vulnerability to it that made her want to give in, but she resisted.
Shaking her head, Bella ran her hand through her hair, thinking about the one that seemed to be of him when they got to the house but didn't want to tell him. Swallowing, she went with a different vision. "There was one with Elena in my room. She seemed to be studying me before taking off through my window. I had the feeling as if she wanted to kill me," she whispered.
Damon tucked her hair behind her ear as he looked at her gently. "That's because she does. The girl you are seeing isn't Elena. Her name is Katherine and she does look exactly like Elena."
"Elena didn't mention she had a twin sister," Bella said confused as she looked up at him, not wanting to pull away from his affections.
"She's not her sister. It's more complicated. Elena is actually Katherine's doppelganger, somehow her descendant. We're still trying to figure out how exactly because as far as we know, Katherine's line ended with her," he said with some hesitation.
She watched his face as he seemed unsure of how to continue, to tell her more. So she had to take what he had given her already the only thing she could come up with when he mentioned this woman's line was something like a bloodline. Ending one would be like changing. Perhaps something like a vampire but the girl she saw wasn't like the vampires she knew of.
"So what? She's like a vampire or something? Damon, be serious because I've met vampires and wolves and I've had enough of the supernatural crap to last me ten lifetimes. If this Katherine person was a vampire, then how the hell can she walk in the sun without sparkling like a glittering idiot?" she asked, confused as hell, not caring that she may have outed her knowledge to some random person.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: This chapter has been revised as of 14 Feb, 2016.
"...If this Katherine person was a vampire, then how the hell can she walk in the sun without sparkling like a glittering idiot?" Bella asked, confused and frustrated as she pulled away from Damon and practically stalked the floor as he watched on.
For the most part, he was rather amused. Smiling slightly, he raised an eyebrow as he moved to lean against the couch to try to explain what he can to her. "Bella - I don't doubt that you've met vampires before," he started to say dismissively, making her turn to look at him sharply. Damon leveled his eyes on her, not taking them off of her to make it clear just how seriously he was taking her admission. "There is more than one kind of vampire out there. I actually knew you had come into contact with a Cold One when you had dinner with us. Your sleeve slipped a little and I caught a glimpse of the scar on your wrist. You can tell me that story another time."
She threw an accusing glare at him as she backed away a few steps and shook her head, struggling to accept what he was saying. "What exactly are you saying Damon?" she questioned.
"What I am saying, Bella," he smirked as he drew out her name. His amusement turned serious after a moment as he studied her, pushing back the sense of sadness that threatened to filter through. Damon quickly held back a growl of irritation, wondering what was taking Stefan so long that he had left him to deal with this conversation on his own. Knowing she needed answers, he continued for her. "I knew you knew more about the supernatural since the day you came over for dinner. My brother saw you earlier that day, you remember. He called me home early from a trip because of you…"
Bella raised an eyebrow as she took a defensive stance, not sure if she was liking where this was going already. "Because of me? How about you cut out the mysterious innuendo and just get to the point because my patience is running really thin. I have a psychotic vampire that wants me dead back in Washington that, last I was aware, doesn't have a clue where I am right now, and you just told me that some new breed of vampire, that happens to look like one of my human neighbors that I already don't particularly care for, also wants me dead? Why the fuck does everyone want me dead?!" she screamed, feeling more pissed off than hysterical as she stared at him.
He raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms and met her eyes. "I don't know why this other vampire is after you but Katherine alluded enough to give us an idea of why she wants you dead. Supposedly, you're to be pretty powerful, but I don't know how so. I don't think you're a doppelganger because the likeness that I knew of you - well, let's just say, I'm confident that bitch killed her before she could have any children. Or at least I'm hoping…" he trailed off with a conflicted expression on his face as he looked away, but she caught it and moved so that she was in his line of sight again.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her tone slightly calmer but it still made him grimace, indicating to Bella that he clearly did not want to elaborate on that particular comment. "Damon…"
"I don't think you would really want to know that answer if it was possible. I don't want to know the answer because it is just wrong for what I want right now but there are other things that you want to know that is more important," Damon snapped, backing away to put some extra space between them as he scratched the back of his neck as he avoided looking at her. "When you were at our house for dinner and you went to the bathroom, we had a visitor. Katherine. She caught your scent off of the furniture where you were sitting and said some things about us needing to kill you if we were smart. That you would attract a larger danger. Initially, as always, we believed her to be full of shit."
Bella swallowed her nervousness and tried not to react outwardly as she stood frozen as she watched him admit to what she had missed that evening. She still remembered the voice whispering in her ear to stay in the bathroom about a danger, but she let him get what he needed out before she considered telling him about that particular experience. "Go on," she said calmly.
"Based on some things she said, the best we can figure you to be is some kind of reincarnation of someone. If we can figure out who your original is, we can see who or what kind of spell has you being reborn as you are so - often," he explained almost breathlessly as he glanced at her, but her ever observant eyes did not miss the pain that was in his.
She recognized the emptiness that flashed before he turned back to her, seemingly like nothing bothered him at all, leaving her wondering what it was all about. Her mind replayed his words quickly and could only associate the expression with something that had to do with her. "Be honest with me Damon. Tell me the truth. What about me has you all - I don't know. Weird?" she asked.
"I'm not being weird," Damon denied quickly as he glared at her for a moment before making himself comfortable in one of the armchairs. "Anyway, like I said. Best we guess, you're a reincarnation. Witchy is supposed to be asking her ancestors about it, see if they know anything."
"Witchy?" Bella repeated as she moved closer, her face full of skepticism. "And just how do you know so much about vampires and supernatural stuff? You seem to be awfully comfortable with what I admitted knowing."
He flashed her a knowing grin and shrugged as he remained seated. "Maybe because I'm a vampire myself. Kinda have to be okay with it. You know?"
She faltered in her step as she stopped short. "You're like Katherine?"
"It was Katherine's blood that turned me, yes," he answered carefully as he watched her. "I'm not going to hurt you Bella. If I wanted to, I've had plenty of chances to do so already. You know this."
Nodding, Bella held onto the back of the couch as she moved around it to sit down again, feeling weak from learning that the second man she ever felt any attraction to was also a vampire. It was both daunting and irritating to her as she let out a huff of annoyance. "And Stefan?"
"Same. Katherine played him the same way she did me. Look, long story short, he and I were both involved with Katherine a long time ago and she played us both. She fed us her blood to get us to change if we died, which we did. I really don't want to tell you about that story right now, but I will if I have to when the time comes, because it probably has to do with one of your past lives -"
Bella waved him off, interrupting him as she had slowly begun to piece together his story with the hallucinations that she was experiencing. "My visions or whatever I was having since I moved here. I think I know what they are," she muttered as she rubbed at her temples as she felt a headache coming on. "I think they are memories."
Damon's eyes widened as he nodded slowly. "Reincarnations generally are able to remember things of their past lives according to Witchy - erm, Bonnie. You remember her. You said you saw Stefan in period clothes with Elena. That was more than likely Katherine. We were turned back in 1864 so that would explain the style. If it's really memories, then you should be getting more the longer you're around because you were here back then. Or at least one of your past selves," he said with another conflicted face again.
She narrowed her eyes on him as she let out a huff, pushing herself back up to her feet and started to make her way to the front door. "Look. If you aren't going to tell me what the fuck is bothering you about me, then you can get the hell out of my house because I'm really not feeling very well. If this psychotic bitch wants to get me, then fine. If there is one thing I've learned, is that if a vampire wants you dead, they will eventually get to you. Now you have two choices. Tell me what about me is giving you constipation face or get the fuck out of my house," she demanded as she pulled the door open to stress her ultimatum.
He sat there with his mouth falling open for a moment as he eyed her, almost wondering if she was being serious but as she held the door open and met his eyes with a fiery gaze, he thought better of turning the situation into a joke as he would normally on instinct. "Bella, I…"
"Don't. I've been as honest with you as I could. If you can't afford me the same respect then get the hell out," she snapped, jutting her chin towards the open doorway to indicate the direction for him to head.
Slowly he headed out, not wanting to anger her more. Of everyone in that miserable town now, she was the last one he ever wished to hurt, intentionally or not. Turning as soon as he crossed the threshold, he went to apologize but she had slammed the door shut behind him and the distinct sound of the door locking reverberated in his ears as he blinked at the glass in disbelief.
With Katherine lingering around town and knowing that she had a thing about killing previous versions of Bella, Damon knew he couldn't just leave her alone in the house as he wasn't sure if his psychotic ex had access to it as he did now. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he growled slightly at the predicament he got himself into by being unable to admit to the girl about his personal history with her past. Sighing, he made himself comfortable on the porch swing that one of her ancestors had installed some years back as he sent a text to his brother, cursing him out for his lack of punctuality.
Inside, Bella was struggling to calm herself down as she grabbed her backpack and headed upstairs to her room. The entire event since he arrived replayed in her mind and it had finally caught up with the realization that Damon had admitted that he was a vampire. Albeit not like Edward and his family, but some new breed that she had only just learned about but a vampire regardless. He had admitted that both him and his brother were vampires and while she hadn't questioned that they were brothers by blood before, it made her wonder how they both were turned now. Her curiosity of the Salvatores after such irritating actions by Damon only made her pissed at herself, when all she had wanted was answers.
She had intended to try to get some homework done but couldn't concentrate as she had felt a headache coming on from the stress of the afternoon. Going to lay down, Bella stretched out on her bed as she closed her eyes and tried to relax and forget about her vampire problems for awhile.
She did not know how long it was before she had fallen asleep but when the dreams started, they had felt so real that she truly was not sure if she was asleep or not anymore. Bella had found herself once again out on her front lawn as she had the night Elena had brought her home, a crowd of people gathered for some event. Looking around, she seemed to be to see more this time. Like she was in another's body and it truly was unsettling.
"Miss Swan," a voice called from behind her, causing her to turn to face the source but she could feel the body she was in cringe at who was approaching.
"Mister Lockwood. What can I do for you this evening? I do have a prior engagement," Bella heard her voice reply lightly, but with a hint of a twang that reminded her of a southern belle. She watched as the man's eyes tighten in anger and barely disguised jealousy before he attempted to overwhelm her with what he may have perceived to be his most charming smile.
"I do not doubt that you do, but I am sure that the Salvatore fellow can find someone else more to his standards. Why should you lower yourself for the likes of him? You, darling, should be betrothed to a family of prestige and standing..." the arrogant fool continued on, but both Bella and her former incarnation had both tuned him out. She was wondering what he had meant about being betrothed, and by Salvatore, if he was referring to Damon or Stefan.
Bella, or her form hadn't the opportunity to question the man when someone had approached from behind to come to her rescue. "It is rude and highly disrespectful of the lady to intrude on her and her wishes after she had informed you numerous times that she wanted nothing to do with you Lockwood," Damon interrupted as he leveled a steely gaze on the man.
The two stared one another down for a moment before the other eventually backed down and walked away. "Damon. What has taken you so long?" Bella found herself asking, her modern self watching on in disbelief as she was learning exactly what he may had been holding back from her, but that she needed to remember on her own.
He gave her a small smirk as he pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear that had fallen out of her pins. "Before you object, I have a surprise for you, but I just need a few more minutes if you would indulge me. I promise I'll be back soon. I just have a few more things I need to finish," he pleaded.
She released a dramatic sigh before nodding. "Of course. I assume Stefan is in on this secretive project of yours as well as I have not seen him around town all day?"
"Maybe. I'll be back soon. Enjoy the Founders Day festivities. I'll come collect you as soon as I am done," Damon said as he lean in to Bella's surprise as they kissed. He paused as if he wanted to say something more but only grinned before running off.
Her eyes took in the gathering but a loneliness crept up inside her. She did not want to be a part of the festivities if Damon was not around and went around the back of the house to head towards the old crypt that was on the land. Bella was along for the ride, watched curiously as the girl took her over an area of the property she hadn't seen before and wondered if it still stood. She pulled the heavy wrought iron gate open with slightly more strength than she had thought she would have had before stepping inside, slowly following the winding steps down to a small room that was lined with solid stone and iron bars. What the hell is up with this place? Bella wondered.
The body she was in moved forward towards the end of the cells where there was a ledge carved into the stone wall, but Bella could see that there was something off about the stone itself. They were interrupted from doing anything else other than eyeing the area as they heard footsteps behind them. Turning, Bella had instantly been filled with fear but the girl she inhabited didn't feel any of it.
"Isabelle," the girl greeted, a devious smile covering her lips. "What a surprise to find you alive - again. I wonder...Do you remember me?"
"Katerina. How could I forget?" Isabelle replied but the resignation in her tone made Bella nervous as she could do nothing but watch everything unfold.
"And you are still just merely a human," the Katerina girl stated triumphantly as she blurred quickly in front of her. The startling resemblance to that of Elena was so unnerving that she truly had to question their relation more later. "You know, it doesn't matter how many times you are reborn. I will always find a way to make sure that you are dead before you ever get a taste of true power. I will hunt you down every century to destroy you."
Bella wasn't sure what her body's expression was giving her but this Katerina must not have liked it based on the scowl she was giving. "Katerina. You may have killed me a few times already. I know you will kill me tonight. But you won't always win. I can assure you of that. You see, I may not have all of the abilities I am meant to have yet but I have begun to receive a few already. And you know what Katerina? I have foreseen a girl that will be no match for you. She will see through your lies and deceit, and despite the hardships she will have experienced, she will find her true partner in the one you will are so shamelessly planning to toy with after killing me. He won't fall for your games forever either. Once he realizes the spell you put him under, he won't hesitate to kill you when he gets the chance but it will be my blood that will bring your final breath."
Katerina let out a shriek as she threw a tantrum before she reached out to claw at the girl, intending to cause her more damage and pain before biting down roughly and feeding aggressively from her neck, causing Isabelle, and Bella, to scream loudly in pain.
~o.O.o~
Stefan arrived at the Swan manor to find a very irritable Damon waiting out on the porch. Raising a confused brow, he glanced towards the door. "I would have thought she'd invite you in," he commented.
"Oh. She did. We chatted. Had a little heart to heart. Then she threw me the fuck out. What the fuck took you so long?" Damon demanded as he stalked up to his brother. "And she confirmed that she knows about vampires. Cold ones. Knew nothing about us so you can rest easy about her. Right now, I'd be more worried about Katherine because I don't think that bitch is going to leave town this time until she kills Bella."
"Back up. Bella kicked you out? Did you tell her about us?" Stefan asked, holding his hands up to try to calm him down, but the motion only seemed to annoy the man more.
Damon scoffed as he begun to pace as he glared at the front door. "Yeah, she knows. She didn't seem to care one way or another. Either that or it didn't register with everything else discussed. She told me about these hallucinations she's been having since she moved to Mystic Falls, only I think they are memories from her past life here."
"If that's true, then she would remember us Damon. She didn't indicate anything at that dinner…"
"She knew the sauce Stefan. Explain that. She may not have all the memories. It could be coming in pieces since she only just got here, who the fuck knows? I don't know know how this reincarnation shit is working with her. Witchy hasn't gotten back to either of us yet. Barbie is tucked away at her house until sundown then you have a baby vamp to babysit until she's trapped by the sun in the morning. Fucking Katherine. I'm going to kill her myself."
Stefan let out a sigh, fearing that was what his brother was doing when he had contacted him, but at least his friend was safe for the time. "How is she handling the change?"
"Barbie? She fed. She completed it without anyone to hold her hand," he shrugged, not particularly caring as he went over to the edge of the porch where he pulled himself up to sit on the rail. "She'll adjust and be fine."
"We don't need another Vicky around here," his brother reminded him, earning an eyeroll.
"It's Barbie. Do you think she'll go all blood thirsty on the town? If you do, then I'll go stake her as soon as I'm sure Bella is fine. I was the one that gave her my damn blood. It's my responsibility," Damon muttered but he seemed distracted as he had his attention up on the second floor windows.
"What is it?"
He held up a finger as he listened, extending his hearing. "Bella must have went to lay down for a nap but it doesn't seem to be a very good one. She's restless," he murmured as he continued to focus on the sounds.
"If she's trying to sleep, then we can come back later to talk to her about everything. Come on Damon -"
A loud, piercing scream reached them, echoing down from the house. Knowing that it could only come from one source, Damon rushed to the door, throwing it open and didn't hesitate to go in, but Stefan was stuck at the threshold hold. "I haven't been invited yet. Go. See what's wrong. I'll keep an eye out for Katherine in case," he said, receiving a nod as the vampire disappeared up the stairs.
With a sigh, Stefan looked out over the empty street that seemed to be peaceful and quiet while everyone was, for the most part, at work or oblivious to their everyday lives. He couldn't help but worry about the danger that Katherine had warned that the girl upstairs meant, but he hoped she would be worth the risk because he knew Damon was jumping in feet first this time.
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or The Vampire Diaries in any way, shape, or form. I am just merely playing with the characters for enjoyment...
Chapter 09
Bella had woken herself with her screaming, thrashing in the bed as she struggled to escape the confines of the blankets. Her face was stained with tears that fell from her eyes as she looked around wildly when Damon threw her bedroom door open, looking concerned as he searched her out.
"Are you alright Bella?" he asked, his eyes darting around for some unseen threat that caused such fear and reactions from the girl.
Her mouth fell open as she tried to form the words she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure she quite understood everything herself yet as the fog was still lifting from the bete noir of her nap. Slowly the memories of what she dreamt, experienced returned to her, increasing her heart rate that had begun to relax. Her hand reached up to her neck, inspecting, searching for traces of blood that weren't there but she could still feel the pain of the vampire woman's teeth breaching her skin and tearing it.
"No. No I am not fine," she answered as she shook her head, glancing over at him as the emotions of the woman she occupied in the dream seemed to be with her, confusing her already conflicting feelings for the man. "I don't know what just happened but it has something to do with your psychotic ex-girlfriend you told me about!"
Damon took a deep breath as he took in her appearance and nodded slowly. Moving over to the window, he peered outside, taking notice as the sun was setting in the distance. "Would you be willing to come to the Boarding House tonight? I would feel better about your safety if you were closer. I'll see if Witchy can come by and we can all sit and discuss this."
Bella hugged her arms around her as she tried to make some sense over his constant protective nature over her. While initially it was just the cell phone, now after what she saw and heard in that dream, if the events were real, it might explain the straight connection she felt with him. "I'm not making any promises. Especially to stay the night unless it's absolutely necessary. Damon, I want answers. This shit is too fucked up that I'm about two seconds from packing up and hightailing it Florida to get away from this insanity."
"I want to give you answers, but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I have the answers you want Bella. I can't promise something that I can't give you, no matter how much I want to. Believe me there are questions that I want answers to as well, but let's just make sure that you are safe and Katherine is out of our hair in the meanwhile. Can you live with that?" he asked as he walked up to her, pulling her chin to force her eyes up onto him.
She was curious as to what he wanted to know but agreed with a nod. Satisfied, Damon smirked as he stepped back. "Okay Gorgeous. Pack a bag and bring enough for a few nights just in case. Maybe even just to keep there in case you decide to become a frequent visitor one day," he winked as he moved over to the window where he looked outside again, although listening carefully and murmured something under his breath.
"What is it?" she questioned as she started to move around to get a bag together and think of some excuse to give her father for her absence.
"Nothing to be concerned about, I think. Stephen was just filling me in on our - um, boarding issue. We have someone else that's going to be staying with us, but I'll make sure you will be safe."
His choice of words made her stop short and look up. "By safe, you mean...another vampire?"
He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yeah. Caroline. Um, it seems that in response to being unable to kill you that night when you were by us for dinner, Katherine decided to take it out on one of our friends. She didn't anticipate that she had vampire blood in her system and transitioned. So on top of figuring out your story Miss Bella, we have a psychotic vampire bitch on the loose and a baby vamp to train. We're going to have fun tonight! Aren't you excited?"
"Oh yeah, thrilled," she deadpanned as she stared back at him for a moment, her heart skipping a beat as she took notice of his softened gaze on her before he turned away again to snoop through her bookshelf. As he became quiet in his thoughts, she gave him his privacy while she turned back to her own and continued gathering her things. "What am I going to tell my dad? I doubt he'll be okay if I tell him that I'm going to a house with two guys overnight."
Letting out a snort, Damon didn't even look up from the book he was thumbing through. "Let me handle him. Don't worry about a thing."
"I can't help but worry with whatever grand scheme you think of," she muttered, as she picked up her backpack from the bed with a huff and started for the door but he had it out of her hands and was in front of her blocking her path in a flash.
"Let me make something clear to you Isabella. Whenever it comes to you, I have nothing but the purest intentions. No matter what anyone says. I haven't lied to you, ever. Not now, and certainly not back then. If you truly are a reincarnation and you get her memories back, then you'll realize it. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Just know that all I can be patient when it is something that I want," he said with so much conviction that she couldn't help but to blink back in a shocked response. His lips twitched into a slight smile as his eyes gazed over her face, his hand reaching up to trace down the side of her face ever so gently. "Just biding my time until you are ready to come to me."
Bella watched him speechless and almost told him of the experience she had during the nap but he had turned and started for the stairs, leaving her as she ran her hand through her hair. She didn't know what to do. The memories of the other woman, who seemed older than herself, were stronger now. She'd woken up with much more than she realized but she'd only begun to realize it as she calmed down and allowed herself to sort through the images that flowed through her mind. While the memories told her she could trust Damon, he was human in those images. Unlike the vampires she knew before coming to Mystic Falls, she was slowly learning that this breed was much different and she certainly was favoring them more than the Cullens in that they seemed to be more capable of having a stronger grasp on their humanity. If she was forced to be changed ever, she knew she would likely consider seeking Damon for assistance if the Cullens ever returned for her. A girl needed to have plans and back ups. Katherine's attempts to kill her over the years, amongst others, did teach her something and that was becoming abundantly clear as she followed behind him.
"Okay Gorgeous. So, after you kicked me out of the house, Stefan finally showed up, but while we were upstairs he was called away to go deal with the baby vamp issue and get her somewhat fed before we get to the house. You and I will stop by the station so that we can tell Daddy that you're coming over for movie night with the gang. Liz with back us up on it and I have a good excuse to be there because I actually need to see her for some business," he explained his intentions as he sent out some text messages before putting his phone away and held the front door open for her with a smile and a bow. "After you milady."
~o.O.o~
By the time that Damon and Bella arrived at the Boarding House, the rest of their group was gathered and trying to calm the very upset blond girl that was in the living room. As soon as the two walked in, he held Bella back behind him as he tried to assess the danger the girl might pose as her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed in on him.
"You! You compelled me to forget!" she yelled at Damon and started for him before Bella's scent hit her as she got closer. She stopped short as she stared at the girl who peered curiously from behind him. "Another girl? Already? What are you going to do? Sleep with her and compel her to forget you're using her as well?"
Bella snorted her amusement as she looked up at him as he grimaced and shrugged. "It's been a lonely, hundred something years not knowing. What did you expect me to do?" he asked, though he kept his voice low only for her ears to hear but both Caroline and Stefan were capable of listening clearly.
"What is this?" Caroline questioned as she crossed her arms, turning to look around at everyone. "What have I missed while I was in the hospital then supposedly dead."
"A lot Care," Elena said with a sigh as she rubbed at her temple. "Bella just recently moved to Mystic Falls but she seems to be tied to it somehow. She's a reincarnation of someone from the past."
"We're helping her learn more about her past but also protect her until she's capable of defending herself based on the claims that Katherine was throwing at us," Stefan added, giving her a meaningful look.
She looked back at him confused for a moment before shuddering. "The Elena look-a-like that killed me? She's after this girl?" she asked more quietly, much calmer, as she turned to look at her again. "She did babble about some girl and getting even."
Damon tensed up as he pulled Bella closer to him. "What did that bitch say about her? Tell us everything."
"She was just complaining about someone not staying dead! Honestly, I thought it was Elena and that she was just ranting about some nonsense. She did make some comment about contacting someone though who might be interested in doppelgangers. What the hell? Oh my god she smells sooo good..."
"If you come anywhere near her, I will shove a stake through your heart faster than you can blink," he snapped back before anyone can say anything. "Isabella is not on the menu. If you're hungry, you can ask Stefan for Bambi or Thumper because she's not making any donations."
Bonnie and Elena had looked at him in shock at his threat. "Damon!"
"No. I don't care. If you don't want to help then get out and take her with you. She'll be your problem and I won't help," he said, making his position clear on where his alliance was. His arm slid around Bella's shoulders, both in protection and a need to hold her close after everything. The first time in so long he was able to hold her and he wanted to revel in it. Looking over at his brother, he saw that Stefan said nothing in response and looked back at the girls.
Bonnie looked back and forth between them, suspicion filling her as she grew uncomfortable in Bella's presence. "I tried to speak with the spirits but they weren't willing to give much information. I did catch whispers that you are quite powerful, that you should come into your abilities soon. Emily did manage to let me know that your family still walks."
She looked up at Damon then over at Bonnie. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked. "I know I still have family. I live with my father. My mother is in Florida."
"I don't know," he murmured as he ran his hand down her back, causing Elena and Caroline to narrow their eyes in confusion at his behavior with the girl. "We'll find out. In the meanwhile, let's get whatever questions we all have for everyone out of the way. Okay?"
Bella's face reddened as she nodded, making him smirk as he raised an eyebrow. "Now I really wonder what caused that blush but I'll ask that another time. Perhaps in private," he grinned. Picking her up, he flashed them over to his armchair and made themselves comfortable with her on his lap. "I love story time."
Stefan made his way into the living room as he passed around glasses of alcohol for everyone. "I think this will help for the nerves," he winked as he passed Bella hers. She was hesitant as she sniffed the contents of the glass while Damon watched her, but after she took a sip, she smiled knowingly.
When everyone was settled, Bella was the first to speak as she kept her eyes on the bourbon in her glass, which also happened to be Damon's preferred brand. "So, the first question I have is what is the last thing you remember of me? Or rather my previous self," she asked as she looked between Damon and Stefan.
The brothers were startled and nervous as they thought of the day when Isabelle had disappeared. Stefan leaned forward, volunteering to answer her question first as the memories of the incident continued to hurt his brother. "The day that you, well Isabelle, disappeared, I had been helping Damon by gathering many of your favorite things from around town that you two would share in together that he planned to take you to after the Founders' Day events in the town square. He was, um, after he came to check on my progress, seeing that everything was done and he was happy with it, he went to look for you. When he couldn't find you, we ended up starting a full search that turned up nothing. No one knew what happened. It was like you just disappeared."
"Did you check the old Swan mausoleum back on the property?" she asked, playing with Damon's shirt collar to get his attention.
"Yes. I personally searched every inch of that property. There was nothing there," he answered. "After hearing Katherine's rambling, it would seem that she would be involved now and explain the lack of any trace of what happened. If I had any idea she was involved, I never would have given her a second thought when I returned from war. Stefan could have had her all for himself."
Nodding, Bella shifted on his lap as she looked up at him shyly. "I can tell you more about that night," she admitted. "The nap that I woke up screaming from? It was one hell of a memory I guess that hit."
He was concerned as he hesitated. "Bella - if you aren't ready to talk about that, we can wait…"
"No. You were obviously hurt just as much by - my - disappearance," she insisted, stumbling over her reference of herself in that time period. Biting her lip, she met his eyes. "I don't remember a lot Damon, but what is coming to me, I can still feel the truth behind them. It's - weird, but for some reason, not so much at the same time."
"That's likely because you've experienced it a several lifetimes over," Bonnie offered. "From the research I've been able to do about reincarnations, I've never heard about a recurring one like you and I'm still trying to find something or someone that might know something. We're all out of our element here."
Bella smiled softly as she nodded. "I understand. If you can find anyway to rush the onset of whatever I'm supposed to be able to do, I'd appreciate that because I don't particular like this Katherine girl. Being bitten hurts like hell," she said as she rubbed at her neck with a wince. "During my nap, it was like I was inside this Isabelle girl and she was inside the mausoleum looking at something after Damon left her, but that Katherine showed up. You should know that she wasn't surprised by her appearance. How old was Isabelle?"
"Nineteen," Damon answered as he pulled her hair back behind her ear, causing her to smile at the familiar gesture that he didn't even seem to realize he was doing. "Why?"
"Just asking because she seemed to have more awareness of the memories of the previous incarnations and perhaps some gifts for her age, at least that I thought for the short ride that I was along for. I just wanted to know if maybe it was an age thing or experience and exposure theory for the advancement of the memories and abilities?"
They all looked at one another curiously. "That is actually not a half bad idea," Elena said. "If you're a witch, we could have you exposed or try spells with Bonnie to see if you can trigger something. Maybe keep taking you around town to trigger more memories."
"Actually I think the best one to help with my memories would be Stefan and Damon," Bella answered as she stiffened and looked away from the girl to the man whose lap she occupied. "Another question - what were you planning that night?"
Stefan snorted as he looked at him. "You may as well tell her. I think she already suspects something by now, if she didn't already then. You never were able to keep a secret well from her."
Damon rolled his eyes as he balanced his tumbler on the arm of the chair, trying to ignore the beautiful woman poking him in the shoulder. "I was...planning on proposing," he admitted reluctantly as his other hand gripped her hip possessively but with gentle warning. "Can we not mention it again because I don't like talking about it - at all."
The silence was deafening as all eyes seemed to be on him except really for Stefan and Bella. She was eager to take the attention off of him, much as her previous incarnation had done. Eyeing him, she canted her head to the side. "Why do you drink animal blood?"
"I don't want to lose control of myself," he said, hesitating. "I don't want to hurt people."
"He gets blood drunk when he drinks human blood and becomes a Ripper," Damon sighed as he finished his drink with a pout.
"A Ripper?"
"Like you tear into a steak when you eat?" he explained, raising an eyebrow.
She raised an eyebrow back at him. "I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat steak."
"You definitely are not Isabelle. Isabelle loved her meat. I know," he said suggestively, smiling with satisfaction when she blushed as he obviously managed to catch her on a memory that she didn't want to admit to.
Before anyone had the chance to truly recover from the comment, a voice spoke up from the doorway behind them. "Isn't this sweet. I think I'm going to be sick," Katherine interrupted, announcing her presence as she leaned against the frame appearing bored.
