The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 11: Catch Me If I Fall
I don't own anything except the plot, that's mine.
~*~I~*~
I can't be losing sleep over this, no, I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing
Give me a few hours, I'll have this all sorted out
If my mind would just stop racing
"Dammit Rebekah!" Marcel growled, banging his hand down on a table. "Why didn't you say anything? He showed up here and I had no warning, no clue he was even alive again… nothing!"
"I didn't think it was possible." Rebekah defended. "There's no way he should have been able to come back."
"But you knew they were going to try?"
Rebekah nodded, looking thoughtful. "I'd bet they have your little missing witch with them, that could explain how… and the other girl, she would have had something to do with it too."
Marcel nodded until she mentioned another girl, then frowned.
"What else haven't you told me, Rebekah? What other girl?"
Rebekah sighed at his suspicious tone and sat down. Too used to playing her cards close to her chest, she would have to be completely forthcoming if Marcel was ever going to trust her again. With that in mind she began to tell him what little she knew.
It was a short time later when they were disturbed by a quiet knock on the door and one of Marcel's day-walkers, Diego, poking his head into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt… this guy insisted on seeing 'the boss'. Said he had information you'd want."
Diego swung the door wider to reveal another figure standing beside him, and Rebekah let out a surprised gasp in recognition.
"Hello Tyler."
"Long time no see Rebekah." He smirked wryly. "I might have known I'd find another Original here…"
"Hey!" Rebekah snapped, "Don't lump me in with my bloody brothers. Now, what do you want?"
"Is she the boss then?" Tyler looked at Marcel derisively.
"When she has to be." Marcel's answer was noncommittal. "You know, you still haven't told us what you want here."
"Right… I thought you might like some information about a certain hybrid… and a certain werewolf that's having his child.
"I already know about the baby…" Marcel waved minutely at Rebekah, who slowly got up watching Tyler warily, "You gotta give me something better than that."
Tyler looked at Rebekah. "You already know how Klaus became a hybrid, and then figured out how to make more. Me being one of them…"
He glanced at Marcel. "And I'm assuming you know too… so what if I told you Klaus can use the baby's blood to sire more hybrids?"
Hearing Rebekah's sharp intake of breath, Tyler whirled to face her.
"So I assume you're trying to rally us into helping you make sure the baby is never born then?" Rebekah eyed Tyler coolly as he nodded.
"You're going to take your brother's side aren't you? But you know I'm right."
"You're absolutely right, Tyler." Rebekah smirked, "My brother is a crap enough individual as it is. The last thing he needs is to sire a superior species. But first things first…"
Speeding over to Tyler, she quickly snapped his neck and dropped him to the floor in disgust, before eyeing Marcel and Diego.
"That better be the last time I hear anyone even consider harming that baby. It's Klaus that needs to be stopped."
Marcel nodded and then looked at Diego. "Get him down to the Garden, we'll follow."
"So this is really where you want to put Klaus?" Rebekah asked a while later as she looked around the gloomy basement that was more like something between a dungeon and a cave.
Lots of small sections of wall were partially filled in, with semi-desiccated vampires trapped behind the bricks, serving a penalty for their various infractions. Originally meant to be foundations for a home Marcel wanted to build for him and Rebekah, he had turned it into a prison, a place of punishment, after she had fled the city with Klaus and Elijah to escape Mikael.
"Just make sure you keep him away from anyone else," Rebekah continued at Marcel's nod, "He's got a gift with words, my brother. You don't want him talking the others around, creating dissent."
"I got a spot right in the back for him." Marcel smirked. "I think fifty-two years with only himself to talk to is a good start."
He reached out for Rebekah's hand, taking it and kissing the back of it. "A year for every year he kept you daggered and away from me in the eighteen-hundreds."
"Every year you let him keep me daggered you mean." Rebekah pouted, but didn't pull her hand out of Marcel's hold.
"I'll keep apologising for that, for as long as it takes."
"We'll have to plan this carefully, Klaus is strong… and the minute he gets an idea that I'm involved he'll get even nastier. We need to get him out of the way and get your little witch back to have a good chance of keeping him here." Rebekah looked at Marcel worriedly.
"I can't risk relying on Davina. Her magic was getting unstable anyway, and add in the fact that she's probably been helping your brother by now… she's compromised."
