To say things weren't going well for Rebekah would be an understatement. Her attempts at locating the White Oak tree from the Mayor had failed and it seemed that the only ones who might have the information she needed would give anything to have her and her family done away with for good. It was too bad this all hadn't occurred before she'd slept with Damon- she could have snooped through his house then. Now her only hope at getting those records was to either break in or have sex with Damon again and find a chance to slip away while he was asleep. Neither option appealed to her, since both came with their own risks, and she really didn't want to fall into bed with Damon again.

And now Sage was back in town. The little hanger-on was trying to reconnect with Finn and Rebekah amused herself for a moment wondering how Sage would react if she told her that her true love was doing all he could end his miserable existence. Well, she was cozying up to Damon so it was most likely only a matter of time before he let it slip to her. Too bad she wouldn't be there to see the look on Sage's face but at least she could comfort herself with the memory of her pain at knowing that Finn had left without mentioning a word about his former love.

She couldn't deny that she was curious about Damon was up to though. Inviting her back to the Boarding House with him and Sage? He wanted something but what that was, she wasn't sure. Could he have seen that she was looking for something and was trying to figure what?

There was no way he could have a clue that there were any more White Oak stakes, she reassured herself. If he did, then he and his brother would be out searching for one to plunge into the heart of the first Mikaelson they could find.

Her phone rang then and she couldn't help sighing in annoyance when she saw who it was. "Must you insist on constantly bothering me for an update?" she hissed, mindful of those who could possibly be listening. "I said I would let you know when I found anything out."

"While I do so enjoy annoying you every chance I can," Klaus told her, sounding slightly amused but Rebekah was caught by the note of worry in his voice. "I was just calling to inform you that Bella is upstairs resting in one of the guest rooms."

Everything froze for a moment before Rebekah turned and almost raced to her car, only force of will keeping her at a human speed. "What happened?"

"I came upon her while I was out for a drive. From what she told me, apparently it was not a quiet night at the Forbes' house and she needed to escape."

Rebekah slammed her car door shut. "She said Caroline and the Sheriff were bothering her on Friday night but I mistakenly believed that they were moderately intelligent enough to see that she needed to sleep," she hissed. "This is getting ridiculous- we cannot allow her to continue staying there."

"Well then, I suggest you return as soon as possible so we can figure out what to do from here." Klaus hung up before she could respond.

Klaus hadn't been planning on bringing Bella over to the house today but when he had seen her stumbling down the street from the Forbes' house earlier, he hadn't been able to resist pulling up next to her and rolling the window down. She jerked to a stop beside the car, staring at him with wide eyes. Klaus finally broke the silence. "Well, aren't you looking terrible?"

"Well, don't you know how to sweet talk a woman," Bella snarked back but there was no real heat behind it. He was right, she did look terrible. There were deep bags under her eyes and her face was unusually pale. She was wrapped up in an oversized hoodie and gray sweatpants that Klaus idly thought reminded him of the people in commercials who were made up to look overworked and exhausted.

He studied her for another moment before sighing. "Get in."

She hesitated for a moment until she heard Caroline shout, "Bella!" She threw herself into the passenger seat and Klaus pulled away, smirking as the sounds of Caroline's cursing.

"Where are we going?" Bella finally asked, voice dull.

Klaus frowned at her. "Home. You look like you could do with some rest."

"I don't want to make you go out of your way..."

"I was headed home anyway."

"Thank you," Bella finally whispered, slowly relaxing into her seat.

"No need to thank me- I've always enjoyed a good damsel in distress."

She gave a small laugh before closing her eyes. "No wonder you have Caroline all out of sorts; she's always been a sucker for a knight in shining armor."

"Believe me when I say, no one thinks of me as a hero." Klaus kept his tone even but there was a small thrum of bitterness within him at the knowledge that, even if he did try to be one of the good guys, Caroline would never want to be with him. Sure, she'd be more than willing to use him to further her own needs but she wouldn't agree to be in relationship with him.

Bella surprised him once again. "Good. I've always found the heroic ones to be boring."

Klaus gave a short bark of laughter. "That's something we have in common then."

She sighed. "I have to say though, I think you dodged a bullet there. I don't know anyone other than Caroline who can nag like it's a competition in the Olympics and she's going for gold, though Liz holds her own pretty well."

"They're still unappreciative of the company you've been keeping?"

"That's the understatement of the century," Bella snorted. "From the way they talk, I better avoid your basement because the amount of heads you all must be hiding down there is astronomical."