"What do you want?" Stefan questioned as he stood to move between her and the girls while Damon slowly stood to do the same with Bella.
"Stand down boys. I'm not going to do anything with your little harem here. Especially that bitch. I won't have to. Someone else much more interested in something with that much power in her blood is on his way. All I get out of it is a little freedom," she smirked as she walked up to Damon and reached out to run her hand over him, to taunt him as she loved to do but a thin invisible shield blocked her from making contact with him. Frowning, she looked around and scowled when her eyes landed on Bella.
Backing away slowly, her eyes darted back and forth and darkened as she sensed an increased threat within their group. "Good luck boys," she simpered as she turned on her heels and walked out the door.
The human girls each let out the breath they had been holding, but Damon quickly turned to look down at Bella questioningly. She looked tired and pale. More pale than even him and he was concerned about whatever she might have just done, if it was her, just weakened her. "If that nut job is gone for the night, I think we should call it a night and continue Q&A in the morning if Bella is up for it."
"Good idea," Stefan agreed. "Why don't you girls go choose a room. Caroline, you take the one between Damon's and mine in case you have some issues with your cravings. Bonnie can always give you a migraine if you try to eat her after all."
She grimaced as she was reminded of the one she had received when she first realized she had changed. "Don't worry. I have no plans on doing anything but sleeping right now. Just keep Elena with you in case. I assume Bella is staying with Damon too?"
"Yes," Damon answered as he already scooped the tired girl into his arms as she tried to fight him.
"Let me go," Bella protested. "I can walk just fine."
"Humor me Gorgeous," he said as he carried her up to his room without so much of a goodnight to everyone else. Setting her down on his bed, he ran his hand over his face. "I know my brother is too focused on Elena and Barbie's brain is on overdrive to focus on our discussion right now. Something happened downstairs and I don't know what. Whatever your abilities are, something is starting to show itself. What happened? What were you thinking when she was here?"
Bella sighed as she just wanted to sleep. She knew what he was referring to but between her fear, anger, and overall exhaustion, she was done at that moment. "I'm tired Damon. I'm not even protesting about you taking me to your bed. We're not doing anything but sleeping though. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
Damon opened his mouth to demand an answer but only agreed. "Tomorrow," he said gently, as he saw just how close she was to losing the battle with staying awake. Whatever she did, he didn't want her to do again any time soon for fear of her being hurt simply for falling asleep after. He went to pull a shirt out of the closet for her to sleep in, but she was already passed out.
With a sigh, he quickly changed her into the shirt before getting ready for bed himself and crawled into beside her. Holding her to him, Damon's emotions were all over the place as he pressed his lips to her hair. The first time in over a hundred and fifty years, he was happy to simply hold his girl in bed again.
Author Note: Sorry for the long wait! I haven't forgotten the stories! I promise! I'm also working on updates on the others (albeit, slowly). I've been working on a new story/project with my bestie on our joint account here on FFnet. If you are interested in checking it out, it's an Arrow/Twilight crossover and actually, last I checked, the only crossover of its kind on the site! Gambling Hearts is actually completed in writing, although it's not all posted yet. We are just taking our time in putting up the remaining chapters now and we are working on the sequel. Look for us under the penname meekobuggy. Hope you enjoy!
Author's Note: Holy Crappola Batman! An Update after a ...year?! I hope it does it justice. As you are well aware, Whispers in Shadows is AU. Without a doubt. Aside from the Twilight side, it most certainly is from The Vampire Diaries/The Originals. There are certain aspects of the shows I didn't like. For the sake of this story, I am bringing Kol back from the dead. He didn't die, and other details, are certainly out of order. Sorry. It's my story. It's been a year and I didn't actually write down my thoughts at the time of what I was planning like I should have.
~o.O.o~
When Bella began to awaken the following morning, she rolled over in the bed with a sigh as her arm reached out to search for her bedmate. Finding the other side of the mattress empty, she sat up and looked around. She blinked as she worked to remember the events of the day before and felt almost exhausted enough to just lay back down and hide under the covers from everything.
There was much she knew she would need to explain. She had gained many memories back and Damon knew it was more than just old dreams now. It seemed that she'd been able to shield him from Katherine and they were both aware of that. Getting out of bed, she looked around for her bag, needing clothes, but suddenly Damon's closet door flew open. Jumping in surprise, Bella looked around for a moment before closing her eyes to steady her racing heart. Grabbing one of his shirts from a hanger, Bella wrapped it around herself before slipping her jeans from the day before on, she made her way downstairs.
She stopped short and narrowed her eyes at seeing nearly everyone there. Her attention immediately went to Damon to find him tense and extremely displeased with his brother's girlfriend. "What is going on?" she questioned almost too calmly, but in a tone that caused Stefan and Damon to eye her curiously.
"Nothing. Nothing is going on," Elena answered quickly as she glared back at Damon, moving to stand beside Stefan but at seeing the way he too was suddenly uncomfortable around her, Bella raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as she watched her.
"Somehow I doubt that," she murmured. A glance to Bonnie and Caroline who seemed to be trying to stay out of whatever dispute was going on, and avoiding her eyes made it clear that there was more to the change within the group in the short time. Fixing her eyes on Elena, she waved her hand that bore a ring that had been in her possession for a long time towards the girl and spoke a couple words. "Segja sannleikann."
Everyone froze as they stared wide eyed as Elena's face took on a blank look, much like one under a vampire compulsion, as she responded. "I tried to kiss Damon when he came downstairs to make breakfast for Bella and was angry when he refused to admit that he had feelings for me anymore."
"Holy…" Caroline started to say but Bonnie slowly approached Bella.
"When did you get your powers?" she asked.
The girl closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know? Something begun to manifest last night when Katherine was here and gained some more memories during the night, but nothing significant as to what my origins are or the reason for what is going on."
"Slutpire said she let someone know about you that wants doppelgangers. Any ideas who it could be?" Damon questioned, turning his steely glare from the girl over to Bonnie.
"No. I will going back and ask the spirits again. They seemed interested in protecting Bella when I asked about her last time," she shrugged, feeling helpless as she gathered her bag and coat and headed out the door.
"Bella?"
She sighed and pulled her hair back from her face with both hands. Flashing a glare at Elena who had come out of her truth spell that she'd been under and been looking around confused, she shook her head. "Sorry. The most I remember right now is the life with you in the 1850s and a couple basic spells like that truth one."
"It's alright. Let's hope that Witchy comes back with some answers that are worth something this time. I am beginning to think that they are all hype anyway," Damon shrugged as he handed her the cup of coffee he held for her when she joined him at his side. "How would you like to play this? We can try to push these memories and see if more of your magic kicks in."
Bella didn't know what to do and said so. "It started with Katherine," she shared. "A defense mechanism of sorts? I'm not sure, but I was older and didn't have what I have now. I don't know how to use this but at the same time - it feels familiar."
"Well putting your life in danger isn't going to be an option," Stefan spoke up, looking tired. "We'll have to find some other way."
Caroline had been sitting quietly, observing everything since the first person woke after her. "Okay so, I am a bit behind on the story here. Can someone fill me in on what exactly is going on? I got that Bella is somehow from your past and that Katherine has it out for her from last night. Now why don't we just gather everything we know and go from there?"
The girl hesitated as she looked at the others. Damon had kept his eyes on her, not saying a word knowing it was her decision to make. Nodding her consent, he shared what he knew while Stefan and Bella eventually filled in the gaps with her own arrival. By the end, the group was sitting quietly as they processed what they knew.
"So no one knows how far back your reincarnations go? Just at least 500 years because Katherine knows about you," Elena asked, making her uncomfortable, as she was unaware about the truth spell that she'd been previously under and continued to behave innocently.
After a moment, Bella nodded without speaking as she eyes her. Knowing the girl for what she was now, she was more cautious in her presence as her predecessor had killed her more than a few times before, making her even more difficult to trust especially after attempts to seduce Damon after he himself admitted his feelings for girl who she last lived in.
In the end, the group sat there until Elena's eyes grew large. "I think I know who Katherine is trying to send," she whispered as she looked to Stefan with doe like eyes that had him raising an eyebrow now that he was more aware of her antics.
"Who?"
"Klaus. I mean, he was after me because I'm Katherine's doppelganger for his curse. Who's to say there isn't something else he wants more power for that Bella's blood will give him?" she pointed out.
Bella looked at the vampires confused. "Who's Klaus?"
Damon looked back to her, fear touching the corner of his eyes. "One of the original vampires. A hybrid actually," he answered. "He was in town for awhile and sacrificed Elena to break his curse. He stuck around trying to make hybrids for awhile, fucking with Stefan before he took off with what was left of his family for New Orleans."
She drew in a deep breath and nodded. "There is no use speculating right now. I need to get more of my memories back and perhaps it will give us the answers we need. I may know more about the history between your Isabelle and Damon from that life but that doesn't change the fact that I've only met you all just the other day."
"Well, I'm Caroline and I'm on the cheerleading squad with Elena and I am like really hungry right now," the young vampire piped up, causing everyone to blink at her.
Bella couldn't help but to lightly laugh and shake her head at the girl's attempt to lighten the tension in the room. "I'm sure Damon would be happy to help you out," she smiled before looking up at him, raising an eyebrow at the scowl he gave her before he turned and begrudgingly left the room.
"Aren't you afraid about Klaus?" Elena asked as she stared at her and how she was making herself comfortable in the Salvatore's living room.
Looking up at her, she frowned as she thought about it for a moment. "Strangely enough, no. His name doesn't strike fear in me the way it does for you. There is a sense of familiarity with it I can't place, much like it had with Damon and Stefan, but I'm sure it'll come."
Elena gawked at her in disbelief. "Klaus is dangerous! You should be terrified!"
Bella rolled her eyes. "Are you really concerned about my safety or your own? You admitted that when he was here last, he wanted your blood. He's since left and you haven't implied that he's bothered you since. Now that he may be coming back, it only sounds to me you're more upset that this man may be interested in me than he is in you."
"I am not!"
"Right. Sure. Keep denying all you want princess but we all know the truth about your games," Damon said as he walked back in, tossing a blood bag over to Caroline who happily ripped open the valve and drank as she looked around. "You're no better than Katherine in that aspect. Doppelgangers. It's always about you. You, you, you."
"Damon…" Bella chastised him calmly as she saw him growing more angry with the girl. "Maybe you can take me home? My dad is going to worried about me."
He dragged his eyes away from Elena and they softened on her. "Didn't I tell you that we would take care of him. Everything is straightened out. Your pops and Barbie's mom know that you two were having a sleepover with Elena and witchy here."
"Caroline's mom?"
"My mom knows I'm here?!" Caroline screeched, her lips slipping off the blood bag as she looked up at him.
Damon rolled his eyes. "She knows you're here, but not what you are. Don't worry. She doesn't know about us. I'm on the town council for that reason!"
The girl was still afraid however and he sighed. "Look. While you mother is aware of vampires, and hunts them, I'm on the council playing along with the rest of them to steer them away from us. Keep your friends close and enemies closer. Don't worry about it."
"What if my mother does find out the truth? What then? Are you going to kill her?" Caroline demanded.
Damon hesitated, forcing Bella to answer for him. "No, he won't. I won't let him," she smiled. "My father works on the force too and is getting involved with the council as well. I'm not exactly thrilled about his learning about the supernatural. Especially after everything we left behind."
"You mean the sparklies?" Damon smirked at her as he ran his fingers over her wrist.
"I don't want to talk about them," she scowled, narrowing her eyes. "I want to get out, do something. What else is around Mystic Falls that we can do?"
"Why don't you show her the caves?" Elena suggested.
The brothers both weren't sure at the suggestion, especially considering they weren't capable of entering because of the witches' spell protecting the glyphs of the Mikaelsons' family story but if Klaus was truly coming for Bella, it was something that she would want to see. Shrugging a shoulder, Damon looked to the young witch. "What do you think? Want to go exploring?"
Bella had been studying Elena for any clues for deception but could find none before she agreed. "Sounds like fun."
~o.O.o~
It had taken some time to reach the particular site. The last time Elena had been there, she had threatened to kill herself because of the Original family, but thankfully they left not long after. Rebekah had taken her anger out on her brother and they all left to torment another city.
As the group made their way through the cave system, Bella was rather quiet while Damon helped her climb over the rocks and down slippery slopes. At times, she managed to take certain turns almost instinctively, leaving the others in silence and wonder as they watched her as they knew that she had never been there before.
When they reached the cavern that held the old glyphs, only Bella and Elena were capable of entering. No one said anything as they watched the seemingly new witch study the images with curious eyes.
"It tells a story of the first family of vampires…" Elena started to say but she was quickly shushed.
"I know what it says, strangely enough. It's - an odd feeling. The hybrid killed his mother," she said as she pointed to a set of symbols.
Elena nodded as her eyes widened. "Yeah, uh, Klaus killed Esther but let everyone believe it was their father for cheating on him."
Bella frowned as her fingers hovered over the hybrid glyph before her attention turned to the names of the family. To the average person, one wouldn't be able to understand the writing as it was writing in old Viking, but she was capable of reading it.
"It's their names-" Elena started when she was interrupted.
"Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah, Henrik," she whispered in confusion as she looked around. "There's one missing."
"What?" Damon questioned from the entrance, having been listening silently.
"I don't know. I just feel like there is supposed to be another name on the wall here," she said as she stepped into his view, pointing back at it. "Esther and Mikael had another child I think."
Stefan looked back at his brother and shook his head at the unasked question. "Klaus and Rebekah never said anything to me in my time with them."
"Elijah never said anything when he told me their history of another either," Elena added. "Maybe you're confused.
Bella shook her head, her hands digging into her hair as she was sure of her feeling, her eyes going back to the wall of names. "No. I'm positive, there's one missing," she repeated. "I will ask this Klaus guy when he comes."
"Uh, I don't think so. Not if he's coming here for your blood," Damon shook his head, protesting.
She glared back at him. "I've physically known you in this lifetime less than a week. You don't have any right to tell me what to do. Whether or not we were to be engaged in the past has no merit. Forget the past because we're in the 21st century and I'll teleport your dick to Italy, to the Volturi castle, if you don't figure out that you are not the boss of me."
"You have no idea how much of a lunatic this guy is Bella! Let alone the rest of that family!" he argued back, his eyes wild as they stared back at her from the threshold of the cavern. "We're only trying to keep you safe! Is that so hard to comprehend! I just get you back and you're ready to go running off to someone who will have no issues taking you right from me for all the shit I put him through!"
"Stop being such a bloody dick to everyone then!" Bella snapped, a European accent filtering through her voice as an explosion of magic escaped through her hands, pushing the irate vampire back. It caused everyone to stare at her with more confusion, and a bit of fear. "I have no idea where that came from…" she muttered as she looked down to her hands before wrapping them around herself. "Can we go back now? I want to go home."
Stefan and Damon eyed one another as they agreed wordlessly that the day had been long enough for her. "Yeah, let's head back," the younger Salvatore smiled at her, while Damon kept his distance. He knew she was upset and would only grow more so if he pushed her. While there were marked differences between this girl and the one that he was set to propose to, even in reincarnation, their strength of character was still very much the same.
~o.O.o~
Meanwhile in New Orleans…
Elijah Mikaelson sat in the study turning through the pages of his mother's grimoire in thought, contemplating the recent events in his family. The changes that no one had ever expected were even capable, especially with that of his brother, Niklaus.
Even if he had no romantic feelings for the wolf girl, he knew he did care for the mother of his unborn child. It was only after a recent phone call that the hybrid received that raised concern in the older man. Niklaus was more short tempered after he hung up, more agitated in the confines of the house.
While he considered questioning him about the details of the call, he had chosen to wait. To wait for him to come to him for when he was ready to discuss whatever it was that bothered him so. It only was surprising that it hadn't taken as long as he thought it would.
When the sandy haired brother entered the room, Elijah glanced up from the book, his fingers pausing on the page that he'd been studying to observe as the man paced the floor. He watched as he opened his mouth once, twice before turning to look at him.
"What is bothering you Niklaus? Ever since you received that call two days ago, you have been worse than a caged tiger," he commented, carefully closing the grimoire and setting it aside.
Klaus' jaw tensed, but it was more to it. His whole body was set as if ready for a fight. "Katerina Petrova is playing with fire and believes she is immune from its' flames," he announced as he held his head high, staring his brother down for his reaction.
Elijah was surprised to hear the name of his former lover and blinked, sitting back in his chair. "Katerina? Is that so? And what is it she had to say?"
He rolled his eyes, sniffing at the memory of the conversation, or lack thereof as he participated very little except to listen to what she quickly threw at him in lieu of his threats on her life. "She claims that there is a second doppelganger back in Mystic Falls. One that has recurred numerous times over the last several hundred years," he stated in nothing more than a whisper.
The implications of such a phenomenon was something neither of them anticipated. "Another doppelganger? Did she say of what bloodline? One that occurs that frequently...is…"
"Not normal. Yes, I know. I do not agree that it is what she claims and I did not share such thoughts, but she is intent that I would be interested in this particular - specimen. She has insisted that she had personally destroyed the girl many times in the past. A competitor of sorts, I do not know. I tuned out her mindless babble," Klaus waved it off. "What would occur so often after a death?"
The elder Mikaelson sat thinking, pondering the supernatural theories that he was familiar with in his millenia on Earth. "Aside from the doppelganger, there are reincarnations. Katerina is at least 500 years of age. So this girl existed before her. We would have to meet with the current manifestation and see what memories or abilities she might entail. It may give light to her origins."
"And what do we do with Hayley? We cannot leave my child defenseless while we take a road trip back there."
"Call Rebekah back to stay with her. I will inform the witches that we need to leave town. Perhaps they may even know something about this to give us some insight before we go in blind," Elijah smiled.
"I could always unbox Kol and have him sort out the witches," Klaus smiled devilishly.
Elijah frowned after a moment, pausing to eye his brother disapprovingly. "You could, but I thought you sought some level of order in your desire to rule this city. You cannot do that if you have the species at war with one another and within their own."
He said nothing as he glared at him in return. He knew nothing of his intentions, only what he assumed. "Call Rebekah and talk to your witches. I want to get this over with quickly," he muttered before storming out of the room, leaving his brother narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he wondered what more was going on back in Virginia.
~o.O.o~
While Elijah was off treating the witches of New Orleans to spots of tea, Klaus had snuck off from his pregnant werewolf one-night stand to where he kept the coffins of his family. While most were either dead in some capacity, one remained daggered yet. He had managed to his younger sibling before the others in Mystic Falls before they could, too, kill him as they had their much boring older brother.
Pulling the dagger out, he waited for the man to awaken with a blood bag in hand, ready for him to feed. A smile on his lips as he held it out, he greeted the fellow as he stared back at him with a suspicious gaze as he drank. Once finished, Kol threw the empty plastic bag to the floor. "Not that I'm one to question being woken, but it's not usually by your hand, Nik."
"True. However, aside from Elijah's unfailing habit of studying books, you know more when it comes to witches and their craft. I am curious more about a possible reincarnation. One that occurs, possibly every century or so," Niklaus replied as he faced his brother, all matters of jest thrown aside.
Kol looked at him in shock, his eyes assessing him as if for the truth in his words before drawing in a deep breath. "A reincarnation like that is quite powerful indeed. I had heard rumors at one point - rumors, Nik. The witches had believed the girl to come from a line of powerful witches, possibly even an original witch. No one was able to say. That was in the late 1800s I believe, maybe early 1900s. Why do you ask?"
Klaus frowned as he was hesitant to go into more detail over what he knew. "I am unsure right now. Elijah and I must leave town. He does not know that I have undaggered you. So for the sake of the family, lay low and do not let anyone know you are around. There is a wolf girl in the house. She is off limits for anything more than a friendly chat. Rebekah will arrive soon to help in her protection. I ask that you help her. If I need anything else, I will call. I do not entirely trust Elijah to share what he learns on this situation with me," he admitted.
"No doubt he believes that you will want the reincarnation for some evil purpose. One like that cannot be harnessed, even if you wanted to," the former witch snorted. "Especially if she is of a witch line. She would easily be able to end our family if that is the case."
At that information, the hybrid tensed and his blue eyes burned brightly in the darkness. "Then we shall find a way to end her before she can do so," he vowed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
During their trip back to Mystic Falls, Klaus had been uncharacteristically quiet as he mused on the information his brother had further provided him, after he had proposed to kill the girl before she had the chance to destroy their family. Kol had immediately protested against taking any action against the reincarnation, suggesting to befriend her instead.
An ally that strong would be beneficial, he acknowledged, but it was unnerving for someone equal or more powerful than the hybrid to be walking the earth that could bring down their family. And yet, knowing that this one girl existed for so long, simply surviving after so many deaths, even if it was that in another body, proved her to be a survivor. Much like a Mikaelson, and that had earned his respect before he had even laid eyes on her.
Elijah had his own concerns after his visit with the witches. Not one of the ones he met with were willing to discuss the reincarnation, beyond confirming that it was indeed one, with him. In fact, after looking into his question, they had all looked at him with a new fear that he hadn't seen in hundreds of years. The witches were normally haughty, brazen even against the vampire race, but suddenly for them to turn and advise to avoid their involvement with the girl - he suspected there was more to her story.
As they grew closer to Mystic Falls, he looked over to his younger brother. "You may think me foolish, but I know you undaggered Kol," he admitted.
Klaus' fingers curled into a fist under his chin as he continued to stare out at the passing scenery. That was the only sign that he had heard him speak, otherwise he offered no verbal response.
"I imagine that he offered you some information that has you giving careful thought over since we've left Louisiana. More so than I have been able to ascertain from the any of the few friendly witches that I've made among the covens," Elijah continued quietly.
Letting out a frustrated breath, Klaus' anxiety only increased as he spoke about the girl. "Kol believes we must make nice with whomever she is. Supposedly, there were rumors he had heard when he was unboxed the last time he was loose in New Orleans about such a being. Possibly related to one of the original witches. Bloody nonsense!"
The elder Mikaelson almost froze at the theory as he continued to drive, crossing the border into town. He replayed the words over in his mind, going over the years in his memories as he attempted to find a connection to where such an outlandish prophecy might have been born in his old age. "Of the original witches, there was our mother, our aunt…"
"Ayana, from that Bennett line. She was in Mystic Falls," Klaus supplied with a sigh. "There were more but dead from the famine and war before the family moved over here according to our wretched mother. Where exactly are you going with this?"
Elijah looked at him before turning back to the road. "What I am saying is that I need to see the reincarnation. Perhaps if I recognize her, I may know to what line she may belong to."
"It is just another witch as far as I am concerned," he murmured. "Fairytales that Kol and his precious pets worshipped in hopes of my demise."
"This girl is likely in the company of the Salvatores," the older brother mused. "Katherine anticipates her freedom to be granted as believes her values to you to be great. To her, she sees her as a competing doppelganger."
"I haven't a use for either. When I desire my hybrids, I will come for Elena's blood. If this other manifestation is stronger, then I am sure I will find a suitable reason to keep her close by. Until then we trust nothing that lying bitch has to say," Klaus growled.
Having nothing more to say regarding the doppelgängers, Elijah fell silent as they continued to drive through town. He glanced to his brother when he heard him let out an audible sigh. "Let us stop for a drink. There won't be anything suitable to quell the mood I'm in at the house," the hybrid muttered as he stared ahead at the grill.
As Elijah parked their SUV, he shook his head as his brother was already out of the vehicle, slamming the door in his haste to move. "If I wasn't already familiar with your mood swings, I'd have thought you angry with me," he called after him, causing the man to pause in his step.
Klaus shook his head, glaring back at him in warning. His already volatile demeanor had him on edge; jokes were not necessary to send him over.
They walked inside together, out of instinct, both of their eyes looked around to take in any potential threat. Elijah's brows furrowed as he noticed the younger Salvatore brother in a heated discussion with Elena Gilbert.
Klaus' lip curled back in disgust at the sight of them before he turned an ear to catch a few words of their argument. His eyes quickly sparkled with amusement, slapping his brother on the back and pulled him over to the bar. "It seems that our favorite doppelgänger has a bit of a lovers' quarrel on her hands," he commented.
"So it would appear," Elijah mused thoughtfully, turning as he leaned against the bar to watch on. "It would seem she is much more like her predecessors than we had thought."
As the two observed from their distance, Stefan only finally took notice of their presence as he shook his head against Elena's argument. His eyes widened as Klaus smiled back at him and waved cockily.
He looked back at the girl who he had loved deeply, but had hurt him just as much in the last few days. "I'm sorry Elena but enough!" he hissed at her, trying to keep his voice down. Stefan really didn't want to give the Originals such ammunition to use against them, considering what he knew they were likely back in town for, but she had drawn the final straw for him. "Whatever problem you have, figure it out and get over it. Until then, we're done."
"Stefan!" Elena gasped, her eyes tearing. "You can't let this girl do this! Things were fine until she came here and now-"
"She did nothing to you and you know it! God, Elena! She's seeing Damon, or whatever it is they have going on. You know he's crazy about her, has been since that first dinner. It doesn't explain why you would attempt to seduce my brother, then show up in his shower. I can't tell you how lucky you are that it was Bella that found you, and not Damon because I don't think I would have been able to keep him from trying to kill you after that stunt. I was barely able to drag her out of there considering she wanted to strangle you herself!"
She reached out and tried to take hold of his arm, as if for one last attempt to keep him from leaving. "You don't understand… She knows too much about them. I really think they sent her to spy on us!"
His eyes just about bugged out, not knowing how to respond to her newest accusations. Only this time, he wouldn't be able to try to cover for her as Damon and Bella had just walked in the door and had started for them, overhearing her words. His eyes immediately shot across to the bar to find Klaus and Elijah still watching curiously, and seemingly with concern.
As Stefan turned his attention back to Bella, he saw nothing but pure anger in her eyes as she stared at Elena. Damon had his arm around her waist, a fruitless attempt to hold her back if she really wanted to attack the girl as they all learned over the previous few days of her growing abilities.
"Since the day that we met, you've pretended to be my friend. You've done nothing but gone behind everyone's back to sabotage any kind of friendship I made with anyone," Bella said as she made her way closer. Her voice dropped to a lower tone so that it would carry to the other humans in the restaurant, but eavesdropping vampires still heard clearly. "I'm sorry you feel you aren't getting the attention you are so accustomed to, but I didn't ask for this to happen to me. You may be important to some in the supernatural world because of what you are, but I wish you could feel how I feel. Every death I've been forced to remember over centuries, Elena," she hissed in her face. "You think I'm here to spy because of a feeling I had looking at some cave drawings? I'm eighteen years old Elena. How the fuck am I going to know about a place that I've never been before? My recollection of past lives didn't start until I moved here and was only exasperated every time that I was around you and your evil fucking twin who's had it out for me for 500 years!"
Elena's mouth opened but before she could speak, Bella sneered at her. "If I were you, I'd try to shut up and save face before someone stronger comes to kill you. I at least know better than to speak out of turn on the things I do know that can get me killed and they have nothing to do with what was written in that cave. If Damon and Stefan didn't care so much for you, I probably wouldn't hesitate to try to wring your neck myself with the way I'm feeling right now," she warned in a low and even tone before ripping herself from Damon's hold and making her way up to the bar area.
He stared after her for a moment, watching as Klaus and Elijah's eyes followed her. He hesitated at seeing the brothers back but he knew it was only a matter of time before they their appearance after Katherine's warning.
"I think I like her," Klaus smiled as he looked to Elijah, but the man was staring at the young witch peculiarly. "What is it?"
He didn't answer as she had gotten closer, resting her arms on the bar as she smiled and gave the server her order. The wise thing would have been to turn away, as Klaus had, to his drink, but he could not.
Elijah had hoped when he learned of this new being, that he might recognize her in some way through his thousand years. Never did he think her face would be someone much closer, and long forgotten. He knew that Klaus hadn't recognized the girl, as he was not yet been born. He was not yet himself, just a babe in Esther's womb, but Finn shared enough stories with him.
Mikael, too, even spoke of the daughter lost that pressed his decision to move to the New World. Esther had at first used magic to share her image to continue her memory until their father's broken heart could not take the pain any longer and grew cold, demanding no one to speak of Ylva any longer.
The older brother of the pair found himself conflicted on what to say. Knowing enough from the witches that she was indeed a reincarnation, but after living so many lives, if she recognized or knew of the rest of the family. His attempt, however, was either saved or thwarted, when Damon arrived at her side. His eyes glaring an icy blue at the two despite the smile she had on her face as she looked up him.
As he studied her in that moment, he instantly saw a different kind of protection over her from the vampire. And a deep affection for him reciprocated. Perhaps even love.
"Let's go," he muttered to her, trying to pull her away, only for her to resist stubbornly.
"I just ordered my food and I won't have petty jealousy run me off. Whatever problem Elena has, Damon, is her problem. Not ours. And I'm happy that Stefan is finally seeing the truth about her, especially after the stunt she pulled after the last time Katherine visited. She's gone now so relax," she reassured him.
"Gorgeous, you know I love you and all, but if you remember that morning, then think about that threat the bitch left behind," he whispered to her, his eyes never leaving Elijah as he continued to stare at the girl.
Bella frowned as she looked back up at him, turning to follow his gaze. Recalling Elena's concern about the hybrid that had been after her, she let out a cautious breath. Unlike the vampire at her side, she focused on the two and her own curiosity grew brighter at being able to meet them.
Feeling no sense of threat, she smiled as she held out her hand. "Hello. I'm Bella," she greeted, looking to Elijah first as he was closer before shifting her eyes to the one behind him, whom was quietly observing her. "So one of you is the Klaus that has everyone so uptight around town?"
"That'd be me, Love," Klaus spoke, a smirk on his lips as he sipped on his alcohol. The corner of his mouth twitched as her smile fell at his endearment. "And despite what Katherine may have insinuated, I give my word that we are not here to cause you harm. That is, of course, as long as you have no intentions of doing the same to our family. In which case, I can promise that we would retaliate-"
"Niklaus. We will not fight the girl," Elijah voiced finally, his hand still holding hers. "Katerina had no knowledge of what she set in motion when she prompted us to return, but if any blood is to be spilled, it will begin with her."
