Chapter 11 :

It had been a couple of days since the Original family had been reunited and lived in Bella's large house. They now all had new looks, new clothes and new IDs (Thanks to Elijah and his numerous and very useful contacts). Rebekah and Kol were registered in school to finish the year with Bella and things were almost perfect.

Rebekah was still yearning for Stefan and very anxious to finally have a serious conversation with him. She was relieved when Bella suggested they had a small party to introduce them to her friends aware of the supernatural. Stefan wouldn't be able to escape her there, he'd have to talk to her, to face her.

Beside the Salvatore and Jasper, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Elena, Jeremy, Anna, Alaric and Jenna were invited. It would be a lot of people so Bella asked Elijah and Klaus to get some tables out of her basement and into her garden so she could seat everyone. Kol rushed to get the chairs before she even had to ask, wanting her to have a good opinion of him.

"My brothers are transformed in your presence Isabella." Finn commented, amused by his brother's behaviors.

"I don't know why they keep acting so foolishly." Bella replied.

"They like you. They are attracted to you and want your attention." Sage explained.

"All three of them? No way. Why would they?" Bella asked.

She didn't see why they wanted her attention so much. She didn't see anything so special about herself, she was rather normal but it did feel good to know that Klaus, and the others of course, could want her.

"Yes, all three of them, because you're smart, powerful, funny and charming." Finn replied.

"Careful Finn, I'm standing right here you know, I might get jealous." Sage warned her love with a small smile.

"Don't worry Sage you know that you're the only one for me." Finn reassured her before he kissed her neck softly.

"Well, while the two of you supervise them here I will go back to the kitchen and prepare some more food for tonight." Bella declared, willing to move the subject away from who is interested in her and who's not.

While she was in her kitchen working on some pie, Kol came in:

"Bella, I was hoping to catch you alone." He told her with a flirty smile she had already learned to recognize in the short time she knew him.

"What's going on, Kol?" Bella asked him as she buttered a plate.

"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you knew just how much I appreciate the sacrifices you make to welcome us into your home."

"Don't worry, I didn't have to sacrifice anything." Bella replied with a smile.

"You're so modest, and pretty. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate and come to me." Kol assured her before he winked at her and left the room.

Bella sighted. This was just what she needed, another vampire who wanted to date her. She was grateful that Damon had stopped asking her out. Maybe Bonnie spending time with him had something to do with it. if that was the case, she was glad.

A few minutes later, as she put the pie in the oven, Klaus entered the kitchen.

"How are you doing Bella? Do you need any help?" He asked her.

"Not really, no. I'm almost done here but thanks anyway." She replied.

"Okay then. You know, I'm really grateful for everything you're doing for my family and for me. I'm aware that without you we wouldn't be so happy together, you work miracles." He told her, looking her in the eyes.

Bella blushed. Somehow, his words touched her more than Kol's had.

"It was nothing really, I'm happy to help and your family is good company." Bella replied softly and truthfully.

She enjoyed the time spent in Klaus' company. He knew how to make her laugh.

"Thank you for everything, really." Klaus insisted before he kissed Bella's cheek and left the room, knowing he made her blush once more.

Bella couldn't help but love the way she felt when Klaus was near her. She felt safer, happier, freer.

When Klaus left the room Bella turned to the sink to do the dishes. She was almost done when Elijah came in the room.

She rolled her eyes before turning his way to see what he wanted. She had a feeling it was for the same reasons his brothers did. Like Finn and Sage had said, they were looking for her attention and affection.

"Do you need any help Bella?" He asked her when he saw her turning her head his way.

"I'm almost done with the dishes." She smiled.

"I just wanted to tell you how grateful I was for everything you've done for my family and I." He told her.

"It's nothing really. I'm happy to help." She repeated, hopefully for the last time of the day.

"You know that shall you need anything, you can come to me, right?" He asked her.

"Yes, of course I do and I thank you for that. You're a dear friend." She replied, setting with the 'friend' word, some sort of barrier between them.

"I hope my family being here doesn't inconvenience you. We could always move you know, there are some houses for sell in town." He told her.

Elijah was staying in place, having understood that she was only interested in being his friend for now. He wasn't blind either, he could see that she had made some sort of connection with Klaus and he couldn't stand in their way. His brother deserved love in his life just as much as anyone else.

"Don't worry about it, I like the company." Bella replied.

"Kol and Klaus are interested in you… I… I hope it's not going to end with a fight." Elijah told Bella honestly.

