Chapter Twenty Eight: In Your Arms

"Anything we have known

Anything we've forgotten

In the rain, in the dark we'll lay

In your arms, your arms I'll stay

Take my hand, let's go into the trees…

Follow me, we both know the way…."

Ooo0ooO

"Hello darling."

I stared at Kol and Finn, barely resisting the urge to rub my eyes to make sure they were really there.

The brothers exchanged a glance and Finn gave me a kind smile.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting," he said in a smooth, deep voice. He stepped towards me and put his hand in front of him. I grasped it, marveling in how real it felt.

"I'm Finn, as you probably know," he said. I looked up in his hazel eyes, which were more on the green side whereas Kol's leaned more towards brown.

"Annabelle, or just Anna," I replied. I looked over at Kol, who had a small smile curving the corner of his lips, making me feel uneasy.

"Um, okay, listen," I said, stepping away from the two vampires. "I get this is a dream and apparently I can see…ghosts…but why am I seeing you two?"

"Would you rather be with Niklaus in your dreams, Anna?" Kol purred. Finn shot his younger brother a strained look.

"Kol," he scolded. His patient gaze focused back on me. "I apologize for my brother's behavior. He can be a prat."

"So I've heard," I said dryly, giving Kol a bland look. His eyes narrowed slightly but his easy smile stayed in place.

"I do not understand why you can see us in your dreams," Finn continued. He crossed his arms behind his back, a gesture I began associating with all the Mikaelson men.

"Perhaps it's because of your…bond with Niklaus," Finn said, eyeing my arm. I glanced down and raised a brow. The soul bond lines stained my skin like deep blue ink, crossing in intricate designs.

"All right, suppose you're right. But what's the point of all of this? This has never happened before," I said, wrinkling my brow at the eldest brother.

"I have heard a few whispers," Kol interjected. "That the Bennett witch is cooking up something big with that professor friend of hers."

"Like what?" I asked worriedly. Kol shrugged.

"It's just whispers," he replied dismissively. I glared.

"Kol," I snapped. "C'mon." The vampire looked over at me.

"From the looks of it, Shane wants to raise Silas to bring back the dead, but they both need Bonnie."

"And?" Finn asked.

"And if they want to accomplish this, Bonnie must raise all the supernatural creatures that have died."

"Ever?" I yelped, eyes widening. Again, Kol shrugged.

"But wait-,"

"Annabelle?"

I saw Kol and Finn blur away, and then I woke with a start.

"Annabelle?"

I turned my head to the side and saw Klaus watching me with a worried expression on his face.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked, his blue eyes assessing me quietly. I rolled over on my side to face him.

"I have to tell you something," I said quickly. Klaus's brows beetled together and he nodded.

Ooo0ooO

I listened to Annabelle explain her recent dreams in a state of disbelief. When she was finished, she watched me with worried gray eyes.

I took a deep breath to center myself. "Finn and Kol?"

"Yes," she said. "First it was just Kol then Finn appeared in the last two."

I thought very hard for a moment.

"Maybe you should call your werewolf friend in Italy," Annabelle offered. "Maybe he'll know."

"I don't know, darling. Antonio is an expert when it comes to werewolves not Original Vampires."

"Yes, but they're my dreams. Maybe it does have something to do with the soul bond, and he helped you with that didn't he?" I sighed. She had a valid point.

"I will call him tonight," I said. Annabelle sighed a little and moved closer to press herself against me. I reached up and pulled my necklace out of her night shirt.

"You didn't take it off," I murmured. Pleasant surprise filled me. Anna's lips curved and she pressed her forehead against mine.

"Never," she said solemnly. I nuzzled her and she giggled, which sounded like the tinkling of wind chimes. She then kissed me softly with her warm lips. Warmth built up in my stomach as I kissed her back.

I rolled her on her back, bracing myself above her. Her eyes looked up into mine, smoky and warm, full of love. I leaned down to take her lips again. I felt her hands slid up my back, into my hair.

With one hand, I gently explored her body. She shivered when I traced her side, gasped when I trailed down to the inside of her thigh. I groaned against her lips.

