The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 7, All That I Am

I own nothing except the plot… and a particularly yummy signed Nathaniel Buzolic picture that may or may not have inspired some of this chapter just a bit :)


~0~

We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone

~*~I~*~

Panic was the first reaction Kol had when he arrived back at the plantation house to find Bella knocked out cold. Then a surge of irritation at his girl yet again being hurt or in danger while he was unable to do anything, just how many more times was it going to happen?

Nik had arrived back just after he did and had immediately gone on alert and checked the house for anyone lingering there, arriving back in the hallway where Bella lay just as Elijah returned from having gone to see the young witch Davina to tell her Agnes was now dead by his own hand.

Elijah had been feeling reasonably satisfied about the evening when he'd got back to the house. While he hadn't liked to see Hayley in danger, it had been settled now and Agnes was a piece of work that he definitely considered the world better off without. Davina had also been happy to hear of her death when he'd quickly stopped by which was a huge step to bringing the teen over to their side. Especially if Marcel did as they suspected he would and attempt to keep the news from her. His good mood had quickly faded however, as he came home to the sight of Niklaus carefully lifting an unconscious Bella up and moving her to the nearest couch.

It had been a huge relief to Kol that Elijah had arrived back shortly after Nik, despite his current conflicted feelings towards him. Of all of them, Elijah had the most level head in a situation. Nik – and Kol himself if he was honest – were certainly not known for their calm reactions.

Feeling some measure of relief now that both his brothers were here and able to take care of Bella for him, Kol's thoughts momentarily turned to his own situation. Once this latest crisis was over they really needed to start arranging things for his attempt to return; there were only so many times he could stand seeing Bella in trouble and be unable to do a thing.

While Bella slowly regained consciousness Elijah had called Rebekah, much to Kol's annoyance. Though he understood why, it could place Bella in a lot more danger if Rebekah decided to go to Marcel when she found out exactly what Bella was there in New Orleans for, and unfortunately Kol was fairly certain she would do just that.

Bella woke up fully and groaned in pain. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She squinted up at the brothers, her vision fuzzy around the edges as she blinked at them. "Hayley?" she sat up quickly then whimpered as the throbbing in her head intensified.

"She's gone," Elijah said softly. "What do you remember?"

"I… he was fast. Dark hair… I think maybe just a bit shorter than you. I didn't see much, I'm sorry." She whimpered again as her head pounded harder in her agitation.

Elijah rested a hand on her shoulder, gently easing her back down on the sofa. While Niklaus looked for any clues as to the attacker he walked into the kitchen returning with an empty glass. Bella watched as he turned slightly to hide his face from her as it changed, quickly biting into his wrist and letting the blood spill into the tumbler.

He held it out to her, looking a little uncomfortable. "I am sure you would prefer my brother's, but it would not be advisable to sleep until you are healed and there are no guarantees that his would be able to heal you from the other side."

Bella nodded and took the glass, draining it quickly and sighing in relief when it quickly started working. She took in Elijah's awkward stance and smiled softly. "It doesn't bother me you know."

He looked at her questioningly and she indicated the area around her eyes and elaborated, "The whole 'game face' thing, it really doesn't bother me. In fact I barely notice it."

His face was disbelieving now and she laughed. "Elijah, if you're expecting me to suddenly be frightened of you, it's not going to happen. It's obvious you're in control of it. Besides, did you miss the part where I told you about Kol being in my dreams? I've spent months with him getting all 'fang-y' every time he got pissed off, which as you know for him is pretty often. Honestly I'm used to it; it really doesn't bother me, especially when it's not actually directed at me."

Elijah nodded, still not entirely at ease.

Niklaus came back into the room and Bella steeled herself. "Go ahead. You need to find her and I'm okay here."

They both stared at her for a long moment and Bella was surprised by the amount of concern for her on Niklaus' face. Eventually, Elijah nodded. "Keep your phone close, we'll keep checking in."

Bella agreed as Niklaus also demanded that if she saw or heard anyone she would call them. Satisfied with her consent they left the house, calling Rebekah again and arranging to meet her on the way.

She sighed once they had left. It was the early hours of the morning and though she was tired and her head still kind of hurt, she knew she would be unable to sleep. Apart from being worried about what happened to Hayley, she was feeling a little wired after having Elijah's blood. Oh well… she thought, guess I need to find something to do…

~*~II~*~

Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own

Bella was in the kitchen when she heard them return. As she walked out she was shocked to find herself suddenly slammed into the wall with a very pissed off blond right in her face.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the blonde, who Bella assumed was Rebekah, hissed at her before her expression briefly changed to one of confusion as she took in Bella's scent.

"How do you smell like him?" she asked as she thumped Bella into the wall again.

With a snarl and a flurry of movement, the weight pressing into Bella was suddenly gone and she blinked in surprise to see Rebekah now firmly pinned by a growling Niklaus.

"Who the hell is she?" Rebekah spluttered, "And why the bloody hell does she smell like our dead brother?"

