Chapter 28

As soon as they were all in the living room, Bella hugged Elena, relief overtaking her.

She had asked the hybrids to stand watch outside in case Esther came back to get Elena and they had obeyed her as if she had been Klaus himself. They knew how well protected the place was and if Bella trusted that there was nothing wrong with Elena Gilbert, then it meant that there wasn't.

"I'm so glad that you're okay Elena, I can't imagine what Isobel was going through on the other side just then. We're all glad to see that you're okay." Bella told the young woman.

Hiding her smirk, Esther/Elena took the syringe filled with her special mix of vervain, wolfs bane and poison and injected it in Bella's neck as quickly as she could. She knew that she had to act quickly and since Alaric was still holding her up, she immediately grabbed the second syringe and injected it into his arm while Bella brought a confused hand to her neck, smelling the little drops of blood that were coming out of the hole made by the syringe.

The second syringe was her Original vampire / Vampire hunter making potion and she had to admit that Alaric was the perfect candidate for this since he already had the skills to be a vampire hunter and reasons to want to kill them, she just had to add a little spell to enhence what she needed to have enhenced.

"What did you just do?" Bella and Alaric asked her, stepping away from her while Matt and Jeremy made their way to Bella and held her up before she could hit the floor.

Without a word and very quickly, Esther got a gun she had gotten earlier out of its hidden place on a belt holding it to her stomach and shot it at Alaric's chest, killing him on the spot. She wouldn't have been able to do that if they had stayed downstairs because of the protections Bella had placed but this was something that could be done upstairs. Bella had probably decided not to place the spell that prevented guns from working upstairs in case she needed to protect herself. Whatever her reasons were, Esther was glad for it. It fit her plans perfectly.

Bella was already feeling a burning pain going through her, slowly making its way to her stomach and she had a hard time standing up. If it wasn't for Jeremy and Matt, she'd be on the floor already.

"Ric!" Jenna yelled, backing out against the wall as Elena turned back into a confidently smirking Esther.

"Sorry, but I have plans and I needed someone to obey my every words. As for you sweet Bella, you just happen to be in my way. My children will just have to make do without you. We'll see how nice and united they are without the glue that you are to hold them together." Esther declared.

At that moment, Bella regretted her choice not to put the magical protection on her apartment. She should have extended them to all the floors, not only to the first and basement. It was her own fault. She hadn't been careful enough.

Had she been smarter, she would even have suggested that they waited in the basement, they would have been much safer. She felt guilty about the choices she made. She felt like this was all partly her fault. Alaric would either die or become a vampire, and it would be her fault.

Esther was about to say more but the hybrids, who had been standing outside waiting for Klaus, had rushed back inside as soon as they heard the gun being shot and knocked the witch out a few seconds before everyone else arrived, knocking the door against the wall.

"Please help me…" Bella cried out as her knees gave out under her, the only reason she was not on the floor was because Jeremy and Matt were holding her but since Klaus was here, Jeremy left Bella to check on his Aunt Jenna and Alaric.

The burn she was feeling now was much worst than the burn she felt when James bit her.

"What happened?" Klaus asked before he and Elijah rushed to Bella's side and carried her to the couch, which wasn't too far from them.

Jeremy and Matt quickly summarized the events to them. The syringes were still on the floor and Matt placed them on the table, figuring that they might end up being useful at some point.

"I think I can take the hunter part of the vampire potion out of Alaric if I act now, before he wakes up. If we wait it'll be too late." Bonnie declared.

"Okay, do it. That'll be one less thing to worry about." Elijah nodded before Bonnie started muttering ancient words.

"It's done." Bonnie declared after a couple of minutes during which Klaus had tried to feed his blood to Bella which only seemed to bring her more pain.

Elijah had also texted Carlisle that Bella was hurt and in grave danger, that they needed him back as soon as possible because Klaus' blood didn't seem to do anything to help her. The Doctor replied that he was already on his way back, that Bella had warned him that something was happening and that maybe he shouldn't move too fast away. he had decided to rush back home and so he would be here soon. He left Esmee in the car and planned on running back to them on his own.

Bonnie then rushed to Esther's body and did a spell she had learned from Kol to temporarily prevent the old witch from using magic. When that was done, she let Matt and Jeremy tie Esther up as tightly as they could.

"Kol, take the hybrids with you and take Alaric to our house. Put him in the basement until he wakes up and goes through the transition, or decides to die. Call Finn and Sage and tell them to meet you there. They'll help you. Jenna, Jeremy, Matt, you should go with them." Elijah decided while Bella cried out that the pain was almost at her stomach.

He knew that Klaus liked to be in charge but he was so concentrated on Bella that he wouldn't be able to decide on anything at the moment.

"What's wrong with her?" Klaus asked Bonnie.

"Smell that Niklaus, it reeks of vervain and wolfs bane." Elijah told his brother, handing him one of the syringes that lay on the floor.

"We need to stop it! It's going to kill her and the babies…" Klaus shook his head.