"Don't worry, it won't. Kol isn't really interested in me, he's only looking for company and fun, once he's realized that I'm not the one for that, he'll move on to someone else, maybe Caroline, I think she'd be good for him." Bella replied in a low voice, just as honestly.

"What about Klaus? Do you like him that way?" Elijah asked her, still serious.

"Elijah, I just got out of a relationship with Damon and the boyfriend I had before that broke me so much I couldn't do anything for days. I'm not going to date anyone anytime soon. I need time to concentrate on myself for now." Bella explained to him.

"Good idea. How much time, you think?" He asked.

"I don't know Elijah. Enough time so I can figure out who I am by myself, why?" she asked him, already knowing deep down that he was asking for his brother.

"Maybe I want to look out for my brother." Elijah replied.

"That's nice of you, but I think Klaus is capable of asking me out on his own when he's ready." Bella chuckled, forgetting to lower her voice.

"You're right, but sometimes he needs guidance and I'm here to provide it for him." Elijah replied.

"Because you're my friend?" Bella asked him with a smile.

"Yes, because in the short time since we met, you managed to become my best friend." Elijah replied before he left the room to help Rebekah who was calling him.

As soon as Elijah was out of the room, Klaus came back with his usual charming smile and told Bella:

"Whenever you're ready, I would love to take you out on a date. Take your time to be ready, I'm a very patient man." He told her before he kissed her cheek once more and left in a blur.

.

A few hours later, everyone was there and had been introduced to the family of originals.

Stefan had come a bit earlier than everyone else to have the opportunity to speak with Rebekah while there wasn't too many ears to listen to their conversation. It had been an awkward experience for the two of them. At first sight, they were reminded of the love and passion they once felt for each other but as soon as they started to talk, it became obvious that this love belonged in their past. Stefan had changed and even Rebekah wasn't really the same anymore. They were both different and at different places in their lives.

Of course they agreed to try and become friends but Rebekah promised to stay away from him for a while, long enough for Elena to feel reassured about Stefan's love for her and the fact that he was completely hers and that she had nothing to worry about.

Stefan also used this occasion to speak with Klaus a bit more. He remembered how close they used to be and he wanted that again, even if Klaus had his family back, even if Stefan had his brother and Jasper. He wanted them to be friends, he wanted to see if this tamed version of Klaus and his animal diet self could be friends like the ripper and the wild Klaus had been.

Stefan wasn't mad at Klaus for taking his memories away, now that he knew why it had been done, he understood. He probably would have done the same thing. It had been done not only to protect Rebekah and Klaus but also to protect him. He wouldn't have been able to hold his own against Mickeal, Klaus had saved his life when he compelled his memories away.

Later, once everyone arrived, Stefan still went to introduce Rebekah to Elena. It had been tensed and awkward at first but Rebekah made sure to let Elena know that she would play nice and that Stefan and her were in the past. Though Elena would need to have a private conversation with Stefan later, she felt reassured and agreed not to be hostile toward the Original Vampire as long as Rebekah was polite to her too.

Bella had been tensed too during this little meeting so she had asked Jasper to stay close to them, just in case he was needed to calm one of them. The young witch was pretty happy with the way her evening turned out though, everyone was making an effort to get along and it was a very peaceful evening.

She spotted Damon talking with Sage and Finn and remembered that Sage had mentored Damon once upon a time. The surprised came when she realized that Damon had come with Bonnie and that the young witch was sticking by his side, happy to be in his presence.

"Rebekah, let me introduce you to Jasper, a good friend of mine. I'm sure the two of you will get along well." Bella told the blond before leaving them alone to get to know each other.

"Hello, I'm Jasper Whitlock. Enchanting to meet you." He greeted her as he kissed her hand in a very gentlemanly way.

"I'm Rebekah." She replied, shaking the strong man's hand before adding: "You're a cold one right?"

"Yes, I am." Jasper replied.

"And your eyes are gold… Why is that?" Her tone showed true curiosity and Jasper smiled.

"Because I don't feed on humans, I feed on animal blood." He answered with a smile.

He liked the girl and he could feel self doubt and insecurity coming from her. He wanted to help her. He didn't know why but he felt she needed him, not anyone else. He decided that someone as gorgeous as she was should have better self confidence.

"Why? It's much easier to drink on humans, isn't it?" She asked.

She couldn't help but want to speak with him some more. She felt good with him. He made her feel at ease, safe and pretty.