"Then we do it without her. We'll need your best warriors, all of them… and we'll need to get Klaus alone if we're to have any chance of taking him down and keeping him down."
Marcel nodded thoughtfully. "I might have an idea. There's this kid, he's a new vampire… and I'm pretty sure Klaus got to him before I could make him take Vervain. I'd planned to have Davina erase the compulsion…" He trailed off with a frown, the loss of Davina as an asset was a bitter pill to swallow.
"You could use the boy to send Klaus a message that you want to meet." Rebekah suggested. "My brothers wanted you to give up the Abattoir right? Well, play to their pride … tell Klaus you want to discuss it but only with him. You being wary of meeting with all three of them would make sense, given all our history. Klaus would never suspect the messenger of course, and he'd be arrogant enough to believe that you'd just give up your home."
"You know, I like the way you think." Marcel told Rebekah as they walked toward the stairs leading up out of the Garden.
"Of course you do, I'm not just a pretty face."
~*~II~*~
'Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
What is real and just a dream…
Morning light was filtering through the curtains, bathing the room in a hazy glow when Kol woke up.
The heavy storm had eventually blown over during the night, leaving it calm and quiet outside as he lay there silently for a while, simply enjoying the feel of Bella's warm body curled up against him.
His lips twitched up into a smile when she sighed and shifted a little as she slowly began to wake up, reminding him of the way she had moved against him only a matter of hours previously.
Though they had spent a lot of time exploring each other before and after his return, finally being with to Bella in that way had been a profound experience, and one he'd happily revisit as often as possible.
Unlike Bella it was far from being his first time, but the way she'd looked and felt beneath him as he had taken her virginity would be seared into his memory permanently.
Yes, he could definitely get used to a life filled with moments like this, Kol mused to himself, moments like waking up with Bella in his arms.
Bella woke slowly to the feel of Kol's muscular arm wrapped around her as she lay cuddled next to his warm body. She snuggled closer for a moment when his arm tightened briefly, then opened her eyes and stretched languidly.
She felt completely relaxed, with nothing but a vague, almost pleasant ache as a reminder of the night before.
"Morning, sweet girl." Kol murmured sleepily, his face half buried in her hair. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay." Bella started to speak until she was interrupted by low rumble from her stomach. She blushed as Kol broke into laughter.
"I think that's our cue to go find some breakfast darling." He nudged her, smirking.
"Good night was it?" Nik had asked pleasantly as they had walked into the dining room to find him and Elijah there a short while later.
The question sounded innocent enough, but his tone and the amused expression on his face told a different story.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're an ass?" Bella asked taking a seat at the table and returning Elijah's polite acknowledging nod, as Kol snorted in laughter on his way to the kitchen.
"And lived to tell the tale? No." Klaus replied lightly, a slight smile belying his harsh words. "Yet you seem to get away with it frequently."
Bella shrugged, grinning as she looked at him. "Well, if the shoe fits…"
Elijah chuckled quietly behind the book he was reading.
"Touché." Klaus smirked again.
"It does beg the question… what fits you exactly?" Elijah spoke up, closing his book and setting it on the table.
"You've changed a great deal Isabella, even in the short time you have been with us." He explained as she looked at him askance.
"Well I happen to think she fits me rather well." Kol smirked from the kitchen doorway, where he stood with a glass of blood in his hand.
Elijah shook his head, amused in spite of himself, as Klaus chuckled at the redness spreading across Bella's cheeks.
Kol and Klaus were still smirking a few moments later when Hayley walked in looking at their matching expressions, and just shook her head.
"I don't even want to know." She muttered, sitting down and reaching for the jug of juice to pour herself a glass, giving Bella a small smile as she did.
Klaus' smirk finally dropped momentarily as Davina walked in, quickly glancing away with a soft blush when Klaus glanced up at her.
"Morning." She murmured quietly to Bella and Hayley sitting down close to them.
Bella smiled in return, subtly eyeing the way Davina didn't seem able to look in Klaus' direction at all, and that Klaus seemed a little uncomfortable with the young witch in the room.
Resolving to try and catch Davina on her own later, Bella smiled to herself as Kol dropped into the chair next to her, fixing himself a plate of toast and leaning back to eat, his arm casually draped over the back of her chair.
His fingers affectionately brushed her arm, lightly stroking up and down, and making the fine hairs there stand on end, as if a low static charge was running over her skin.