Bella's eyebrow rose as she felt as if she was caught between two opposing forces. She felt drawn to the two powerful vampires, but her allegiance to Damon was strong in her spirit. She still felt the love that her last life held for him and it almost consumed with each passing day. Her attention was distracted as Matt set her order on the bar, his eyes glancing to the Mikaelsons with concern before leaving.
"Let's go," Damon insisted, now that she had her food. He wanted to be as far away from the Originals as possible.
"Damon. Behave. I believe they can answer questions that we've been wondering about what has been happening to me," she scolded him. The two exchanged a long stare before he raised his hands in defeat.
"Fine, but don't say that I didn't warn you," he hissed at her. "And I'm not leaving your side."
She couldn't help but to be amused by his posturing. "You did promise Charlie that you would help him and that Forbes lady with the council today. Isn't that meeting in like twenty minutes? You wouldn't want to disappointment him now. Would you?"
"Bella…" he warned.
"Go. I'll be fine. I promise," she assured him. "And besides. They also said they had no intentions of hurting me. All that we are going to do is talk. If I need you, I will call. Now shoo!"
Damon knew quite well that she wasn't wrong, and if he didn't show, her father would be another complication. He shook his head, not happy at all about leaving her with the two who he had no knowledge of why they were so interested in his girl. "I don't like this and I don't trust them," he pleaded, whispering to her.
"Trust me then, Damon. I'm getting stronger. I'm remembering a bit more. I truly don't think they will do anything. Now go deal with Charlie before he starts questioning everything," she smiled as she pushed herself up onto her toes to give him a light kiss on the cheek.
Unable to resist her request any further, he melted to her affection and nodded. "Fine. Call me if you need anything. I won't be far," he murmured, his nose buried in her hair as his eyes glared over her head at the brothers. His possessive nature warring within him, fighting against leaving her to the opposing males. "I'll be back soon."
Once he left, Bella watching his movements until he disappeared from sight before she turned back to the two, she let out a breathy sigh as her eyes evaluated their presence. While the one was quietly curious, the other older appeared to simply be in a state of shock. At least it looked that way to her. "Perhaps we should go somewhere more appropriate to talk? Personally, I'd rather be anywhere where Elena is not right now," she commented, her eyes intentionally avoiding the direction where the human girl still lingered, watching them.
"Of course, Miss Bella," Elijah answered after a moment, recalling the name that Damon had used. "Anywhere you would feel most comfortable."
She nodded as she gave them one more speculative look before grabbing her bag. "Seeing as I had originally arrived with Damon, looks like I'll be riding with you," she smiled. "I'll give you the directions."
"Please. Allow me to carry that for you," Elijah offered as he held his hand out.
Bella briefly narrowed her eyes on him, ready to deny his request but something inside her pushed to accept it. As she handed her bagged order over for him to carry, her hand brushed on his and she could not help but to close her eyes. A wave of dizziness overcame her and he reached out to grab her before she could fall. Only the increased contact strengthened her experience, causing her to look up at him with a blank stare, her eyes unfocused as she was listening to something faint beside her.
The ever familiar ghostly voice that she heard was cool on her ear, her eyes seeing the same man before her helping her to her feet on a bustling road where she had been pushed out of the way. Her face obscured by the scarves of the winter as she sought to find dairy and bread to feed herself for the the coming days. He pulled her up to her feet, giving her some pence and pushed her to the market vender nearby that offered a delicious assortment of fresh foods. When she turned around, he was gone.
"Fra familie kommer styrke og kraft…" the voice whispered.
"Fra familie kommer styrke og kraft…" she muttered, confused and weak before her head fell against his shoulder.
Klaus had already been on his feet, at their side as he looked on with worry. "Let's bring her to our place. I still have ownership of it and it is in fairly good condition. I had called ahead to have someone check on its status before we left," he said, grabbing the nearly forgotten food as Elijah scooped the girl in his arms.
"You should take her to Damon and her father. Or at the very least the hospital. They will both find a way to kill you if you do anything to her," Elena spoke up from behind them.
Klaus turned to glare at the girl. "First, we have no intention of doing anything out of sort to the girl. Secondly, I doubt that they truly care of your opinions from the display that we've witnessed when we arrived. I would suggest that you mind your own, Elena, otherwise I will have no problem coming after you for your blood again," he growled. "Now leave us before I break your neck."
The two quickly escaped the restaurant without much fuss, laying the unconscious girl in the back of their SUV and drove quickly to their home in town. Neither spoke initially but both were reeling from what they had heard.
"Do you think they were aware that she is able to speak the old language?" Klaus questioned, his eyes glancing over at his brother who turned to give a thoughtful look to the girl.
"Doubtful, but it only give more credit to who I believe she may be," he replied so quietly, Klaus almost could not hear. Even with his supernatural enhancements.
He attempted to remain focused on his driving, but grew serious as his hands gripped the wheel. "What are you keeping from me, Elijah?"
Elijah looked up with a small smile and a glint of hope in his eyes, but also a touch of fear. "I believe that she is our sister," he admitted. "Our older sister, Ylva that we had believed died of the plague before we moved her. But now, I do not believe our mother was entirely honest in her tales of what had truly happened."
"Of course she wasn't! Our mother always was a lying-"
"Niklaus. Now is not the time. If we truly have our sister back, we need to confirm that it is her and then find out what had happened. Remember what we were told. It's been a thousand years! Imagine the number of reincarnations she had to have endured, the deaths. Katerina admitted to killing her several times personally, but my question what drove her to do that? Then we return to see that next doppelganger suddenly changed and is so much like her predecessor. Think!"
Klaus' mind had already gone into hyperdrive, the possibilities raging a new ire inside him. "We shall keep Elena Gilbert away from the girl until we know more. If she is our sister, as you believe, then we will protect her as a Mikaelson."
"Fra familie kommer styrke og kraft. From family comes strength and power. That is what she said. What more can you ask?"
Klaus only looked at him before nodding his agreement, the girl was accepted until further would be known. He now wondered just who would put such a curse on her that would make her live and relive so many lives only to be killed. For what purpose?
~o.O.o~
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement...
Author Note: Just a special message to my followers. If you aren't already following my partner in crime, BuggyFiction, you should. She just completed a fabulous story, Beautiful Soul, and recently begun posting an AU spin off from it on her personal website. Warning, it's not for the faint of heart and The Vampires are Coming is more certainly NSFW, but definitely worth the ride!
Enjoy the update!
The brothers maintained a quiet vigil over the sleeping girl, reading or drawing, switching off activities when impatience reached a peak. Elijah looked over the pages of his book as Klaus tossed his drawing pad aside and stood to his feet to pace the length of the floor before the couch that Bella laid upon.
It had been nearly two hours before she started to stir, forcing the two to turn and stare at her, and wait. There was a stark silence in the room filled only by the breathing of the girl. The vampires dared not to make a sound for fear of startling her.
Patience lost, it was Klaus that broke the air of quiet. His tongue darting out across his lip as his eyes remained on her form with concern. "Salvatore is going to try to take her from us. He will think we have brought harm to her," he muttered, fingers curling at his side.
Elijah lowered his gaze from him to Bella as she started to move more in her sleeping state, growing closer to waking. "We should have contacted him to find out more about how she has regained what memories she had thus far. Best I can surmise, she has perhaps two hundred years, give or take."
"Less, or more," her voice cracked sleepily. Her eyes blinked open as she rubbed them and yawned. "Less if you don't count the years between my deaths and rebirths. More now that I've met you… I think."
Sitting forward in his chair, Elijah set his book aside as he gave her his undivided attention. "Do you think you could explain that a bit more for us?"
Turning over on her side to face them, she had a sleepy smile on her face. "I remember you. You gave me some pence on a busy market street in London after I'd been pushed, after helping me up. It was…" Bella blinked and narrowed her eyes on Elijah as she tried to focus her memories on the incident and time. "It was sometime in the 1400s, I think. I was a peasant girl, so I had no true concept or education at the time."
Klaus turned to glower at his brother. "You knew her? Of her?"
He was astonished, confused, and soon smiled with recognition. "I remember, yes," he admitted lightly. Glancing up at Klaus, he shook his head slightly, returning his attention to Bella. "It was only in passing. I helped you up and gave you money for more than just a pauper's sustenance. I was only passing through…" he said as he recalled his version of the encounter. "I saw you get pushed and thought nothing but felt the need to help. I had gone by ignoring other humans in the same situation without another thought but you… You, I felt compelled to stop and help."
"Well, that's just grand. Now that we established that you could recall back to the 15th century, how about you give us a bit more information," Klaus smiled, turning back to her. "Such as young Elena Gilbert's accusation that we had sent you to spy on her? Where would she get something so preposterous?"
Bella's eyes lowered with a sigh, unable to meet theirs as they waited for an answer that she knew they deserved. Sitting up, she looked around, trying to stall for an extra moment or two as she attempted to gather her thoughts on all that had been going on over the previous days, week even.
"She'd taken me out to this cavern where it had some drawings on the walls that supposedly dated back centuries. Mr. Saltzman and Elena explained the story they showed, but before they could even finish - I just felt like I knew it. Then there was a list of names and I thought one was missing even though they insisted there wasn't. She and I have been at odds, hot and cold, oil and water when it comes to Damon and Stefan, and then when the subject of your family arises. They insist that I should be afraid, but I never believed that. I was more afraid of Elena, and her vampire twin, Katherine," she said as she waved her hand in the air. "The lives I recall so far, all have Katherine killing me in some form, so that's within the last 500 years. I don't know exactly how many lives I've had, and the memories so far are fragmented, but they're coming. The strongest right now is the life I had in last century, here in Mystic Falls with Damon." She smiled at the end with his name, turning her head to the doorway as she appeared worrisome.
"Would you like us to give Mr. Salvatore a call for you?" Elijah questioned.
Her brow furrowed and shook her head. "He would only pull me away from here and forbid me from trying to get to know you on my terms. I could try to spell him not to do that, but that would take away his free will. Having my choices and decisions made for me by others, I can't do that to him, even if he was looking out for my well-being."
Klaus tilted his head as his eyes lowered to where she was rubbing her wrist with her other hand. "What's that there, Sweetheart? Someone give you a love bite?"
Bella's eyes met his as he stared her down. She was tempted to back away, to flee from his questioning, but all she could find in his gaze was concerned curiosity. Like that of a brother. The words felt dry on her lips, her mouth like sandpaper as the words came out and she slowly moved her hand to reveal the full image of the scarring. "I was involved with a Cold One, and there had been a nomad that hunted me down. To draw me out, he claimed he had my mother, so I went. I didn't want the coven I was with hurt. Being stuck with a seer and an empath, you would think that it would be difficult to get away, but it was surprisingly easy," she explained as she turned her eyes to stare at the wall impassively.
"You were merely a human girl going to face a Cold One all on your own?" Klaus questioned as he stared back at her incredulous. "I don't know whether to call you brave or foolish! That is simply suicide!"
She let out a breath and glanced back at him. "I am well aware of that Niklaus. At the time, I was well prepared to die for my mother and friends. I still would for those I consider my family. It may be foolish, but keep in mind I knew nothing of what I was to become, or what I was at that point yet."
Elijah stood and came to his brother's side, placing a hand on his shoulder to pull him back. "Enough. Let her speak. It is clear she survived the encounter to tell her tale."
Bella's breath was shaky as she continued. "I was stubborn, obstinate even. I sprayed him in the face with some mace I had. It only pissed him off more; enough to throw me around the dance studio. It wasn't long before my boyfriend came and tried to fight him. He had managed to get passed and bit me. When the rest of the family came, they destroyed him, but my boyfriend never wanted me changed, so he sucked the venom out, stopping me from becoming one of them."
Klaus' jaw was clenched as his gaze remained fixated across the room. He had never been a fan of their sparkling cousins, created by a witch in hopes of destroying their family and failing. However, what he had just heard, caused his distaste for them to grow exponentially. "What has happened to this family?" he questioned, demanded. "Clearly, they no longer protect you as they claimed the duty of when they hid you from a skilled hunter."
"They left. Edward told me he no longer wanted to pretend to be human with me," Bella shrugged, a tiny smile gracing her lips. There was a glint of mischief in her eyes as she looked up at the brothers. "It's fine. I got over it, mostly. Sometimes the memories of it hurt when I think of the happier moments. But I let most of my anger go after I moved here. That was when I found that arson could be quite therapeutic."
His eyes brightening at the obvious hint of darkness in the girl, Klaus shifted to face her fully. "If you care to give me the names of this coven, I'll be more than pleased to teach them a lesson or two on proper vampire etiquette."
She could not help but smile at the gesture. "Thanks but I have my ideas if I were to cross paths with them again. Especially now that I seem to be coming into this magic. I just need to learn how to use it more, but I'm getting there."
"Well, should you change your mind - know the offer is always on the table," he responded gently.
"Great. Thanks! Now… How about you two tell me about Katherine's call and your interest in me? Surely there is more than just the doppelganger theory she may have said that brought you here. From what has been stated, you two have been far nicer than the tales of what you've done to Damon and his friends," Bella replied, raising an eyebrow.
~o.O.o~
Kol hadn't the best patience in the world once his brothers had left New Orleans for Virginia. Being confined to the plantation house, he was more restless than imagined and the wolf-girl that Klaus had mentioned, irritated him to no end. If it weren't for the fact that she had apparently was carrying his niece or nephew, he would have killed her shortly after their first meeting.
"You apparently do not wish to be here. Whatever you and Nik had discussed when he pulled the dagger out has you jumping around something fierce," Rebekah commented as she flipped through her magazine as he paced once again around the living room that the girls were reading.
He pursed his lips, wishing he could just go into town, to his mausoleum where he had his dark objects but his thoughts turned back to the rumored reincarnation that their brothers were seeking out. Letting out a huff, he shook his head and turned on his heel to repeat the same pattern he'd been wearing out on the carpet.
Raising her head from her book, Hayley let out an irritated sigh. "Why don't you just go follow them if whatever it is, is bothering you that much?"
"Shut up, Wolf, or I'll rip your throat out," Kol sneered at her as he passed by behind her.
"Just saying," she shrugged, wide-eyed and innocent. "If you're concerned about their trip then you should go. Beats sticking around here all day."
He growled, but said nothing as he was honestly tempted, but he had agreed to stay and help protect his brother's unborn offspring. At least until Rebekah spoke again. "Bloody hell. Just go already Kol. I can protect her just fine here. We will be alright."
He shook his head and threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. Fine. But if Nik gets pissed, I'm blaming you," he smiled as he walked out of the room to go gather his things.
"Of course, you are," Rebekah sighed, turning the page of her magazine. "Make sure that whatever those two are up to, they don't bring it back here. We have our problems to deal with and do not need more. Especially from Mystic Falls."
Kol scowled as he looked up at his sister, blinking through the strands of his hair that fell over. "They didn't tell you why they went back?"
Irritated, she rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I was left here to be the dutiful sister and look over Nik's pregnant wolf. I don't suppose you know the reason for their emergency trip, do you? Why he suddenly decided it was necessary to remove your dagger?"
"Well if they didn't feel there was a need for you to know, then perhaps I shouldn't share what I know with you either. After all, Nik woke me just to ask me what I knew before they left," he smirked. "Anyhow, I'm gonna head up to see what our brothers are up to and see if I cannot help. Have fun here sister!"
Both girls glared as he turned on his heel to leave the room before Rebekah dropped her magazine and zipped over to him, blocking his exit. "Tell me what you know. What is going on that has to be kept such a secret from family?"
Letting out a sigh, Kol thought about what he could say as he paused at the door. "They are tracking down someone that is supposed to be pretty powerful. I'd only heard rumors of a being in existence, but Nik seems to believe that it could be true. I just want to see this for myself."
His sister crossed her arms and glared at him, studying him with a curious eye. "You're more interested if it is a witch to get on your side against our brother, aren't you? What if he or she happens to side with him? Have you considered that notion?"
Smirking, he leaned in closer as his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Now that would be something to consider, wouldn't it? However, this particular witch, if my information over the years were correct, I believe would be more beneficial to the family as a whole if we were to come to her as a united front. Which means, we have to back and support even Nik and his unique brand of drama."
Rebekah scowled, unsure of what his goal was in this, as it was a common fact that each of her brothers always had their piece on the board when it came to such a power play.
"Don't fret, sister! You have to admit that you want to know more too. So, when I find out more, I'll call. Until then, you can hold things down here, yes?" He disappeared before she could give him a response, leaving a frustrated vampire and confused and pregnant werewolf behind.
~o.O.o~
Damon was anxious and distracted as he helped Bella's father sort through some questionable cases that he knew were in the realm of the supernatural, but he had tried his best to deter the man from digging much further. Each time he thought he was able to leave, to be able to rescue his girl from the clutches of the Mikaelson brothers that he had long anticipated showing up, and dreaded, he could not help but feel nervous about what it meant for Bella.
He knew she was quite capable of taking care of herself. She'd grown stronger, more sure of things quite quickly. Especially once she accepted the memories that were coming to her and the magic. The magic was the biggest help. She had admitted to him that she hated feeling helpless before she came to town, and now she felt she was on an equal footing.
When he glanced out the window behind Charlie, he found Elena pacing outside the police station, a torn expression on her face as she looked back at the building on and off. Sighing, he excused himself, leaving the man with his project and made his way outside to his brother's now ex-girlfriend.
"Elena," he greeted, squinting at her through the bright sunlight. "What do I owe the pleasure of your sunny visit?"
"You were idiotic to let Bella stay with Klaus and Elijah; you know that? Do you want them to take her or something?" She snapped at him, before looking contrite at the dark expression that flashed across his face. "Look. I'm not here to start any trouble, but it's clear that they didn't call you. She passed out again at the Grill not long after you left. It looked like one of her memory spells."
Damon drew in a breath as he tried to calm himself, looking everywhere but at the girl before him. "What happened?"
"Elijah carried her out of the restaurant. I told them they should bring her to you, but clearly they had their plans. I don't know where they are," she replied, her voice dropping. "Damon - you are aware that I don't want anything to happen. I'm here to talk to if you-"
"You've already done enough. Go find someone else to test your Petrova guiles on," he snapped, storming away. He knew exactly where he was going. Just where the brothers would have taken his girl. He was going to get her back before they would get their claws into her and have her stolen from him again.
By the time he reached the Mikaelson mansion, he was a combination of afraid for Bella and pissed off about the whole scenario. Making his way to the front door, he hadn't had the chance to make his presence known when it opened to reveal a very tired looking Elijah.
"Mr. Salvatore. I had anticipated you sooner. Nonetheless, please do come in. I am sure that Isabella would be grateful for your support about now," he gently spoke, turning to lead the way back to one of the many sitting rooms.
Damon silently followed, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He leaned to the side slightly to try to peer around the older vampire to get a glimpse of what he was walking into, but once they entered the room, he stopped short and attempted to take everything in.
The room was in shambles while Bella sat poised and calm on the sofa, her arms crossed and complete defiance and petulance on her face. Across from her was the hybrid, Klaus, almost mirroring her position. He had to blink and shake his head just to make sure that he didn't imagine the sight. "The hell happened here?"
"Isabella asked about our interest in her and Katerina Petrova. We shared what we knew, or understood, thus far. Needless to say that - a short temper is something that we are not unfamiliar within our family," Elijah answered, passing Bella a significantly weighted look as he stepped over a broken ottoman in front of her to make his way to the surviving armchair he'd been using earlier.
"Um…" Damon started and repeated, unsure what to make of the scene. "I don't get it…"
Bella let out a huff, while Klaus rolled his eyes in irritation. "These two imbeciles believe that I may be a long lost sister of theirs," she glared at the Originals. "That would be crazy and preposterous!"
Damon reached up to scratch the back of his neck as he eyed her for new vocabulary and then glanced around the room and at Klaus' stubborn posturing. "I hope this place is stocked. This is going to be a long night…"
"It is far from preposterous, I assure you," Klaus softly voiced, though the tension was there. "Whatever our mother had done, it was with some selfish goal in mind and nothing good for the rest of the family either. The only good she's done for us all was create the vampirism that gave us our strength and immortality."
Bella drew in a deep breath, finding the patience to deal with the two. "If what you are saying is true, then how does it affect me? Where do I fall in this?"
Damon was curious as well, moving to stand beside his girlfriend. He had a nagging feeling of familiarity of where the story was leading, but he wanted to hear it said aloud.
"You have to understand that for over a thousand years, as we learned it, our older sister had died before we'd moved to the New World. Here to what became known as Mystic Falls. As a boy, I recalled my mother sometimes sharing stories and magical images of our lost sister for a time," Elijah explained, seemingly lost in his memories. His voice was light in a whisper as he recalled the events from his childhood. "Our mother had told us that Ylva," he nodded towards Bella, "had died of the plague. With her penchant for lying that we've learned when the young Bennet witch and your friends brought her back, it is very likely that she had also lied about the truth of our sister's - disappearance."
"I still fail to see how you think that I'm the sister you lost," she insisted after several moments of silence to accept that it was certainly a sensitive subject for the two to admit.
Feeling Damon brush his fingers down her arm, she turned to look up at him. He gave her a weak smile and shrugged. "You did recognize the names in the cavern, the writing that we didn't even know the language of when we first found it. You also pointed out that a name was missing. Maybe it was something inside telling you that there was more there beyond the last 500 years?"
She opened her mouth to object but was unable to find any words to voice her argument as all of her current memories that she truly pinpoint were within the timeframe of Katherine's existence. Except for that cave which had clearly existed well beyond even the vampire's birth. "Okay, say I am this sister. Don't expect to look to me for some guidance. I'm only eighteen now!"
The brothers couldn't help but chuckle at her discomfort of the idea of the role she thought she might have to assume. "No one is asking you to do anything. We would just like to learn what has happened to you and get to know you as our sister, as who you are now. I give you our word that we have no ulterior motives," Elijah sincerely said as he looked from Bella to Damon and back. "Aside from that, we should discuss the other events going on. I do wish to know what has caused Miss Gilbert to behave as - brash as she has recently and understand why Katerina has such an obsession with killing you."
Damon blew out a breath and looked to Bella, who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the mention of the doppelgangers. "Boy, you and I both would like to know what is up with that."
"Okay, so - odds are I'm a version of your sister. Is there anyone that may be able to verify that? Or that you may know from all your years that may know why I've been reborn the way I've been?" she questioned exasperated by the situation.
Elijah and Klaus looked at one another, a silent conversation warring between the two. Soon, Klaus leaned forward to face her, letting out a drawn out sigh. "Our brother Kol has an affinity for witches, so he will likely take a particular liking to you. However, when Katherine called us informing of your existence, I had released him to inquire what he knew about a reincarnation such as yourself."
"Did he say anything?" she questioned as she lowered her head, afraid of what she might hear.
Klaus appeared even more hesitant as Damon's gaze hardened on him. "He - said that he had heard of a being that was reborn frequently. Reincarnations don't occur as often as you have, to retain the memories as you have. He believes that you are to be something quite powerful, a force that is to be feared. We initially came back more for a - threat assessment, if you will. To ensure that we could coexist peacefully…"
"Until I had laid eyes on you and simply knew that you were much more to us than a mere threat. You are family," Elijah finished, flashing a sharp look at Klaus as he interrupted.
Damon scowled as he glared at the two. "What aren't you telling us? Because if you expect her to trust you, you need to be completely honest about everything. What is it that you don't want to say?"
"If we tell you this, I need your assurance, Salvatore, that you won't go blabbing it to your brother and your doppelganger infatuations," Klaus hissed at him. "It is information that I will kill anyone, even my family over to protect and Elijah can vouch for that."
Bella raised an eyebrow, wondering what the big secret was. "I won't tell anyone."
"While I'm inclined to trust you, Love, it's him I'm more worried about," Klaus murmured as he exchanged glares with the vampire beside her.
She turned to look up at him, scowling. "You won't say anything. Not even to Stefan, right? Granted, he's been on our side in a lot of this, but he still has strong feelings for Elena, and I'd rather not chance his betrayal. If what they are saying is true, then they are my family, Damon."
He was torn between the loyalty to his girl and to that of his brother but knew she was right. That Stefan didn't always objectively think when he should. Running a hand through his hair and clasping both behind his neck, he let out a low growl of frustration before nodding his agreement. "Yeah, okay. I won't say anything."
"Promise?" Bella insisted eyebrow raised.
"I promise you, that I won't repeat anything said here," he reluctantly clarified.
"Well, now that's settled, you should know the reason why we were so concerned about you being a threat or not is because I am a soon to be a father," Klaus announced, leaving the two across from him confused and speechless. "There is a girl, whom I shall not name yet, that is carrying my child back home."
Bella had blinked after a full minute of silence before she drew in a breath. "That's not - um… congratulations…" She trailed off, trying to understand the sudden rise of fear that grew inside her. His announcement filling her with dread and knew it wasn't for something that he had done. No, it was something else she was sure, but she just couldn't remember.
~o.O.o~
Kol arrived in Mystic Falls sometime around after the dinner rush. Thirsty for more than blood, which he satisfied himself on during his quick trip north to his birthplace, he made his way into the Grill with a smug smile on his face. Looking around, it only grew when he found the precious doppelganger and her friends sag with disappointment at the sight of him.
"Great. See? I told you that she would bring nothing but trouble. Now we have not one, but three of the Originals back in town," Elena complained as she pushed her plate back and stood to leave. Passing by Kol, she glared up at him as he eyed her curiously. "I hope your family all falls on white oak stakes."
"Touchy," he murmured, pausing at the table of friends she abandoned. "What was that all about?"
Bonnie appeared confused and suspicious at his seemingly innocent act of confusion. "You can't possibly be saying that you have no idea why your brothers are in town."
"Oh, I have my thoughts on why they are here, but why would that matter?" he questioned, genuinely confused.
Stefan, who'd been Kol realized hadn't seemed concerned about the doppelganger's tantrum and leaving, let out a sigh. "You're here for the same reason as Klaus. For my brother's fiance, aren't you?"
"Fiance now? Just how much did we miss?" the Original blinked in surprise. "It may be possible if she's the all-powerful witch that many covens around the world have been told to fear in their legends, but I honestly do not know."
"Just what do you know? Because Elijah made it very clear before they left here this morning with her that she wouldn't be harmed," Stefan insisted.
Kol frowned in thought as he tried to figure out what his brother was going for in that move. "Did he say anything else?"
"I overheard a comment about Katherine not knowing what she had done," the younger Salvatore cautiously admitted. "Why? Does it mean something to you?"
The frown grew more predominate as the vampire tried to piece together the puzzle he was being given, glancing over his shoulder to where the human doppelganger had left. "I don't know. This girl your brother is involved with. Tell me. Does she remind you of anyone else you've met in your life?"
Bonnie and Stefan exchanged a glance, the witch shrugging a shoulder. "I had thought her a doppelganger herself initially, but we've realized that she's more a reincarnation. Only that she has memories dating back more than 250 years ago."
"250 years ago that you know of since you've truly spoken with her, I'm to guess," Kol muttered, suddenly anxious. "Thanks for that chat! I'll be sure to find you around if I need more."
He was quick to make his exit, pausing in the lot as he contemplated which direction to head. Knowing now that his brothers have been dealing with the creature they'd come to learn about, he headed for Klaus' property. If there was any advice he had given his brother before, he hoped against hope that he took what he said about this new witch to heart.
Mindful as he entered the house, he was surprised to find it as quiet as it was. Slowly making his way through the ground floor until he found his two brothers sipping on their drinks in a shattered sitting room, he was more than curious as to the cause of destruction. "Don't tell me that I missed the party."
"I'm surprised that it took you this long to get here," Klaus murmured before turning back to Elijah. "As I was saying, I don't trust Damon. Especially with what he now knows. There is no way that she will let him go willingly to return home with us either. So how do you expect us to convince her."
"Who's her?" Kol asked as he poured himself a drink.
"She calls herself Bella in this life, but she's gone by other names over her lifetimes," Elijah answered. "I recognized her as someone else the moment I laid eyes on her."
Instantly curious and thirsting for the information that the two were holding from him, Kol stared back. "Who was she? An old lover perhaps? I do recall a tale or two of you having a fancy for a witch."
Bored already of his brother's antics, Elijah looked up at him as he rested his tumbler on his knee. "She is our sister, somehow reincarnated."
The younger sibling started to laugh at the suggestion and slowly sobered as he noticed that the two were completely serious. "Sister?"
"Ylva. Our mother had told Finn and myself, long before your birth after our family had moved here and I was born that she had died in the old world, prompting the move. The girl's very existence proves it to be a lie, that there is something far greater involved, but Mother attempted to preserve her memory, to make us believe she was indeed lost and dead for years until Mikael put a stop to the tales. She claimed his mourning was still too great, and thus no one spoke of her anymore."
Kol swallowed back his drink, struggling to understand that he has another sibling. A sister. "Does anyone know what had happened to our sister?"
"Esther had told Finn that she died in the plague. However, we believe there was something more to the story. Isabella has begun to regain memories rapidly from each of her reincarnations, and she's able to recall experiences back as far as the 1500s, give or take."
"The doppelganger has an intense dislike for this girl," Kol thoughtfully muttered as he crossed the room to gaze out the window. "You said that Katherine Pierce started you on the path here, yes?"
Klaus nodded. "She believed the girl to be another doppelganger and that I'd be interested in her blood, but she's also been killing numerous incarnations of her over time according to Damon."
"They are linked somehow because I've never seen Elena Gilbert that hateful to anyone outside our family. Now, bear with me on this, it's just a thought. We know doppelgangers are made to balance nature. Reincarnations are much in the same but often meant to relive their lives until whatever curse placed on them either played out or cured," Kol explained further.
"So you're suggesting that our sister was cursed?" Elijah asked, standing from his seat.
"Yes, or no. I don't know. I don't know what happened to her. Only she or our mother may be able to say. However, I do need to stress this. What it was that did do this to that girl, was incredibly powerful magic. I don't even think our mother was capable of."
"I won't have her left behind here when we return to New Orleans," Klaus pressed. "We can't stay here for her either."
"What's tying her to this miserable place?" Kol scoffed as he spun to face his brothers.
Elijah rolled his eyes. "She was born human. She grew up with parents and currently has a caring father that would miss her."
