For the past 2 chapters, a problem is preventing me from replying to the reviews you are leaving me. I receive them by email but when i click the link it says that there is no review to be found, I can't find them either when i click directly on my story, after chapter 19, no review is showing. It's probably just a temporary bug but I can't answer you.

So I'm sorry for not answering, and mostly THANK YOU for taking the time to review and read. I can still read them when i get them by mail, so I know what you say and think.

Someone asked if Esther's fate would be the same as the previous version of this story. Well, I'm sorry to say that in the original version, I kind of forgot about Esther being locked up lol, in this one, they'll see her again, on peaceful terms, near the end. She'll find redemption.

Chapter 22

The next day, Elijah decided that he wanted to try and get to know Bella better, after all, she was going to be a big part of his family, so he called her office.

"Doctor Swan Speaking." Bella answered.

"Oh, it's you! I figured you'd have someone to answer your phone for you." Elijah said, surprised.

"My secretary is running late, for a personal reason. Who's this?" She asked, confused.

"Sorry. It's Elijah. Klaus's brother. I wanted to see you. Hum... an appointment. With you I mean. I wanted an appointment with you." Elijah replied.

He didn't know why it made him nervous to speak with her. She was special and important, but that wasn't it. She was different, she made him want more out of life than what he had. He wanted to know her better, to spend more time with her.

"Of course. I still have a free spot this morning if you want." She informed him.

"Great. What time?"

Elijah had expected to have to wait a while, but he was glad to see that she could see him soon. She made him hope because, if Klaus could find love, true love, why couldn't he ?

"10." She offered.

"I'll be there." He replied, happy to know that he wouldn't have to wait too long.

"What makes you smile like that brother?" Finn asked him as he passed by him in the living room.

"Oh Finn, I didn't see you there. I was just calling Bella to see if she had a free spot for me and it turns out she does. This morning." Elijah replied, trying to erase the smile from his face.

"You're in trouble Elijah." Finn smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Elijah denied.

"You mean to tell me that you aren't interested in Bella ? Whatever your feelings for her are, it can't cost us this family, this new found peace we have. We've all failed Niklaus at some point, mainly when he was a child, we can't fail him or betray him by letting you fall for the only woman who ever made him happy." Finn reminded him.

"It's not that, I'm not in love with Bella, it's more what she represents. Seeing her and Klaus, it makes me want more, it makes me want to find someone like her and it gives me hope that I will find it eventually. If Klaus can find someone in his life, a real and sincere love, why can't I ? I have a feeling that spending time with Bella and working with her could help me find that." Elijah assured his brother before he left the room to go write in his journal.

Finn only nodded, he agreed that Elijah had issues to work on, they all did and he was sure that Bella could help him, but maybe he should give her a few pointers eventually, telling her what his mothers had done, what Elijah had forgotten. Shaking his head, Finn decided to wait until he could be alone with Bella to tell her everything he knew about the damage his mother had done on his siblings.

.

When he arrived, Bella was still with a patient and it gave Elijah the time to look around her waiting room. He was impressed by the fact that even with his superior supernatural hearing, he couldn't hear what was going on inside. Bella had set up a really good thing here and he hoped she would really be able to help his family like they were all hoping she would. She represented new hope for their family.

"Elijah? I'm ready for you." Bella announced a few minutes later, breaking Elijah out of his thoughts.

He followed her with a smile and took a seat on the chair across from her desk. He couldn't help but notice her small baby bump already. If he concentrated, he could hear the babies' heartbeats and it served as a reminder that she was carrying the future of his family.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me." He told her with a smile.

"It's not a problem. I'm willing to make the time to speak with any of you, separately or together." She smiled.

"It's very generous of you. I can see why my brother trusts you so much." He nodded.

"Is this what you want to talk about? Klaus?" She asked him.

"I was wondering why you trusted him, how you could be sure that he had really changed for good."

"Well, he never gave me any reasons not to trust him. People look at all the bad he's ever done but they tend to forget everything that's happened to him and to overlook the good he does. Don't get me wrong, I don't overlook or forget the bad he's done, I just make a point to remember all the good and I think it reminds him that it's here and how important it really is. When you expect good from someone, they give you good with more ease. When you see someone and expect bad, show him that you expect bad, then bad is what you'll get. It's what happened here when Damon first got to town. Stefan expected bad and told everyone, so Damon gave them bad." She replied.

"And you're really alright with carrying his babies? I mean… he's not forcing you, is he?" Elijah asked her with concern.

"Of course not! Although these babies were unexpected, I mean, there was absolutely no way of knowing it was even a possibility, they're on their way now and I already love them. I would have kept them, even if Klaus had refused to have anything to do with them. I was ready to be their mother, even on my own if I had to, the moment they became real." Bella explained with a tender hand on her baby bump.

"I see… Why aren't you living with him then?"