"You are one to talk dear sister," Niklaus smirked unpleasantly as he let her go, stepping away from her, "Or did you think that we wouldn't notice that you absolutely reek of Marcel?"

"That is none of your business." Rebekah snapped, dusting herself off and smoothing out her rumpled clothes.

"Touché sister and it's also none of your business who she is," he gestured to Bella "Though you should know that she is under both mine and Elijah's protection, so I wouldn't recommend touching a hair on her head again."

Rebekah glared as Elijah came to stand beside Niklaus in a silent show of unity, furious that he hadn't taken her side. "Tell me this isn't actually about Kol… that you aren't trying to bring him back or something." she scoffed angrily. "Why would you even want to do that?"

Bella seethed, even as a little piece of her heart ached for Kol, though he'd hate her feeling like that on his behalf. This was one of the few times she had ever wished that he didn't see everything, because even if they weren't close that had to be hard for him to hear.

Neither Niklaus nor Elijah answered Rebekah, just silently watched as she shrank back slightly from their identical cold expressions. She glanced from one to the other and seeing no reprieve from either visibly gathered herself, gave Bella one last dirty look and quickly left the house.

"Was she right?" Hayley's voice broke the silence. "Is that what's going on, you're trying to bring back your brother?"

"It's none of your business either." Niklaus snarled viciously at her making her flinch away from him as his eyes flashed yellow. Glancing round at Bella and Elijah he left abruptly, needing some space and knowing that Elijah would take care of anything needed.

Hayley left a moment later, not meeting either of their eyes before she headed upstairs quietly, resentful that Elijah hadn't stood up for her, and trying to ignore the stab of jealousy she felt at Bella's apparent closeness with him.

Once they were alone Elijah turned to Bella. "Are you hurt?"

Bella shook her head, "No, just a couple of new bruises," she smiled at Elijah's slightly sceptical look, "I'm fine, really… and you know I'll only get asked again…" she trailed off.

Elijah smiled faintly, catching her meaning, and followed her into the kitchen. "You should get eat and get some rest; you've had a long couple of days."

Bella nodded. "There's apple pie if you'd like some…" she shrugged sheepishly at his raised eyebrow, "There was a shit load of apples and I couldn't sleep …"

Elijah chuckled in surprise; the more he got to know her, the more he could appreciate what Kol saw in the young woman in front of him. "Some apple pie would be most welcome, thank you."

Bella cut them each a piece and they ate holding their plates as they leant against the kitchen counter. Bella looked him up and down, taking in the jeans and long sleeve top he was wearing and smiled. "I think this is the first time I've seen you in something other than a suit."

Elijah looked down at himself and smirked, "It does happen occasionally."

"What happened out there?" Bella asked suddenly, "Niklaus just seemed so angry…"

Elijah sighed heavily before he spoke. "The person who took Hayley did not wish to harm her," he held up a hand, silencing Bella as she opened her mouth to ask a question, "He was a hybrid and an old enemy of Niklaus' from Mystic Falls, he was here to test a theory. It would appear that the blood of Niklaus' unborn child is capable of creating more hybrids…"

Bella gasped, sickened. "Let me guess, Hayley accused Niklaus of already knowing that."

A bitter smile curled Elijah's lips. "I would have believed it myself before recent events. Had I not taken a moment to look closely at his reaction… he truly had no idea."

They finished their pie in silence, Elijah taking Bella's plate as she got herself some juice, downing the first glassful then refilling it to take upstairs with her.

"You should get some sleep." Elijah told her gently.

Bella agreed tiredly; though it was only early afternoon she was utterly exhausted. She hadn't managed to sleep properly yet and the lingering sore head from the night before had not been helped by Rebekah banging her up against a wall.

She trudged up the stairs, unaware of Elijah coming out to hallway to watch her progress, ready to move should she stumble in her fatigued state. He kept his eyes on her, only turning away as she safely reached the top.

He was guilty of wronging his youngest brother more than once, but this was something he could do right for him. He could protect the woman that Kol clearly loved, and as long as Kol was unable to do it himself he would gladly protect her in his stead.

~*~III~*~

All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

It was a familiar position for Bella and Kol. He was stretched out on his back, one arm pillowed under his head, his free hand absently playing with Bella's hair as she lay cuddled up against his side, her head resting on his chest.

When she had finally gone to sleep and started dreaming Kol had been there instantly, running his hands over her, checking for any unseen injuries, and then pulling her tight against him as he buried his face in her hair.

"I was worried," he said, his face still hidden.

"I'm okay," Bella breathed, her face pressed into the hollow at the base of his neck. She had inhaled greedily, his scent tickling her nose and triggering the butterflies in her stomach as it always did.

Now, she lay curled up with him in the grass, her hand tracing random patterns on his stomach. She snickered as he twitched underneath her fingers, his hand coming down to grab hers, stopping its movement.

"Are you ticklish?" she snorted.