Catching Bella's slight shiver, Klaus smirked almost cheekily at her, opening his mouth to say something until Bella gave him a pointed look, her eyes flicking quickly from him to Davina and back again.
Klaus' mouth closed as he scowled at Bella in response, making Bella snicker silently to herself. Something definitely seemed to have happened between the hybrid and the young witch the night before, she thought, and though she would talk to Davina about it, subtly provoking Klaus in the meantime was fun.
Choosing not to think too hard about the fact she was probably one of the few in history to ever think that about the volatile hybrid in front of her, she also ignored the way it supported what Elijah had been saying.
Just how much had she changed in such a short time? And how much more change was still to come?
Falling in love with Kol and having him return it was easily the best thing that had ever happened to her, and no matter how dangerous he and his brothers were, she found it surprisingly simple to love all three of them.
Elijah, the strong, protective and supportive older brother figure she'd never had. Even Klaus… irritating, vindictive, and regularly murderous, yet in his own way loyal and fierce in his love for his family and the few people he cared about.
Davina had also quickly become someone important, one of the first girls Bella had ever truly connected with, their shared experiences with the Mikaelson brothers building the foundation for a strong bond. Even Hayley was beginning to grow on her, her open hostility having given way to the beginnings of a tentative friendship.
As she looked around the table at her makeshift family that was quickly forming around the Mikaelson brothers, she couldn't bring herself to think that the changes in her were a bad thing.
~*~III~*~
Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
Don't be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again
I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this
It was afternoon by the time Bella finally managed to catch Davina alone in the kitchen making tea.
Elijah and Klaus had both gone out and Kol was studying grimoires in the sitting room again, so putting a finger to her lips, Bella motioned for Davina to follow her upstairs into the room she shared with Kol.
The mystical soundproofing Davina had provided a few days before would enable them to speak without any danger of being overheard.
Sitting cross legged on the large window seat, cradling their warm mugs, Bella raised her eyebrows expectantly at Davina, who just blushed.
"Okay, now I know something happened," Bella snickered as her friend turned red, "Come on, spill it."
Davina looked away, her cheeks flaming as she mumbled. "Klauskissedme… andthenhemighthavesaidhewantedme."
"Klaus… what?" Bella blinked in surprise, had Davina just said Klaus wanted her?
Davina sighed, willing herself to speak slower rather than letting the words nervously tumble out.
"Klaus kissed me."
"And that's a bad thing?" Bella asked, confusion lacing her voice at Davina's subdued tone.
"No…" Davina sipped her tea, trying to gather her thoughts. "He said he wanted me and it was my decision, but if he 'had me' he wouldn't let me go."
"Oh my…" Bella breathed, before cracking a mischievous grin. "So, was it good?"
Davina burst into giggles before nodding. "I don't have much to compare it to… but oh my god, yes. He was amazing."
"Must run in the family." Bella commented, before collapsing into giggles herself.
That was how Kol found them some time later, both still giggling as Davina tried to get Bella to spill details of the night before with Kol.
Kol stopped in the doorway after closing the door behind him, amused when Bella flushed lightly upon noticing him there.
"Exactly how much information have you been sharing, darling?" He asked teasingly, smirking at Bella's reddening face. "Do you girls often talk about this kind of thing? Perhaps I should be here for this, it is my bodily assets you seem to be discussing after all."
"You know, it's moments like this…" Bella looked up at Kol, a faint smirk appearing even with her heated cheeks, "That it really shows you're related to Niklaus."
Kol chuckled, resting a hand over his heart. "How you wound me, darling."
He cut a look at Davina who was snickering. "Though I'm sure you don't share her opinion… hmm? Judging by those mushy little looks I've seen you give my brother when you think no one is watching."
"God you're an ass." Bella snorted, while it was Davina's turn to blush brightly.
"What?" Kol held his hands out, in an attempt to look innocent. "I'm only stating the truth… and if you had watched closely enough you would have seen that he looks back at her just as much."
Davina buried her face in her hands, trying not to show how much effect the words were having on her.
"You're not very good at girl talk are you? Seriously, 'mushy little looks'?" Bella quoted him, laughing softly as he stepped forward and tugged her to her feet, dipping his head to kiss her lightly.
"Of course I'm not, I am most definitely not girly… as you well know." Kol grinned rakishly, winking at Bella. "Anyway, I came up here for a reason. We're having a 'family meeting'" He air quoted, rolling his eyes.