"Because I like my independence and I want to make sure we learn how to be together before we start leaving together. If I lived with him, I know that he'd tend to become overprotective or to forget that I can take care of myself, I'd get comfortable with this and I'd lose myself in him. I want us to take our time, to move at the pace we would have initially moved, not only for us but for our children. I want us to be friends before lovers. " She replied patiently.

"And you're aware that the house is all ready to welcome you and the babies ?" Elijah reminded her.

"Yes, I know myself and I know him, I believe we'll be ready to move in together some time between Christmas and the birth. And even if it happens after the birth, we'll wait. I want our children to be raised to believe in some important principles." Bella told him.

"And what principle is that?"

"Always be true to your heart." Bella smiled.

"Good principle to live by but isn't that a bit optimistic in the world we live in?" he asked her.

"I don't think so. I believe that as long as you stay true to yourself and to your heart, everything will be fine. There's always a way when there is a will, even if sometimes that way comes in a weird form." Bella smiled.

"You're one of a kind… I apologize for all my questions, but my past experiences have taught me to always be careful when someone is too good to be true because most of the time, they are, in fact, lying and trying to manipulate my family into giving them something they want. I'm glad to see that you're not one of them." Elijah explained.

"Is that what I am to you then, too good to be true?" She asked him with a soft blush on her cheeks.

His words pleased her but she tried not to let it show. Any woman loved to hear compliments and the baby hormones made her blush.

"Of course, I'm probably not the first person to tell you that. You're so willing to help my family, kind hearted, selfless..." He argued, wondering if there was someone else like her in the world, made just for him.

"Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm helping your family for the selfish reason that I want my children to be raised in a united and strong family because I grew up as a single child, isolated, without a big family." She replied with an amused smile.

"I'm sure it's one reason, but something tells me you would be willing to do the same efforts even if you weren't pregnant with my brother's child." Elijah told her and she nodded.

"You got me." She chuckled, letting him know that he was right.

"Niklaus has really changed then, he's not faking it…" Elijah added.

"He's trying. You know, he's starting to come to therapy with me, once a week… This summer when he was traveling we did it over the phone, even though it didn't look like therapy but like two friends talking, now he comes here once or twice a week… He doesn't only do it for himself or so he can be a family with you, Kol, Rebekah and Finn but also because he wants to be a good father to the children. He doesn't want to wake up one day to realize that he's Mickeal." Bella explained to Elijah who nodded.

"It's my understanding as well that Rebekah is staying with you, I hope it's not an inconvenience…"

"Not at all, I enjoy the company and I think it's good for her as well. She's trying to work on her issues too, you know. Every evening we talk a little about her life and work on her issues one by one… She's already had a session with Klaus… It started in tears and ended up in laughter, with the yelling and life threatening in between. She wants what she didn't have, a human life with human experiences. That's why she wants to go to school. Later, I'll ask Carlisle Cullen to introduce her to Rosalie, I think they'll get along well." Bella replied.

"Yes, I've noticed that she looks more… free. Happier as well. Obviously whatever you're doing is working." He commented.

"I know it is. But I think that your family needs several sessions, with all of you present together, in order to be able to truly work together and be a real family." Bella told him.

"I think you might be right… I'll talk with them to organize this." He nodded.

"You know Elijah, I think that your family's biggest problem is your lack of honesty and the many secrets you're all keeping from each others. It'll end up being your downfall if you don't work on changing it soon. You need to take a leap of faith and follow Finn's example. He took a risk when he told us about Dahlia and the curse that's on your family's first born. You should all try to do it. Sit together is a circle and tell the others one of your secrets. Discuss it calmly and move on to the next one until all that's left between you is trust and piece of mind." Bella suggested.

"It's not a bad idea… We might finally be ready to be a family together…" He nodded before they spoke a bit longer of his need to be the one in charge before he left, leaving the place to her next patient.

After Elijah left, Bella thought back to Rosalie.

She was certain that she'd get along well with Rebekah and at that moment, she took the decision to tell Carlisle to have Emmett and Rosalie come first. Following on it before she chickened out, she called the cell phone number he gave her. He was worried of course but she reassured him, told him that the babies were fine and that she just wanted to ask him to get Emmett and Rosalie, but especially Rosalie, in town whenever he could. She explained why to him and he agreed. He, too, believed that the two blonds would get along and would be able to bond through their desire to have a human life.

Although Bella wanted Rosalie in town for another reason, she believed that, in the long run, Rosalie would be able to help Caroline. She had told Liz the truth, she'd make sure that Caroline had good people to count on, forever.

When she was done with her phone call, Bella finally let the next patient inside.

.

Later that day, as soon as school ended, Matt rushed to be on time for his appointment with Bella. For the past few sessions, they had worked on his acceptance of the life he had. Bella had helped him accept that his mother and sister were gone and that, even if his mother was still alive somewhere, she didn't care enough to come back for him. Now, they were going to work on his issues with the supernatural and his fear of death.