"Well, I used to feed on human during my war days but I'm an Empath and after a while I fell into a depression. When I met Carlisle, he introduced me to a new way of feeding. It's more fun and just as good. Of course I'm not as strong as I could be if I fed on human blood but I'm strong enough to protect the people I love and the animal blood helps me remember my human emotions, it prevents me from turning into a monster like so many other Cold Ones." Jasper explained as they walked outside toward the table.

"You were in the war?" Rebekah asked with interest.

"Yes, first in the confederate army and after that in the Newborn southern wars." He replied.

She was truly interested in his story and his part in history and he was more than willing to share it with her.

"I'm sure that what you lack in strength you can balance with your experience." She guessed.

"Exactly." He nodded.

They had now reached the table and Jasper puller a chair out for her.

"You won't be able to eat right now will you?" She asked him.

"Usually I can't but Bella found a potion that I can drink before a meal. This way I don't have to choke things back up later and I can actually enjoy the taste." The blond Cold One explained to her.

"That's nice of her."

"It's just who she is, Bell wants what's best for the people she likes. She'll do anything for the people she loves."

"And she loves you."

"We're friends, I see her like a little sister I want to protect. Right now I'm trying to resist pulling her away from your brothers." Jasper finished with a half frown.

"Kol will give up soon. He is just attracted to Bella physically because he's bored, he'll find someone more accessible and give up on her." Rebekah replied with a smile as Jasper took the seat next to her.

They could both see Bella at the end of the table with Elijah and Klaus around her.

"What about Elijah and Klaus?" Jasper asked.

"I'm not sure, I think they both like her as a friend and see that she could be more. She's the perfect girl for them, at least I can see her happy with any of them but I know Elijah will stand back. He'll be happy just being her friend and he can see how much Klaus feels for her already, he doesn't want to take that from him again." Rebekah explained.

"Do you think they could fight each other for her?" He asked her.

"No. They did that for Tatia and learned a lesson. Anyway, Elijah just sees her as a very good friend now, nothing more. Can't you tell their intentions from their feelings?" Rebekah asked him.

"Reading your family isn't as easy as everyone else but you're right. Elijah loves Bella like a best friend, a confident he can trust but Klaus… It might not be love yet but it's well on the way to become it. He's trying to resist because he's afraid, probably of getting hurt, but he knows she'd never hurt him so he's having a hard time resisting." Jasper explained.

While they talked some more, Bella was having a great time listening to Elijah and Klaus' story. She knew that Elijah was only staying with Klaus and her because she wasn't ready to be on her own with the original hybrid yet and she was thankful for it. Seeing on the corner of her eyes that Sage was alone while Finn talked with Alaric, Bella decided to jump in and bring Sage into their own conversation.

"So Sage, I'm sure you're happy to be finally reunited with Finn." Bella stated.

"Of course, I've been waiting a long time to be reunited with my Love again." She replied softly.

"It's so sweet. Like a fairy tale come true." Bella smiled fondly.

"Which Fairy tale?" Finn asked curiously.

"Sleeping beauty." Bella answered with a small blush while the whole table exploded with laughter.

"I'm guessing Finn is the sleeping beauty?" Kol laughed, loving this new opportunity to mock his big brother.

"Yes, and Sage is totally the right girl to play the knight in shining armor." Damon added.

He had been talking with Kol for the past few minutes and liked him already. They were really alike and he couldn't wait to introduce him to Enzo later.

"I don't mean to upset you, I was just stating a fact. Your story is the kind of story we expect to see in a fairy tale." Bella explained to the couple.

"Don't worry, I'm fine with it." Finn replied softly.

When she saw that Stefan and Damon were laughing, she decided to play with them a little.

"Oh, you can laugh Damon but you're very similar to a fictional character too." Bella commented with mischief shining in her eyes.

"Who?" Damon asked in a doubtful tone.

"You and your brother are like the characters of How I Met Your Mother. While Stefan is like Ted Mosby, you are exactly like Barney Stinson, minus the suits." Bella told him, enjoying his offended look.

"I am not!" Damon replied while Stefan nodded his head and said "Fair enough".

"Yes you are! You keep trying to have sex with anyone you meet, you tell them lies to get them in your bed: You're exactly like Barney!" Elena exclaimed, siding with Bella and ignoring Bonnie, who hadn't confided her feelings in her yet.

Bonnie looked down after hearing this and Bella changed the subject. She really wanted Bonnie and Damon to have a shot at being happy together, at least for a while. She changed the subject to Stefan's slow adaptation to human blood and Bonnie looked happier.