He was torn. He wanted to save Bella and his unborn babies but there was nothing he could do. If only he could take the poison inside him, it would hurt him, but he wouldn't die. He'd take a thousand years of suffering if it meant Bella and their babies survived.

"And the blood you fed her is only going to make things worse for her." Elijah realized, dropping to his knees by his brother's side, next to Bella.

"Please make it stop… It hurts so much!" Bella cried, feverish and delirious.

"I don't know how to help you my love, if you just knew how much I wish I could take the poison inside me to spare you the pain..." Klaus whispered in Bella's ear.

"I could do it. Klaus, if you really want to save her, I can do a spell to transfer the poison from her blood to yours. It'll only work if you're willing and it will have the same effect on you as it had on her except that you can't die. It will be very painful but it should save her and the babies." Bonnie told him quickly.

"Do it. All that matters is that Bella and the babies are fine." He nodded without hesitating for even a second.

"Are you sure it won't be too much for you Bonnie?" Elijah asked her.

"I'll be fine. Kol showed me how to charge up a necklace he got me in case I have to use a lot of magic. And if it's not enough I can channel a bit of magic from you, it would weaken you but I'm sure you won't mind. I'll just have to rest a lot later." She shook her head before Klaus went to lie on Bella's bed and Elijah quickly carried her next to him so the spell could be done with more ease.

"They need to hold hands." Bonnie instructed before grabbing Klaus' free hand and starting chanting once more.

"I love you Bella, I haven't said it before but it's true, I know you do and I swear I'll make sure you and our children are alright, even if it's the last thing I do."

Elijah was holding his brother's hand for support, hoping the spell worked and that Bella and her children would be fine. He didn't understand how his mother, the woman who gave birth to him and his siblings, could be so cold and cruel that she'd try to murder an innocent woman and her unborn babies.

They could see it was working the moment it happened. As Bella calmed down, Klaus started showing signs of suffering, though he seemed to try and take it all in, not to worry them.

"Don't let go of each other's hands until the transfer is complete." Bonnie warned them before she went back to chanting.

.

Kol came back as soon as Alaric was in the safe care of Finn and Sage and tasked himself with dealing with his mother. She had just woken up and was trying to break free. Not losing a second on worthless talk, he force fed her his blood and snapped her neck.

"I'll take her to the tomb like we planned. I'll leave an open blood bag with her, she won't be able to resist it and will go through the transition." Kol explained, putting his mother's dead body on his shoulder as one would a large rolled up carpet.

"She doesn't deserve anything better." Elijah nodded, angry at his mother for having tried to kill Bella and the unborn babies.

.

A couple of hours later, Rebekah was sitting by Bella's bed, watching as Klaus suffered through the poison while Bella was laid on the couch, with Elijah guarding her and making sure she didn't do anything but rest until Carlisle came back and checked that everything was alright. As soon as the transfer had been complete, Elijah had moved Bella to the couch because Klaus had started moving around a lot and Elijah was afraid he'd end up hurting Bella without meaning to.

Lately, he had bonded with Bella, she was his friend and he didn't want her to suffer or to lose her babies.

"Elijah? How's Klaus?" Bella asked as she tried to sit up.

"Stay down for now Bella, it's safer. Niklaus is still in pain but he'll be fine. Stefan called to let us know that Elena was sleeping. They fed her their blood and she's healed now. They're both making sure she doesn't die and becomes a vampire in the next 24 hours." Elijah explained.

"Alaric?"

"He's in transition… Fortunately he won't become a hunter thanks to Bonnie, the wonder maker. He's a vampire, an original vampire, but he will stay himself, which is a good thing." Elijah smiled.

"Where's she?"

"Kol took Bonnie home after he came back from the tomb, where Esther is locked in. She won't hurt you anymore." He reassured her.

"Good. So everyone's okay then?" She asked him as she sipped on the orange juice he had just given her.

"Yes, as alright as they can be considering everything that's happened, there's nothing to worry about. As we speak, Liz and Carole are trying to find a way to set fire to the witch house to destroy it completely while Finn and Sage are helping Alaric adapting to his new status as a vampire." Elijah told her, knowing that she'd want the news.

"How is Jenna taking it?" Bella asked him.

"Better than I thought she would. She's strong and has a positive nature. They'll be fine. They'll find a solution." Elijah reassured her before he rushed to the kitchen and came back with a piece of pie for her.

"You went to the Grill?" She asked him, recognizing the pie as one of theirs.

"No, I didn't want to leave both you and Niklaus' side. Matt came by earlier and brought us some food. I think he stopped by the Gilbert's place as well. He wanted to do something to help."

"Thank you." She told him with a smile.

"Anytime Bella, you're family now." Elijah told her sincerely before straightening up and announcing that he would check on his brother and be right back.

Bella smiled and enjoyed the food while staying calmly on the couch. She still felt oddly sore all over and she hoped Carlisle would be here soon to reassure her about her babies' well-being. She was afraid they had been hurt by the poison before Klaus took it inside him.