"As I suggested, we compel him to let her leave with us," Klaus commented, his tone bored as if they'd discussed the topic many times before. "Damon Salvatore is more complicated. He'd leave, but his brother is tying him to Mystic Falls now."
Kol's jaw had tensed with disgust before he flashed a cheeky smile. "Let's just sleep on it for tonight. I'd like to meet this girl tomorrow, and I'll have a chat with Damon about his options. I'm sure that I can be quite convincing."
"He is on vervain," Elijah reminded him.
The youngest brother shrugged as he started out of the room. "I know. Another reason to hate this bloody town. No, I wasn't thinking anything of that sort. I'm just planning on having a chat over drinks. I'm going to head to bed now. 'Night!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Charlie sat and watched the casual teasing between his daughter and young friend on the town council as he sipped his coffee. If he hadn't already heard the whispers around town about them, and seeing them together for himself, he might have questioned Damon a lot more severely about his interest in Bella. However, he was wise enough to sit back and watch from afar as he hadn't seen her smile so much in a very long time.
And it had only been a few weeks that they'd been living in Virginia.
He was concerned about the pace of their relationship, as he was already over most mornings to drive her to school. Also, despite having just met, they appeared to be more comfortable and familiar with one another than the norm. Which made him more confused and thought about having a father/daughter conversation one day soon about the events that had passed. Mostly for his piece of mind.
Checking his watch, he let out a drawn out sigh. "Well, it's time to go to work. Make sure you get to school on time. No playing hooky with your friends again today, Bells. I'm serious."
"Yes, Dad," Bella replied as she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yep," he nodded to her and Damon, who saluted back with a smile before stealing a piece of fruit she'd cut for her breakfast.
The two waited until he was out the door before they were comfortable discussing the ongoing activities in town. The visiting Mikaelsons had not approached them since their arrival, which surprised and made most of their group suspicious. Only Bella and Damon, who'd already shared a discussion with them understood why and were not as worried. They merely kept their distance as they tried to figure out their feelings on the information that was given to them.
"So, what do you think?" Damon casually asked, as if they were talking about the weather, but knew they both had been steadily ignoring the large pink elephant that was always around.
"About?" She responded with, shoulders tense as she firmly set on ignoring everything.
He stared at her searchingly, reaching out to tug on her sleeve. "They won't leave until you speak to them again. I mean, while we don't have any proof yet, the theories behind everything said does point to the idea that you may be this sister they lost and that it was by some shady shit, Bella."
She rolled her eyes and continued to cook her breakfast. "And what? Just suddenly start acting like I have this family that I never knew existed? I have Charlie. I remember you and Stefan. I know I hate and fear Katherine. I don't know them."
"Yet. You admitted that you're still getting memories back every day. So you haven't gotten that far back yet, and you just might not. But, and you know how much I hate that family to be saying this, but, you could at least get to know them now. Now, I don't trust them as far as I can throw them, never did, but they didn't seem to give two shits about you being this all-powerful witch. They were completely fixated on the fact that you were family, and that is one thing I do know about the Mikaelsons. They are all about their family first."
Bella looked up at him with a frown as she thought about what he said before letting out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "They won't want to stay here. They live in New Orleans. How's that going to work?"
"That's up to you. You can graduate and go there, give it a chance. It's a nice city," he suggested carefully, his smile trying to hide his displeasure at the idea of her leaving Mystic Falls.
"You know, you could come with me," she added, smirking.
"Why would I want to do that?"
She stared at him, her eyebrow raised in annoyance at his countenance. "Because I asked. There is nothing for you in this town other than me. Even Stefan keeps flipping and flopping on his feelings about Elena regardless of how much she's betrayed, everyone."
Damon released a sigh, falling into the chair that her father had recently vacated. "You know that I had been in the same position as Stefan before you showed up, right? I was all about Elena too before she turned into this manipulative copy of her ancestor. I understand why he can't let go of her completely."
There was complete silence coming from Bella as she paused in her preparation of her breakfast. "Do you still have feelings for her?"
"My feelings are for you," he answered, his voice firm as his eyes remained fixed on her back. "I care for what happens to Elena, but I don't love her. If we're talking about our emotions about the repeats of the past, I'll tell you this now. I feel stronger for you than I ever felt for Elena over Katherine. Part of the difference is in the at I know now that you are the same as the Isabelle from my human life and not some copycat."
Plating the food, she said nothing else as she went to join him at the table. Setting his by him, she took her seat and stared down at the food before turning to face out the window. "I don't know what to do with all this. So much has happened so fast that it's frankly frightening."
His eye twitched at her formal speech but was sure she was referring more to her new family than the situation with Elena and Katherine still milling about Mystic Falls and being after her. "What are you really afraid of, Bella?"
Her eyes raised to look at him before dropping down to her plate where she picked at the pancakes she'd prepared. Her mouth fell open to answer, or deny, but no words came out. A trembling sigh escaped as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "I'd let a family like that in once. Let me become involved, loved them," she quietly spoke. "Then they left without even a goodbye. Just disappeared during the night and I never saw them again."
Damon sat back, taking a sip of his coffee and considered what she said. Putting together all that he'd learned about his girl's current life, he couldn't help but let his eyes fall to her wrist where her small hand rested next to her plate, fisted in frustration. Her other hand twitched, anxious to move to do something other than sit where it was, he was sure. "Yeah, you told us this story when you came to the house for dinner that first night. There's more to it, isn't there?"
Bella looked up at him, finding him slouched back in his chair, relaxed and simply waiting as patiently as Damon Salvatore could without being too much of a dick. Smiling slightly, she shrugged a shoulder. "I suppose there is. There were vampires as well," she admitted, meeting his eyes. "Not like you, though. Different."
"Cold Ones. Yeah, Princess, I know about your love bite on your wrist. I just wasn't going to say anything until you were ready," he smirked.
"They didn't bite me. A nomad did, thinking I would be some game. They killed him, but they let his mate go, ignoring the threat she posed. Edward, my ex, claimed he heard nothing from her thoughts that indicated she would come after us," she sighed again, full of aggravation this time. "I'm just waiting for the time when she finds that we're not in Forks anymore and starts expanding her hunt and finds us."
"You're a powerful witch now. You can take a measly Cold One with a flick of your hand. Don't sweat her. Talk to Witchy about controlling your ju-ju. Tell me more about this family that's making you not want to get to know your own?"
She rolled her eyes at that. "We don't know that I am their family. Not really."
Damon ran his hand over his face and scratched his head with a pinched expression. "You know how much I despise Klaus and the rest of them. Sometimes I can tolerate the Original Barbie. But I told you before when it comes to family; they don't joke around. They truly believe you are theirs, and I know that if anything were to come for you, they would fight them to the death if they think you are their sister. You can't get a better position in the supernatural world than that."
"And I suppose with their history; I would also gain their enemies?" Bella clarified, raising an eyebrow and shoving a mouthful of pancake in her mouth.
His lips pressed together as he had no answer for that, as it was the truth. Enemies would come for her as she would be a potential new weakness for the family. Especially being so newly reunited. "They would still fight in your corner, no matter the circumstance. That much I can say, and I hate the hell out of Klaus and Elijah."
"So you're telling me to give them a chance?" She asked, still unsure.
"Look at it this way. There is no way in hell that Klaus would ever leave you behind the way your ex and his family did. Klaus - well, you need to talk to him. Let's just say he is known to dagger his siblings and cart them around with him in coffins. As far the reasons for that, you would have to go to him because I think you both have similar issues of abandonment there," Damon stressed.
Hearing that, Bella couldn't help but feel a little more open to the family. She wasn't sure about the daggering knowledge and would have to ask more about what that entailed. "Okay, I think I will. However, on the off chance that things do look brighter with them, do you think you could put your issues with them behind you?"
He knew that this was coming, and as much as he hated it, he scowled. "For you, I can tolerate them. As long as they do the same and leave me and Stefan be."
"Of course. If they care about me like they claim they do, they won't harm you as it would be like harming me," Bella grinned, winking at the gameplay she intended to use to protect him from her new relatives.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Damon muttered into his mug.
"I hope so too because I think we will need them to work with us fairly soon. I have a feeling that things are about to get a lot more - interesting," she shrugged.
"How so?"
Bella was confused as she ate. "I don't know. Just a feeling I had when I woke up. It was strange, but I can't explain it so until I can figure it out, I'm just not going to focus on it right now. I'd rather deal with what I know I can handle, and that is Elena and - and um, my family."
"You can say your brothers. That's what they are. Your sister is in New Orleans handling Klaus' baby problem," Damon commented, still weirded out by that detail.
"Yeah. That was unnerving, but I'm happy for him. He seemed nervous and excited for it," she smiled.
"I thought he was more interested in the power the kid might give him."
She frowned at him, anger burning inside of her. "It's a facade he puts up. I saw right through that. He wants the child because it's his. A thousand years and they had accepted they would never be parents unless they adopted. He was given a gift, and he knows he'd be foolish not to accept and step up for it. Do not insult his opportunity to be a father."
Damon stared back at her, blinking as he carefully pushed his finished plate back. "And here you thought you weren't a Mikaelson. I think we should go find your brothers so that you can have that heart to heart and you don't tear mine out."
~o.O.o~
Elsewhere, somewhere in an extremely rural location of Alaska, Alice Cullen sat frozen as a vision overtook her small frame. The images assaulting her and giving her such terror that the items held in her hand ripped and shredded from her sharp nails by the time it ended. Her family gathered around her, waiting for her to share what she saw, but all she could do was meet her adopted brother's pain filled eyes, for her saw everything she did in her mind.
"The Volturi are looking to go after Bella," she whispered.
"How did they find out about her?" Carlisle questioned, confused as he knew of no one but their family that was aware of the girl.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and flipped through her magazine. "Let them go after her. I told you that she would bring nothing but trouble. I bet that they will come after us next."
"We can't let them kill her. We have to go back after her, protect her," Edward muttered, trying to think of a plan.
"It won't be that easy. I had been keeping tabs on the Swans to make sure that she didn't say anything. They left Forks and didn't leave a forwarding address. Jenks is still looking for them," Jasper shared, earning a glare from the mind reader. "Don't look at me like that. I have my share of guilt for what happened to her, but it's my own. Don't put your issues on me. I only did this for our safety as well as her own. I told you that we should have killed the red head. I'll bet it was her that went to the Volturi."
"Regardless, Bella is in danger, and we should do something. We need to find her," Edward insisted, turning to his creator for the confirmation that their family will become involved against his old friends.
Carlisle hesitated before nodding slightly. "Very well. Perhaps I can talk Aro down in person, convince him that we will turn Bella."
"What? No!"
"It's either that or we all die, Edward," he explained.
He remained firm. "I don't want her damned like we are, Carlisle."
"She was damned the moment you began speaking to her, Edward," Jasper pointed out. "She wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you."
"She's my mate. I left so that she would be safe!" he cried, making the elder vampire roll his eyes, as well as the few others that had grown tired of whining.
"That's such a full of crap! If she were your real mate, then you would never have been able to leave the way you had! She would never survive the separation while being still human!" Jasper shouted, coming to his feet. An errant thought of when he had first seen the girl came through his mind and Edward latched onto it quickly.
He stared back at him confused, enraged, and hurt. "What you mean she wasn't who she thought she was? What aren't you sharing?"
Everyone turned to look at the former fighter as he stood his ground against his adopted brother. "She was never your mate, Edward. If we go help you, you keep that in mind and stay away from Bella."
"Tell me what you know," Edward repeated, his stone hands fisting at his side, even though he would never stand a chance against the God of War.
"I don't know what she is. Some may call her a doppelganger, others a reincarnation. But I'd seen her face a few times before in my life. It's also a face I distinctly remember when I was human, one of the few."
"Do you know what happened to each one you've encountered?" Carlisle asked, his curiosity of such a phenomenon rising.
"A warm-blooded vampire that was fairly well known around the South for stirring up trouble often showed up and killed her. I'd seen only maybe three versions of her over the years, at least thirty or forty years apart."
"And she keeps being reborn, only to be killed by this other vampire? Sounds like something magically bound," Carlisle mused, thinking about what would incite such a happenstance. "We need to find our Bella and protect her from this vampire and avoid her death. Maybe we can break whatever spell is causing the recurrences."
The majority of the family agreed with locating and helping Bella, but Jasper continued to remain reserved about it. While he wanted to help, and agreed, he was less than enthusiastic when the talks began about tracking her and her father. He knew where they were, but he didn't want to say. When Edward growled and tackled him, he had easily reversed the assault and flooded the insolent child with enough fear that would make a grown man piss himself.
"Stop! You know where she is, but you won't tell!" Edward cried.
"Yes, I have an idea of where she is right now! That doesn't mean we should just show up out of nowhere and expect her to welcome us like we didn't leave her like the shit on the bottom of our shoes. She will hate us, and you especially. I can assure you of that. You have no idea of what kind of Bella we will find and I doubt it will be the same girl from back in Forks. So get it out of your head that you might have a chance to get her back and keep her human if she doesn't give us even the time of day," Jasper shouted and turned, walking out of the house, slamming the door in his wake.
"I'll go talk to him," Alice whispered before flitting out of the house after her husband.
"Carlisle…" Edward tried to gain his side but was stopped when the father figure raised his hand.
He sighed and shook his head. "Jasper is right. The way you had us leave her was wrong, and we can expect a hostile reception. Despite her overall forgiving nature, she does have a right to be very angry with us until we can prove our remorse. This time, Edward, we won't be following your word in regards to Bella."
"She's my mate-"
"She is not. When you made the decision to leave like that, I knew then that you weren't mates. I thought it might be a good thing that she got to live a human life with us gone and went along with it and only for that reason, I agreed. Do not make me for a fool Edward. We will be following Jasper's experience with his encounters of Bella's - previous look-a-likes on this situation. If you cannot agree, then you can stay behind with the Denali's until this is resolved."
"I want to protect Bella," the boy stubbornly said.
Carlisle wearily sighed and nodded. "I thought you would say that. Just behave and mind yourself."
"I know what I have to do," Edward said, saying nothing else as he kept his head down, but his eyes had nothing but determination in them.
~o.O.o~
"She doesn't trust us. She is involved with the Salvatores too deep for her to ever consider even befriending us," Klaus commented over morning tea with his brother as they had continued their discussions about their missing and found sister.
They'd been patiently waiting for her to come to them, giving her the space she'd requested, but Klaus was growing more anxious and irritable. While he'd never known much about the girl, he could feel the pull of kinship with her and wanted to know her more.
"If she decides she wants nothing to do with us, she will let us know when the time comes. For now, we will wait," Elijah replied, lifting his teacup.
The hybrid rolled his eyes. "With her being romantically involved with that imbecile, I highly doubt that she will choose to join the family."
"I think you are underestimating her, and Damon Salvatore. I believe that Isabella is simply being overwhelmed with information recently, and our arrival only compounded on it. We are going to allow her the time to process and accept what she's learned and decide for herself what she wishes to do. You heard for yourself of her memory of our encounter years ago. A part of her knows we, or at least that I, am not a threat to her. She will come to realize it soon enough," the older brother insisted, seemingly as if he was trying to convince himself as much as his volatile brother.
Kol flounced in, breezing through the kitchen and grabbed a breakfast roll from the counter before pulling a bag of blood from the refrigerator. "So I was thinking about our witchy sister. We may need to make contact with some friendly spirits to see if someone may be willing to talk about what super spells that may have been cast back when we were human," he said before pausing. "Or rather before most of us were born. Only Finn was born when she disappeared, right?"
"Yes, Kol. Mother was pregnant with me when we lost Ylva. Why do you ask?" Elijah questioned.
"Was mother always so powerful? The grand original witch we'd grown up believing?" he inquired, looking between the two.
Klaus frowned, leaning on the edge of the counter as he stared at his youngest brother. "What makes you ask that? Where are you going with these questions?"
"Just be patient now. We all know magic often requires a sacrifice, yes? What if, what if Mother asked for something, but our sister was the price paid?" Kol suggested, his tone softening and growing more serious.
"That's preposterous! She would never have sacrificed her child-!" Elijah started to argue, before being cut off by Klaus.
"She was going to sacrifice and kill us not long ago. She linked us to Finn and was about to kill him with her hand," he reminded him of just how far she would truly go. They fell silent for a moment before he nodded to Kol. "Go make friends and behave. Get that Bennett witch on our side for this. I'm sure she is as curious for answers about her friend as we are, but make it subtle. We don't need to make drama here for Isabella if we are to get her to join the family."
"Of course. Maybe I'll enjoy some time in school like our sister had. Get to know the girl myself," Kol said with a cheeky smile.
"Tread lightly. She may be a Mikaelson in spirit, but she is still skittish around vampires she doesn't know or trust. I was able to learn enough that she'd been betrayed by others, and it had left a deep mark," Elijah added.
"A yes, the sparklies. I shall work on that as well. No worries! She'll be coming home and sharing in the milk and cookies soon enough," Kol smirked and left for his new mission.
"He will anger her," Elijah muttered as he returned to his tea.
Klaus snorted. "No. She will simply stake him, and when she learns it won't work, she will come asking for his dagger."
"You seem so sure," his brother mused after studying him for a long moment, only to receive a shrug back. "No matter, she is blood. We will be there for her whether she accepts us or not."
"I will drink to that, brother," Klaus smiled, raising his cup and taking a sip.
~o.O.o~
Bella missed her first-period class because she'd spent the morning talking with Damon over breakfast, working out her feelings about the Mikaelsons. She still didn't know what to do about them, but at least she was more comfortable about whatever decision makes, Damon would be with her every step of the way.
She was growing more bored by Alaric Saltzman's history lecture and begun to stare out of the window. She hadn't even paid attention for when the door opened, and another student entered, interrupting the class.
There was a low groan nearby that she caught, making her look over to see Elena glaring up at the new student. Eying him, Bella didn't find anything interesting other than that she suspected that he might make the class a little more entertaining. Especially with the smirk on his lips that she was certain she'd seen before somewhere else.
She watched as he looked around the room before his smile grew and he started up the aisle of desks she sat in. He slid into the desk behind hers, leaning over as he did so and spoke in an accented voice that had her eyebrows raise with questions.
"Hello, sister. I believe it's time that you and I got to know one and another a bit, hmm?" the new student murmured, sitting down and making himself comfortable quite quickly.
Bella glanced at him over her shoulder, and he waved his fingers, biting on the pen cap before pointing forward. "Later, Poppet! Don't want the doppelganger jealous now, do you? Besides, we're here to learn!"
She turned forward, her eyes large with bewilderment as her mind raced to figure out this new family member. She was sure it had to be Kol, the last living brother that she'd been told about, but she hadn't been warned the slightest of what he was like. She only could tell now that it was going to be a long day ahead.
A/N: Oops... I've been sitting on a chapter for some time and didn't know it. Sorry for the long delay. Winter blues. Working my way out of a funk. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Throughout history class, Bella kept her mouth shut as Kol Mikaelson intentionally tormented Elena. He made spit balls and launched them at the girl through a hollow pen tube. She couldn't help but feel guilty at the amount of amusement she felt for his actions and the punishment that the girl she had once hoped to be friends with was enduring.
What also surprised her was that the teacher said nothing throughout the entire event, right up until the bell rang. Gathering her books, she could feel his presence hovering nearby, but not in an overwhelming way that Edward had done with her.
"You just get a thrill of pissing Elena off, don't you?" she asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder to head out.
Kol followed with an easy smile. "She's easy to annoy. You can't say you didn't enjoy it either, Poppet. So what class do we have next?"
Bella eyed him skeptically. "I don't know about you, but I have chemistry next."
"Chemistry sounds like fun. Will we get to mix some chemicals and make interesting reactions today?" he asked, throwing an arm around her shoulder as they made their way through the halls.
For the most part, the two ignored the inquisitive looks they received, but Bella was still very confused about Kol's presence. "Why are you here?"
"Why not? Our brothers informed me that I needed to get out more, that I needed to catch up on modern times, so why not join in with the current education system? I could also make friends with my new sister at the same time as pissing off the local scoobies. Best of both worlds, I say!" he answered with a grin that she found herself unable to keep from laughing.
"Elijah and Klaus did tell you that I haven't decided whether I'm getting involved with your family or not yet, haven't they?"
"Of course, but I never listen to them. You spent your time with them and heard their tales. You haven't spent time with me yet. Who knows? Perhaps they may have frightened you off with their stories, but I just may be able to entice you in," he teased, his voice dripping with honey as he leaned in and tapped her nose with his finger. "Come now, sister. We're in our class! I'm eager to learn about protons and neutrons!"
Taking a deep breath, Bella blinked and followed him in, completely in a state of shock. Inside, she found him compelling the teacher. Scowling, she slammed her books on her workstation and was about to drag the crazy vampire from the room and bitch him out when the teacher turned and smiled at her.
"Ah, Miss Swan. Mr. Mikaelson here informed me that you two have gotten to know one another in your previous class. Would you be comfortable changing lab partners to be with him?" he asked.
Her eyes fluttered at the question, but it wasn't so much the idea of changing of partners or the manipulation of the teacher at that point now. Kol had done it in a way that it gave her an option. Not like what she was anticipating. Somehow, she expected it to play out in another way, and she wanted to find out why. "Um, yes, sir. I don't mind," she stumbled through her words, watching Kol as he sauntered over to the seat next to her. As soon as the teacher was out of earshot, she turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing? What was that?"
"I could have forced the partnership, but I also don't want to make you an enemy," he admitted as he looked up at the chalkboard. "Give us a chance, Bella. That's all we're asking."
Bella drew in a breath but said nothing as she watched him settle down and focus on the lesson when the teacher began. She tried her best to focus but found it difficult, her thoughts frequently straying to the vampire family. Occasionally, Kol would interrupt her with a question about the assignment that she'd been staring at, and before she knew it, the class was over.
"Well, that was fun," he grinned, cleaning up their work area. "What's next?"
"I hate you."
"Aww, you love me! Admit it! I'm your favorite, right?" Kol teased. "No seriously, what do we have next?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Didn't you get your schedule when you had them enroll you?"
"Nah. I just compelled them to give me the same schedule as you," he admitted without remorse.
Sighing, she turned and started for the gymnasium. "We have phys ed now. And if you are going to be a pain in the ass like this every day, I will be going to Elijah and Klaus about doing something about this."
Kol reached out and gently grasped her arm, pulling her back. "I'm not particularly keen on this next period. How about we just skip it? What say we go get a drink and have some one on one?"
"Uh, you can cut, but I'm not," she huffed, moving to pull out of his hold only he tugged her back.
"It wouldn't hurt for you to live a little, Doll. Come now, Just spend a period or two and just chat with me. No interruptions from teachers or nosey doppelgangers and her witch friends. So what do you say?"
Bella was curious about him; she had to admit. It would only be fair as she had given his brothers a significant amount of time over the weekend to hear what they had to say, that she couldn't very well say no now. "Fine. But we come back the moment I say that I've had enough, deal?"
"Deal, Love," Kol grinned, his smile fading at her kittenish growl. "Don't like that endearment?"
"No," she replied succinctly. "And do me a favor and make sure Klaus never calls me that again. It took everything in me not to blow his head off this weekend."
He smiled, guiding her out of the building and to the parking lot where he had his car parked. Opening the passenger door for her, he continued to remain silent at her questioning glances until he made his way around and joined her. "Alright then, Poppet," he let out happily, reaching back behind the seat for a bag. Inside he pulled out a couple of sandwiches and read the scribble on them. "We have an eggplant sandwich and one with tuna salad. What would you like?"
"What the hell are you doing, Kol?" Bella asked.
Kol looked up from his brother's scrawl, confused. "Waiting for you to pick a sandwich so that we can talk over food. Unless you want me to snag one of our lovely classmates? There were a couple that smelled potently fragrant."
Glaring at him, she reached across and pulled the eggplant sandwich from his hand. They started to eat, neither one speaking but she could feel his eyes on her. "So you wanted your time. You got it."
"You're right, I guess I do," he hummed around a mouthful of his sandwich. "I'm an open book. Ask me anything you wish."
"I don't know what to ask. I don't know you," she pointed out.
He stared out the windshield thoughtfully, considering what to share, or ask her of herself. "You know, I'd heard about you from witch covens over the centuries," he teased, pleased to see the interest in her eyes when he glanced over at her. "No one knew much, of course, but the oldest lines that were existing at the time had their rumors of a powerful being that was reborn often. Too frequently for a typical doppelganger phenomenon like your Petrova friend."
"Elena is not my friend," Bella objected quickly, irritation bubbling up.
"She's liked by many. I recall the Salvatore brothers being particularly fond of her. I wonder how that love triangle is fairing since Niklaus left for New Orleans."
"It's not. Damon is with me," she muttered, her tone low and with a warning. "Stefan isn't too pleased with her constantly being against me as well."
Kol turned and looked her over thoughtfully. "And what do you feel for Stefan?"
She sighed and knew what he was trying to do. "He's like my brother."
"I'm your brother. Klaus and Elijah are your brothers. But from what I heard, you don't have the memories of the family that far back yet," he argued defensively. "I'll grant that you wouldn't even know them if you did gain the memories back from before your - departure. However, there would at least be our parents and Finn. He was the one of us that remembered you the most."
"And where is he? If he knows me from that time, then I'd like to talk with him."
"A bit of a problem there, Poppet. Your friends, Stefan and one his human idiots. Well, they conspired against us and killed him with a white oak stake. I'm sorry to say that he's no longer with us," he frowned his fist on his lap turning white in his suppressed rage.
Bella opened her mouth to deny that her friend and almost brother would do such a thing, but when she looked up, she could see Stefan across the campus, looking in their direction with concern. A deep coldness settled within her, and she knew that Kol was not lying. She already knew that Damon was no angel, but he'd freely admitted to the evils he'd committed, especially once he learned of her potential link to the powerful family.
"Truthfully, I don't know what to think about all this," she admitted. "I don't know how I feel about you and your brothers."
"You don't have to feel anything you don't want to do," he replied after a moment. "I know Elijah and Klaus are eager for you to join the family. I would be lying if I said I wasn't also, but don't let them force you. You're powerful enough to put them in their places if you want."
She picked at her sandwich, eyeing him with suspicion. "And what is your excuse for this?"
Kol smirked as he looked over at her. "Just want us to get to know each other. I know you don't want a brother right now. Perhaps in the future, but I'd settle for us being friends if you are willing."
Bella found that she was beginning to like the guy, if only that he wasn't completely forcing her to do what he wants by joining the family. He was giving her the choice of joining them, on her own. "What is everyone really like?"
Smiling around his sandwich as he took a bite, he took his time to think about how to answer her question. "Klaus can be a real bastard, but he was always about family and loyalty. He can get destructive when he feels he's been betrayed or abandoned. So, if you do choose to accept the family, keep that in mind if you consider going back on that decision. Otherwise, he's just like anyone else, I suppose. He likes art and does a lot of painting."
"And Elijah?"
"Elijah. Bloody arse. He's all about morals and doing the right thing, but he also has no problems taking a life if it meant protecting the family. He has issues of his own, I know. When we were first created, he had control issues, but they went away. I think our mother did something," he muttered irritably, his face carefully composed but she could still see the clear anger underneath.
Darkness filled her, catching in her throat and making her heart damn near stop at the thought that crossed her mind. If the woman that claimed to be their mother was so evil, so conspiring for her gain and preservation, then what truly happened to her? "You think she had something to do with me as well?"
Kol was silent, staring out the window before closing his eyes. "I do. I'm sure that Niklaus told you bits of his story, how he is the product of an affair she'd had. Yes?"
"I heard a little about that," she whispered.
"Considering your birth name and his history, I don't think that incident with the wolf here was Esther's first. I believe that she may have had relations with one in the Old World. From the stories I was told of you, you were named Ylva. It means wolf. So, it stands to reason that you have a similar heritage as Klaus."
"But I have magic…?" Bella started to say, confused about everything she was learning from him.
"Of course you do. I once had magic, was able to practice it. Same with Elijah and Rebekah - our other sister. But we lost that ability when we were turned into vampires, Darling. So, it begs the question of what happened to you that had you reincarnated as you have been, and the reason behind the strength of your magic. What I would love to work with you on is getting those first and early most memories dug up while a good lot of power you are capable of is out of reach. The last thing any of us want is for you to not to be able to control your abilities and trust that I'm not saying that for our benefit. It benefits absolutely no one if you accidentally blow up the whole town. Of course, I wouldn't care. I hate this miserable place."
"It's no so bad," Bella thoughtfully replied, causing him to look up at her with an incredulous expression on his face. "Well, Elena and the doppelganger vampire issues aside - it is quite nice. I think you and Damon would get along great, to be honest. Stefan would probably be more approachable if Elena weren't around."
Kol smirked then. "I've always wanted to kill one of the Salvatores. Killing the bunny muncher would be great!"
"Hold on," she laughed. "Just because Stefan is the odd one doesn't mean he needs to be killed."
"Attitude adjustment then? I can do it!"
"We'll see," she mused.
~o.O.o~
Despite attempting to remain patient and allow Bella to come to them on her terms, Klaus, in particular, grew more anxious to collect his lost sister and return to New Orleans. It took a lot out of Elijah to convince his brother that they needed to continue to wait. He held some hope that Kol might be able to get through to the girl in ways that they were unable. After all, the unstable brother always had a way with witches.
Elijah had another plan as well. One that required a little more finesse. In the time while they waited for Bella to accept her position, he began to research her life in her current reincarnation. Learning that she was the daughter of the town's new sheriff, he was almost certain that he had gained knowledge about the supernatural that exists in Mystic Falls.
While Kol had kept Bella distracted at school, the two brothers made their way into town, seeking out the house they currently lived in. At seeing the police cruiser in the driveway, Klaus gave a slight smile. "Shall we go introduce ourselves?"
"Behave, Niklaus. If we want Bella on our side, we need to get him to like us. Not try to kill us," Elijah warned as the two exited their car and started up the walkway.
Klaus was quicker than his brother as he reached to press the doorbell. He shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he let out a breath, eyeing the door with contempt. Having the man invite them inside to talk might take some convincing, she was certain. Especially if he'd been work with his former flame's mother, Sheriff Forbes.