After some time, Elijah started a conversation with Jenna and Alaric and got along quite well with the human couple. Alaric being an historian loved the stories Elijah could tell him and Bella saw a pretty friendship starting between them.

When Bella went in the kitchen to get the pies that were done, Jasper left Rebekah to help her. The blond original stood up and went to see Sage to try and bond with the woman who could be her sister. On the way, Rebekah walked pass Elena and Caroline talking about homework and, as she nodded with a smile their way, her eyes zeroed on Elena's neck and the jewelry that was hanging on it:

"Where did you get that? It's mine!" Rebekah exclaimed, pulling the necklace away from Elena.

Everyone turned their way, wondering what was going on this time. Bella and Jasper were back from the kitchen, laughing and stopped dead in their tracks.

"What? Stefan gave it to me!" Elena justified, refusing to let anyone think of her as a thief.

"Right, I forgot! I found it the night Rebekah and Klaus left me in Chicago right before a man asked me if I'd seen them. I only now remember it was yours." He finished, looking at Rebekah.

"Well, it's very important to me and I want it back." Rebekah declared closing her hand around the necklace, refusing to let it go.

Bella and Jasper were at the table now and they put the pies down. Apparently, Elena understood and didn't try to fight for the necklace she loved. If it was so important to Rebekah, she'd let her have it.

"It's a pretty necklace." Bella said as she walked closer, ready to intervene if needed.

"Yes it is. It was my mother's." Rebekah replied, opening her hand to look at the jewelry.

"May I see it?" Bella asked her.

The bond nodded and Bella took the necklace in her hand. She felt a surge of power surround her and gasped. Everyone reacted at the same time.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked.

"Are you hurt?" Elijah asked.

"What's happening?" Kol asked.

"Why the shock?" Jasper asked.

"What's wrong with the thing?" Tyler asked.

"Rebekah, this necklace holds very powerful and very dangerous magic. Who gave it to you?" Bella asked the blond, ignoring everyone else.

"Ayana gave it to me after mother died. She said never to part with it. Why?" Rebekah was confused now.

"I'm not sure but I think this necklace is some sort of portal. It gives your mother access to our world, allowing her to possess the carrier, inhabit its body if you will, whenever she wants to."

Everyone stayed silent.

"Is that why I got possessed by that dark thing a while back?" Elena asked in a little voice as Stefan came closer to hug her.

"It's very possible." Bella replied before she added:

"Esther wasn't the one possessing you but it's possible she used the necklace as a portal to send someone else to possess you, I'm surprised it happened so few times. She was probably hoping the spirit would cause your death, which would unable Klaus from Breaking the curse."

"What do I do with it then?" Rebekah asked as they all watched the necklace like it was the devil itself.

She was holding it with the tip of her fingers, eager to get rid of it and with it, her mother's horrible influence.

"We could leave it upstairs until tomorrow. Then I'll do a spell to ask to speak with Esther and try to reason with her, find more about this." Bella suggested.

Rebekah nodded and Bella used her magic to fly the necklace up to her magic room. While Bella went to have a piece of pie and talk with Caroline, Rebekah went back to Jasper, whose company she was actually enjoying.

Finn watched the necklace fly upstairs and was torn. Should he defend his mother and her plan to bring them all back in witch's bodies after killing them or not? He did enjoy the family life they all had right now and he knew that his mother wouldn't hesitate to kill Sage, whom she had never liked. His mother would ruin their present happiness and peace for her own gain and, when he thought about it, was she really a victim in her war against Dahlia?

As he decided to leave his mother alone and to ignore her, another question struck Finn: What about Dahlia?

"Something wrong Finn?" Sage asked him.

"It'll be fine." He shook his head, deciding to ignore it all.

If the opportunity came for him to be alone with Bella, then he would tell her everything he knew about their aunt and the potential danger she represents but until then, he'd keep on enjoying these happy and peaceful days. There was no hurry, no need for him to worry everyone with this story.

.

At some point during the night, Stefan put some music and couples started forming to dance around the garden. Alaric was dancing with Jenna, Jeremy with Anna, Stefan with Elena, Damon with Bonnie, Jasper invited Rebekah to dance and she accepted. Bella was now sitting, watching the couples dancing and was quite happy with it until she realized that the only ones left were Caroline and her with Kol, Elijah and Klaus.