For a human, being afraid to die was a natural feeling, a healthy one too, but Matt was surrounded by supernatural beings who didn't die, or came back to life. In his circle of friends, he was the only weak human because even Jeremy, who was human, had a ring that brought him back to life if he was killed by supernatural.

Matt had a hard time accepting that he was weaker than the rest of them. Even if most of them were still his friends, he sometimes had a hard time not feeling envious or resentful towards them, sometimes he even felt left out.

If this suggestion didn't work, Bella decided that she'd try her back up plan. Talk to her father and see if he'd be willing to host Matt for a while. Having an adult who cared about him and living around normal humans would help him feel better, she was sure of it and she really hoped that her father would agree. But that was the back-up plan.

"Have you tried what I suggested? Maybe training with Alaric and knowing that you can hold your own against a vampire will help… And Bonnie is a good witch, she might be able to make you a ring similar to Jeremy's. You're her friend, if you ask her nicely and if she can do it, I'm sure she will." Bella told him after a while.

"It's not that… I mean, sure, it'll help but… Vampires, witches, werewolves… It all brings out questions about death… Like… What happens when we die? Supernatural's go on the Other Side, but what about us humans?" Matt asked her.

"Well, if that helps to reassure you, I've met angels and fallen angels before. I know for sure that there is a heaven and a hell for humans, as well as a possibility of reincarnation, redemption. It's all about making choices and taking a second chance when it's offered to you." Bella assured him.

"So dying is not the end then?" Matt asked her.

"To quote an old warlock I met a few years ago, death is just the start of another great adventure. Once you live your life to the fullest, if you live it the best way possible to stay true to who you are, death is just another adventure, a new trip." Bella nodded.

By the end of his session, Matt seemed calmer and he promised Bella that he would go see Alaric to learn how to defend himself so he could be safer.

Bella knew that it wasn't easy for him. His best friend was a werewolf, his ex girlfriends were a doppelganger that dates a vampire and a vampire… He was surrounded by the supernatural and it was sometimes hard for him to find his place among everyone.

She decided to wait a little while longer before she spoke to her father.

"Jeremy, I'm ready for you." Bella said as she opened the door, letting the youngest Gilbert inside.

"Thanks. I… I'm not sure if I should be here but since coming here seems to be helping Elena and Uncle John… I figured maybe it'd help me too." Jeremy told Bella as he took her invite and sat down on the couch.

"Well, what is it you want to talk about?" She asked him nicely.

"I'm not sure… What do people usually told about?" he asked her.

"It depends on what they need to talk about, what their issues are… Sometimes it's a problem with family, or with work, or around your age it could be a problem at school, or with a friend,... The there's the whole supernatural side of talking." She explained.

"Well, I'm not sure… I'm kind of angry that Elena always tried to hide things from me… She sometimes acts like she's the boss of everyone… It's annoying and I have been a bit harsh with her because of this." He complained.

"Maybe she's just trying to protect you. She thinks that if you don't know what's going on, you won't be touched by it. Even if it's wrong. Trust me, she's trying to work on that." Bella assures him.

"That's not all though… I… It's hard sometimes, being surrounded by supernatural beings all around me… It seems like everything that happens is supernatural. It's always a problem with vampires, or witches, or magic… It seems like we can't have a normal day anymore… You know, with normal problems…" He complained.

"I understand but you should look at it another way. Supernatural problems often have supernatural answers. They can be solved with magic. People all over the world wish for magical solutions to solve their problems every day. They'd think you're lucky to have a life that's out of the ordinary." Bella told him.

"I know… next you'll say that we're never happy with what we have, that we always want what we don't have." Jeremy told her with a smirk.

"Yes. But maybe you simply don't pay enough attention in the normalcy of your life because you're so focused on the supernatural part of it…" She suggested, knowing that his life wasn't ruled by the supernatural 24/7.

"You think I should try to pay more attention to everything that's normal in my life?" he asked her.

"Absolutely." She nodded.

"Like what?"

"There's a lot of options here… School, problems with teachers, friends, your relationship with your sister… Even girls… Or a specific girl if it's relevant." She smiled.

"I… Maybe it is… But I don't think Elena would approve." Jeremy told Bella with a blush.

"Why? You and Bonnie were dating before the curse, right? Isn't that actuality anymore?"

"I… I don't know… I think everyday life took over and is distracting her from us… I think she's just not into me anymore…" He argued.

"Maybe she just let everything take over and is afraid you're the one who isn't interested anymore. Why don't you try to ask her out, see if she's really not interested anymore or if she simply let life take over? What's the worst that could happen? The worst thing she could say is no." She suggested.

"You're right…" He nodded.

When Bella's last patient left that afternoon, she couldn't help but want to sit on her couch and watch TV, without having to help anyone with their issues. She knew Rebekah or Klaus would be here and would have prepared her some food so she wouldn't even have to cook. That was one of the many good points of having them around, they made life easier for her while she spent her days making it easier for the town.

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black