They didn't have to wait long as the door opened, revealing an older man with hair just as dark as Bella's and a mustache to match. His studious eyes looked from Elijah to Klaus, and back a couple of times and the two could see the muscle in his jaw tense with mild recognition. "May I help you with something?"
"Good afternoon, Sheriff Swan. My name is Elijah and my brother, and I were hoping that we might discuss something rather personal with you," one started, quite politely. "If we may come in to talk…?"
Charlie's eyes narrowed on him before sliding over to the man that thus far had remained silent. "Nah. I think we're good just right where we are until you tell me why you are on my porch."
The brothers glanced at one another; Klaus rolled his eyes. "We wish to discuss your daughter, Isabella. I assure you that we are not here to cause you or her any harm. We would just like to inform you of some things that have come up that involves her and our family."
"Cut to the chase boys. I know exactly who and what you are. Until you give me a damn good reason to invite you in, it ain't gonna happen. Mentioning my daughter will only piss me off more, and I will have no trouble finding me some white oak and shoving it in your hearts," the human snapped, his anger rapidly rising.
"I take it Sheriff Forbes filled you in on the previous events in this town," Klaus murmured, leaning against the door jam with a smirk. "If she has, then she can also tell you that I was once involved with her daughter and protected her when her friends did something foolish."
If they had been characters in some comic book that Elijah had sometimes found Kol reading, he would swear that there would be steam coming from the man's ears and nose. "Mister Swan. I highly doubt that Isabella has informed you of all that she knows about the supernatural -"
"My daughter knows nothing of it. I intend to keep it that way if you catch my drift -"
Chuckling, Klaus shook his head at the irony of the two. "If you truly believe that, then the girl is an even better actress than I had assumed her to be, Elijah. Honestly, Bella's been involved much longer than since she moved to Forks to be with you. She's born supernatural, and we will be happy to tell you her dirty little secrets if you invite us in so that this conversation is not overheard by your nosey neighbors."
They could see the shock that the man attempted to mask as he debated his options. Nodding slowly, Charlie stepped back, opening the door wider. "Come in," he begrudgingly invited.
"Thank you," Elijah nodded as he stepped inside, glancing around curiously before following Charlie to the living area.
"Now what do you mean by my daughter being born supernaturally?" the man demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the two.
"Isabella may be born your daughter in this generation, but her very being and essence is a reincarnation. She's a witch that had been born many years ago and had lived one life after another," Elijah explained.
Charlie narrowed his eyes at him, shaking his head slightly. "My daughter is not a witch."
Klaus' smirk grew into a full-fledged grin. "Oh, but she is! And she's only becoming more powerful as time passes. That leads us to one of our many concerns about her."
"I won't let you kill my daughter. I'll die protecting her first," the cop sneered, regretting not having a stake on him at that moment.
"I assure you that we are not interested in harming her in any way. Quite the opposite in fact," Elijah calmly interjected, stepping between Charlie's line of sight of Klaus. "We know exactly who Isabella is a reincarnation of, and we are equally invested in protecting her from whatever that may threaten her."
"Why? Why my daughter?" Charlie demanded, calming only marginally as his confusion began to take precedent.
"She is our sister," Klaus bluntly answered, all signs of his previous humor gone. "Isabella is the reincarnation of our sister, lost over 1000 years ago. We'd thought she had perished in a plague that overtook our family's homeland before our parents left for the New World."
Blinking, Charlie stumbled as he moved to the closest seat as the new information settled. "How certain are you of this?"
"Very. Damon Salvatore can confirm that she'd once lived when he was still human, right here in Mystic Falls," Elijah murmured as he eyed him. "You did know that the Salvatores are vampires, right?"
"I had my suspicions but pushed them aside because I could see how happy Bella and Damon were over the last week or so. Do you know why her?" he asked.
"We are still trying to find out more about the spell or curse that was placed on her. All we have been able to determine was that our mother lied to the family about her death. We've been hoping that she would regain her memories of when that occurred but when we last spoken with her, or Damon, she still only has those of her reincarnated lives," Elijah continued to explain, unsure how to help the man.
Running a frustrated hand over his face, Charlie shook his head and looked back at the two as they stared at him, waiting. "Just what do you want from me? I can't help you with any of this. I'm only human."
"We extended an invitation for Bella to join us in New Orleans, with the rest of the family. Our other sister is there waiting," Klaus answered, hesitating at the end. "Anyone you ask about the Mikaelson family can assure you that we protect our own, despite whatever drama we might be going through with one another. For us, this is a second chance - a gift, if you will. We don't wish to let her go, just as much as I am sure you do not, but she belongs with her kind."
"My daughter is not a vampire!" Charlie started to argue again.
Elijah drew in a deep breath and shot a look of annoyance over at Klaus. "What my brother meant, we would like to bring her back with us. She will need help controlling her growing abilities, and we still have to find the source of the magic that reincarnated her to frequency. Of the lives she recalls, she doesn't often live past twenty. So you can imagine the pressure we have to keep her alive, not only for you but ourselves. If something were to happen, we would not know where or when her next rebirth would occur. Our youngest brother, Kol, has extensive knowledge of witchcraft and could help her immensely, you are so willing."
Charlie sat back with a scowl on his face, considering everything. He knew it truly would be in Bella's best interest, but if they hadn't been able to convince her, knowing his daughter as he did, it was him that was holding her back. "If I get her to agree to go to New Orleans, I'm coming with her. Hell, if she chooses to become immortal, then I just may ask to be changed myself. I won't let her go through this alone."
Klaus wanted to object but the glare he got from his brother, silenced him. "I am certain we can come to a compromise. Of course, everything is contingent on Bella accepting her family."
A thought suddenly came to the man's mind, and he smirked at the brothers. "So, I get that you feel she's your sister. If that's true, and I'm her father, what does that make me to you?"
"An inconvenient nuisance," Klaus muttered, as Elijah shook his head.
"While you aren't blood, you would be considered a part of our family as well," Elijah smiled, more satisfied that they have Bella's father on board.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
When school let out for the day, Bella walked out of the building, still distracted by thoughts of everything Kol had shared with her. She was reluctant to admit that she liked the guy, but still was unsure of what her future entailed. Her abilities, she found, grew stronger and they damage that she could do with her magic frightened her deeply.
Seeing Damon waiting for her, leaning against her car, she could not help but to smile. Regardless of the memories she was gaining, she was comforted to know that he would be a constant through everything she was experiencing. The memories of her time with him in the 1800s were the strongest, and it only supported the feelings she'd developed in the short time they've known one another in this generation.
Bella was halfway across the lot when she heard her name called out. Turning to look, she found Kol jogging after her. His eyes moved beyond her and lips pulled back into an all too familiar smirk. Suspicious of what he was planning, she slowed her step for him to catch up at the human pace he took and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he had through the corridors most of the day.
"I can't believe you were planning on leaving me stranded here," he grinned, keeping his focus forward.
"You have your car," she pointed out.
He only gave her a cheeky smile in response as they reached Damon, whom was less than thrilled to see the Original vampire. "Long time, no see," Kol greeted the other vampire, causing Bella to eye the two with concern.
Damon remained tense as he stared the guy down, his bright blue eyes blazing as they remained pinned on the arm around his girl. "Not long enough. What do you want?"
Bella carefully slipped out from Kol's embrace to move to her boyfriend's side. "He enrolled in school so that he could talk to me. So that we could get to know one another away from the others."
His eyes peered back at Kol for a long minute before he nodded, drawing in his lip in his annoyance of the situation. "Do you know anything that's going on? Why Bella is what she is?"
Kol only looked back with a good natured smile, slipping his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet. "I got my suspicions, yes. I shared them with my sister. Why should I say anything to you?"
"Kol," Bella lightly scolded him for his antagonizing of Damon. "Be nice. If you want me around, I'll tell you, just as I told Klaus and Elijah. Damon and I are a packaged deal."
He let out a long, suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. "Very well. I think our mother did something very naughty and Ylva - Bella - was the price. Only it backfired or someone did something to protect her. I don't know."
"Your mother, huh?" Damon huffed. "The gift that keeps on giving."
"Damon!" Bella scolded him. "Be nice!" She felt like a broken record at this point.
"What?! Everyone knows that woman was a bitch. We didn't know she wanted to kill her own children - which would have killed the rest of the vampires in existence as well."
She frowned, lowering her head and avoiding his eye. "From what everyone keeps saying, she's my original mother too, Damon."
Kol simply stood by, smiling as he watched the two. "Did he also tell you that he was the one that helped his brother steal Mother's coffin from Nik?"
Bella looked up at him, before glaring at her boyfriend. "Damon?"
"What?! We didn't know!" he defended himself. "We wanted to get rid of Klaus, that was before we knew about his extended family."
"Keep digging that hole for yourself, Damon," Kol teased, still a big smile on his face.
Damon shot him a glare, pressing his mouth shut for the moment. "Bella, let's just go. We had dinner plans, remember?"
"Yeah, maybe tomorrow," she replied, side stepping him to put her bag in her car. "I think I just want to be by myself at home tonight."
He was clearly not happy about her reaction, however he said nothing as he stepped away from the car so that she could get in and leave. A displeased scowl remained on his face the entire time as he watched her, while Kol merely gave her a happy wave goodbye.
"You know, all you had to do was just keep your mouth shut, right?" Kol stood smiling as Bella pulled away.
Damon glared at him, his hatred clear on his face. "No one asked you."
The Original shrugged. "Do I care? No. However, she's to be my sister so I care about her wishes."
"Somehow I doubt your sincerity. You sure that you aren't more interested in her magic?" Damon questioned, eyeing him with suspicion.
Kol let out a dark chuckle, his eyes sparkling as he turned to face the younger vampire. "The only thing I'm interested in with her power is helping her gain control of it before it controls her. Everyone is waiting for her memories to return to know what happened to her, but I am thinking a more proactive approach may be needed."
Damon's eyes narrowed, concern for Bella rising within him. "What do you mean? Like forcing the memories out?"
"Not quite. I was thinking more of a simple walk through her mind. Not intrusive at all," he answered with a casual shrug. "The memories are there. Just deeply buried, waiting to come out."
As confident as Kol appeared, Damon smirked because he was sure that Bella hadn't shared everything about her history with him. He knew she shared a little about her previous encounters with their parasitic cousins, but he was positive she hadn't said everything. "I think you should bring your idea up to her and see how receptive she is. It would be a good idea to speak with your brothers first about what she's told them before you go and try to invade her head."
Tilting his head like a curious puppy, Kol regarded him seriously for the moment. "Tell me Salvatore. Since my brothers returned, have you truly thought we'd do something so dishonorable to a girl we believe to be our blood?"
"Well - Klaus has kept you boxed in a coffin for several hundred years and I know you've all attempted to kill one another on more than one occasion," he admitted.
"True, true. However, like most siblings, our rivalry in that is not uncommon. Haven't you set yourself out with the goal to make Stefan's life an eternity of misery for forcing your turning? What makes our familial drama between ourselves any different? After all, it is clear our attempts to kill one another are never followed through and I can guarantee that there had been ample opportunities over our years to kill one another. All Elijah had to do was stab me with the white oak stake he used to carry around and I was quite vulnerable in my coffin thanks to Nik. We mean Bella no harm and only wish to help her," Kol stressed, holding his hands out to his side. "You can give her my proposal if you like. You both know where to find us."
Before Damon could make any more comments, Kol had turned and started walking away. He stayed and watched as he made his way to his car, however both were distracted by the sound of thunder in the distance. Looking up, the sky was still clear, though dark clouds were beginning to gather in the distance. It left an unsettling feeling within him and as he looked back towards Kol, he could see that he was also disturbed by the change of weather.
Taking his leave, he knew he had to figure out some way to help Bella without pissing off the Original family too much.
~o.O.o~
It hadn't taken Bella long to make her commute home. Walking from her car to the house, her attention was caught by the sudden change of weather and thunder that could be heard. It filled her with an uneasiness that had her heart racing and she quickly made her way to the safety of the house.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned back against it, her eyes closed. There was an icy feel to the air around her, her body shuddering under its influence.
Her debt is paid with your blood…
The voice was raspy and it made her cringe as if it was being whispered right into her ear. Opening her eyes, she quickly looked around only to find that she was indeed the only person in the room, though it didn't feel that way. She could feel her heart pound in her chest as she took slow, cautious steps further into the house. Her eyes glancing around like a small animal, sensing a larger threat lingering just out of reach.
Collapsing onto the couch, Bella struggled to get her emotions under control and had only barely when the front door opened, causing her to jump.
Charlie looked over at his daughter with a curious brow raised before closing the door and releasing his breath slowly. He had no idea what was bothering her, but knew that they had a long talk that needed to be out of the way.
He was slow as he went to join her, taking notice of the way she watched him in return. He was aware that she was probably questioning everything and everyone around her if the conversation that he had with the Mikaelsons was anything to go by. "Bella. I think you and I have a few things we need to discuss," he carefully started, his eyes narrowing as he studied her more.
"Like what, Dad?" Bella asked, appearing to avoid any clear topics herself.
"Secrets. I had an interesting visit this afternoon. About you," he shared.
Her eyes darted up to meet his and he saw a flash of emotion that he rarely encountered with his daughter with any topic other than the Cullens. Pure anger but she smothered it quickly and her face returned to the same blankness he was used to. "Don't do that, Bella. They came to me out of concern for your safety and wellbeing."
"They? They who?" Bella questioned, words cold and sharp.
Charlie let out a sigh before moving to fall back into the closest living room chair. "Don't start with that attitude. They approached me out of concern for you. Your friends," he started rather delicately, unsure of how to broach the subject of her magic. "I know about the Mikaelsons. Well, I knew they are vampires from the office, Forbes is filling me in on the history of the town…"
"What exactly are you getting at here, Dad? What is it you want to know?" she demanded, her patience quickly growing thin as she turned her dark eyes on him.
"They explained to me about the threat against you - and about your, um, magic. I didn't want to believe it at first, Bella, believe me. But I sat here and thought about things that's happened since we got here, your strange behavior… Are you really a witch?"
She didn't know what to tell him, as she wasn't sure exactly how much had already been said. "Does it matter?"
Charlie shook his head. "No, it doesn't but I want to tell you what I told your friends - or brothers? That story had me going in circles I got so confused with this whole reincarnation bit they shared. Regardless of who or what you are or becoming, you still are my daughter and I will go with you wherever you go. They told me about their desire to have you go back to New Orleans with them. I admit I wasn't happy to hear that, but considering everything about these abilities you seem to have, it doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Bella stared at him, speechless and almost scandalized that he would so willingly give her up like that. "You can't be serious!"
"I also told them that I would go with you, and if need be, then I would undergo the transition to remain with you. I love you Bells, and I can see they do too. In their way. They actually didn't seem as scary as the stories that were told to me," he shrugged with a small smile.
Silenced by his words, she was unsure of how to feel about the amount of attention she'd begun to receive. Her life had only grown more complicated since they moved to Mystic Falls and she couldn't help but wonder if she would have been safer if they stayed in Forks. She would have been more normal, had it not be the Cold One that had it out for her.
"I don't know what to say, Dad," she quietly admitted. "It's all -"
"Confusing? Overwhelming? I get it. Tell me. How do you feel when you're around them? Do you trust them not to harm you?"
Immediately, Bella scoffed. "They wouldn't dare! I never felt an ounce of threat coming from them towards me, despite what Damon might say. I think even he would have a hard time denying them after his last visit to their house."
"I asked about you. You clearly feel you can trust them but I can tell you're terrified about something," her father shared.
Bella hesitated as she thought about the whispered voice that sounded so cold in her ear as she returned home. "I don't want you to be hurt by any of this…"
"I know and if I am, then it's because I wanted to do what I can to help you."
"I don't even know what is going on. I do need to talk to - mm - the Mikaelsons about what I've been dealing with. They may know more but I don't know what I can tell you," she whispered.
"Then let them in and help you, because they may be the only ones who can," Charlie earnestly pushed her towards her long forgotten family. "If what they say is true, that you are their sister, then we all will make this work between us. I promise I won't leave you, but I'd be happier that if something did happen to me, that you have a strong family to surround you."
She continued to remain reluctant about turning to the ones she just met, not having memories of them the way she did with Damon and Stefan. At the same time, she could feel that they meant their word about considering her family and would fight in her corner. "I don't know. I did just meet them."
"You just met Damon as well, but you aren't afraid of him," he pointed out.
Letting out a long sigh, she knew she'd have to tell him more. "That's because I can remember a life with him. I don't remember the Mikaelsons like that. I only got a glimpse of a memory of a passing encounter with one of them."
"Then give them a chance and maybe it will come to you. You are usually so willing to giving people a chance, Bella. What's the matter here?" Charlie questioned.
"Some personal demons of my own that I have to overcome, I suppose," Bella distractedly replied, as it begun to sound as if the storm that she saw earlier was growing closer. "Maybe you are right. I think I will go and spend a little time over by them now."
He frowned slightly as he carefully looked over her and the sudden change in her behavior, but not called her out on it. "Don't go there because it's what I asked of you. Go because it's what you want."
Bella gave him a watery smile and nodded. "I'm not. I want to, and I need to do this. Don't worry about me. We will talk about this more again soon. I promise."
"I trust you Bells. Be careful," Charlie replied, pushing himself to his feet and leaving a kiss on her forehead. "Go handle your supernatural business. I have my own things with this council nonsense to deal with. Knowing what I know now, I can help fend them off for you."
She nodded again, but said nothing else as she gathered her things to leave. Looking out the door, she was cautious as the skies were still very ominous with signs of an oncoming storm. The voice she heard when she got home from school wasn't the same as the whispers she'd encountered since she moved to Mystic Falls. There was more of a threat underlying the words.
The more she let herself think about it, the more her fear grew. Trying not to let it overtake her, Bella attempted to make the drive over to the Mikaelson estate as quick as possible, claps of thunder suddenly sounding as if they were growing closer simply because she was exposed from the safety of the indoors. If there was one thing that she was sure of with her new abilities that she was learning, there was something coming and time was running out.
~o.O.o~
Kol had been in the middle of regaling his family about his day, particularly the end encounter with their mysterious sister's beau vampire, Damon, when the doorbell rang.
Rebekah rolled her eyes on the video chat that they had begun in order to fill her in as Elijah excused himself to answer the door. "I still don't believe that this girl could be our sister. If her reincarnations occurred as frequently as you say they have, then we would have come across at least a few over the years."
"It still stands to be true. Elijah did have an encounter, although brief once during our time in Europe," Klaus admitted as he sipped on his alcohol, then quickly set it down as the girl's familiar scent reached him. Coming to his feet, his attention was less on his sister and almost entirely on the entrance to the room. "Isabella! Such a surprise! To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Elijah remained silent as he followed behind her, his eyes ever watchful and concerned over her nervous appearance. She was significantly more agitated than they'd ever seen of her and it drew their attention more closely to her shaking hands as her fingers knotted themselves together.
"Everything alright, darling?" Kol questioned as he handed her his glass of liquor and guided her to a seat.
Bella swallowed a gulp, barely tasting the drink and drew in a breath. "I don't know," she answered. Looking up to the brothers she continued. "Who else is there in the family that would be a threat? Because I heard a new voice today when I got home. Not the same - whispers that seemed to warn me against danger. This one was more threatening and it felt like it was specific to me."
While Klaus and Elijah had shared an extraordinary amount of information about their lives with her, she had been very careful with what she'd admitted before on her last visit, so this had peeked their attention quite so. Exchanging a glance, Klaus sat beside her, shooing his younger sibling away. "You will have to explain to us about these whispers more for us to understand."
Frustrated, Bella ran a hand through her hair as she gave him a withering glare. "It started when I moved to town. It was small, like ghostly images from the past that I eventually learned where like impressions or memories from my life when I lived here in the 1800s. I saw Katherine and Damon, and my death from that time, but the whispers I heard kept me safe from what I could tell. I had dinner with Elena and everyone at the Salvatores the first night and the voice told me to stay in the bathroom and I learned later that Katherine had paid a visit."
"So what was different from that experience to the one that brought you here?" Elijah curiously questioned.
She bit down on her lip, wrapping her arms around herself. Her leg thumped repeatedly in her nervousness that Klaus had to lay a hand on it in attempt to help settle her down. "It was a darker tone, telling me that her debt was to be paid with my blood. Whose debt?" Bella questioned, looking at each of them.
Klaus' fingers tightened reflexively as his eyes turned up to his older brother. "If I were to guess, it would be our mother. Only I don't know what she had done with you as it was before any of us were born. For that lack of information, I am sorry, Isabella."
"I agree that it sounds as if our mother had some sinister involvement with this curse that had been place upon you. No matter the reason, we are here beside you and will fight whatever is to come," Elijah assured her.
Throughout the conversation, Bella did not know of the Original sister listening in. "Excuse me! I hope you have not forgotten about me here!" Rebekah called through the computer.
Bella looked around confused until Klaus explained. "We were filling in Rebekah, our other sister, on what has been going on when you arrived." He looked at her curiously for a moment. "Tell me, sister," he began, making his way to the computer to address the vampire, bringing Bella with him. "Have you seen this girl before over the years?"
Rebekah was taken aback at her first sight of the mysterious sister she'd been hearing about. She'd been so ready to brush off their tales until that moment. "I, um, I'm sorry. I really am for what I've said about you…"
"You haven't said anything since I arrived," Bella pointed out, confused.
"Before that. I didn't think their stories were true until I saw you, but I…" she paused with hesitation and looked at Klaus over the girl's shoulder for forgiveness. "We are not unfamiliar with doppelgangers as you know, but I've seen your face before…"
There was a certain tone in her words, a sadness and fear that reflected in her gaze. "Okay? Elijah has said as much about the same. He came across one of my past selves centuries ago."
"Where do you remember seeing Bella?" Elijah asked, coming around to Bella's other side.
She swallowed instinctively and sat back. She turned her head for a moment as if to check if there was anyone within hearing distance. "Here, in New Orleans," she whispered. Looking directly at Bella again, she blinked back tears. "I am so sorry. You might have been with us sooner if I hadn't summoned Mikael so that I could be with Marcel."
Klaus recalled the time and Bella could feel him tense up beside her. Reaching out to lay her hand over his in attempt to calm him, she closed her eyes. "What happened?"
"I saw Mikael making his way through the city when he came across her. A young witch in the market and he went crazy at the sight of the girl. Killed her in his rage," Rebekah explained. "I had no idea what it was about her until I saw you tonight."
Drawing in a deep breath, Bella nodded before looking at her. "Thank you," she whispered.
Bella's eyes suddenly grew glassy and unfocused as she stared down at the computer screen, bringing Elijah to step closer out of concern. If this was going to be anything like what happened with they touched at the restaurant, he wanted to be prepared.
Coming out of the trance-like state, Bella's eyes rolled back in her head and he was quick to catch her from completely slumping to floor with Klaus' assistance. Carrying her back to the couch, he laid her down with a sigh. "I do hope she gains more control over her abilities so that we won't have to worry about events like this," he murmured.
"She will certainly keep us on our toes," Kol chuckled. "Getting back to our mother. What are we going to do about that? I have to tell you that something rather powerful is coming. The weather has been turning unseasonably stormy and you can see it only grow closer."
"The only one of us that might have known would have been Finn, but I doubt even he would have cooperated with us to tell what he knew," Klaus sighed. "He's dead and I had thought we were finished with our mother. Clearly not!"
"Bella is a witch from a strong line, obviously. Wouldn't she be able to keep through the veil to the Other Side long enough to speak to Finn?" Rebekah wondered aloud.
Kol made a face at the suggestion. "She would have the power, of that I have no doubt. However, I don't think she would know how to perform a spell that complicated. I'm not even sure if she'd be willing to considering the requirements. Expression is a very dark and complicated practice that even I avoided such practitioners of due to its instability. Not to mention the dangers it would bring, as you all know well and clear."
"So what do we do now?" Rebekah huffed.
"We wait for Isabella to awaken and see if she learned anything from you, then go from there," Elijah answered.
"Shouldn't we call that Salvatore she is involved with?" Klaus sneered at the mention of the man.
Elijah looked back at Bella's sleeping form. "It would be wise to maintain open communication, especially after his last visit. We would not want a repeat of your disagreement with her to occur."
"What happened?" Rebekah questioned, frustrated by her limitations and duties in New Orleans.
"Bella did not originally agree that she was our sister. In fact, she was quite resistant, however it seems that she is coming around," he explained.
"Why must I be here?! Nik! Your little pet of a she-wolf has been constantly finding herself trouble with the local wolves that it's becoming difficult to protect her. Just so that you know, she attempted to poison herself in order to abort the baby the other day. You owe me so much for stopping that."
Klaus immediately was not pleased at hearing that Hayley attempted to ruin his chance at fatherhood. "If she doesn't wish to be involved with the child, then so be it. I won't force her to stay with it. It will be cared and loved for enough between us that she won't be needed. Lock her in the house if you must, but I won't lose my child."
"You need to return soon if that is the case. I understand the situation with Bella, but you have your own problems as well to think of if this is what you want. I've got to go. I can hear her coming back from her walk," Rebekah muttered and disconnected the call.
Growling in anger, Klaus threw the glass he had just picked up across the room, shattering it against the wall. The impact was enough to jolt Bella awake, making her sit up quickly in shock. Looking around, she attempted to settle at finding herself safe, but her hands went to her neck as the phantom pain of her death lingered.
Flashes of an enraged vampire coming after her plagued her. Surprise, sorrow, then pure unconsolable wrath crossed the man's face as they had shared but a glance. It was so quick in his attack, twisting her neck, that she never understood what she had died over.
"I need more. Something else to push these memories out!" she cried breathlessly, her hand still rubbing over her neck. "I need to know why this is happening!"
Kol moved to kneel beside her. "I know of a possible way, but it wouldn't be easy. It would require you to speak to the dead. We think that maybe Finn would have an idea of what happened since he was the only one of us born when this began with you."
"Fine! Let's do it! I am tired of going through these memories and feeling my death over and over!" she shouted, scrambling to her feet and grabbing Kol by his shirt. "Tell me how."
"I'll have to get some things together and talk to the Bennett witch in town for the spell. I'll help you, if this is truly what you want," he whispered, attempting to calm her best he can. "I will help you with whatever you want, Sister, but I want you to be sure it is what you want."
Bella blinked as he called her sister, swallowing as it was slowly becoming more clear that she truly was a member of their family. "I don't want to be your older sister," she whispered back, causing Elijah and Klaus especially to react. They didn't want to say how much her words wounded them right then, but they had also considered it a possibility she might feel that way. At least it was until she continued. "I don't know how," she said, almost pleading. Her hands pulled on Kol's shirt more. "I don't know how, I can't be what you want me to be."
"Shh, Poppet," the usually erratic vampire comforted her, wrapping his arms around her shaking body. "You don't have to be anything but yourself. Whether you gain all your memories back or not, you will be our sister. Perhaps it is time for us all to be the older siblings to you."
He simply held her as she absorbed his words. Looking over at his brothers, he received a nod of approval from them. They would make this odd change in their family dynamic work. One way or another.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Damon had been as quick as he could to get to the Mikaelson mansion when he received the call from Elijah. Before he could curse his girlfriend about not coming to him, the Original had given a quick explanation of the reason for her visit and that they had felt she'd feel better after some new revelations if he were at her side.
When he was let into the house, it was a bit different than the last visit when he came for her. Bella was lying on the couch with her head on Kol's lap as the brothers sat quietly. Kol looked up to see the Salvatore brother and ran his hand over her arm. "Bella, Darling. Damon is here."
Damon frowned as she remained lying still, her eyes blinking but giving no other response. "What happened?"
"She's still shaken and upset. Probably processing everything," Klaus muttered. "She met Rebekah through the computer and she said something that triggered a memory to come forward."
"What memory? She's gained quite a few over the last week but she's never been like this after," he pointed out as he moved to sit on the couch next to her.
Klaus hesitated, glancing over at Elijah, whom nodded. "She lived a life in New Orleans when we were there. We didn't know, but Rebekah remembered her face as she had contacted Mikael to hunt for me. Only he came across that incarnation before us and, well, you can guess how that ended."
Damon paled at just the imagery that simple explanation gave him. Reaching for her hand, he raised it to his lips. "Isabella. Come back to me, Princess. We have so much to discuss that if you hide inside yourself, we won't have that forever we wanted together."
"Somebody wants me dead," Bella mumbled. "How can we have forever if I don't know who is after me and I die again?"
"We won't let you die. Not this time. Your other lives didn't have so many interested in protecting you like you do now. Don't give up. Don't give up on us," he whispered, pleading with her.
She let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she was content in her position with Kol playing with her hair. However, she knew that Damon was right. She had much more going for her than she'd had in the past. Especially with a deranged vampire that seemed obsessed with killing her. Sitting up, she kept her eyes down. "So what are we going to do? There's more than this threat that none of know what it is or who. Katherine is still out there and I have some baggage from Forks that has been trying to hunt me down before I moved here."
"If you'll excuse me. I have some things to gather," Kol said before disappearing from the room, Bella's eyes on his retreating form.
Each of the vampires in the room could hear her heart rate increase at his words. Damon grew more suspicious as he looked around before eyeing his girlfriend. "What else aren't you telling me?"
"Isabella demanded to find a way of getting back the memories of when this curse was placed on her. Kol's only knowledge of speaking to the one person present at the time, involves Expression magic," Elijah replied when the girl remained stubbornly silent. "We each warned her of the dangers of going that direction. She insisted."
"Expression nearly killed Bonnie," Damon recalled, his face scrunching in disgust at the memory of the Silas debacle. "It's not a good idea, Bella."
"I'm done playing safe," she snapped, pulling away from him. "Each time I get memories from a life back, I also experience that death. I can feel it all over again. I don't want to do this anymore!"
"Yes, but what if the person doing the magical woo-woo thing to figure it out for you dies in the process? Is it really worth it?"
Bella drew in a breath and met his eyes but said nothing. No one else would be doing the spell and Kol would only be talking her through it so that she could speak to Finn on the other side of the veil. Only, she knew no matter what route was to be taken, Damon and her would be at odds with this.
