Chapter 3:
That night, Bella had strange dreams.
Edward was trying to hurt her and Klaus came to her rescue. It was very dark and she was running through some creepy woods trying to escape when her blond vampire came out of nowhere to save the day, right on time. She was troubled by the fact she was already so in love with him but she knew she could trust him. After all, he had trusted her with his biggest secret, it had to mean something.
At least she hoped it was the biggest of his secret because she couldn't really think of anything bigger than that…
.
The next morning, she stayed a little longer than usual in bed, thinking.
She realized that, even if the ball was the first time she saw him, she felt like she knew all about him and that he knew all about her. Like their souls connected somehow.
"I can't believe he's a vampire..." She said as Rose came in with her breakfast.
"So am I. That doesn't disturb you at all?"
"Not really. I like you Rose. Your one of the only person I've met that understands me in the slightest…You're my friend Rosemarie, and I don't care if you are a vampire." Rose was touched by what Bella told her.
"Just so you know, even though it started as an assignment, I really like you too." The two women hugged and Bella winced a little.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did I hug you too tight?" As soon as she looked at Bella, she saw hand shaped bruises on her arm where Edward had grabbed her the previous night.
"Klaus will be furious when he sees this…" Rose whispered.
"Then we will hide it under the dress. Please, I don't want him to blow his cover for me…"
"Fine... But as soon as Edward Masen leaves, I'll tell Klaus."
"Off course." Bella agreed.
She knew that if Klaus saw her bruises, Edward would probably end up dead and it would raise questions. She didn't really care for the young man, but she still wished to give him a chance to redeem himself.
.
Rose helped Bella get ready like she usually did and they spend the rest of the morning quietly. Bella needed to think about everything she had been told the previous night.
When lunch came, she told her father she wasn't very hungry and drank only a cup of tea. The idea of spending time with Edward again stressed her immensely, especially since her father refused to allow Rosemarie to stay and chaperon.
He insisted that she needed to be alone with Edward since she had been alone with Niklaus the previous evening and that she had nothing to be afraid of, that Edward had been raised the right way and that he would never hurt her, that he was as much of a gentleman as Lord Niklaus was. When Bella showed him the bruise on her arm, Charlie said that the poor boy didn't measure his strength...that it was an accident and he reminded his daughter that she had always bruised easily.
She was mad at her father for the faith he was putting in that young man, simply because he was the son of a friend. Couldn't he trust her for this? She was his flesh and blood and he didn't even believe her...
.
When the dreaded time came and Edward stepped into to garden to greet her, Bella felt even worst than before. She relished in the fact that she could feel Rose's eyes on her. The young woman had promised her to keep both eyes and ears on her until Niklaus came.
"It's good to see you Miss Isabella." He was standing tall, like he was hoping to appear taller than he really was, more important.
"Good afternoon." She was trying to remain polite but distant.
Edward threw a disdainful look all around him and his eyes zeroed on the rose bushes. His face showed obvious distaste.
"Why don't we step inside so we can talk?" He asked her, already grabbing her arm and turning around to walk toward the house before she could even answer him.
"Actually I would feel better if we stayed outside. It's a sunny day and I would like to spend some time among my roses." She said, pulling her arm out of his grip the best way she could.
He had hurt her again.
She wanted him to know that the roses came with her. She wouldn't change for anyone.
"It's not really for you to decide you know. But for this one time I will let it pass." He looked like an adult giving into a toddler's tantrum and it angered her.
"Excuse me?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Well, I'm to be your husband in a few weeks and you will have to learn to obey me." Now she was both furious and incredulous.
"First of all: nothing has been decided yet! You are only one of the suitors and my father said that I would decide who will be my husband. And obey you? That is out of the question! You can't tell me what to do. If I wish to spend time in the gardens among my beloved roses, then I will." She had a hard time remaining calm through the entire speech and she knew that she had been harsh but couldn't bring herself to regret it.
Edward looked shocked.
"Why would you not choose me? I'm the best this area has to offer, my mother told me so. And when we marry, you will obey me if you don't want to get punished."
None of them noticed Emmett and Jacob that Rosemarie had compelled to spy on Bella.