Kol stood and face her:

"May I have this dance fair Bella?" he was charming but Bella replied:

"Oh Kol, you obviously haven't been around long enough to know that dancing is a very bad idea for me. With my terrible balance I'd end up killing half the people here in just a few seconds."

"You're sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." She replied softly.

"Okay then. Sweet Caroline, would you be up for a dance or are you, too, afraid to fall?" Kol asked.

"I'm not afraid to fall, I'd be happy to dance with you." Caroline replied and followed the youngest original brother to the improvised dance floor.

All of a sudden, Bella found herself alone sitting between Elijah and Klaus. They were keeping her entertained by keeping the conversation flowing but she could feel that Klaus was dying to ask her for a dance. She really was grateful for that fact that he understood her and let her have her space.

Bella decided to concentrate on the fireflies that were dancing around the couples. It was very romantic, as if nature itself wanted to make their evening even better.

"I'll start to clear the table." Bella announced quietly, standing up.

"I'll help." Klaus replied while Elijah danced with Liz Forbes.

"You don't have to, I can do it." She quickly told him.

"I want to." He insisted, grabbing a large pile of empty plates from her hands with one of his charming and irresistible smiles.

"Thanks." She blushed and hurried to grab something else.

"Everything won't fit in the dishwasher." Klaus warned her.

"I know, we'll run it tonight and tomorrow morning." She replied.

"Or I can wash the dishes if you want." He offered.

"You?" Bella chuckled.

"What?" He asked her, smiling as well.

"Don't take it the wrong way but I have a hard time picturing you, the feared hybrid vampire, washing the dishes." Bella replied, still laughing.

"What a nice sound your laugh is." Klaus whispered, making Bella blush some more.

"I… Don't worry about the dishes, we can run the dishwasher tomorrow." Bella added before she went back outside to grab some more dirty dish.

"So, are you going to stand in the way of Jasper and Rebekah's potential happiness?" Bella asked Klaus later, when they were once more alone in the Kitchen.

"I don't know this Jasper very well. Would you let him date your sister?" He asked her.

"I would. He's a good man." She replied.

"Then I'll take a page out of your book and I won't stand in their way." Klaus decided, making Bella smile.

.

The next day was a school day, the first one for Rebekah and Kol. Wanting to spend more time with Rebekah, Jasper had also enrolled and was now a senior along with Bella and Kol. Rebekah was a junior with most of the others while Jeremy and Anna were sophomores.

At lunch Bella, Rebekah, Caroline, Anna, Bonnie and Elena were eating together while the boys were somewhere else playing a ball game.

"So Bella, do you know what you're going to do with all your suitors?" Rebekah asked with a small smile.

"It's not funny Rebekah and they aren't that many." Bella replied with a kind smile.

"I think it's quite funny. Your love life looks like a supernatural episode of the Bachelor." Caroline joked, making them all laugh, even Bella.

"Who is on the list?" Bonnie asked.

"There is no list." Bella replied.

"Who wants a shot at dating you then?" Anna asked.

"Well, Damon seems to have calmed down in that area and maybe he'll leave me alone now that… Well, I think he's done with me and has moved on." Bella replied looking at Bonnie who blushed slightly.

"Yes, he's been spending a lot of time with Bonnie lately." Elena agreed.

"So who's left then?" Caroline asked.

"Tyler hinted that he was still interested yesterday and this morning but I know he doesn't have feelings for me, he just wants to have fun and he is not really my type." The young witch explained.

"And then you have my brothers." Rebekah started.

"Which ones?" Caroline asked with interest.

"Kol, Klaus and Elijah have showed great interest in our Bella." The original girl replied with a smile while Bella blushed.

"Are they all serious about Bella or do they just want to have fun?" Elena asked curiously.

"For Kol it's just lust, he'll probably move on soon if he hasn't already." Rebekah replied, serious now.

"Yeah, he asked me if I'd want to have dinner with him tonight, this morning. I told him I wasn't ready to date yet and he said it was okay. I think he has someone else in mind." Bella explained, thinking of the way he danced with Caroline.

"Well he did seem to be having fun with Caroline last night." Anna hinted as they all turned their head toward her.

"He did mention that if I felt too lonely he would welcome me in his bed. You know, vampire hormones and all that." Caroline whispered softly with a small smile.

"So that leaves Elijah and Klaus." Bonnie realized.

"Yes, but Elijah is only a friend, a very good friend, but just a friend. He agrees that we're only friends." Bella explained.

"That leaves Niklaus." Rebekah stated.