"No,." Kol said unconvincingly as he held onto her hand to stop her moving it any more.

"You are, aren't you?" Bella snickered again as she managed to wiggle her fingers against him making him twitch under her again.

Moving quickly, Kol had her underneath him in a flash. "I am not ticklish," he growled playfully at her. "But I bet you are…"

His fingers lightly dug into her ribs making her squeal with laughter as he tickled her. "I give, I give." she giggled breathlessly.

He looked down at her, her eyes shining as she gazed up at him and could have sworn he felt something shift deep inside of himself. For the first time, he knew with absolute certainty that he would never be able to let her go, he would want her forever – love her forever.

His hand stroked lightly up and down her side, the teasing atmosphere changing as she wriggled underneath him, her body unable to decide completely whether it still tickled or just felt good.

On his next upward stroke Kol slowly slid his hand under the hem of her tank top, lightly trailing his fingers up her side. As he brushed against her bare skin Bella shivered, his fingertips sending sparks of desire through her.

"Okay?" Kol asked quietly as he felt her tremble against him. She nodded and reached up to touch his cheek as he smiled cheekily at her. "Good."

He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her forehead, her cheek and then finally her mouth, swallowing her whimper as he manoeuvred himself to rest in between her legs.

Though he could feel every delicious inch of her like this, he was unable to reach her neck as he wanted when he pulled away to let her breathe so he shifted his hands to her back, bracing her against him as he moved. He moved to his knees, easily lifting Bella with him so she was straddling him, her knees falling either side of his hips as he sat back.

Satisfied with the new position he kissed her thoroughly, tangling a hand in her hair as the other hand slid back underneath her clothing, fingers delicately tracing up and down her spine. Breaking the kiss he gently tilted her head so he could lavish attention on her neck, kissing and sucking, savouring the breathy moans he coaxed from her and the way she pressed herself against him as she tilted her head back.

Feeling his face change as he fought for control Kol pulled back, closing his eyes and breathing harshly.

"Hey," Bella called softly as she watched him fight his instincts, "It's okay, I don't mind."

Kol slowly opened his red-filled eyes and looked at her, and the depth of emotion Bella saw there suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. He leant forward but instead of going for her neck like she had expected, he pressed his lips to hers.

It wasn't particularly gentle, his lips were demanding against hers as she returned the kiss eagerly. She felt his fangs graze her bottom lip and on impulse she ran her tongue over one, testing it's sharpness as he shuddered under her at the sensation. With a quick flick she nicked her tongue and though the sting made her flinch momentarily, it was completely worth it.

She never even got a hint of the blood as he devoured her mouth, a low deep growl rumbling out continuously from his chest and vibrating pleasurably against her as he pulled her impossibly close. Her hips moved instinctively as she ground down on him, the wonderful heat making her gasp as Kol left her mouth, finding that spot near her ear that just felt so good.

His right hand moved from her back to her side as his left also drifted underneath her clothes, curving around her ass, smirking slightly at her surprised squeak as he touched her bare skin there for the first time and guided her movements against him.

Feeling brave, she slipped her hand under his shirt brushing her fingers up his back, revelling in feeling him inhale sharply at her touch. Her other hand slid up around his neck tugging lightly on the hair there, his rough moan doing delicious things to her as he leant his forehead against hers.

"There are not words enough for how much I need you." He breathed as he looked at her. The intensity in his eyes made Bella shake as she looked back at him, losing herself in his gaze, unable to form words as he helped her keep shifting her hips against his.

Forcibly reminding himself that he wanted to wait to actually bed her Kol kept the motion up, loving the breathy whimpers that escaped her as she came closer to the edge. "That's it darling," he murmured, "So close… oh my sweet girl, once I'm back, this will be nothing compared to what I'll do with you. I'm going to feast on you until you forget your own name and all you can scream is mine. I'm going to spend days just worshipping you… touching you, teasing you, being inside you…"

"Oh, oh… Kol…" Already on the brink, his erotic words sent her flying off the cliff, keening his name.

Not far behind her, Kol finally gave into temptation and with a quiet growl of "Mine" sank his fangs into Bella's skin between her neck and shoulder as he ground into her harshly.

Her taste flooded his senses making his eyes roll back in his head. The overstimulation had Bella screaming soundlessly in his arms and he thrust against her erratically as she violently came for a second time. Kol joined her only a moment later with a loud shout of her name.

Coming to his senses he registered Bella still gasping for breath and rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back, carefully shifting their bodies so that he was on his back again, Bella half laying on him as he slowly brought her down from her high. "Shhh darling," he crooned as she curled into him, trembling from the intensity of it, "It's okay, I've got you…"

He kept his arms around her as her breathing slowly evened out and eventually she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest.

~0~

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?


Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Chasing Cars ~ Snow Patrol

Credit as always to my fab Beta TheCoreConundrum who has her own Twilight crossover fic posted now, so go check it out :)

So um yeah, Kol apparently has a dirty, dirty mind... hope you all enjoyed it :)