"Most of us prefer ripping out hearts than removing heads but I suppose the sentiment is all the same." Bella gave another soft laugh.

He pulled up to the mansion then and parked the car in the garage, getting out quickly and moving to open Bella's door for her. "Thanks."

"No problem, love. Just want to be sure you manage to get into the house without collapsing."

"Funny," Bella responded dryly. "So funny I almost forgot to laugh."

"Resorting to grade school taunts, are we?"

"I'm far too tired to think up any good adult ones at the moment. Give me a few hours of sleep and I promise to wow you later with my overwhelming wit."

"I look forward to it." He led her up the stairs and into one of the guest bedrooms. "You can rest in here. Rebekah should be back in a few hours so feel free to sleep till then."

Bella just nodded tiredly before kicking off her shoes and slipping under the covers.

Klaus strode out the room and gently pulled the door close before zipping down the stairs and into his studio. He called his sister and informed her that Bella was at the house before settling in to wait.

Once he was finally sure that she was asleep, Klaus slipped into the room and stopped beside her prone form. Normally, he wasn't one for slipping inside someone's head for information; compelling them to tell him- yes, torturing the information out of them- always, but he'd always held himself back at pushing himself into someone else's mind. He found it far more intimate than he was usually comfortable with but he needed to know more about Bella and this seemed the quickest way to go about it.

Resting his hand lightly on her forehead, Klaus carefully slipped into Bella's mind. There was a brief resistance at first, a strange wall that at first seemed to push back against him before suddenly allowing him access.

It took a moment for Klaus to right himself and was surprised to find himself in a forest.

"Oh crap," he heard Bella mutter and turned to find her staring at him with large doe eyes. "Rebekah's brother is in my dream… this has to be against the friend code."

Klaus chuckled, glad that she thought him to be a figment of her imagination. "I believe it is. So, tell me, love," he moved to stand directly in front of her, bending over slightly so their faces were close together. "Now that you've gotten me here, what are you planning on doing with me?"

Bella squeaked and stumbled backwards, almost tripping over her own feet. "Don't do that!" she shouted once she had regained her footing.

"Do what?" he questioned innocently.

She scowled at him. "Don't do that whole smoldering look and sexy voice thing. You are my friends brother and most certainly off limits. And even if you weren't, you are crushing on my cousin Caroline and are so far out of my league."

He filed away the fact that she thought his voice was sexy for later. "Who are you trying to convince there? Seems to me like you're trying awfully hard to remind yourself to keep your hands to yourself, though I'm more than willing to play with you if that is what you wish."

Bella covered her face with her hands, shaking her head back and forth as she muttered incoherently to herself. Klaus finally took pity on her and allowed for a change of subject. "So, care to share why we currently find ourselves in a forest?"

Taking a deep breath, Bella finally dropped her hands from her face and focused on his question. "Oh, uh, this is the forest behind my dad's house in Forks."

"And we're here…" he led.

It was odd, even though she knew that Klaus wasn't really here and that her mind had just decided to have him pop up for some strange reason, the forest didn't seem as terrifying to Bella as it had before. "I got lost in here a few weeks before I moved," she finally admitted. "I was stumbling around for several hours before I finally collapsed, and then it was another few hours before anyone found me. I've been having nightmares of this place ever since."

Klaus frowned. "Why were you even in the forest in the first place?" He didn't peg her as someone who enjoyed going on jaunts through the woods.

His question caused the ache in her chest to suddenly flare up and she gasped, clutching her chest as tears filled her eyes. A split second later, he was beside her, holding her face in his hands. "Look at me, Bella," he instructed. "I need you to take a deep breath for me. That's it, love, there you go," he gently coached as he eased her out of the beginning of a panic attack. Once her breathing was even again, he slowly pulled away. For her to have a reaction this badly, he was willing to bet that something involving the Cold Ones had happened here.

Was this where she was bit? Or perhaps, since she seemed to feel a pain in her chest, it was more emotionally traumatizing. Is this where she and Edward broke up? But why break up in a forest?

"This is where he left me," Bella whimpered, tears streaming down her face. She stepped forward and buried her face in his chest, sobbing quietly. He froze, unsure of how to respond, before awkwardly wrapping his arms around her and emitting a soothing rumble from his chest.

So, his second thought was right. She and the parasite ended things here. Klaus could almost see it for himself: Edward leading her into the forest and ending things, zipping away with no warning and leaving her to fend for herself. It was cruelty at its finest.