"Yes, and he knows that I'm not ready to date anyone yet. He's agreed to give me the time I need." Bella replied.

"What if he finds someone else in the mean time?" Elena asked Bella.

"Then he wasn't serious about me and it wasn't meant to be." Bella replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I wouldn't count on it. I know my brother and have seen him with women over the years. I can guaranty you that he's very serious and won't go after anyone else until you clearly tell him that you don't want him. He kind of has a one track mind when it comes to things like that." Rebekah told Bella.

"Why don't we stop talking about my lack of love life and concentrate on someone else's existent one?" Bella suggested, looking at Elena who in turn tried to bring the attention to Bonnie and Damon.

.

Rosalie had been sick for the past two days and she knew what it meant. She went immediately to Carlisle who confirmed her diagnosis: she was pregnant!

Jumping with joy, she rushed to find Emmett and tell him the good news.

Everyone was happy for them but Rosalie couldn't help but think that Rose's joy was faked. Why was she texting? Who was she texting? Edward stayed by Rose's side and it looked like he was in on the secret, something she didn't like at all.

Later, Rosalie stepped outside with Emmett and called Bella:

"Hey Bella, how is it going?" The blond asked.

"Rosalie! I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm pregnant!" The joy radiated in Rosalie's voice behind the worry and Bella smiled.

"Congratulations! But you sound worried, what's wrong?"

"I just feel something is off with Rose and Edward, I don't know why."

"Trusting your instincts is often a good thing, especially when you have magic powers." Bella replied.

"I'm afraid of staying in the same house. I know that it's silly but still." Rosalie sounded worried.

"I know you couldn't stay in the reservation because you'll need to drink blood during the pregnancy but I'm sure Charlie would love the company. He knows you share our blood now and I told him if things didn't go well at the Cullen's you could come over. He doesn't mind." Bella informed her.

"Really?" Rosalie asked with hope in her voice.

"Yes, really. Or you could come here. I have company but I still have a room for you if you want." Bella replied.

"I think I'll stay a little while longer in Forks to see if I can find out what's wrong with Rose and Edward and then I'll come to you." Rosalie decided.

"Also it would be better if Carlisle was with you for the delivery." Bella warned.

"Okay, I'll see how to deal with this then, I'll call you back in a couple of days." Rosalie told Bella before hanging up and going back in Emmett's arms.

"I'm sure it's a girl. I can feel it." Rosalie announced him.

"I thought you wanted a boy?" He asked her tenderly.

"I don't really mind, but I know it's a girl." She assured him.

"Well, boy or girl I'll love it and take care of it forever." Emmett whispered tenderly in her ear.

"Let's go and see Charlie before I get too sick to be able to be moved." Rosalie told him.

They went to see the man and he was happy for them. Just like Bella told her, the man invited them to stay with him for a while. Rosalie accepted, reminding him she would be drinking blood for the baby. Charlie didn't mind of course, as long as it wasn't his and that nobody got hurt. Emmett told him they would make her drink a mix of donated blood and animal blood and it was enough to calm what little worries that he had.

.

Kol was a little disappointed when Bella told him that she wasn't interested by him but he understood. He was offering her a few night of fun, not real love and she was the kind of girl who wanted love, hearts and flowers. His brother was a better choice, he actually had feelings for Bella that were much stronger than friendship.

However, he still had needs and he needed to take care of them so he decided to invite Caroline Forbes out that night.

The girl agreed and he smiled. He knew she would be fun. Just like him she was desperately looking for someone to take care of her needs.

.

Bella was just going home after hanging out with Elena and Bonnie when Damon came to see her. Nobody else was home, they were all out taking care of their own businesses and she had been hoping for some alone and quiet time.

"Damon. Something's wrong?" she asked him.

"Can't I come and see you when everything is fine? I thought we were still friends." He smiled at her.

"We are. You just look like you really want to say something and it worries me." Bella explained.

"Actually I do have something to talk to you about." Damon admitted with a small smile.

"I'm listening." Bella nodded as she led him to the living room to sit down.

"I was wondering if we still had a shot…" He started.

"Damon, please don't do this. I told you we were over. We had our shot and we blew it."

"You mean I blew it." Damon replied looking down guiltily.

"No Damon, I mean WE blew it. Maybe if I had put more trust in you over Rose… But it's done now and we both know we wouldn't be happy together anymore."

"I know, I guess I just wanted to see if there was still hope before…" Damon stopped before he could finish his sentence.