She was shaken out of her thoughts almost immediately as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Rebekah said before she rushed out of the room and came back a minute later with Carlisle.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" he asked her as soon as he saw her.

"Well, I'm a bit sore, well okay, a lot, but I'm feeling much better. Tired though, very tired. I feel like I've just done way too much sport, or like I have the flue..." She replied.

"Let's see." He said, putting his bag down and asking Bella to lie back down.

"Don't you need your ultrasound machine?" She asked him.

"Maybe later. We'll start with the basic exams. I can already tell you that your heart and the babies' hearts are fine." He told her.

"Thank god." Bella breathed out.

He kept on examining her for a while before he told her that she would be fine as long as she took the time to rest.

"Could you check on Klaus please? He's been suffering for a while now…" Bella asked Carlisle who nodded.

"We considered bleeding him to get the poison out but we weren't sure it would be the best solution… It would only make him weaker to fight against it." Elijah explained.

"He should be fine in a few more hours. It was very brave of your brother to take that risk." Carlisle replied after a few minutes.

"He's changed. He'd do anything for the safety of his children… and Bella's." Elijah nodded before Carlisle told them that he'd go and check on Elena as well before Esme made it back to town.

They'd leave for Alaska later, once they were sure Bella was fine.

.

Carlisle had just left to check if Elena was really doing better and to get the ultrasound machine in Bella's place (he refused to let her out until the next day) when her phone rang.

"Hey dad. Sorry, I forgot to call you last night, things were a little crazy here." She told him.

"I was worried. Are you alright?" he asked her.

His daughter always called, even if she was a bit late and when he tried to call, it went straight to voicemail. He was worried.

"I'm sorry. I haven't even checked my phone yet… Elena went missing and we spent all night searching for her." Bella relied, knowing her father knew how much she cared about Elena, because of Isobel.

"Missing? What happened? Did you find her?" He asked, his job taking over.

"Yes, don't worry… A crazy psycho bitch tried to kidnap her but we've caught her. Elena's fine and the bitch is locked away." Bella replied.

"Psycho bitch? Is that your professional opinion?" Charlie asked her with humor.

"Well, I'm a professional and that's my opinion." Bella replied, making Elijah chuckle from his spot behind her.

"Wait, you said WE… You didn't go out running after a kidnapper in your state, did you?" He asked her, suddenly concerned and his tone ready for a scolding.

"Do you really think Klaus would have let me? Don't worry, he knows how to convince me of his opinions. He wanted me to stay safe at home." She reassured her father.

"Good. So, when am I going to meet this great boyfriend of yours?" Charlie asked her.

"Well, I think that things will calm down around here so maybe when you get your next vacation you could come for a visit…" She suggested.

"Good. Listen, I promised Billy I'd ask…. When's the last time you've talked to Jacob?"

"I don't know… A few years ago I think… He doesn't really want to have anything to do with me since I don't want to date him… He's still kind of immature that way. Why?" She asked him.

"Well, I was over at Billy's for a game and Jacob came by just when I was telling Billy that I was going to be a grandpa… he stormed off and Billy hasn't heard from him yet." Charlie explained and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, he's got to mature up at some point, he's a grown man for God's sake. I was never in love with him, I was always clear about that." Bella exclaimed.

"I know and I told Billy you wouldn't know but just in case he's coming your way, will you give Billy a call, keep him informed? A father never stops worrying for his child, no matter how old that child gets." Charlie told her.

"Of course. If I see him, I'll warn Billy and you." She assured him, hoping that Jacob coming to town wasn't one more thing they had to worry about.

"So, you're safe right? You're doing okay?" Charlie asked her, concerned.

"Yes dad, don't worry. I'm fine. So, what's new with you?" She asked him and they talked for a few more minutes before he had to go and she hung up.

"Do you think this Jacob will be a problem?" Elijah asked her.

"I'm a bit concerned and really hope that he's not coming here… He's stubborn and immature. We don't need to worry about him on top of Dahlia." Bella shook her head.

"Bella… Bella and the babies, are they okay?" Klaus asked from the bed as he started to sit up.

The worst of the pain was over and he was now capable of conscious thoughts. It touched the mother to be to know that his first thoughts were for her so she slowly got up and, with Elijah's help, went to sit by his side to reassure him that she and the babies were fine.

They were all fine.

Klaus took Bella in his arms and they stayed like this for a long time. Elijah decided to give them their intimacy and so he left, planning on checking on the rest of his family. Bella and Klaus had been through a lot during the night and they needed to reassure each other. Already, as he crossed the door, he could hear them whispering their love for each other and for their children and he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous of Klaus.

He wanted this. He wanted someone to love, someone to love him this way.

What did you think of it?

I almost killed Alaric this time around so I could put Jenna and Elijah together, but I have someone else in mind for Elijah, so...

Lorelei Candice Black