"He's not worth your tears," he finally said, voice unusually gentle.

Bella shook her head. "I'm the one who's not worth it; I'm the one who wasn't enough."

Klaus pulled back then to look at her properly. "Is that what he told you?"

She nodded, roughly wiping away her tears. "He said I wasn't good enough for him and that he was tired of being something he wasn't. Then he was just gone. I tried to follow him, but it was dark and I couldn't tell which way he went." Her voice slowly grew more hysterical and cracked several times as she spoke.

This wasn't a normal reaction. Klaus studied Bella carefully as she slowly pulled herself together. This was more than just a broken heart or a break in her self-esteem. It was too wild a reaction for something like that.

Klaus focused for a moment, taking control of her dream and pulling them out of the dark forest and into a sunlit field.

Bella startled. "What…" she stared around in confusion. "Where are we?"

"I found that I didn't appreciate your previous dream, so I'm shaping a new one." He had brought her to a field that he and his family had frequently played in when they were younger, when they were human. "Nothing will harm you here; you can rest easy."

She just stared at him for a moment, tears still streaming down her face. "I don't know why I dreamed of you all the sudden, but I'm really glad I did."

If Klaus had been a lesser man, he might have blushed a little at her sincerity. "Get some rest, love. You'll need it for once Rebekah gets back." With that, he disappeared from her dream and returned back to the room.

He stretched, then turned to face his sister standing in the doorway. She just glared for a moment before flitting downstairs. Once he had followed her into the kitchen, Rebekah turned to face him. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to find the words to properly express the rage coursing through her.

"Before you start shrieking," Klaus finally said, as he moved to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of scotch. "I will say that I, unlike you, have never been one to enjoy digging around in someone else's mind. However, after having seen how Bella looks today, I'm sure you can understand why I felt it was necessary to see what I could find out."

Rebekah pursed her lips but finally sighed. "I suppose I can understand. So, what'd you find?"

Klaus' phone rang then and he glanced down to see who was calling. "What have you found?"

"It seems that the Cullen clan lived in Forks for a little over three years before abruptly moving mid-September," Elijah informed them. "Everyone was told they left due to a job offer Carlisle received unexpectedly but that was clearly a lie."

"What happened to Bella after they left?" Rebekah asked, moving closer to Klaus.

"It seems Isabella went into a catatonic state after their departure. They day they left, Isabella went missing for several hours and was found near midnight in the woods. She claims she got lost while out walking."

"Well, it seems that Bella felt the need to cover what truly happened." Klaus glanced over at Rebekah. "I've learned that young Edward brought her out into the woods and ended their relationship there before immediately leaving the area."

"There's more." Elijah's grim tone instantly made the two siblings wary. "I managed to receive an invitation into the Swan residence from Isabella's father and was able to take a look in her room. The stench of Cold One was unmistakable, even after all this time. For it to be that strong, she must have had at least one Cullen with her at almost all times- even while she slept. If it didn't rain so much here, I imagine one would be able to smell it all around the house as well."

"What does it matter how much time Bella spent with them?" Rebekah was growing impatient.

"As I am sure you are aware, Cold Ones are unable to use compulsion as we do but they do have their own methods for attracting their prey. In addition to their unnatural beauty, they release a type of chemical that intoxicates any humans that comes into contact with them and keeps them compliant. Generally, the humans experiencing this only have to endure for a short while before they are killed but Isabella was ingesting these pheromones almost constantly."

Klaus caught on quicker than his sister. "So, what you're saying is that Bella has been on an eight-month long drug trip and is only now crashing down from her high."

"Yes. Because we are the Original Vampires, I believe that being in close contact with us helped slow worst of the symptoms her body is exhibiting but that will not last for long. Think of Bella like a computer with a virus: rebooting it might make it run normally for a short time but the virus is still there destroying the system. Her father sending her to Mystic Falls was a shock to her system but it was not enough to fix the problem."

Rebekah was almost shaking with anger. "Did they know? Did they know what they were doing?"

"I believe so," Elijah responded. His tone was even but his siblings knew him well enough to sense the barely hidden rage he was also feeling. "Carlisle has insisted on keeping in close contact with humans his entire life as a vampire. It would be impossible for him to have not noticed his effect."

"But what would be the point?" Rebekah asked. "While I could understand them toying with her for a short while, eight months is a long time, even for a vampire. Considering how volatile most Cold Ones are, there must have been some other motivation."