He obviously wasn't sure if he could tell her more or not.

"Before what?" She asked him with a small smile to put him at ease.

"I'm not really sure, I think there might be something with… someone."

"Well, that's clear." Bella chuckled, showing him she was fine with it.

Of course she knew who he was talking about, at least she hoped she knew. If he had someone else in mind, someone that wasn't Bonnie, she'd have to get angry at him again and to kick his ass for giving the poor girl fast hopes.

"I've been spending some time with Bonnie lately." He told her.

"So I've been told, Bonnie really likes the time the two of you are spending together." Bella informed him.

"Really? She told you about this?" The eldest Salvatore asked her, hope in his voice.

"Of course, she told me she liked you before she even went to you." Bella confessed, knowing that Damon needed to be reassured.

"So you're okay with me and her going out as more than friends sometimes?" He asked her, looking relieved.

"Of course I am." Bella assured him with a smile.

"You know I'll always care about you, right?" Damon asked her before he walked out the front door to go back home.

"Just like I'll always care about you. We're friends Damon. Always will be." Bella assured him before he kissed her forehead and left the house.

Bella sighted and went back inside. Since it was still pretty outside, she took her literature homework on the porch and went to work outside, under the sun.

.

She was putting the finishing touches to her essay when she got a phone call. The ID showed it was from Carlisle.

"Carlisle? What's going on?" Bella asked.

"We've got a problem Bella. Rose and Edward left. Rosalie did a small spell and found out they went to join Alice." Carlisle informed her in a depressed voice.

This treason from his first turned must hit him hard. She knew that Edward had only been his son, he'd also been his best friend and his first companion.

"Did they say anything? Take anything?" Bella asked him.

"Not much, just some money and cloths. They left a little after Rosalie announced that she was pregnant. They said they were going hunting and didn't come back. They just sent us a text."

"It's not your fault Carlisle, Alice was preparing this from the beginning. You're not responsible for this." Bella reassured the man.

"I know but I still feel bad." he replied.

"Well, there's not much we can do now." Bella said.

"Emmett says that Rosalie would feel better near you now, Safer." Carlisle hinted.

"Of course. Together we would be even stronger and she would be safe in my house. I told her she was welcome to stay." Bella replied.

"Esmee and I wanted to follow them."

"Of course you do, it's natural. You want to protect what's left of your family. I'm sure I can find you a room in my house, even if we're pretty full now." Bella started but was interrupted.

"Don't worry about this Bella, Jasper told us that Stefan and Damon invited us to stay in their house." Carlisle replied, a smile in his voice.

"I'm sure they would love the company." Bella replied softly.

"We should be there in the next few days. We'll call you later with the latest update." Carlisle assured her before they said their goodbyes and hung up.

.

When everyone got home later in the evening, Bella told them the latest news she had received during the day.

"Rose and Edward left the Cullen's and joined Alice and Katherine." She told them.

"Yeah, Jasper told me, he got a call from Esmee while Carlisle was calling you. They're really worried." Rebekah added.

"It's like they decided to form a bitch club or something." Kol groaned before he added "They're such a buzz kill!"

"Do we know what their plan is?" Sage asked.

"Well, Rose hates me because I got Damon when she wanted him. She probably wants me dead and when she find out he has his eyes set on Bonnie she'll want to kill her too. Katherine wants Elena dead because she got Stefan. Edward still wants me too I think. Since Rose got close to him she probably hates me even more for it. Edward will probably want dead any man that is or was close to me like Damon, Elijah and Klaus." Bella guessed.

"He might decide to try to kill anyone that has a crush on you." Elijah muttered, concerned for Bella.

"Well, that's quite a list." Rebekah chuckled.

"What about Alice. What does she want?" Finn asked.

"I'm not sure what she really wants but I'm guessing power and influence. She was going to use me as her slave-pet apparently, I'm sure she'd like me dead too now that I've spoiled her plan. You know, she's probably in the whole 'If I can't have her, then no one can.' thing." Bella informed them.

"That's a lot of people we need to watch over and a lot of people who wants to hurt you." Rebekah stated with concern for her new friend.

"Well anyway, Carlisle and Esmee are coming back with Rosalie and Emmett." Bella added, changing the subject.

"It's understandable. They've lost two of their children already, I can't imagine how that must feel right now." Sage commented.

"Do you need us to vacate a room?" Finn asked with concern.

"No, don't worry about this. Rosalie and Emmett already have a room reserved on my floor and Carlisle and Esmee have been invited to stay with the Salvatore's." Bella informed them.