His eyes narrowed and disbelief filled him. "You can't be serious! You don't know the full range of your magic yet and have only done a couple very simple spells purely out of instinct. This?! This is like way above that! How can everyone here be okay with this?!"
"Trust that we are not okay with her plans. We feel just as you do, but it is her decision and we respect it," Klaus protested the accusation.
"Bella. Please reconsider this!"
"My mind is made up. If I survive, then great. But if I die, at least this time it was by my own actions and not Katherine's or some other psychotic vampire."
"You want Katherine dead? Great! I'll be happy to kill the bitch when she shows her face next. But I don't want you to go through anything that would be a risk to you. Have you considered Charlie in all this?"
Bella sighed. "He has an idea of what's going on. Not all the details, but whatever happens, will happen. Damon. Please, will you trust me that I feel strong enough to go through with this?"
Damon huffed. "No."
"Fine. Then don't be there," she said evenly, masking the hurt he just spurred. "In fact, why are you even here if you are not willing to help me to a solution to all this?"
"Because if it has the chance of you dying, I'm not on board. This is crazy talk!" Damon pleased with her. "Bella, there must be another way of doing this."
She simply shook her head. "I would love for you to be there, but I won't beg or force you. I never once said anything about your past and the things you do that I don't necessarily agree with, but they are your decisions. If you feel so strongly against my going through with this, then leave Damon. I'm doing this because it is what I feel I need to do, to get past these obstructions in my mind."
He shook his head as she spoke, but knew she was right on a lot of it. He also would not leave her so willingly to face a dangerous spell alone. "If you die, I will find a way to bring you back and say I told you so. But I'm not going anywhere."
"Fine. And when I don't die, I'll say the same to you!" she countered.
"Fine! I'll get you a pony if you survive this!"
At that, Bella couldn't help but to grin. "Really?"
Damon shrugged at that. "Maybe not. Stefan might want to sink his teeth in it."
"Buy him a donkey. The pony is mine. Look, how about this? You give me your blood and if anything did happen, at least I'll come back as a vampire. Win, win for the both of us."
"Great! A solution for you two love birds that satisfies everyone's interests!" Klaus exclaimed, tired of the argument. "Bella comes back as a vampire if things go wrong, or she lives and laughs at all of us for our concern. Either way, we get to keep her."
Kol returned with a bag, waiting at the doorway. "I got what we need. When do you want to do this, Sister?"
"Now," Bella answered. "No delaying the inevitable." She looked up at Damon, raising an eyebrow. "So, your blood or shall I ask one of these guys?"
"You're a pain sometimes, you know that?" Damon sighed, biting into his wrist and bringing it to her mouth.
Swallowing several large mouthfuls, assuring everyone that there would be plenty of his blood in her to transition, she turned him around and started ushering everyone out so that they could perform the spell. "Alright. Let's go do this."
"Impatient little troll," Klaus muttered as he followed the group out of the house to the ritual site. It was going to prove to be a long evening for the family.
~o.O.o~
"Have you seen anything new?" Edward demanded of Alice as the family made their approach to Mystic Falls, Virginia. He looked up and grimaced at the storming skies, but was thankful for the cover to protect them from the sunlight.
Alice glared over at him from beside Jasper. "You know my ability doesn't work like that. I've barely seen anything of her and what flashes I get aren't tangible enough to determine."
He hissed with displeasure at her. "What have you seen?"
"Don't make me kick your ass, Edward. Your attitude is not going to change the outcome, no matter how much you deny what is happening," Jasper growled at him.
"Well - at least there are plenty of woods for hunting," Emmett shared, trying to lighten the mood. All he got in return was a despairing glare.
"All I saw was Bella standing in the woods under a storm like this. Nothing else," Alice replied. "She had some others with her, so whatever she was doing, she wasn't alone."
Jasper had been leading the group as he had studied the region prior to their departure, came to a stop and looked around. He could pick up the emotions of several beings, ranging from anxious to concern and fear. "They are nearby. Take it slow so that they don't see or hear us approaching. Perhaps we might be able to see what reason they have to be in the woods in weather like this," he ordered, pointing in the direction that the emotions were coming from.
"I don't hear any thoughts," Edward argued. "Are you sure there's someone out here?"
"Yes," the warrior answered succinctly and climbed up into the trees to get a better view.
The others followed suit, Edward reluctantly, and immediately, they could see and hear Bella and her friends speaking in the distance. Lucky for them, the wind blew in their direction and assisted in carrying their words with it so they would not pick up their scents quite so soon.
Raising his finger to his lips, Jasper waited and listened, watching as Bella read from something one male handed her. He recognized it as a spell of some sort, cocking his head to the side as such an action was not typical of the girl they knew.
As soon as she finished the incantation, the winds began to pick up speed and he was certain that if there were vampires with her, they now knew they were in the vicinity. In fact, one blonde haired male turned his head in their direction but remained silent as the group appeared to wait for something to happen.
"Oh my…" Esme whispered under her breath as some sort of visual appeared before them.
"Shh," Jasper hissed, as they continued to listen to the reason for the spell that was performed.
In the distance, they could faintly hear the conversation. Bella stepped closer to the apparition. She appeared to be looking through it for something specific, without getting too close. All of a sudden, a figure walked into view inside the fissure of their reality.
"Finn," the oldest male greeted the image. "I am sorry for what has happened to you."
The image largely ignored him as he appeared to stare at their friend they'd come to see. "How is this possible?"
"That's what we are here to find out. You were there when our sister lived. Mother told us she had died of the plague, but clearly something else happened," the blonde spoke.
The ghostly image called Finn nodded. "I was just a boy, but she did not die. Mother gave her to her sister. I was lectured to never speak of what I saw and heard that day. Dahlia claimed our sister as a debt that our mother owed her. I never saw Ylva's face again until now. How is this possible?"
"Bella, as she is most frequently named, or in some variation, is a reincarnation that gains her past lives' memories. What she came here for was to see if you might be able to help with gaining that important memory of when this all began," the older brown haired one explained when it appeared that Bella would not speak up for herself.
"Poppet? Are you alright?" asked another that had assisted her during the incantation.
Each being stared at her as she continued to stare equally as fixated on the apparition as he had been on her. "I…" she started weakly, her hand reaching out to grasp the boy's arm. Her head tilted to the side, but with her facing away from the Cullens, Jasper could not see her face clearly.
"Hm. If I had to guess, whatever has been happening with our sister, she is caught between a war between our mother and aunt. I do not recommend that you allow Dahlia to get ahold of her. First borns of our line of magic were known to be of the strongest witches. For her to be reborn so often as you imply, her magic would duplicate with her. Dahlia would certainly be yearning to take that power from her."
Another of the males moved closer to the other side of Bella and the two held onto her. Jasper suspected it was because she was becoming weak from the spell, but her emotions he felt were all over the place. He was beginning to anticipate her to pass out from the exertion or the overwhelming information everyone was hearing.
"Do you have any suspicions of who placed this curse on me?" she finally whispered out a question, barely reaching the Cold Ones' ears.
The apparition smiled sadly to her and reached out as if to caress her face. "Sweet child. I would put that on our mother as she loved such things. It would likely be her way of rebelling against her sister for having to give you up, that she would not be able to use you or your powerful gifts."
"Bella?" the male at her side questioned her as he looked over her face. If both had not been beside her, she would have simply collapsed to the ground, but they held her firmly. "Here we go again…"
"Let's hope she wakes this time with the memories she came her searching for," the older man sighed as he drew closer. "Thank you Finn…" he said as the breach between realms began to fall away with Bella's unconscious state.
"Well - that was fun!" the blonde smiled. "Anyone up for a bar-be-que?" The other three males looked to him, flabbergasted. "What? There's a gaggle of eavesdroppers that I feel like ripping apart and burning just there," he scoffed, pointing towards the Cullens, making them stiffen at the threat.
"How did he…?" Edward growled, ready to pounce from his tree.
"Go ahead. You're so conceited and arrogant that you'll be running to your death," Jasper smirked, jumping down and slowly making his way to Bella's group of protectors. As he approached, they took position in front of her, feelings of protectiveness and devotion seeping from them in waves over the girl. Nodding, he stopped several yards away. "I mean you, and Bella, no harm. We came believing she was in danger and merely wanted to make sure that she was alright."
"Well, you have no business here, Whitlock. Yes I know exactly who you are and despite your grand history, you are no match. Even with penny top there. After the stories our sister shared about your coven of traitors and imbeciles, she'll be the first to demand for your heads. Who's to say I may not take them even if she does grant you clemency?" the blonde mused, relaxed in his posture.
"Perhaps you wouldn't mind returning the gesture as you clearly know who we are, but we don't know you," Jasper replied, attempting to remain as polite as he could.
All the males began to smile, amusement flooded them at the coven's lack of knowledge. "Myself? I am Klaus Mikaelson. These two are my brothers, Elijah and Kol. Surely you must have heard of us?"
The former warrior drew in an unnecessary breath, unhappy with the turnabout. Yes, he had heard of this particular family. It was not one he was willing to go to battle with. Glaring over at Edward, who begun to growl at the memories of stories he was hearing in Jasper and Carlisle's thoughts. "Stand down. If you want to get yourself tangled in a battle with them, you will do so on your own. I won't fight them."
"That's because you're a smart fellow. I eat creatures like you for breakfast," Klaus grinned. "How about you tell us the real reason you lot of fools are here? Let me guess. Penny head thinks he could come and reclaim Isabella. Sorry chap, but our lovely sister is already taken and promised to that idiot holding her."
"What do you mean, promised?" Carlisle asked, pulling his mate closer to him for her protection.
"Exactly as it sounds, you tool," the vampire retorted as he held onto his girl. "Bella and I were engaged in 1864, and we have plans to see that through."
"Bella isn't a vampire," Edward argued. "She's my mate!"
Each and every one of the other vampires laughed. Jasper's head hung as he was struggling not to laugh as well, considering no one once claimed Bella to be of either of their kinds, but had expressed the reincarnation occurrence. "Edward. What is going on with her is well beyond anything you've ever seen or that even I have truly come across. I'm sure even Carlisle may even lack the experience of what you witnessed right here. You already know that I've come across her in my past through my thoughts, yet you deny that she's anything extraordinary."
"She's mine," Edward growled again, causing the Mikaelsons the glare right back. "She was made for me!"
Sighing, Jasper shook his head and rubbed his brow. "I give up. I'm not dealing with this idiocy anymore. I trust that they know what they are doing and that they can keep Bella safe from whatever is going on. She's clearly survived this town long enough…"
"They are monsters!"
Klaus and Damon both let out a hearty laugh. "Sure. And her brother is the worst of all of us, so are you really willing to go up against the Original Hybrid? The guy that can't be killed?" Damon asked, shifting Bella in his arms. "You guys have fun with this loser. Take lots of pictures for me of whatever you do to him. I'm taking Bella home and wait out this latest trip for her."
"Go on Damon. We shall resolve this - visit from our sister's past," Elijah nodded, making his way forward to stand beside his brothers. He didn't need any other encouragement and shot out of the area, intent on getting Bella as far away from the Cullens as he could.
"Pardon me," Carlisle spoke, glancing over to the bulky Emmett to hold onto their unstable family member. "You keep saying that she is your sister, but you are over a millennia in age. The girl we know is just past her eighteenth year."
Klaus and Elijah exchanged a bored look between themselves as Kol responded. "It's called magic you dimwit. How do you think your freaky, sparkling race was created? A curse was placed on our sister and she is born, over and over. She's finally home where she belongs and you can trust that anyone that intends to go up against us to take her from her family will have a fight for their lives. We won't give her up. Especially to the ones that crushed her heart and spirit in her current life."
"That's not true, she's been lying," Edward said as he struggled against Emmett's hold.
"I don't know about you, but Whitlock and your father figure are certainly familiar with our kind. We were able to slip into her mind when she allowed us and saw her memories. Lying to her as you had, abandoning her in the middle of the forest to be victim to not only the elements, but also another enemy that continues to seek her out," Elijah lectured, a smile beginning to grow on his lips. "I have half a mind to give permission to my brothers here and allow them to whatever they wish in the name of Isabella. No one harms our family and shall live."
Kol blinked at his brother. "I didn't think you had it in you, brother."
Elijah rolled his eyes and drew in a deep breath, gathering as much patience as he could muster. "What shall it be? Hospitality by way of the Mikaelson method, or you leave Isabella and never return. Be as the promise you spoke that day, that it would be as if you have never existed."
Klaus' fingers twitched at his side and he smirked. "Please choose option A," he whispered.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Author Note: There more than likely won't be an update next week, just to let you all know. I have some furniture that needs to be sorted with my room and it will take nearly all weekend to move my room around, built new pieces and remove old ones (yay! tax check!). So if I am able to write at all over the next week to two weeks, it will only help back up chapters to be able to post without any issues after. Chapter 18 is done but I do like to try to stay a chapter ahead, at least. Have a good week!
"Please choose option A," Klaus had said.
The Cold One's imitation of a coven leader stepped forward, coming between Edward and the Mikaelson brothers. "Please. There is no need for violence. I'm sure we can work out a peaceable solution to the situation."
"Oh, I'll be perfectly at peace with ripping out the throat from your sorry excuse for a creation," the hybrid sneered, his body tense for a battle.
Edward glared at the three and shook his head. "They are nothing but monsters and they are holding my Bella prisoner, Carlisle!"
"Prisoner, mate? Really? Now you're really more foolish than you look," Kol laughed. "You spied and watched us all here long enough to see that she was with us of her own free will. Not only that, but when she wakes up, I'm sure that she would dispute your claim as being yours."
"Yes. I did overhear a conversation between Isabella and Damon about her breakup with you one evening. I wonder if the rest of your family is knowledge of the true events that occurred that night. I am almost certain that they would not be agreeing with you so much if they knew what you had said to the girl - who is with her rightful family," Elijah added, his eyes narrowing on the petulant boy before focusing on the leader again. "It would seem that he crushed every ounce of spirit she had, claiming she was not worth his time to pretend to play human any longer. Then of course, leaving her unprotected and lost in the woods, deep behind her home, and with an unhinged Cold One hunting her down because your family killed her mate."
Jasper and Carlisle turned to look at Edward after the new accusations came to light, the empath sensing the truth coming from the older vampire. "What did you do, Edward? How did we not know what really happened? And you lied to us?" He looked over the rest of the family before his gaze fell upon his wife. "You had to have known his decision. I knew something was off about Bella claiming she wanted nothing more to do with us. She was always accepting of who and what we were without reservation."
"But she belongs to Edward. Not that guy that left with her," Alice answered, her voice soft and innocent. "Edward was always planning on coming back for her."
The empath looked at her like she was a few marbles short of crazy, causing Klaus to smirk but remain silent as the arguing began within their own group. "The hell is wrong with the both of you?! You don't break someone like that if you love them! And you lied to the rest of the family on top of it. Perhaps you two are better suited for one another than with Bella or I. I've never been more ashamed of this family, or of you Carlisle, for allowing this to happen." He slowly backed up until it was clear that he was on the side of the Mikaelsons. "If you continue to pursue Isabella, know that I will fight you with her and her family."
Carlisle remained silent as he absorbed the combined threat now facing his family. Looking around, he could see that while Esme, Alice, and Edward clearly wished to continue in getting Bella back into the family, his other two glared at him and their siblings for what they brought to them. In that moment, he was certain that Emmett and Rosalie would not fight with them, if they chose to take a side at all.
Nodding, he moved closer to the three. "We shall take our leave then -"
"What?! Carlisle! We need to get Bella back!" Edward argued.
"No. They are right in that you could have handled the situation differently when you chose to leave her. Whatever mistakes she chooses to make here with her new friends, they are hers alone. Let's go now," Carlisle harshly whispered, pulling Edward away from the scene.
Emmett looked back at Jasper with a sorrowful smile. "While I don't agree with what they did, we should stick with them in case Edward gets the bright idea to come back. We can at least give you the heads up if he takes off. Take care of Belly for us."
Jasper gave his brother and sister a nod and watched as they ran off. Releasing a deep breath, he turned to face the Mikaelsons. "If it's alright with you, I would like to stick around to run interference if any of them return. I promise you that I will keep my distance from Isabella."
Klaus narrowed his eyes on the Cold One. While he could respect the man to an extent, he was extremely cautious due to the relationship with the same beings that hurt his new sister. He was barely able to suppress a growl when Elijah responded first, sneering at his older sibling.
"I do not see why an arrangement can't be struck," the vampire started, holding his hand up to silence both of his disagreeable brothers before they begun. "However, do remember that if we find you involved in anything that may upset Isabella, we will come to you first to seek justice. Justice however my two brothers see fit."
Jasper nodded, accepting the terms easily. "If I unknowingly lead anything to her, I will come to you myself. If you will allow me, I should find some arrangements to stay…" He bowed slightly, waiting for a dismissal.
"Go to the Salvatore Boarding House. Inform Stefan that Elijah sent you. If he has any problems, tell him to call me."
"Damon won't like this," Kol murmured, glaring at his 'peaceable' brother as the empath sped off.
Elijah smiled. "He just may, as I will invite him and Isabella to stay with us or speak to Mr. Swan about living at her home. You'll find that he may just agree with my intentions here. Who better to babysit the unknown factor now in town, then the former Ripper?"
~o.O.o~
Debating on where to bring Bella in her current state, Damon eventually settled on returning to the Mikaelson estate. Immediately, he brought her up to an empty bedroom and tucked her into bed so that she could wake somewhat comfortably instead of how she had in previous experiences.
He had little concern about the Cullens. He was certain that the brothers liked the venomous family just as little as he did. Leaving her to sleep off her dreams and memories, Damon made his way through the house, casually looking around as he had unsupervised freedom in enemy territory for a time. While he didn't go digging particularly deep into the family members' rooms, he was surprised at how normal much of the house was and damned if he didn't begin to think of the Original family as something other than his enemy.
Finding his way into the kitchen, he dug around the cabinets to begin making some food for when his girl woke, waiting for everyone's return so that he could get the details of what he'd missed. He was regretful about not being able to rip the annoying ex's head from his shoulders. He hoped that someone kicked his ass, and knocked him well off the pedestal that he believed himself to belong.
The food was nearly ready when he heard her footsteps grow closer to the kitchen. He wasn't sure why, but he could not help but be nervous for what was approaching. Turning to face the entrance, Damon smiled as she rounded the corner. Bella looked back at him, seemingly just as nervous as he felt.
"Bella," he whispered, taking a step towards her, but keeping his distance in case she did not welcome his presence.
"Still out dealing with unexpected visitors," he answered, knowing the unspoken words. "How are you feeling?"
She blinked and nodded. "I'm still me," she replied, letting out a breath, looking around. "Where is…?"
Bella moved closer to him, reaching for his hand before leaning into his body. She needed to feel him against her, a sense of something current and real for all that she currently felt overwhelmed with. Her body shuddered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her as close as he could possibly have her. "I'm happy they are not here right now. I just need some time before I see them," she murmured into his chest.
"I can imagine why," he replied, running his hands over her back.
"The memories - there's just so many that…" she trailed off, her body shaking, from what, he didn't know.
"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," Damon reassured her. He felt her nod against him and they simply remained there for several minutes until he looked over his shoulder where the food was beginning to burn.
Bella let go of him as she whispered a spell to fix the food and make her way to the stove to plate everything for serving. She felt his eyes on her, but she was still absorbing all the new information, the memories of learning magic in her first life after losing her family.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as gently as he could, hoping not to scare her off.
Hesitating, she set the bowl of pasta on the island counter before looking up at him. "Everything they've claimed, is true," she spoke, keeping her eyes down. "Our mother essentially sold me to her sister, who raised me until this curse was placed on me in case I would betray Dahlia."
Damon ran his hand through his hair. "So, do you know what we have to do in order to break the curse?"
Bella looked up at him and shrugged, tears in her eyes. "I don't know."
"The more I learn about this family, the more I wish I could drink myself into oblivion. But then, I think about you and I realize, I gotta deal with them from now on," he scowled.
"If you don't want to… I won't force you to stay," she tried to say, before he cut her off.
He glared at her, zipping over to her side and taking her hands in his. "No matter what you try to throw at me, I'm here with you. Sure your family is crazy as fuck, but mine isn't much better. Fuck, Bella! For all we know, in some alternate life, Stefan would have tried killing you a time or two considering his ripper history! Don't pull this sacrificial shit with me because I want you. Klaus and the rest of them are a package deal, I get that, just as you accept Stefan comes with me."
"Package deals, huh?" She said weakly, looking up at him into his beautiful blue eyes, so full of trust and love and it was almost too much. "What's next to discuss? Dowry? I'm pretty sure I'm worth at least five llamas."
"We did not keep llamas back then. Sheep, pigs, yes," Klaus spoke up as he walked in, announcing the return of the brothers. "Now, why are we discussing farm animals and dowries? I believe we already made our position clear on Damon's relationship with you to your former - allies."
Bella shrugged. "I liked the sound of llamas."
He shrugged as he grabbed a plate and began serving himself some of the prepared food. "If he wishes to insist on payment for your hand, I do enjoy a fine bottle of scotch."
Elijah followed in with Kol and sighed. "There will be no such payment, Niklaus."
"Bugger. You have to ruin everyone's fun. Kol and I were so looking forward to option A, but you had to allow them to take the second."
She fisted Damon's shirt as she took a step closer to him. "I'll deal with them myself when they come back," she muttered darkly. "No, we were merely discussing that our families come with us as a packaged deal. You guys have to start getting along better."
"Carlisle Cullen assured that he will make sure Edward remains away from you," Elijah replied, looking to her, earning a disagreeable snort from both brothers.
"I'm perfectly fine with Damon," Klaus smiled with his fork dangling from his hand. "As long as he doesn't break your heart, his shall remain in his chest."
"Hear, hear," Kol cheered in agreement, raising the glass of liquor he was pouring.
"Stefan comes with the territory," Bella pointed out, a faint smile on her lips as she looked back up at Damon and realized that his eyes had never moved away from her face, or her head. "Although it's perfectly legal to lock him up, right? Like… a pet monkey."
Elijah sighed and walked out of the room, leaving Klaus and Kol eyeing one another with thoughtful expressions. "You think if we drain him of the vervain, we could compel us a little pet?" Kol inquired.
"It'll be fun," Klaus agreed, looking to the young couple. "So how did things go here?"
Bella lowered her gaze and shrugged a shoulder. "Finn was right in that I was taken by Dahlia. She cursed me in the event that I might betray her after she raised me," she explained.
Damon guided her to a nearby stool so that she would be more comfortable to answer any other questions, before making a small plate for her. He remained silent as he met the brothers' eyes, a silent agreement to take their questioning as easy as they could.
"You betrayed our aunt?" Klaus asked, his eyes locked on her as he warred with his own feelings about their family turning on him.
Sighing, Bella threw her arms up in defeat. "I felt I might be strong enough to fight my way to freedom, only to find out that my only escape was in death. But she placed this curse on me so that I would never truly escape her. Now, this body, is the furthest I've survived, at least having gained back as much magic as I have. I think it's more down to having Damon and you all to help protect me from Katherine, and even Elena. There were more like her, and I hate to say this Damon, but also like Stefan, that all did kill me over these years."
Damon's lip curled up in disgust. "Pet monkey it is."
"I think as long as Katherine or Elena exists, Stefan won't become what they are. I believe it's part of Dahlia's spell that any doppelganger generally seeks me out to kill me. A thousand years, and they all are troublemakers," she recalled, scratching her head. "I still fail to see what you all ever see in these girls."
"Hey now! Don't lump me in with this idiots," Kol protested. "I always disliked Tatia when we were human, but Nik and Elijah chased her around like horny dogs with their tongues falling out of their mouths!"
Bella smiled at him, entertained by their teasing. The smile however did not last long as she focused on Klaus. "No matter what, we must deal with our aunt here and now before your child is born. Until then, she will be focused on me for my attempt to escape her and our mother's agreement with her."
Klaus leaned forward, setting his fork down and pursed his lips. "What did you do?"
Bella ran her hand through her hair, tugging on the ends. "I tried to escape her the moment I could. But in finding myself a husband, I also learned that there was more than just selling me to Dahlia. This is why I would want to deal with her once and for all. You see, their deal was that every first born would be owed to Dahlia as a payment for her spelling Mother to be able to have children. I, I got pregnant and when I was near birth, she came to me. I did the only thing I could to protect my child from her. I took poison, killing my baby and myself. I didn't know she put a safeguard on me in having me and my magic reincarnated for her own gain of power."
She was quiet and soft spoken as she recalled the early past, a history of her life that would continue to affect them in the current time, especially as Klaus had shared an important detail when they had first truly spoken. She kept her eyes on him as he absorbed that the coming that wasn't just about herself, but also for his unborn child he left in their other sister's protection. Bella was reluctant to look at Damon, as she revealed that she had previously married and would have been a mother, sure that he would be upset despite it being in a distant lifetime.
"So we lure the bitch to town and kill us a witch," Damon shrugged, leaving the room and quickly coming back with a new bottle of liquor. He poured generous glasses for everyone, kissing Bella's a temple as he passed by.
Elijah had rejoined them, having heard her story and their discussion from the nearby room. He wasn't so confident as the younger vampire, knowing what his family's capabilities were when they were human. If their aunt was still around, then she would be formidable. "It won't be as easy as you hope. We have no idea the level of power Dahlia now holds. We know nothing of her weaknesses."
Bella's focus drifted as she thought about her time with the witch. "She was sensitive about discussing Mother. I know her magic is rooted in blood, and she feeds off familial power. She had always wanted to be immortal and was furious when Mother created your vampire race."
"Okay. So how do we fight a superpowered witch? Bella's presence would be a complication if she would use her power," Damon argued, frustrated at not knowing how to keep her safe.
"Another witch, maybe," Elijah thought as he considered some possibilities.
Klaus sighed. "It would depend on the type of magic that could go up against her. If she is anything like our mother, it will be hard to take down an original witch."
"I can try talking to Bonnie. She might know something or talk her juju spirits. She liked Bella, so she might be willing to help," Damon offered. "In the meantime, what do we do? Because whatever is coming, is getting closer and to be honest, Bella, I'm not thrilled with the idea of you being alone now. Not even with Charlie."
"I agree. It would be much better for you to stay close to us until this is over," Elijah spoke, drawing a deep sigh from the girl. From the pensive expression on her face, he continued. "If you are thinking about Charlie, I'll be happy to call him and inform him of the situation."
Bella frowned and shrugged. "He already knows much more than I would have liked. And don't think I am not angry for going behind my back and telling him everything that you have already. You had no right-"
"No, we didn't Sweetheart, but in order to protect our own, sometimes we must do things that the other does not like. I apologize to you for the way we circumvented you, however, it does work out to be for the best now as you do not have to withhold secrets about what you are and your original family," Klaus interrupted as he kept his voice soft while he looked her in the eye. "And you get to keep the man you've known and cared for you as a father in your life. Did he tell you that he was considering going through the transition in order to remain at your side, in keeping you safe?"
"Did he?" Bella wasn't sure whether to feel angry or flattered. "He's insane."
The brothers smiled and Kol shrugged. "Perhaps he is, but he only knows you as his daughter and what decent father wouldn't want to be there for his girl however he can?" he commented.
"My father was an asshole that shot Stefan and I when he found out about Katherine's true self. Then let's not get on the subject of your father. Now he certainly won't be getting any awards for Daddy of the Year," Damon snorted. "As far as the witchy business, I'll go see if Bonnie can help with her juju. Surely her spirits might know something useful."
He wrapped his arms around Bella before he left, leaving a kiss on her temple. "Stay here where it's relatively safe. I'll be back."
She watched as he left and let out a sigh. Looking at the three, who all stared back at her in silence, every one of them waiting for something. "So...family game night? Scrabble? Twister? Monopoly?"
Klaus smirked. "You will do just fine in the family. There is no need to be nervous, Sweetheart."
"Yes. I imagine it will take some adjustment on all our parts. I knew you as an older sister, as I was still in the womb but you aren't quite that now," Elijah added. "All that matters is that you are our sister, family, from this time forward. Anything that is ours, is also yours."
"Except for my iPod. You can't share that," Kol interrupt, a serious expression on his face, causing Bella to blink in surprise before letting out a small laugh.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Damon walked into the boarding house feeling exhausted and pissed off. His worry over Bella was getting to him, and while he was happy that Bonnie agreed to meet with him, his mood quickly took a turn as he got out of his car.
The scent of one of the Cullens lingered outside the door, and only got stronger the closer he moved. "I'm going to rip some glittery fuckers apart!" he called out as he walked in, turning the corner to find the blond male sitting with his brother. "Stefan. What have I told you about bringing home strays? They carry vile diseases…"
Jasper ran his hands over his pants before he stood. "My apologies for intruding. I would not be here if it were not suggested by one of the brothers."
Damon continued to stand and stared him down, his eyes narrowing upon his words. "Stef? Care to elaborate before I rip this fucker apart and then kill you once and for all?"
"It's true," the young vampire answered, his tone indicating that he was not completely thrilled either. "Elijah volunteered our house for his stay. Though he had other intentions for here specifically. He wants me to keep an eye on him for them."
"I promised them that if any threats came to town, especially from my - former family, I would help in dealing with it and if it were by my own actions, I would volunteer my life," Jasper clarified.
"Great! So how long do you think fucktard will try his hand again so that I get to kill you all?" Damon grinned.
Sighing, Jasper looked back at Stefan before answering. "I wouldn't wager much time. Edward is persistent and stubborn. He is obsessed with Isabella. Despite not being a trained fighter, he does have some natural abilities and can use your thoughts of your intended attacks against you."
"I think I'll be talking to Elijah about the decisions he makes without input from those that it affects," Damon muttered, making his way to the bar to pour himself a drink.
Stefan followed behind, frowning at his brother's demeanor. "How's things going at casa Original?"
"About as well as can be expected. Bella got her memories back and she's freaked out. She is their sister, by the way," Damon spoke quite emotionlessly as he drank. "For the most part, everyone's getting along with having to protect her. Seems the running theory is that the big bad coming around, that storm, is due to their aunt. Mama Witch sold her when she was just a girl to a nutbag."