"Control," Klaus answered, tone deadly. "Like a human drug dealer, the Cullen's got her hooked and then cut her off so that she would be compliant to whatever they wanted. I imagine they planned on coming back after a short while, long enough for Bella to be desperately longing for them but not so long that she would have been able to move on, and then reasserting their control over her completely."

"I agree," Elijah informed them. "Isabella would have submitted to whatever they desired because she would have been completely dependent on their presence to function. The only thing they didn't take into account was her father's reaction to her state. She started to deteriorate so rapidly that all he could think to do was remove her from Forks. It seems that the plan was originally to send her to live with her mother in Florida but then they decided that staying with her cousin, Caroline, might do her some good."

Rebekah picked up the nearest object and threw it against the wall, enraged. "We should have killed them when we had the chance!"

"I wanted to kill them," Klaus reminded her, desperately trying to keep his own anger in check. "You were the one insisting on sparing them."

"Mikael was still after us and leaving a trail of destroyed Cold Ones behind us would have been just as obvious as sending him a bloody calling card!"

"Since I was not present when this happened, would one of you mind explaining to me how your first meeting with the Cullen's came about?"

Klaus turned to Rebekah. "Why don't you tell him, little sister. After all, you certainly played a large roll in why they are currently still inflicting themselves on the human population."

Chicago, 1922

Klaus couldn't help smiling at the sight of Rebekah and Stefan dancing together. He'd had his doubts about Stefan previously, sure that he would be yet another pathetic waste as all of Rebekah's liaisons usually were, but he'd found Stefan to be much more fun than he'd originally thought. His presence helped heal some of the cracks that had been left by his other siblings.

The song ended and then couple headed over to where he was sitting. "Taking a break for the evening?" Stefan asked as he grabbed his drink and downed it in one gulp.

"My brother has never been one to appreciate the finer things in life," Rebekah told Stefan as she slid into the booth. "Such as dancing."

"On the contrary, Rebekah," Klaus responded with a smirk. "I only enjoy such simplistic things as dancing when I can do so with the finest of partners."

"No one here has caught your eye?" Stefan asked, slouching in next to Rebekah. "I hadn't pegged you as someone so picky."

"Then it seems you do not know me as well as you claim," Klaus grinned at him and then gave a mock frown as he shook his head sadly. "And you call yourself my brother."

Stefan laughed. "I'll have to be sure to work harder in the future." Rebekah smiled in delight at the easy comradery between the two men.

Gloria's song ended then and she moved off the stage, a silent signal that the speakeasy was closing for the night. The trio moved towards the door, pulling on their coats as they stepped out into the dark alley. Stefan turned to Rebekah and lifted her hand, gently kissing the back of it. "Until next time," he told her with a smirk, then flashed away.

Rebekah stared after him with a gentle, love-struck gaze and Klaus snorted. "Look like a fool on your own time, little sister. I would like to make it home before dawn."

She whirled around. "No need to be mean, Nik. I haven't forgotten about you."

"And what a relief that is." He was about to say more when he felt a strange pressure on his mind and he half turned with a snarl.

"What-" Rebekah started to ask when the scent of a Cold One reached them.

Klaus moved and swiftly pinned a copper-haired parasite against the alley wall by the throat. "Now, what do we have here?" His tone was pleasant but his eyes were lit with excitement at the coming violence.

The Cold One struggled against his grip. "What are you?" he finally hissed, eyeing Klaus in confusion.

"You must be a newborn. Well then, allow me introduce myself: I am Klaus Mikaelson and this is my sister, Rebekah. We are Original Vampires, true vampires, if you will, when compared to your pathetic kind. Now, tell me why you were trying to get inside my head!"

"It was an accident," came another voice from the alley's entryway. They turned and saw another Cold One, this one with blond hair and golden eyes. "He's just been turned recently and is unable to control his gift."

"Well, consider this your first and last lesson as a vampire: learn to control your so-called "gifts" before you venture out in public, else you come upon someone much stronger than you and they consider it an attack." Klaus moved to rip off the boy's head as he desperately tried to escape.

"Nik, no!" Rebekah moved beside him and grabbed his arm. "You can't kill him."

"I think you'll find that I can," he snapped at her.

"We are trying to keep a low profile," she hissed. "Do you think littering the streets with the burning remains of Cold Ones will help do that?"

"Please, my name is Carlisle Cullen," the blond informed them, hands held out as if trying to calm a startled animal. "Edward meant you no harm. His gift can't be harnessed the same way others can."