Edward held Bella in a tight hand around her arm, like he had done during the previous evening.
"Let go of me, you're hurting me!" She had tears in her eyes now.
"Well, obviously you need to be taught a lesson. I will not allow such behaviour in my house!" Now the crazy man was shaking her very hard and he was almost yelling.
"Good then, because I don't want to marry you. I will not marry you! I have another choice and he is a thousand times nicer than you." She was shouting now and was really crying.
"You will marry me, you don't have a choice. Your father will order you." He was shouting too now and he looked seriously crazy.
"My father would never do that to me and if he did then I'd rather die than marry you!" She yelled the last part as loud as she could, until it hurt her throat and now not only her brothers but her father, Rose and Niklaus were there as well.
"Let go of her now!" Klaus sounded really dangerous as he said this.
"Mister Masen, I order you to free my daughter this instant. How dare you behave this way?" Charlie argued as he watched Bella crying, her eyes full of fear locked on Lord Niklaus, looking for comfort.
Emmett had managed to circle the young man and hit him hard on his head. It was not enough to knock him out but he did let go of Bella, allowing her to run straight into Klaus' arms protecting arms.
The hybrid vampire was relieved. He hated the panic and fear that took over him when he heard her cry in pain and fear. He encircled her with his arms and let her sob on his chest as Charlie told Jacob to go get the Masen's. Emmett kept a tight gripe on the crazy man that had hurt his baby sister.
They all headed inside with Edward when Klaus said:
"Maybe I should wait out here with Isabella until that is taken care of. I don't want her to get hurt again." He was fighting to keep his anger at bay.
Elijah would have been proud of him right now for not killing the copper haired assailant and Charlie Swan, the stupid father who had allowed this..
"Yes, off course, you're right. Well, I guess you will marry her soon anyway. You don't need anyone to chaperon." Charlie answered, not wanting to upset the powerful Lord or to put the attention on the fact it could have been avoided if he had listened to his daughter.
"Rosemarie, please go home and tell Elijah of what happened. He will send the royal guard to take care of the misfit." Klaus ordered.
Charlie let him take charge of things. Him being Bella's future husband, it was his right to decide what would happen to the man that attacked her.
"Are you ok Love?" he asked her as soon as the other were far enough.
"I don't know… I was so scared… But I knew you would come, I just had to hold on a little longer… Maybe it's my fault… I…"
"Hey, none of that my sweet Bella…Edward had no right to hurt you at all. He has gone crazy. You did absolutely nothing wrong, do you hear me? And don't let me ear you speaking of killing yourself again please...I couldn't bare it." he was being as gentle as the situation allowed him to be.
He, himself, was surprised at the immense control he had gained over his temper since meeting Bella.
"Thank you Klaus… I… I think that I love you…" She still had her head buried in his chest and he gently patted her back until she calmed down.
"And I love you." He answered before adding "I would gladly give you some of my blood to heal you but the guards are going to want to see the proofs of what he did." He had told her the previous night that a vampire blood could heal humans.
"Thanks anyway…But it might be for the best that I don't have any, the smell of blood makes me dizzy and I tend to pass out…" He held her even tighter.
"Humans can't smell blood love." he told her, smiling.
"Well, I can and it smells disgusting. It smells like copper and salt…"
He kissed the top of her head, smiling softly at the amazement that this girl was until he heard the guards and his brother arriving at the same time as the Masen's.
"They're here love, you're ready?" he spoke gently to her and he knew that Elijah would be shocked right now by his control and the fact that the younger Masen remained alive and unarmed.
"Yes, I am." She declared putting on a brave face, and letting him guide her gently towards the main hall were everyone was.
When they entered, Rose went straight to Bella as Klaus went to stand next to his brother, hiding Bella from the crazy Edward that was being held by the Swan twins. Everyone explained their version of things and the guard looked at Bella's arms with consternations. They knew Lord Niklaus and his brother, they were in tight relations with the royal family and if they didn't want trouble, the man they were accusing better get locked up. They took him roughly and left.