"Of course it includes both of you."
He'd opened the door to leave by the time Davina looked up in surprise.
"But I'm not…"
"Don't be foolish. Even if we ignore what you did to help me come back and be here in the handsome flesh… well, let's be honest, you're only about a half step away from becoming my brother's lover."
He wiggled his eyebrows at the young witch. "Or are you going to try and tell me I'm wrong?"
Davina shook her head, flustered at his use of the word 'lover'. She didn't notice as she answered that not only was the door now slightly open, but Klaus was also halfway up the stairs, having come to see what holding them up.
"No," She replied shyly, "You're not wrong."
"There, see? Like I said, family." Kol smirked as his brother disappeared back downstairs unnoticed by the girls, and held the door open a little wider.
"Shall we, ladies."
Elijah looked up with a gentle smile when Bella and Davina appeared in the doorway behind Kol.
Motioning them to sit down, he finished looking over the sheet of paper in his hand and nodded at his youngest brother.
"This looks like it will work." He glanced between Kol and Klaus meaningfully. "And you are both willing of course."
Sighing resignedly Klaus nodded, not even bothering to ask how Elijah already knew he would be. Elijah had always known him too well.
Kol didn't respond, just took a seat next to Bella, watching as Elijah handed the paper with his meticulously crafted spell adaption to Davina.
The young witch read through it quickly, her eyebrows raising when she realised what it would do.
"You want us," She waved a hand between herself and Bella, "To tie our energy to yours?"
"That's correct." Elijah responded simply.
"Why? What would it mean?"
Kol was relieved that Bella didn't look at all worried, only curious. He knew her time with the Cullens, even with him by her side for much of it, had left her with trust issues. While he didn't expect her to fully trust his family – even he didn't completely trust them at times, he was glad to see that she had enough confidence in him to know that he would not willingly allow anything to happen that might harm her.
"The changes I made to the spell would form a physical bond between us, allowing you the benefit my healing abilities."
Bella nodded, the idea of a physical tie to Kol not seeming like a big difference to how close they already were. Davina however, looked apprehensive.
"What would the bond do?"
"It's simply a physical link," Elijah elaborated, understanding Davina's concern for what it was, "It wouldn't affect anything like thoughts or feelings. You are already aware that for someone as powerful as you there is also an option of breaking the spell, though you would then lose the protection it granted."
Davina nodded, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Glancing at Bella and Kol, she took in the way they were sitting, so wrapped up in each other even in a room full of people, and for a second she almost envied them.
Then a thought occurred to her, would it be Klaus she would be bound to? Did he even want to be linked to her… did she want to be linked to him? What if they were bound and they were not together… would it become awkward if they were not a couple?
The questions flew rapidly through her mind one after another and she froze in place, a slightly panicked expression appearing on her face. Though she was happy to cast the spell for Bella, it was doing it for herself she was uncertain about.
Elijah watched the witch quietly, and realising that only Klaus would be able to ease her worries, decided to give them a little space. Motioning to Bella and Kol, he stood up and nodded to Klaus.
"We'll leave you alone for a moment."
Following Elijah from the room, Bella and Kol also made their way to the kitchen, just far enough away that if Klaus spoke quietly they wouldn't hear him.
Busying himself with the kettle, Elijah swiftly made tea for Davina, knowing it would calm her and then decanted large shots for both himself and Kol. He offered a third one to Bella, amused when she'd refused with a grin, and then poured her a hot chocolate instead.
Drinks in hand, they headed back to the other room where they were greeted with the surprising sight of Klaus standing with his arms wrapped around Davina, her face buried in his chest.
"Okay," Davina mumbled, turning to face them when she heard their return to the room, "I'll do the spell for both of us."
~*~0~*~
'Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening
'Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
What is real and just a dream…
This chapter has been a long time coming, after a lot of trouble trying to get back into this story I hope I've recaptured the feel of it. It's unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own.
Big thanks to anyone that's stuck with this story, I'll try and not make you wait so long for an update again.
Little announcement (or big if you're me lol), I have been nominated in the Non Canon Awards. I'm up for three categories - Underdog Author, Best Crossover (Step to the Edge), and Best Quote (also for Edge). I'm up against some fabulous writers, so please please go and vote - whoever you decide to go for... your votes are what make awards like these a success.