Rebekah squeezed his arm, eyes pleading, and Klaus sighed. "Fine then. I guess this is your lucky day." He leaned in close so Edward wouldn't be able to escape his gaze. "You will tell no one of your encounter with us."

"I will tell no one," Edward repeated, the compulsion quickly taking root. Rebekah moved to Carlisle's and did the same before returning to Klaus' side.

Klaus threw the boy at Carlisle's feet. "I suggest you leave before I change my mind."

Carlisle pulled Edward up and they both disappeared a second later.

"So, you allowed both of them to live," Elijah mused. "How unlike you, Niklaus."

"It seems I should have followed my instincts," Klaus responded, glaring at Rebekah.

Rebekah threw her hands in the air. "Yes, blame me for this. I apologize for not automatically knowing the any Cold One we allowed to live would go on to terrorize our little sister!"

There was a pause as they each considered what she said. "Our little sister?" asked Klaus.

"I-" Rebekah looked lost for a moment before she rallied. "Fine, maybe not 'our' little sister but I certainly view her as mine."

"You've known her for less than a month, yet you already feel so strongly about her?" Elijah queried.

"Yes. It's strange, but I already feel as loyal to her as I do to both of you." Rebekah couldn't help turning to Klaus, worried as to how he would react. Would he view Bella as some kind of threat or obstacle now?

Klaus was surprised to find that his feelings toward Bella hadn't changed in the slightest at Rebekah's revelation. He still found the girl intriguing and was slowly growing to care for her, though he was unsure as to what sort of caring that was. While he had never approved of any of previous string of lovers, he wasn't necessarily against his sister having friends; she had just never been good at making any. Hopefully it would never come to the point where she would have to show who she felt more loyalty to: him or Bella?

"Is there anything we can do to help ease her symptoms?" Klaus finally asked and both of his siblings gave silent sighs of relief. "I've noticed her reactions to certain triggers are surprisingly strong- which makes sense given the supernatural element to them- and I believe there's a chance it could lead to physical harm if left unchecked."

"I would think that our blood might be of some help," Elijah stated, pleased at the concern his volatile brother was showing. "But it would best to consult a witch to see if there are any spells that could be used."

The sound of footsteps upstairs quickly ended the conversation, Klaus instructing Elijah to try and find where the Cullen's were currently located before hanging up. Rebekah moved to clean up the broken remains of the glass she had thrown previously and had just finished when Bella stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey, Bekah," she greeted softly, feeling a little shy at having come to her house without being invited first.

"Bella," she beamed at the younger girl. "Nik told me you were resting upstairs. Did you have a good nap?"

Bella's eyes flicked over to meet Klaus' and she turned bright red. "Um, it was fine. I had a weird dream but that's it."

Rebekah shot another glare at her brother before moving to link arms with Bella. "You weren't sleeping for very long, are you sure you don't want to rest anymore?"

She shook her head, quietly allowing Rebekah to lead her out of the kitchen. "I'm good."

It was obvious that she was lying, but Rebekah knew her well enough at that point to refrain from arguing the point. "Since you're here, shall we watch a movie? I feel like staying in this afternoon and being lazy."

Klaus stayed in the kitchen, listening to Rebekah easily rouse Bella into conversation as they headed into the home theater room that both Rebekah and Kol had come to favor. He guessed that his baby sister was hoping that watching a relaxing movie would lull Bella back to sleep and he hoped she was right. She had barely rested at all and he wondered if she had been too surprised by his presence in her dream to truly sleep or if the pull on her mind had been too strong for her to be at ease in the field he had pushed her subconscious into.

Either way, he knew Rebekah would keep a close eye on her for the next few hours, leaving Klaus free to run a few errands.

It seemed that a stop at the Forbes' house would be in order and he reveled in the fight he knew would be coming his way.

(A/N): Hello all! Bet you didn't expect to hear from me so soon, did you? Well you're in luck; Klaus would not shut up. We'll see whether that continues for the next chapter but you just never know. I have also posted the next chapter for Time to Go Home, my Hermione/OUAT story and I would love it so much if you all went and checked it out. I honestly can't say when I will next update both because my muse is all sorts of unpredictable but also because I am getting ready to move abroad so that has turned into a bit of a time consuming endeavor. I'm shocked, really.

Also, I am almost ready to post my Bella/Elijah story, which is just a mess of tears and angst. Are we interested?

This chapter is unbetaed so any mistakes are all mine! Thanks to Hannbells for loving this so much and making me feel all sorts of pressured to get this out for her.