As soon as they were gone, Rose took Bella to her room to clean her up and heal her as much as humanly possible while the men talked:
"Well, since you're here and that my daughter obviously chose you, we could talk about the wedding." Charlie started.
"Sure, we have time on our hands, right brother?" Klaus said while Elijah nodded.
Emmett and Jacob took it as there cue to leave the room and go back to their playful fighting in their part of the garden.
"Well, I'd like for it to be before the end of the month. We were supposed to stay here the whole summer but I got a letter today and business calls me back home. It would be easier if she was to stay here." Charlie explained.
"When do you have to leave?" Elijah asked.
"The most I can stay is a month."
"Well, let's settle this a little before then. In 3 weeks time my brother will marry your daughter. This will give us time to call back our two brothers and our sister. It will give us all time to organize everything." Elijah suggested.
While Elijah and Charlie talked over details of the event and of the guests, Klaus thought over the previous night, on the way home, when he told his big brother were Finn's coffin was, telling him that he intended on waking him up and apologizing. Bella made him want to be the better man and he had to come clean to his family. He made plans to recall Kol and Rebekah as soon as possible so he could tell them all together about Bella. He also knew that he had to tell them the truth about what happened to their mother. Strangely enough, he wasn't worried. He felt that they would all be under his Bella's charm. He vaguely heard his big brother discussing the guests list in the background.
After a while, Rose and Bella were back with them in the room.
"Bella love, are you alright?" Klaus asked her as soon as he could see her.
"Yes, I'm feeling much better. Thank you." She went to seat next to him while Rose left the room to get some tea.
"We were just discussing the wedding plans Bella." Charlie announced.
"Oh? What did you decide?" She asked, happy that Klaus was the one she was tying herself to forever.
"Well, I have to be home with your brothers in one month at the maximum, so it will have to be before that. Lord Elijah told me that they will need at least 2 weeks for their family to be reunited, so maybe in 3 weeks." Charlie explained.
"Sounds good. Where?" She asked.
"I was thinking here, in the middle of your garden. You love those roses so much…" Klaus said earning a big smile and a happy hug from the woman that haunted his dreams.
After a while, they left Bella to her rest and went home.
.
"Now comes the hard part…" Klaus said as they stepped into his quarters to see a coffin in there.
"The hard part wasn't to resist the urge to kill the young Masen boy?" Elijah asked.
"It was surprisingly easy to do actually. As long as Bella was in my arms it was anyway. Now I wish for nothing more than to run to the city jail and drain him dry..."
"Why don't you go?" He was wondering what was stopping his impulsive brother.
"I have to write the letters for Kol and Rebekah. They should be together at the property we own in Ireland right?"
"Yes, I think so." Elijah answered.
"Okay then, I'll write the letter and ask the witches to make sure it gets to them before the day is over, then I'll go feed on the copper haired misfit that dared hurt my sweet love."
"I have to say I'm a bit surprised by all of this Niklaus… Your control, you desire to apologise and to free Finn… Love has a good influence on you…" Deep inside, Klaus was happy to get his big brother's approval.
"Don't even try to pretend that my Bella hasn't grown on you already." Klaus answered laughing.
Elijah smiled back.
"It is surprising that I already care about her the same way I do for Rebekah… I'm sure she will fit right in with the family. They will all love her." Elijah said pensively.
"Which makes me think that it might be best to reunite the entire family with her here to keep the fighting to a minimum…" Elijah continued.
"Absolutly not! She could end up getting hurt. I refuse it!" Klaus panicked.
"Don't worry brother, I wasn't really considering it. Just stating a fact." Elijah smiled softly at his newly caring little brother and handed him the paper he needed for the letter.
They decided to write:
"Kol and Rebekah,
We hope that this letter finds you well.
Niklaus found love and is getting married in 3 weeks. We are undaggering Finn for the occasion.
The bride to be is enchanting, you'll love her.
See you soon,
Your brothers,
Niklaus and Elijah"
They took the letter to the witches and watched as the letter disappeared from the table, knowing that their siblings had gotten it, they left to pay a visit at the local jail…
And the rewriting continues...
Keep the reviews coming.
Lorelei Candice Black