To my surprise, I then found myself on my back, with Annabelle attacking my lips furiously. Her teeth sank into my bottom lip and I nearly growled as desire shot through me like an arrow.

She leaned back with a smug smile on her lips. I watched her heatedly, gripping her hips tightly. She began unbuttoning her shirt, flicking each button one by one slowly. Her pale skin became exposed, showing the tiny pair of black panties she wore underneath the long shirt.

I reached up and parted the shirt, sliding it off her smooth shoulders. Her eyes watched mine, now dark and full of desire. She leaned down to kiss me again and I cupped her small breasts in my hands. I heard her hiss with pleasure and chuckled.

My thumbs brushed over her pretty pink nipples, making Anna's hips jerk slightly. I sat up and she clenched my shirt, pulling it off easily. Her lips met mine again and I gripped her tumbled curls in my hands.

My lips trailed down her throat when she tilted her head back and I felt her moan ripple up the white column. I bit down lightly, teasing her with my fangs. Suddenly she growled and shoved me back down to the bed. I saw gold bleed into her eyes and for a long, heated moment we stared at each other.

The next moment, I had her on her back. I kissed a trail down to her breasts and she writhed under me.

I reached to rip off her panties with one hand when I heard the front door open downstairs.

"Anna? Klaus?"

We both froze at the sound of her brother's voice. Instantly, her eyes cooled as she stared at me in shock. Then she began quietly laughing, her whole frame shaking.

"Every freaking time," she whispered with a little bite to her tone. She flipped me over, kissing me briefly.

Unable to move yet, I watched her slide off the bed, pulling her shirt back on. Anna walked to a dresser and put on a pair of what she called "yoga pants". They were black and made of some sort of stretchy material, which hugged her figure perfectly. I had to admit I rather enjoyed when she wore those pants.

Annabelle looked over at me with a devilish grin, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking about.

"You coming?" she asked teasingly.

Ooo0ooO

Charlie was waiting for us down in the kitchen. I didn't repress the grin or eye roll when I saw him rummaging through the fridge.

"Can't find a diner for breakfast?" I asked. Charlie jumped guiltily, and shot me a dirty look.

"No," he said on a whine. I rolled my eyes again.

"What do you want?" I asked, sighing. I shoved him to the side and he gave me a bright grin.

"The Annabelle Breakfast Special?" he asked hopefully.

"Might I ask what that is?"

Charlie looked over his shoulder at Klaus and gave him an easy smile.

"The Annabelle Breakfast Special is a true breakfast of champions. It consists of eggs, made whichever way you desire, bacon, fried potatoes, cheese and ham or sausage, all wrapped in a flour tortilla to make the perfect breakfast burrito. Served with an extra side of bacon or sausage if you want, along with OJ and some milk, for calcium and stuff."

"Sounds…interesting," Klaus replied. I laughed out loud, getting everything ready so I could start cooking.

"You have to try it, man," Charlie said with emphasis. Klaus chuckled.

"I suppose I will if it's that necessary." Charlie clapped a hand on Klaus's shoulder.

"That's what I like to hear!"

While the males bonded, I scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and served a large breakfast better suited for six adults rather than three.

Charlie watched Klaus's reaction closely as he bit into the burrito. Klaus's eyes widened briefly and he gave Charlie a nod of approval, which seemed to please him immensely.

I watched Charlie and Klaus talk with each other and felt my heart expand with the love I had for the both of them. Nothing made my day quite like my brother and my mate joking around with each other over breakfast.

Once we finished eating, Charlie helped clean up before saying he was going to head out.

"What are you going to do?" I asked. I still wanted him to err on the side of caution; I wasn't sure how the other supernatural beings would react to yet another werewolf in Mystic Falls.

"I'll be fine," Charlie said reassuringly. "I'm just going to go for a hike, maybe a run." I understood by "run" he didn't mean one on two legs. I nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Be careful still, okay?" I told him. Charlie ruffled my hair and left.

I turned to Klaus, who stepped forward to take me in his arms. Pleased he picked up on my thoughts so easily, I snuggled closer.

"Shall we go on a little outdoor adventure ourselves?" he asked me, kissing my forehead. I nodded eagerly.

"Let me change," I told him before dashing upstairs.