"Damn. If there is something I can do to help…"
"Keep your eyes on this fucker," Damon answered in a snap. "The Mikaelsons already have plans to always have someone with her. If it's not me, it'll be one of them. I have Bonnie on her way here now to see if there isn't something that she can find out about the big bad Auntie."
Stefan nodded, understanding how on edge his brother was getting. "Okay. I'll just show Jasper to a room and leave you and Bonnie be. Call if you need anything."
"Knock yourself out," he murmured, refilling his glass as he continued to think about everything. He was never more pleased than Bonnie arriving, quicker than he anticipated. Eying her as she walked into the room, he flashed her his signature smirk and toasted to her arrival. "Drink?"
"No thanks," she answered, setting her bag onto one of the couches. "What is so important that you needed me here immediately?"
Damon carried his glass over and shrugged. "Bella."
The witch raised an eyebrow, knowing how infatuated he'd gotten with her. "Is this about Katherine wanting her dead?"
"Negative Nancy. This is about my Isabella being an Original," he announced, waiting for her to catch on.
Bonnie blinked, confused at his words. "But she's human…"
"Reincarnated witch it would seem. She is their sister and finally got all her memories back on how she became what she is now. So, what I need from you, is a method to kill a super powered, ancient witch that is on her way to kill my girlfriend." While Bonnie kept that incredulous look on her face, Damon continued to fill her in, each detail revealed puzzling the Bennett witch even further.
"So basically… you want me on standby to help you to take down an evil old witch that even the Originals are afraid of?" Bonnie summarized the whole story. "Why? Sounds to me we need her on our side."
"Noooo, I need you to help me find a way to kill the bitch. Are you really willing to murder that entire family because you hate them that much? What about Bella? I thought you liked her. She only just got them back and to be frank, since they've been together, I actually am starting to like those assholes."
"Damon, they're the Originals, come on," Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. "I mean, I know we can't kill them, but we can at least neutralize them and get them all out of our hair."
He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated and growing more pissed by the second. "I can't do that. And you won't have to worry about them for long after this witch bitch is done with. They are planning on moving back to New Orleans together and I'm going with them," he hissed, new regrets for asking for her help rising.
Bonnie was quiet for a moment and then started to laugh, loud. "Oh, I never thought I'd see the day!"
"Well it certainly beats sticking around here where no matter what I do for all of you children, it's shit on. At least I'll be happy with my Bella."
"What about your brother, Damon? You always make a point about the fact that you need to look after him despite throwing the occasional wrench into his life."
Damon turned to look at her. Her accusation filled him with an intense rage that he struggled not to go and rip her throat out. "What about him? I'm here and you hate me because of what Saint Stefan did. I didn't want to go through with transition and he forced it on me. He's on his own with that - that - bitch you call a friend. I honestly don't know what I even considered good about her because she's nothing more than her ancestor and you are so blind to her being the cause of a lot of the trouble in town. But no! Let's blame Damon! Damon has no regard for human life… Might I remind you that you are the one to convince me to give Caroline my blood. I didn't want to because of the exact result and yet you still blamed me. I'm not the only one that isn't innocent around here so you should start looking in the mirror about your own decisions instead of passing the blame off to anyone and everyone else. The Originals? Yeah I hated them at first but since Bella, they have no interest here in anything other than her. They've kept their distance from Elena and anything that was drummed up, it was her instigating it. Maybe you should keep your friend on a leash and promise that you will keep her away from Bella and I. Now, Bonnie Bennett. I will ask you one more time. Will you help us?"
"Yeah fine, I'll help you, but just know that I think that this is all a huge mistake."
Rolling his eyes, he shrugged. "The only thoughts I care about are Bella's, and she has an aunt that is coming to steal her magic and potentially kill her. What makes you think that I care about anyone else?"
"Nothing, I'm just surprised that you care this deeply," Bonnie shrugged. "What do you need me to do? What kind of witch is this aunt?"
Damon sat down and thought about the memories that Bella had told everyone. "Well, she is the sister to the Original witch. Bella did indicate that most of her magic involved using blood and saw her with snakes on several occasions. What we do know is that she is dead set on getting to Bella right now," he sighed, not willing to share what the brothers told him about Klaus' little expectation in New Orleans.
"Blood Magic?" Bonnie blinked. "I'll have to look into that."
"This bitch put a spell on Bella because she attempted to run away from her," he added. "That's why she was reincarnated so many times. Consider the number of deaths she suffered and still remembers for over a thousand years. You asked me before what I thought about leaving Stefan. You should know that she admitted that he had his own doppelgangers over the years. Not just Elena and they all took turns in killing her. This Bella? While she accepts Stefan, she will always be afraid of him, just as she is of Katherine and Elena. Keep that in mind when you wonder about who the real baddies are around here."
She sighed. "Let's make a deal, okay? I'll help you, but from now on, we won't talk on who's on the right side or not. Elena's my friend and she always will be, I will not allow you to villainize her for being Elena or a doppelganger."
He smirked as he sat back on the couch. "Sure. After all, there is such a thin line between good and evil."
"Any indication on when this Aunt will show up?"
Damon leaned back casually to look over his shoulder, out the large floor to ceiling windows where the skies were dark with an impending storm. "Hm, I'd say a day or two at most."
Bonnie's eyes grew big. "Fucker! I'm hitting the books, now!"
"By all means, nerd out. You're more than welcome to anything we might have collected over the years. I'm sure that the generations of Salvatores collected some on magic. They would be in the room at the top of the stairs," he waved her on. He was certain there might be something that may help, only no one had been in there for decades so he wasn't what there might be.
Bonnie thought for a moment. The offer was really interesting, mainly considering the fact that she knew every witchy book in her possession from front to cover and there hadn't been anything about blood magic in them. If there would be, she'd know. "If there are rats, shall I kill them and serve them on a platter for Stefan?"
He smiled at the joke and looked up at her. "Sure. He seemed rather pasty earlier. Our houseguest might even be interested in a sip or two. And, if you are able to maintain this truce without constant insults to my girlfriend and I, I may even be willing to part with a book or two."
Bonnie let out a squeal of delight and headed to the room he had pointed out to her.
Damon got up to refill his liquor and smiled as he kept an ear out. It'd been ages since anyone had gone into those rooms and are merely storage now. Leaning against the bar, he closed his eyes and sighed with contentment as he heard his name being called an ass screamed in irritation, followed by a fit of coughing.
Upstairs, Bonnie looked around as she pulled her shirt up to cover her nose and mouth from all the dust that flew around from opening the door. The number of books the Salvatores owned were daunting. She had seen their collection downstairs many times and had always been impressed by it, but she never considered Damon be one to read. Sometimes she wondered if he even knew how.
Looking around the mess, she rooted through a couple piles, surprised at what she was finding. There were already a number of books she was coming across that she would love to keep. She realized that if she wanted to keep any, she'd have to be nicer to the vampire per his terms. While they weren't unreasonable, it simply went against her nature as a witch. Biting her lip, she contemplated simply taking them.
"Don't even consider it," a new voice spoke up from behind her, causing Bonnie to jump.
Turning around, she found a blond male leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he narrowed his eyes on her. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"
"Jasper Whitlock, ma'am, and I mean about whatever betrayal you were just contemplating. I heard what Damon offered you and I'm betting that you are considering stealing these after his generous offer."
"I wasn't going to do anything," she protested, turning back to the books. "Damon asked me to help find a way to fight this big bad that his girlfriend is attracting to Mystic Falls."
He narrowed his eyes. "It was always meant to happen at some point. It was Bella that was cursed simply because she wanted her freedom from a power hungry relative as I understand it. Are you trying to say she's not entitled to be free and happy? Has she done anything to you to warrant such animosity?"
Bonnie opened her mouth to voice her objections about Bella, feeling offended by the strange vampire's questions. However, she was unable to come out with a truthful response as she actually was quite nice to her despite her friendship with Elena. She knew that Elena had continuously caused problems since her arrival that the newcomer did not take out on the rest of their group. She looked back at the vampire, who stared back at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting. "What do you want me to say?"
"Something honest," he simply shrugged. Looking around the room without coming any closer to the edgy witch, he smiled that friendly smile again. "Would it make you feel any better that when I first met Bella, I contemplated quite frequently killing her myself?"
"Didn't you protect her? That's what she told us at least," Bonnie replied, turning back to flipping through the books she was finding.
"I knew she was different, but it wasn't the fact that she might be a doppelganger or reincarnation as we all have now to come to find out. My - adoptive brother - had taken an interest in her and she simply came to know too much about us. It wasn't safe for us, or her. Still, I never met a singular person that was ever more accepting of our nature than she was."
"She's a witch. It's ingrained in us to hate your kind, or kinds," she murmured, glancing over him again.
Jasper continued to smile as his eyes followed her movements. "Perhaps, but I firmly believe that comes down to nature versus nurture. She surprised me left and right about how she saw past our vampirism and always found those bits of humanity that we never believed we still had, that we struggle to keep a hold of. Which is one of the reasons why our coven preferred feeding on animals, rather than humans. For me, well, it is more a necessity if I don't want to go insane."
At that, the young witch frowned, turning her full attention onto him as she wanted to understand what he just meant. "Necessity?"
"How do you think an empath would react when feeding on their victims? To feel their fear, the last moments of life as you drain them of the blood that you need to sustain themselves? I had to live that way for decades before I even knew it was a possibility and when Alice had found me, offering me an alternative option as I'd been contemplating suicide for some time… Well, I haven't turned back. Sure, I've had some slips over the years. It is very difficult with what we are and it is a constant struggle to fight the natural urges, the cravings for human blood, but before you judge the vampires you come across, perhaps you should pause and take a moment to truly learn their story. Most of us did not choose to become what we are and we struggle in our lives just as you do yours."
Bonnie was quiet before letting out an unsteady breath. "I hadn't thought of it that way…"
Jasper nodded, knowing she wouldn't quite see the world in the shades of grey and bursts of color that it truly was. "We are people first, witch, vampire, wolf, or tooth fairy next. But let me give you a little more to chew on in that brain of yours. I've been around for as long as the Salvatores. I've heard of them in bits during my time in the Southern Wars, especially about Katherine Pierce. Now, you were so quick to demean Damon before, but you should take in the fact that his brother Stefan, though repetent on his bloody days and is a bit - calmer - now, has much more blood on his hands than Damon. If you are able to accept Stefan knowing his past, then don't be so cruel to Damon when all he wants to do is the same thing his brother is doing."
"What is that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing both in irritation and curiosity.
"They just want to live their lives happy and in peace with someone they love," Jasper answered, turning around and walking away to leave her alone in the room.
Bonnie remained silent as she blinked at his words, then turned back to the room, looking around. She could not help but to feel a sense of guilt as she knew how horribly she treated Damon, but he was willing to offer her some of his family's collection in return for her help in protecting Bella. Sighing, she wasn't sure whether she should be appreciative of the new vampire she'd just met, or spiteful, as she returned to her task.
~o.O.o~
It had been a few hours, and several sneezing and coughing fits later, before Bonnie came rushing down the stairs in search of Damon. Finding him in front of the window, watching the approaching storm with his never far glass of liquor in his hand, she came to a stop feeling breathless.
"I found something," she announced, holding up a book. Her face was flushed with anticipation, staring at him as he slowly turned to look at her with barely disguised surprise.
"You actually found something?" he asked. "I didn't think you'd find anything useful up there to be honest."
"Well, we will have to thank Bella for it," Bonnie answered as she held out the book. "It was actually her journal from when you were human."
Damon looked up from the book and glared at her. "If she had one, I would have known. She would have told me when she got her memories back…"
"She just got them yesterday and you said yourself she was overwhelmed by it all. I don't know how you didn't know about this journal, but it managed to find its way into your collection, maybe by the grace of God. At this point, I seriously would not question that. But what she wrote could certainly work but I want to speak to the Mikaelsons to get more information on their aunt to be sure," she said, nearly jumping in place from her anticipation.
He reached out to take the book from her, extra careful due to its contents and author. Blinking as he opened to gloss over some of the words, he could feel a roller coaster of emotions threatening to flood him at seeing Isabella's handwriting from the 1850 and 60s. Slowly turning a few pages, he had to stop and closed it in a blink. "Fine. I'm driving."
While Bonnie gathered the things she came with, he waited for her at the door. Calling up the stairs, he announced their departure. "Stefan! Sparkles! Witchy and I are going over by Klaus'! Don't wait up, though we might call you to kick some witch bitch ass!"
Stefan was silent as he watched his brother and friend leave. It wasn't long before Jasper joined him at the top of the stairs with a frown. "Must your brother be so antagonizing?"
The reformed Ripper smiled to himself with a shrug. "Be glad he didn't call you Glitter Dick."
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Author Note: It's almost the end! Two more chapters! Chapter 21 will be the last full chapter! Prepare yourselves!
When Damon walked right into the house, without announcing himself, Bonnie followed him feeling confused. He seemed to know just where to go, peeking into rooms as they passed. It surprised her just how comfortable he'd gotten in the couple days there and keeping the Cold One's words in mind, she remained reserved about the situation.
The two soon found Klaus and Kol in a sitting room. The hybrid with a drawing pad, and Kol fiddling with what appeared to be a broken iPod. "Where's Bella?" he asked.
"That devious sister of ours is with Elijah upstairs. He's showing her mother's grimoires," Kol answered after he threw the device across the room.
"What crawled up your butt and died?" Damon questioned, taken aback by the attitude.
Klaus smirked as he eyed his younger brother. "Kol teased Bella about his music device and carried on to the point that she spelled it. It won't work for him until he apologizes to her."
Bonnie went to pick up the iPod and tested it. Sure enough, it was working. "Great. I had wanted this particular model. Which way is Bella?" she asked, looking up at the men.
Kol glared at her. Klaus chuckled and returned to her sketching. Damon smirked and shook his head and gestured with a single finger for her to follow him as he lead her upstairs, using his nose and ears to locate his girl. Quickly they reached a room and he opened the door to find Bella lying across a bed, flipping through the pages of a book, open in front of her. Scattered around her, were several more.
"Looks like you're having a good time," Damon greeted, causing her to look up in surprise.
The smile she gave him lit up her face, and Bonnie could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she watched her. "Damon!" Bella exclaimed, scrambling off the bed to run to throw her arms around him and laid a heavy kiss on his lips that surprised not only the Bennett witch, but the vampire as well.
He held her close, hands gripping her waist as he looked into her eyes. "Not that I'm complaining, but that was one hell of a greeting, Gorgeous."
"I missed you. And oh my god, these book that Elijah have let me see! All the magic through the years! Even our mother's! I could read these forever!" she grinned, pulling him over to the bed. "I mean, they aren't exactly like what I remember seeing Dahlia perform, but there's so much to learn!"
"Are you able to perform any of it?" he asked, glancing over at Bonnie quickly.
Bella frowned slightly and shook her head. "Some, yeah, but a lot of this I'm just not familiar with. I was killed before my magic began to manifest in nearly all my lives," she shrugged, attempting to brush off the uncomfortable subject of his brother and ex-girlfriend's doppelgangers nearly always wanting her dead. "Anyway...did you find anything?" she asked, looking up at him, then over at Bonnie with a friendly smile.
"Uh, actually, yeah. I think we found something that may be able to fight your aunt," Bonnie answered.
Bella slowly smiled, cautious optimism peeking through as she turned her full attention to her. "Really? What did you find?"
Bonnie was quiet for a moment as she hesitated on how to breach the subject of the journal. "Actually, Bella… It was you that may have given the answer."
She raised an eyebrow in response, not quite following. "I'm sorry. I have no idea how to fight my aunt. The only way I thought out of her reach was death and she clearly made she that wasn't an option."
Pulling the journal out of her satchel, Bonnie held the book out to her. Bella blinked as she stared at it, wanting to reach out to see just what was written, but not wanting anything to do with the book. "Oh. I had forgotten about that. I honestly don't know how that still exists. It was just my thoughts and dreams that I wrote down. I didn't even know anything about my life with my aunt at the time I had that."
"I know," Bonnie softly smiled in understanding. "I think it was your dreams that were telling you, or at least trying to prepare you for this inevitable confrontation. From what Damon had explained to me about your life, besides this current one, the time you had with him may have been one of the ones that you advanced the furthest in. I think you only have what memories you have now, and your magic, because of your proximity to your family, past lives, and attempting to force them out."
Reaching out for the book, Bella could not help but feel a sense of unease within her increase. Opening it to the first pages, she looked over her handwriting from another time. It was the same as now. Moving over to sit on the bed, she silently read her old memories, smiling as her fingers gently felt over the pages.
Damon wanted to let her have the time to get reaquainted with her written memories, but Bonnie was just a bit more anxious. "I'm sorry for having read some of it myself when I found it, but there were some entries that alluded to a story that you thought about. You had pieces of a plot in this journal which makes me wonder if you have that story somewhere else."
Damon eyed her curiously before looking to his girlfriend again. "What story?"
Looking up, Bella was confused for a moment as she tried to recall her time in Mystic Falls. "I had these thoughts, dreams a lot," she answered, tapping on the journal. "There was a recurring theme to them and it was - scandalous considering the social norms of our time then. Still, they would not go away so I began writing them down into a story. I had another book that I often kept with my journals that it was in."
Bonnie looked up to the vampire. "Do you have any idea where this book is?"
He shook his head as his eyes narrowed, considering the possibility. "You've seen how many we've had. I think I'd remember if I saw that, especially if it was in Isabella's handwriting. But considering her history with Stefan - I wouldn't put it past him to have it in his possession and not realize its significance."
"I thought you and Stefan got along," Bonnie mentioned, turning back to Bella.
"This Stefan, and when he was human, yes. However, there were other versions of him over the years - his doppelganger predecessors, who had just as much of a hand in my deaths as Katherine and other Petrovas. I actually had the theory that because of our history, and the fact that there are currently two Petrovas walking, he doesn't have those desires in him to kill me," she explained. "Elena had been nice in the beginning but the change in her was quite fast with her animosity towards me, going as far as to come between Damon and I when she decided to appear in his bathroom. I know she is your friend but until whatever spell is over us and affecting her is removed, I don't know if she and I would ever be friends. Now I'm not saying this to sway your relationship with your friend, but I just wanted to make sure you are aware that what we feel about her may not change."
"I completely understand now, more than before," the witch murmured. "While I may not be able to do anything to fix what Elena has done, I do want to help you with this - aunt that is coming."
Giving her a gentle smile, Bella nodded. "Thank you. I truly do appreciate it. I know you don't particularly like my family for what they've done, but I do hope in time we could try to get over the past events and move forward peaceably."
Bonnie nodded, unable to voice further opinions as she was still struggling with her ingrained dislike for vampires in general. "I'll give Stefan a call and ask him about that book." With that, she stepped out of the room, allowing Damon and Bella some privacy. Dialing Stefan, she let out a sigh, wondering just how everything would go down.
"Hey Bonnie," Stefan greeted as he answered her call.
Letting out a sigh, Bonnie glanced around her to find she was thankfully alone for some sense of privacy. "Hey. I'm over at the Mikaelsons right now to help with Bella's situation but we found out that there was a journal she wrote when she was alive in your time. She said it was written like a story. I was wondering if you knew about this or where it might be?"
He was silent on the phone for what felt like an eternity, prompting her to call out his name again to get his attention. Really, he was standing in his room, thinking about the very book she mentioned, staring at a small trunk he kept on the bottom shelf of his bookcase. "I'm still here. I think I have it. Let me look and I'll give you a call back."
Confused about his sudden aloofness, she let him go, wondering how things would turn out. For some reason, she felt as if she and Damon should have gone and spoken to him in person about the book.
~o.O.o~
Meanwhile, at the Salvatore home, Stefan was sorting through his collection of memories, setting aside journals of his own he kept separate for one reason or another before coming across the one that belonged to his would be sister-in-law. Frowning as he unwrapped the cloth it had been protectively packaged in, he opened the book to the first pages, reading a few words. Smiling slightly at recalling the day he found and saved the book, it was short lived as he skipped to the back of the book where the pages had been carved out to reveal a very dark item that belonged to Bella, nestled safely inside.
A very small part of him struggled with wanting to bring it to her, to the Mikaelsons at all. It was as if something knew it was dangerous, but to whom? His ears could pick up their house guest making his way to his room, no doubt detecting his warring emotions.
"What is the matter?" Jasper questions.
Stefan continued to look down into the open book and narrowed his eyes. "You're the empath. You tell me."
"I could," he carefully drawled. "But it wouldn't explain the reasons for the emotions. I would guess they involve Bella after the call you just received."
"Yep. They want this book, and I want to give it to them, but a part of me doesn't want to hand it over."
"Hm," Jasper canted his head to the side as he continued to study the other vampire. "I could go with you after sundown to ensure that you hand it over."
Stefan continued to stand there, not able to move forward until Jasper used his gift to make him more agreeable. Only then, did he follow him out of the house, although the Cold One could feel there was a reluctant pull in his step that had him confused.
"What's in the book?" Jasper curiously questioned, as they made their way through the woods, glancing towards the Salvatore.
"A story," Stefan murmured, feeling his steps becoming more sluggish as they grew closer to the Mikaelson property. "I should go back…"
Just as he started to turn, Jasper grabbed him by the collar and bent his arm behind his back. "I don't think that's a good idea. I do believe there is something more involved with keeping you from wanting to deliver this book to Bella. I am going to make sure that you do. Let's move."
Through his protests, Jasper practically dragged Stefan the rest of the way at vampire speed. When they reached the front door, the empath loaded him with so much lethargy that he quite literally was the only reason he was being held up by the scruff of his neck, and by the time someone opened the door, Jasper stood there with a scowl. "Ya'll think Bella could remove whatever magic is influencing this guy?"
Klaus blinked at Stefan's state, who struggled to lift his head like a sleepy drunk, and smirked. "I am sure she can try. This certainly appears to be what my lovely sister has theorized when it comes to Miss Gilbert, Petrova, and now Mr. Salvatore is affected by whatever extends from her own curse. However, do come on in," he gestured for the two to enter.
"I'm gunna kill you all," Stefan slurred as Klaus helped Jasper pull him to the sofa in the sitting room.
"Quite the common threat you've made time and again and failed," Klaus sighed. "Although, this time, I doubt that our dear sister will allow you the smallest opportunity - regardless of her relationship with your brother or not."
"What's going on down here?" Bella's voice interrupted, causing the men to tense.
Jasper pried through fingers and ripped the book from the eternal teenager's grip just as Damon, Bella, and Bonnie joined them. Handing it over with a small smile, he nodded respectfully to his friend as he handed the novel over and stepped back. "I believe this belongs to you."
Bella tore her eyes from Stefan, softly thanking Jasper before focusing her attention on her old journal. Swallowing as she opened it, she could feel everyone's eyes on her as she read the words she wrote nearly two hundred years before. Just as she was about to look to the back, she quickly closed it with tears in her eyes and let out a shaking breath.
"What is wrong?" Damon asked at her side. He didn't care much for whatever was in the book except for his girl's well being and she was far from alright.
"Um," she blinked as held the book. "I think the answer just may be in this book, like Bonnie said, but I would have to read through it," she admitted, looking away from them.
Klaus grinned, pleased that it would mean the end of a large threat against his family and forthcoming child. "That's splendid! How do we get rid of the wicked witch then?"
Bella shook her head and looked around, finding that like Damon, Jasper ignored everyone's joy at that news and was focused on her despair instead. Something simply wasn't right and suspicion was rising within him that whatever was going on in her head was nothing good. "I - I need to be alone," she announced, backing away from each of them, even a hurt Damon, and ran out the door.
"I'll make sure she gets back to Charlie's safe," Jasper said as he stopped Damon, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me. She doesn't want anyone around her right now. Whatever she is upset about, it's not good. She'll come to you when she is ready."
"How the hell can she be upset about being about to get rid of her aunt who's been after her for centuries?" Damon argued.
Hesitating as he wasn't sure he could accurately explain what he felt from his friend, Jasper shook his head. Sorrow and grief were so heavy in her emotions, that they clouded anything else that lead him to only one conclusion. "Only Bella could say, but I'm betting it's the method she must take. Tell me Salvatore. Have you been giving her your blood?"
"Of course, but it's been a few days. Why?"
Jasper looked back towards the door and hummed. "I don't know. But I'm not exactly liking what I felt from her. I want to see what she's feeling while she does her reading," he answered, stepping back and sent out a wordless communication to the one person in the room that he felt might be able to help with what he suspected that Bella. "While I'm keeping an eye on Bella, find out from Stefan what he knows about that book. I think there is more to it than she's going to ever tell us." With that, he disappeared from the Mikaelson house to take over watch over the young witch.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
"Are we really just going to let our sister run off like that?!" Klaus argued as both he and Damon were in agreement about going after Bella. Kol and Elijah, agreed, possibly for the first time, that it would be best to let her be for the time.
"Whatever it was that she realized here, I doubt it was good," Kol reasoned. "She needs time to sort it out. No doubt now that she saw that journal, she remembered exactly what it was that she had wrote and something about it terrified her. That Cold One followed after her and he seemed to understand her emotions better than any of us could. He's known her longer in this life than any of us."
Damon growled and was tempted to destroy any and everything he could get his hands on in his frustration. "Why won't she tell us?! Aren't we supposed to be her family?!"
Bonnie had kept a safe distance, allowing Elijah to position himself in front of her due to the warring vampires. She turned to look at her friend, the only one who had not reacted in any form over the girl's escape from the house.
"You don't want to know what is in that book," Stefan voiced as he sat on the sofa still, his head in his hands as he felt more in control of himself now that Bella wasn't around him.
"What do you mean?" Elijah asked, holding his hand up to stop the others from advancing on him.
Dropping his arms, he looked up at Bonnie. "Because I think that book tells her how to kill a Mikaelson."
"Everyone knows that white oak -" Klaus began when Stefan interrupted.
"There was a dagger of some sort tucked into the back of book. She carved out the pages just for it. It had foreign lettering that looked just like your etchings on that cave wall on the handle and a lapis stone on the handle. Does that sound like something made for any random purpose?" he asked, turning his attention to the vampires finally. "Bella has something much darker planned and I don't know if it will have a happy ending."
"For her or for the family?" Elijah murmured, blinking back his shock of the revelation that was announced.
"Whatever that dagger was designed for, something in me did not want to get it here. That's why Whitlock had to knock me out with his ability and force me. If it's spelled that strong, I am afraid for what it's purpose is that Bella would need with it," Stefan whispered, guilt flooding him for his actions.
Damon paced the floor, his hand rubbing over his jaw as he found an internal debate on if he should tell his brother the truth of the history of the doppelgangers attacking his would be sister-in-law. Catching Klaus' eye, he let out a growl and moved to stand before his brother as he made his decision.
"It wasn't the dagger keeping the book and weapon from Bella. It was you," he spoke, quite blunt with his words.
Stefan sat back, ready to defend himself but Damon shook his head. "No. You already know that Katherine and Elena have had it out for her. Elena's hatred for her turned quite fast since they met and Bella's abilities grew. The stronger she got, the worse Elena got, and Katherine - well, we all know the kind of bitch she is. She wanted her dead from the beginning and as soon as she picked up that she was in town, she said as much. But it seems to be a doppelganger thing that is determined to sabotage Bella in any life she finds herself in. That's all you were doing. Fulfilling your generation's attack on her."
"I don't understand. What are you saying?" Stefan asked his brother, who received an equally questioning look from Bonnie.
Damon sneered and turned away. "You're just like Elena in that you're a doppelganger from what Bella said. There were versions of yourself like there had been others of Katherine and Elena that had killed her over the years. Her theory was that because both Katherine and Elena were alive and their need to act on her was so strong, yours wasn't shining through as much. Seems we found what your purpose was against her after all."
"I don't want to be this. I don't want to be the reason or what leads to her death," Stefan replied, horrified by what he was hearing.
"We know you wouldn't want to intentionally do anything against Isabella, but magic like this that our aunt has placed, is strong and deeply bound. For it to hold this long, through as many generations taking into consideration Katerina Petrova and Elena Gilbert, one could only imagine the lengths that would be necessary to break it," Elijah said, causing the group to fall into a contemplative silence. "Until Bella is ready to tell us what her plan entails, all we can do is wait for her to put the pieces together for what she needs, and that only she knows."
While the group spoke and exchanged ideas, no one noticed the black vines that begun to grow on the property, creeping up on the house with black blooms of blossoms sprouting around the windows as the storm settled over Mystic Falls.
~o.O.o~
The moment Bella got home, she threw herself onto her bed, curling up at the head as she allowed the despair that threatened to overtake her, win. After a good hour of crying for what she had come to learn, to remember by a simple book, she wiped her face and pulled it over to her.
When she had believed she'd written, a truly fictional story at the time, was nothing more than a how to guide to destroying the line of magic between herself and her aunt. She remembered the night that Katherine had killed her. She'd hidden a few trinkets in the catacombs just a short time before she was found by the vampire.
How the book came to be in Stefan's possession, she had her suspicions of his doppelganger tendencies, influenced by the generational spell that after he turned, he sought out the treasures. Never quite understanding their significance until now.
Going to the back of the book, where it safely held the tool that could end it all with a spell and a simple action, Bella pulled out the small athame. The blade was flat, approximately five inches long, and the handle was made of wood with Norse runes etched in and preserved. At the top of the handle was a perfectly smooth lapis lazuli stone, that she ran her finger over. Taking it out, she looked at the carvings on the handle closer and sighed.
When the time came, she knew it would be down to her and Dahlia. Only, she had no idea how to share that information with her family. With Damon.
Getting out of her bed, she went over to her desk and dumped out the contents of a small bowl she kept there. Taking a deep breath, holding back the tears in her eyes for what she knew she was about to do for her family, she began to whisper the spell from her story as she cut her palm with the athame over the bowl.
As she continued with her spell, winds circled around her within her room, until the bowl holding the droppings of her blood burst into flames. Swallowing back at the completion, all she could do was wait.
Unknown to Bella, outside Jasper watched from a safe distance, concern about the betrayal and sadness that poured out from the girl's room, but made no motion to inform the Mikaelsons of her actions. He had the feeling that it was necessary for what was to come. He knew he had to speak to his new friend about some thoughts about what he observed and hopefully together they could come up with some kind of contingency plan, but he truly was afraid for one of the few times in his undead life.