"I'm sure they'll love having two parental authorities under their roof." Kol joked.

Klaus then informed them that Esther's coffin had just arrived and that he put it in the basement until they found out what to do with it. He had spend the whole day trying to destroy it and was quite frustrated when he realized that he couldn't do it.

They all followed Bella in her magic room. She put candles in a circle on the floor and opened the book on the page to call a spirit.

"Hear my words, hear my cries, spirits from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."

As soon as she said those words, lights appeared and Esther stood transparent in front of them. She didn't immediately see her children, her focus was on Bella who had called her.

"Who are you? How dare you summon me, do you know who I am?" Esther raged, not looking around to see her children. She was concentrated on yelling at Bella.

"My name is Bella. It would be polite of you to greet your children." Bella replied, pointing to the original vampires who were staring at the spirit of their mother.

"You despicable girl! You ruined all my plans!" Esther raged.

"Hey, watch your language when you speak with her, mother!" Klaus snapped, very angry.

"I will speak to her like I please!" Esther snapped back and turned back to Bella.

"Your plans were evil. You can't just decide to kill your children like that, it would kill all their bloodline, all the vampires of their kind. Now THAT would break the balance of nature you seem so intent to protect." Bella replied in a calm voice.

"They are monsters!" Esther yelled.

"That's because you never gave them a chance! You created them and never tried to help them acclimate to what they were, to what you made them. You blamed them immediately, Condemned them." Bella replied.

"You don't know what you're talking about foolish girl!" Esther told Bella.

"Listen, I summoned you here to see if we could make peace, if you refuse that, then I'll have to take actions." Bella warned the dead witch.

"Just try child. I won't go down without a fight!" Esther snapped before she disappeared.

"What did she mean?" Rebekah asked.

"That she would keep on trying to kill you for as long as she had a way. We need to destroy her necklace and coffin or put them were they will never be found." Bella explained to them.

"What did you have in mind?" Klaus asked her softly.

"Maybe in the lava of a volcano?" Bella suggested.

"You can do that?" Kol asked, impressed.

"Of course. With a spell strong enough I can do anything." Bella replied a bit smugly before she added "maybe add a potion to it just to be sure it works like I want it to."

"Do you need help with this?" Elijah asked her.

"It's okay, I'm going to work on it now, but you guys should stay around in case I need ingredients I don't have here." Bella replied softly as they all nodded and left her alone in the room.

She spent a few hours working on it and found all the ingredients she needed to reinforce the spell she would cast. For a couple of them, she sent Klaus to get them in the basement but all in all, she found everything easily.

She placed the necklace on top of the coffin and called everyone to come and see if they wanted.

They did. They wanted to see justice done.

"Okay, here we go then: In this night and in this hour I call upon the higher power to help me destroy this unfit mother. Block her path to our side so her children don't ever have to hide. In the fires of hell her coffin will burn so that she can't ever return. In this night and in this hour, I call upon the higher power to help me destroy this unfit mother."

As she recited her spell, a bunch of dangerous looking lights danced around the big coffin. Before she recited the last verse she threw the potion and when she was done, the coffin disappeared in a bunch of flames.

"Is it done then?" Kol asked, surprised by the spectacle it had been.

"Yes, it's done." Bella nodded.

"You look tired." Klaus noted is a worried voice that showed how much he truly cared for her.

"I am. Esther had placed strong protections and I should have called upon my ancestor for help. I'm going to go get some sleep now, get some rest. Good night." She replied with a small smile, leaving the room.

The siblings all went downstairs and drank a glass of wine, each mourning the mother they had lost a long time ago. Finn was especially sad and decided to tell them what he remembered of Freya and how she was taken by their aunt. He told them the entire story, what he remembered of it and what his mother had told them.

"I think we can all agree that Mother wasn't the most honest person we knew. We can't trust her version of it." Elijah reminded them.

"Yes. We should probably tell Bella about it and see what she thinks of it." Rebekah added.

"She has enough on her mind right now. We'll tell her later, when things calm down with this Alice person." Klaus decided and nobody argued with him.

"Do you think that Freya could still be alive?" Finn asked them.

"If she is and hasn't been brainwashed by our aunt, then Bella will be able to find her." Klaus replied faithfully.

"I'm sure she'll be able to do something even if our sister has been brainwashed by our aunt." Elijah added.


What did you think about the fact that I added Freya in the story?

Review?

Lorelei Candice Black