When I returned, Klaus had changed himself, dressed in jeans and a casual black hoody. I smiled.

"Cute," he commented, eyeing my outfit. I was dressed in my favorite pale pink sweater topped over a long, soft gray peasant skirt. My feet were bare.

"Let's go!" I said, tugging his arm. I could practically taste the outdoor air.

Ooo0ooO

Annabelle darted outside and let out a loud squeal. I flashed besides her to make sure everything was all right.

I stopped and stared.

It was raining and Anna was dancing with obvious delight, her face turned towards the leaden sky. Her eyes were closed as the rain spilled down her face.

"Rain!" she called. Her eyes opened and they matched the clouds. Her hair was already dark and wet, as well as her clothes.

"I didn't realize you loved the rain so much, sweetheart," I called back. I heard her delighted laugh.

"Join me!"

Stepping out in the rain, I felt my hair plaster to my head. I barely had time to catch Anna as she launched herself at me. Her wet lips crushed against mine, tasting of rain and wildflowers.

I bent and lifted her off her feet, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Despite the cold, her warm body pressed into mine. She pulled back and smiled.

"Come on!" she said happily, which I found to be infectious. She jumped out of my arms and with a teasing smile, darted into the trees. I gave chase.

Following her laughter, I ran behind her. She looked back and I saw the swing of her chocolate hair, the swish of her skirt around her pretty legs. Then, in a blink of an eye, she was a wolf, digging her paws into the mud to take off.

Letting the wolf take over, I shifted and caught up to her. We ran side by side all the way to the river. Anna pulled ahead of me and leaped over the water, landing on the rock in the middle of the river, before bounding again to make it to the other side.

Following suit, I jumped after her. She waited for me at the other side, tail wagging, tongue lolled out with a foolish wolf grin. With ease, she shifted back and ran off again. I watched as she jumped into the trees, leaping from branch to branch with simple grace.

Shifting, I followed her into the tall trees. I heard her giggle and flashes of pink and gray. Then she was pinning me to the trunk of a tree, grinning up at me.

"Gotcha," she said. I smiled down at her and cupped her face, pulling her in for a kiss.

For the next few hours, we chased each other through the forest, both as ourselves and as wolves. I felt light hearted and happy, and I caught myself laughing a lot throughout the day.

"Come along, love," I called once the sun began to slowly set. Anna flashed out of nowhere and was by my side.

"Tired?" she teased. Growling playfully, I grabbed her and lifted her in my arms again. She laughed and gripped my shoulders in her hands. I pulled her down and took her lips.

Ooo0ooO

Once Klaus and I returned to the mansion, I went upstairs to shower. I sighed while the hot water warmed my body and washed away bits of the forest I carried back.

When I was done, I slid into a soft pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt before heading downstairs to find Klaus.

He was sitting in the living room, drinking a glass of blood while watching the flames in the fireplace dance.

Turning at the sound of my footsteps, he smiled. I couldn't help but smile back, enjoying the gentle look in his blue eyes.

"Do you want to go to bed, sweetheart?" he asked, placing the blood aside to walk over to me. He ran his hands down my arms in an absent gesture. I nodded, since I was pretty tired from a long day in the woods. Klaus took my hand and together we walked upstairs to my room.

I curled into the large bed while Klaus got a fire starting in the room. When he climbed in besides me, I snuggled against his side and sighed contently. Klaus rubbed my back, which I found soothing, and quickly fell asleep.

I woke up besides Klaus next to the river. We were lying on our backs, staring up at the perfect blue sky. His hand held mine warmly.

He looked over at me and I smiled. His eyes were a deep, bold blue, reminding me of sapphires. I sat up to look out over the river. Klaus did the same and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Well, isn't this adorable?"

My eyes widened at the sound of Kol's teasing voice. I felt Klaus stiffen besides me, signaling he heard him too.

We both stood up and turned around. Kol was leaning against a tree, eyeing us with a smile.

"Hello, brother," he said easily.

Ooo0ooO

Author's Note: Okay, that had to be the saddest episode of TVD ever! I nearly lost in when Matt started crying, both times.

Aside from that, what did you guys think of this chapter? Let me know!