~o.O.o~
The following morning, the skies remained dark, clouded with thunder and gloom, Bella found a note from Charlie next to the pot of coffee indicating that he left early to help Sheriff Forbes with setting up storm shelters in case the weather takes a turn for the worse. Sighing, she let the note fall from her fingers, ignoring as it drifted to the floor.
"You should have some breakfast. Come. I'll take you to the grill for something," Jasper spoke behind her. Making his way over, he was careful as he prepared her a cup of coffee before turning to hand it over.
Bella wasn't surprised to find him there. If anything, she was relieved to see him over her family. Accepting the coffee as a sign of truce, she took a sip and sighed, smiling as the warmth of it filled her. "Why are you here?"
"Your brothers gave me some - latitude. You can call it a probation of sorts. All I want to do is help you, Bella. You tell me what you need from me. I'm here for you, not them," he said, letting his sincerity be quite clear.
Nodding absently, she shrugged. "Sure. A last meal sounds great," she agreed unenthusiastically, allowing him to lead her out to a car he had waiting. When had he gotten one? She was sure she remembered seeing Klaus drive this one around town.
"Now why would you say something like that? Considering the amount willing to fight in your corner, you would be more willing to survive this fight. Looks to me like you are going to give your aunt exactly what she wants," he observed.
"She's too powerful," she admitted, her eyes looking everywhere else but him. She found that many areas in town were overrun by growths of black vines that set her heart racing.
Jasper looked over at her, concerned. "What's the matter?"
Swallowing she turned in her seat to try to look around, out all the windows as much as possible. "Dahlia is here…" she whispered, barely audible to her own ears, but she knew he heard.
His hands tightened around the wheel, leaving an impression of his grip as he the nod he gave was ever so slight. "You know, perhaps we should get your brothers to join us this morning."
"What?! No!" Bella exclaimed but he had already turned towards the direction of their house against her protest. Her heart pounded harder the closer they got, her hand itching to reach for her pocket, but she kept it on the handle of the car door.
When Jasper pulled up and they stepped out, they stared up at the mansion in awe and terror. Nearly the entire outside was covered in the black vines. The lawn had blood red and black dahlia flowers all over. "Perhaps this was not a good idea," Jasper murmured, holding Bella close to him, unsure if it would be safe to approach the house. "Maybe it would be best for them to come out to us?"
He took out his phone to dial inside, as the frightened girl shook and kept a vigilant eye, constantly looking around. "Seems that our time is up. We can't make it into the house but you all might be able to come out to us," he murmured, attempted to put as much calmness into his friend as he could before she jumped out of her own skin.
It wasn't long before her family came rushing out of the house before stopping short to take in the sight of the property as they carefully stepped through the fauna. Damon was quick to take her in his arms, pressing his lips in her hair. "Don't leave me like that again, please," he whispered to her as he looked around for whatever threat they all sensed lurking in the air.
"It would appear that our aunt had certainly taking a liking to her name," Elijah observed, moving quickly out of the way of a moving vine. Point at the aggressive flowers, he exclaimed, "Plants - are not supposed to do that!"
"It's Dahlia controlling them. She can see and hear through them and they are all over town," Bella said. "She is coming for me, one way or another and there is nowhere that we can hide from her."
"Well, it shouldn't be a problem if you don't mind telling us about the spell you devised to fight her," Bonnie commented as she blasted a group of vines that were growing too close them along the fence.
"Her only way out is with her blood," a raspy voice filled the air around them, coating them with the wind and causing Bella to cover her ears and squeeze her eyes tightly at the memories it inflicted.
Klaus, not having any of these witch tricks, looked around, glaring at the wind blowing around his family. "Show yourself witch! Family or not, I have no problem gutting you!"
"Oh, I am sure that you would, Niklaus," the voice spoke, much clearer from behind them.
There was Dahlia, casually leaning against the hood of his truck that he had lent to Jasper during the night. "I have no qualms with the rest of you children. I am only here to take back what is owed to me and that is the girl."
"Isabella belongs to no one but herself," Elijah defended, moving to stand protectively in front of her.
The old witch raised an eyebrow elegantly as she shifted her dark eyes to the girl. "Isabella? Is that the name you go by now? Tsk, I thought I taught you better than to demean yourself to the times. Your place is with me. You know that the only way out is one that you would never be brave enough to take. All they would do is use you for your magic, your abilities. It is all the Mikaelson vampires have done with witches that shown to be of any use. I've shown you their actions time and again when you've returned to me, and yet you still yearn for their acceptance."
Klaus and Elijah narrowed their eyes as they looked to Bella, confused. Kol did not seem as upset by what was being said as he continued to remain suspicious of the woman, being more familiar with the ways of manipulation and magic.
"To what is she referring, Bella?" Klaus asked, tension in his voice, though he attempted to remain gentle towards her.
"So, she doesn't trust her own family as much as she let on!" Dahlia smiled triumphantly, as Bella turned away from them and tried to pull out of Damon's hold. "If she won't tell you, then I shall. Each death that Ylva goes through doesn't give her any relief as she may have led you to believe. No, she simply comes home, back to me, just as she is going to do again. Why must you fight me so much child?"
Bella managed to distance herself enough from everyone, using her magic against them so that she could create a buffer of space around her while they remained in their shock that she'd been through so much more torture and punishment than she'd let on. More so than Dahlia's belief that it was her lies of omission they were upset over. "Because I am a Mikaelson," she bitterly let out through her pain and tears. "If there is anything I've learned, we do not make things easy for our enemies - nor do we for our blood…"
"You have no idea what you are doing," Dahlia snapped, want in her eyes to charge forward but knowing that even the slightest move would be fatal.
"No, Dahlia. I know exactly what I am doing," Bella whispered with a grin. "No more hunting me down from your doppelganger slaves. No more magic to bind me to you, living my life over, and over. It'll all be over!" She pulled out the athame that she had hidden in her sleeve, and made sure that Dahlia hadn't see it until that moment, nor the others.
"You're not nearly powerful enough to complete that ritual and spell," the witch pointed out, already delirious with the prospect of the girl back into her fold.
Damon blinked having been frozen in place. "No. No! Don't!" he muttered as he started to make his way to her, but he felt like his feet were being weighed down by some invisible force, but knowing the exact source. "Let me go! Bella!"
"Don't be foolish, child!" Dahlia snapped at her, but it was already too late. The witch was coughing up blood before she realized what was going on. Her body doubled over as blood spilled from her lips, black eyes glaring over at her niece while her own thousand year old body began to age and decay as it died.
"No!" Damon shouted when he was finally free and sped over to Bella, catching her before she could hit the ground, biting his hand to press his blood into her mouth. "Bella! Don't you dare die on me!" He pulled out the athame that she had plunged into her own heart. Why? Why did she do that? Surely there would have been other ways of getting rid of this crazy aunt of hers? Where did that athame come from? What had his precious little thing been doing in the last twelve hours? "Come on," he pleaded with her. "Come on, drink. Don't do this to me."
While he was trying to force more of his blood into her, the brothers surrounded a rapidly weakening aunt. "I will find a way back and kill you all," Dahlia threatened as she coughed up more blood.
"Yeah, all the bad guys tend to say that when they are beat," Kol shrugged. "Except, until recently, it used to be our go to threat, wasn't it Nik?"
"Perhaps, but it's a shame we won't have anyone to take our revenge on for our sister's death now," Klaus muttered as he watched the woman continue to wither away at an accelerated pace. "Shame your death couldn't be as drawn out as Bella's."
Bonnie and Jasper remained to the side, but the witch in her had to take sympathy despite her siding entirely with the family in the matter. Using her magic to break the woman's neck, she shook her head as they looked to her with questions and anger. "It's not worth it. Just focus on Bella now," she said, jerking her head towards Damon, who had not let go of her body as Stefan cried next to him.
"I was supposed to protect her this time. I failed her twice," he repeated to himself, wiping the blood away that smeared on her face from his attempts to turn her at the last moment.
"No Damon," Klaus said as he laid a hand on his shoulder. "We all failed her."
"Let's get her inside and cleaned up," Bonnie suggested, ready to say something else but Jasper appeared at her side and shook his head.
"Inside is a good idea considering that Dahlia's plants are rapidly disappearing and her storm is going to have humans coming out of their houses soon," Jasper intervened, receiving a confused look from Bonnie. "We can figure out what to tell Charlie and the town after we get ourselves together."
Damon brushed Bella's hair away from her face and lowered his head to hers. "She sacrificed herself against her aunt for eternal freedom and our lives. She deserves a funeral fit for a princess."
Klaus was quick to agree. "And she shall have one."
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Damon laid Bella's body on the couch ever so gently, straightening her clothes that shifted to make sure she was properly covered as he knew she never appreciated revealing too much in life, and certainly would not in death. If there was ever a time for a drink, he could use one but he could not bear to leave Bella's side.
Having ripped his sleeve off, he carefully tried to clean more of his blood off of her. Sighing deeply and struggling not to break down as his hands ghosted over her chest where she stabbed herself.
"I can't…" he cried and turned to lean against the couch, crying into his arm.
No one knew what to say as they all were dealing with their own grief in their ways. Stefan made his way over and handed his brother a more than healthy amount of bourbon.
"She had so much promise, so much life to live," Elijah murmured to himself as he stood, staring out the window. "We only just got her back…"
Jasper watched each of the brothers, both Mikaelsons and Salvatores closely but they all seemed to be lost inside their grief, allowing Bonnie the chance to search the house for some alternative clothes to change Bella into.
As she returned, she stood beside him as she watched the room. "No change?"
"Everyone is still mourning. They didn't even notice your absence," he murmured.
Bonnie let out a sigh, knowing that what she needed to do was inevitable, but understood the family's emotions and sympathized. Making her way into the room, she held up the clothes in her hand. "While I respect your wishes to stay with Bella, I'm sure she would want to stay in bloody clothes like she is. If you guys could just step out so that I can change and clean her up for you, that'd be great."
While the Mikaelson brothers, and Stefan, took a moment to absorb what she said and wanted to do before gracefully leaving the room to give her privacy, Damon remained stubborn. "I am not going to leave her," he glared, making his way behind the couch where he could oversee her actions without interfering.
She glared back at him, debating if it really was worth the argument. After all, she had no idea how far their physical relationship had gone in their past life or this one. Throwing her hands up, she shrugged. "Fine," she conceded.
She took the wet washcloth she brought with her and managed to remove any lingering trace of blood before she started to take off the blood stained shirt. Considering the damage to it, she found it was easier to just rip it into smaller pieces to get it off her easier without jostling her body too much.
As Bonnie began to clean the blood from her chest and stomach, she could feel Damon's presence move to behind her as he looked over her shoulder. "Do you mind giving her a little respect and backing off?" she muttered.
"Do you see something amiss?" he asked, ignoring her attitude.
Bonnie's hands still, already knowing what he was referring to. Jasper and her had spoken about the possibility when Stefan had told everyone about the book and it's contents, but they did not want to say anything to get their hopes up. "What are you talking about?"
Damon pushed her aside and moved the washcloth that she'd let go to cover Bella. As she laid on the couch with just her bra covering her upper body, he stared, blinking as if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "She should have a stab wound from that dagger in her chest. It's completely healed!"
He wasn't particularly quiet with his observation, causing the rest of her family to hear and come running in. Bonnie however was still set on preserving as much of Bella's modesty as she could. Using her magic to push them all back to the threshold of the room, she held her hand up. "Let me get her dressed," she warned.
"Did you know she would turn?" Elijah questioned Bonnie, who's body tensed at the accusation.
"She didn't, but hearing the story and parts of it, she recognized the spell woven in. That is why I had asked Klaus for some of his blood when I came back to the house during the night with the pretense of acquiring a car to escort Bella in the morning," Jasper explained as he waited outside in the hall.
When Bonnie was done getting Bella into one of Rebekah's extra shirts she'd left behind, she stood and allowed the family in again. "We weren't sure it'd work. Damon said he'd been giving her his blood, but it'd been a couple days. While the spell has parts of what looked like the immortality spell that your mother used on you in it, I didn't think it would work for her. However, it did allow for her to be bound to an immortal being if she were to sacrifice herself with their blood in her. Jasper and I had her take Klaus' since it's much harder to kill him than anyone else."
Damon turned to stare at Bella's lifeless body, renewed hope in his eyes. "So she's going to be a vampire?"
Bonnie's face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't know. I just know she will come back. We will see when the spell works its way through and she wakes up. I don't think she anticipated coming back because the blood was kind of slipped to her, so she might be a little pissed."
"Well she can be as angry as likes, but we will have her back and won't be taken away again. That is all that matters!" Klaus exclaimed from the bar as he refilled his glass. "Anyone else like a topper?"
~o.O.o~
It took nearly four more hours after the discovery of Bella's healed wound before she woke with a start, gasping for her breath. Looking around, her eyes were wild in fear as she was certain she was finding herself in some sort of hell.
"She's awake!" Kol called out.
She heard his voice but she was still finding it difficult to focus until Damon moved in front of her, filling her entire view. "Isabella," he said in a breathy whisper, reaching out for her face, but she couldn't help but to cringe back.
"Where am I?" Bella demanded.
"You're back home," he answered, blue eyes narrowing in concern as he glanced at her family. "Dahlia is dead. You killed her."
She was still deeply confused as he tried to reach for her again, her eyes following his hand with suspicion but it still had the same familiar touch as her Damon. "How-?"
Bonnie made her way closer by that point, having anticipated the question coming. "Stefan told us about what was in the book and we recognized parts of the spell you hid in the story. While you thought you sacrificed yourself, we did manage to get someone's blood into you before you…" she pointed to Bella's chest that was healed over, causing the resurrected witch to immediately feel at her the area she'd stabbed herself. She could still feel the sharpness of the blade piercing her skin and the memory made her flinch.
"Who?" she asked, wanting to know who she was now bonded to, as she'd have to also worry if any of Damon's enemies ever came after him if they'd used his blood. He was very capable of dying unlike her brothers.
"That would be me, Sweetheart," Klaus toasted her. "So don't you fear. You will be with us a long time."
Damon remained quiet as he seemed unable to keep his eyes off her and she soon settled down, slowly accepting her new immortality. Looking up at him, she smiled but it was forced. She knew that he was not happy about her actions, and she would not have been with him had he done the same.
"Don't you try that again, you hear me?" he whispered in her ear before kissing her neck in a sigh and pulling her to him. "I can't lose you a third time."
"I'm curious to know," Kol interrupted, falling onto the couch next to Bella, effectively pulling her attention away from Damon and earning a growl from the man. "What are you now?"
Bella looked around, finding everyone present was equally as curious about what she'd become because of the spell. "The way I understood it, I am still a witch, though my death froze me in this state. The spell keeps me from completely dying as I would be bound to the life of whomever gave their blood, so until Klaus dies himself, if anything were to happen to me, I would come back just the same. No more reincarnations. Same body, same Bella."
"Same kick ass witch?" Kol asked, an eager glint in his eye. A smile pulled at her lips and she nodded wordlessly. "Awesome. I have so much to show you when we get to New Orleans!"
Turning back to Damon, she looked at him bewildered. "Are we still going? Charlie, you, and I moving with everyone?"
He pushed her hair back from her face and shrugged, a smirk forming on his lips. "Sure. Why not? There's a lot of trouble we could cause down there and I'm sure plenty of policing for the old man. It would be good for your family to have a man on the inside down there for when the local witches try to get the upper hand."
Bella stared at him for what seemed forever. She could feel the tension in the room as her family wanted to know her reaction to such life changing events. Taking a deep breath, she blinked as she stuttered through her words. "I guess we're moving to New Orleans," she announced.
No one was more pleased to hear those words than Niklaus. "Fantastic! I shall begin packing up whatever is left to bring back with us!" he declared before running out of the room to begin making arrangements.
"Uh, but I still have to see Charlie…" she reminded him, but spoke more to herself. "I have to tell him about what happened…"
Damon turned her to face him and lightly dropped a kiss to her lips. "Don't worry about anything. Considering that your brothers here told him about everything else going on in town, I'm sure they could fill him in on the rest while you just do whatever you feel you need to for yourself."
Taking a deep breath, Bella narrowed her eyes as she looked around, finding everyone watching her. When she came across Stefan, she did not feel the same unease as she had in the past, despite his overall friendliness around her. "Well - I am kinda hungry…"
"Then we'll go and get you something to eat," Damon agreed, pulling her up. "Let's head to the Grill. Drinks and food before we skip town."
Elijah smiled as he stood. "That does sound like a very fine idea. You all go enjoy yourselves. I'll be happy to go speak with Mr. Swan and handle any arrangements that will be necessary with him for a speedy move."
Bella was thankful for that as she hadn't know what to say to the man she knew as a father for eighteen years. How do you explain to someone that you had attempted to commit suicide in order to kill one of the most powerful witches you had ever known in order to save your family? She was still quiet in her reflections of her resurrection from the spell that Bonnie had recognized the details of that brought her back as her boyfriend and family led her out, all the way to the restaurant.
It wasn't until they were walking in and looking for a large enough area to accommodate their group that she had realized that the witch and Jasper had followed with them. Raising an eyebrow to their direction as she observed them, she could not help but take notice at how attentive her friend was being with the girl. When he looked over at her, he only smiled and winked, sending her a sampling of the witch's emotions that made her smile.
She didn't know what had been said between them, or what may had occurred over the last few days that made Bonnie less hostile towards vampires - or her vampires in particularly, but the curiosity that she held for Jasper was laced with a simpler innocence of attraction that she was more than familiar with when it came to his honesty and charm. Bella only hoped that if they chose to pursue whatever they were feeling, that no one was terribly hurt.
Across the restaurant, the group had caught the attention of another, smaller one. While they had been ignored from the moment they walked in, they knew that they were there.
"Let them be Elena," Caroline whispered, but it did nothing to stop the girl as she quickly left her seat. The blond vampire growled to herself and followed after her friend, not happy with her antics over the previous weeks and had done her best to help keep her away from Bella the best she could, even though she had hoped to get the know the girl better herself.
Elena walked right up to the table where Kol had been joyfully chatting about some lessons about witchcraft that he would like to show Bella in the future when he fell silent, glaring at the intruder. "Yes? How can we not help you?"
Bella rolled her eyes at him and lightly slapped him on the arm, scolding him. "Stop that," she shushed him before cautiously turning her attention to Elena. "What do you need? Because we were about to have dinner."
The young doppelganger girl swallowed back her previous courage as she was now cowering under everyone's glare. "I, um, just wanted to say I was sorry for everything I had done to you," she replied. "I hurt you, and Damon," she said, taking a breath and looked to Stefan. "I hurt Stefan. I don't deserve him and I did the worst thing I could ever do, that I had said I never would. I don't even know why I did it. I can't take it back and while I don't expect either of you to forgive me, but I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry. So - yeah. I just wanted to let you know…"
After her speech, Elena turned on her heel and ran back to her table to rejoin Matt and Tyler, leaving Caroline standing with the Mikaelsons and Salvatores looking confused. "Okay. I wasn't expecting her to do that. Until this morning, she was still very anti-Bella," she muttered.
Bella smiled at her. "It's alright. Whatever that was making her not like me isn't holding her anymore. It's fine. It doesn't matter anyway because I'm not going to be staying in town much longer regardless."
Caroline pouted at hearing that. "Why not? You just moved here. I was hoping we'd get to be friends."
"I want to get to know my family more. So I'm going to move to New Orleans with them. Elijah is speaking with Charlie about setting things up down there. We're going to go with them soon," she explained.
The girl's eyes grew large and her mouth fell open in shock. "Family? The Mikaelsons?" she asked, glancing at Kol.
"Yep, Darling. Bella here is our big-little sister and anyone that goes after her will know the costs. You can let all your friends in town know that," he warned with gleeful smile as he reached behind and wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulder.
"What about Damon? Aren't you two together?"
"What about Bella and I, Blondie?" Damon smirked. "I'm going with them. Anywhere Bella is, is where I'll be. I did promise her forever at one point."
Bella blinked and held her breath as her head swung to look at him and he simply smiled back at her, his eyes holding nothing but an unspoken promise behind them. The promise of marriage and forever together until their death when he proposed in the 1860s. It was something she hoped to one day repeat in the future, soon. "I can't wait."
"Won't it be difficult? Considering that Klaus and his family tried to kill most of us?" Caroline curiously asked.
Stefan answered for Bella before she could, as he could feel the genuine innocence of her question as he knew the girl more. "There may be some - adapting, yes, but we will figure things out along the way."
"Oh… so you're going too?" she blinked.
He hesitated as he looked back at his equally surprised brother and friend. Bonnie and Jasper were studiously looking anywhere else, but he did find a knowing smile on the empath's face. "I would like to stay with my brother and Bella."
"What about Elena?"
At the mention of his ex-girlfriend, he looked across the restaurant before turning back to Caroline. "What about her? Regardless of everything she did being part of what was involved with Bella's reincarnations, I don't think I could forgive all of it and if I did, I couldn't get past it enough to try again. The signs were there before Bella came to town and I had ignored it. So, I'm going to move on."
The young vampire struggled with finding something to say, surprised at the sudden change with what was happening among her friends. Her attention span short and sharp, she immediately fixated on her last friend at the table. "What about you Bonnie?"
"I am staying. I have school after all," Bonnie answered.
Relief from Caroline was palpable and she nodded happily. "That's great news! Well, when you're done here, come see us. Um, good luck with everything Bella. Despite everything, I hope everything works out for you. Maybe we can keep in touch by email or something?"
"That sounds great," Bella nodded, quickly scribbling her email on a napkin and passing it to her so that she could return to her friends.
As soon as they were on their own again, Kol sat back and continued to watch the witch that had helped his family. Only when she'd finally become uncomfortable by his staring did she demand to know what his problem was, which made him smile with extreme amusement. "I am actually more interested in knowing what Whitlock's plans are for when the rest of us leave town. He is the only one that hasn't voice any opinion of his own."
Jasper sighed and sat back. He wasn't sure for a moment what to say until Bonnie gave him a small nod. He eyed her questioningly, as if confirming something before he looked over at Bella and the others. "I am thinking of staying here in Mystic Falls for awhile," he revealed. Before anyone could object, he looked Bella in the eye, knowing she'd understand more than anyone how he felt. "There are no Cullens here. No Volturi or any other of my kind. No Quiletes. I can get some peace for once. Besides someone should stick around to keep an eye on the town considering your little friends' tendencies for getting into trouble. I can give you all a heads up when they should find themselves in the shit."
Bonnie said nothing and merely snorted, earning an appraising glance from Jasper who looked thoughtful for a second. "Okay, let me amend that. When they find some shit."
"There is still those pesky Cullens running around," Damon complained.
Jasper agreed, frowning. "Yes. I don't like that Elijah had let them all go either. It was not a good idea. Alice and Edward are worse than a dog after a bone."
Bella shrugged and smiled. "Edward and the rest of the family is a chapter for another story. They will be dealt with another time if they decide to come for either my family or myself, but they would be sorely underestimating me. I am not worried," she winked.
"That is splendid to hear, sister," Klaus interrupted as he appeared behind their booth, leaning on it with a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. "You'll be pleased to hear that all arrangements for a speedy move has been completed. Elijah even has your father on board and they are in the process of compelling necessary parties and packing up essentials of your family home to take with us. All others we can get for you once we arrive."
Blinking, Bella sucked in a deep breath. "That was rather - quick."
"Yes, well. You know quite well the reason that I would like to return home. I'm sure you can understand my haste, Sweetheart," he responded with a slightly mocking smile that had her reaching out with a single finger to poke him in the arm, giving him a static shock. "Hey!"
"Don't mock. If Charlie and Elijah are done when we finish our dinner, then we will go on the road at that point, not before," she scolded and turned around to eye Jasper. "You can use our house. You'll still need a safe place and we can use someone to maintain the property for us."
The Cold One was touched by her offer and knew that she was just as stubborn as he was so he wasn't about to reject it, nodding his acceptance. "I'd be mighty thankful," he smiled.
"So we're moving to New Orleans as one big family. Sounds like a new adventure," Bella grinned as she snuggled into Damon's arms. "I can't wait!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or The Originals in any way shape or form. I just merely enjoy playing with the characters for my own, and your personal amusement…
Bella felt more free than she had ever felt in her life. Not when she lived with Rene, growing up or when she moved in with Charlie. Even though all the lives she experienced over the centuries, there was always a sense of something trying to keep her down that until she made her way to Virginia and back to Damon and her family, who all helped free her from their aunt, she never felt this lightness that had her excited about life.
She had been nervous about Charlie's reaction to the move, as the initial one to Virginia had been difficult enough for them. However, he was more open to it than she thought as it had seemed that while he got along with Sheriff Forbes and the council members, they all didn't quite share his belief that there were good vampires and supernatural that existed. While Forbes agreed with him, they were in the vastly small minority. So when the Mikaelson brothers came to him and explained what had been going on with his daughter, he knew then that if she wanted to leave, he would would follow in a heartbeat.
The drive to New Orleans was an adventure in itself. There were times that Damon was tempted to throw Kol out of his car that they were driving down in. Stefan and Charlie traded off between both vehicles at different stops, however Kol had attached himself to Bella since he met her and didn't want to let go.
Klaus and Elijah led the group into the mansion that they were occupying until they were able to reclaim the compound that one of his protégé's has since taken control of since the family's last stay in the city. "Rebekah! Hayley! We're back!" Klaus shouted.
Bella was nervous to meet her sister and the other woman who would become extended family though her brother repeated he wasn't interested in the werewolf beyond the one night he had already been with her, as they both had been quite intoxicated and emotional.
It wasn't long before a pretty blond girl that she could tell was clearly Klaus' sister, even if she was a full blooded sibling to Elijah and Kol, came running into the connecting hallway. "It's about time!" she excitedly called, stopping short at seeing Bella.
"Um, hi?" Bella waved from behind Damon, who unceremoniously dropped their bags on the floor and the werewolf started down the stairs.
Rebekah was quick to pull Bella into a hug, happy to no longer be the only girl and held her tightly. Pulling her to the side, she immediately started an interrogation of the boys' treatment of her during the trip that had the witch smiling at her concern.
"Well, this will be one interesting blending of families, I think," Charlie muttered to himself, before looking around and finding himself shifting uncomfortably at realizing he was surrounded by strong supernatural creatures. "You know - if I'm going to be living with you all, I think we should continue planning on when I go through my transition. With the number of enemies you have in town, I would like to be able to help protect our family."
Hayley was never more confused as she looked to Elijah and Klaus, demanding an answering for what was going on. "Who are these people? What is going on? Why are the Salvatores here?"
"Little Wolf," Klaus smirked as he moved over to wrap an arm around Bella. "This is our sister we long believed dead. We went to help her out of a problem with our aunt, which also in turn helped to protect our child to come. Don't worry about everything. The brothers are considered family and no harm will come to them," he added at the end, his eyes narrowing in warning.
Elijah nodded in agreement and turned to Charlie. "We can perform your transition as soon as we get you all settled in."
"Great. Just point us to our rooms," Damon smirked. "Bella and I can share if there aren't enough!" He grinned until Charlie growled at him and it fell. "You sure you aren't a vampire or a werewolf already? Party pooper. You do know that technically, she and I are already engaged and were only days from our wedding…"
There was a knock on the door just as Charlie was about to start to argue with him and Kol, who was closest moved closer to open it. He blinked at the pretty woman leaning against the door jam who was chewing on a Slim Jim, looking bored. "Hello, Darling. How can I help you?"
"You know," the girl started before taking another bite. "I really hate know it alls. I get this random call while I'm at my club, telling me that there is a guest that I needed to take out."
Everyone grew suspicious and protective of the women and human in the house, Klaus rushing to the door. "Tell us what you are speaking of, and do not talk in riddles!" he angrily demanded.
Her brown eyes turned to him and looked him up from his booted feet all the way up to his face, lingering on his groin along the way with an appraising smile. "Cold Ones are assholes, Sexy. Anyway, he told me this fucker had to be taken out, gave me his description and well, I took his head."
She tossed the head into the house, earning a disgusted grimace from Charlie, while the others were crossed between anger, confusion at this woman's brazen approach to their brother. Klaus turned back to her after he took notice of the identity of the head, his anger quickly rising as he sped outside and gripping her by the throat and shoved her against the house.
"Why did you kill Marcel Gerard?!" he shouted her face.
"Ooh, feisty! Momma likes," she smirked and reached down and grabbed his groin, twisted, and shoved her knee up into his ribs. "Back. Off. As I said, the Cold One said it was necessary and when he provided a name of the only one of his kind I trust, I knew he was telling me the trust. He assured that this vampire would eventually have a leading hand in your family's downfall in years to come. This saves your family tons of headaches and backstabbing by a two-faced creation. If Jasper hadn't confirmed this asshole's ability wasn't accurate, I would have just ignored the shit. But when he said that during your little tiff between each other, my club would get caught in the battle and burn - you best believe someone would lose their head and last I heard you weren't as easy to kill and quite frankly, despite your reputation, I'd rather keep you around if just being eye candy."
"Who the hell are you?" Damon questioned, his presence blocking the door as he held a stake in his hand. His lip curled back, a little unnerved as the way she looked over her shoulder at him with a smile reminded him so much of his creator.
"My name is Myriam Jenkins," she winked, her hand coming up to seductively wrap around Klaus' wrist as he too was disturbed by her behavior. She was able to pull him off her, but wrapped herself around his arm, giving him teasing touches. "As I was saying, this other vampire named an old friend, Jasper, who said he was recently working with you and asked me to do whatever I can to help you guys out. Now personally I try to keep my business and pleasures separate, but in this case, I didn't mind. Especially if it brought me to find such a hottie."
Bella couldn't help but start to laugh at everyone's shock at the crazy vampire. Taking her bag and headed up to find a room, she shook her head. "Klaus is single, just so you know," she said as she waved at the girl, who victoriously grinned. Her brother stared back at her like a deer caught in headlights before he glared daggers at his siblings who all started laughing at his expense.
Life in New Orleans was going to be interesting and never boring. She already loved it.