Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and L.J. Smith. I do own the original characters made up for this storyline. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Thank you armywife1979 and Siobhan Whitlock for your reviews! I'm so happy for Damon and Mary too. I think that Damon deserves this sort of happiness. I loved writing about Damon's backstory for this fic, I hope everyone else enjoyed it as well. There's one last battle that Bella has to overcome before we get to some happier moments, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter and doesn't hate me too much! As always, thank you everyone for the support, and don't forget to follow, favorite and review! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
[Mystic Falls High: Graduation Day May 27th]
Bella was excited that the day had finally come. Elena was complaining at how big she was getting. She was 22 weeks pregnant with a baby girl, and while she was excited to finally meet her daughter, she did not like putting on the weight.
"I look like a whale in my gown." Elena complained.
Stefan looked at her, reaching over and brushing her hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful, stop worrying," he comforted her. Stefan was gentle with her, and still getting over the initial shock of Elena's infidelity, but he did love her, and the DNA test would be back by end of the day today, so he was a bit nervous about that. He thought a lot about what would happen if somehow Kol was wrong, and this baby was his. Would he be able to stay with her after that? He didn't want to think that way at this point.
"Okay, we're lining up," Bella said, smile plastered to her face. The diamond and sapphire ring glinted on her left hand. The ring that Klaus had chosen for her. It was beautiful. They were engaged to be married, and she couldn't be happier. All her family was happy for her, and she couldn't wait. She wanted to get married soon, but Klaus told her that there was no need to rush things. That everything would happen with time.
"Stefan Antonio Salvatore," Stefan's name was called, and he went across the stage, getting his diploma. A couple other names were called and then.
"Elena Marie Swan." "Isabella Marie Swan." One after another Elena and Bella got their diplomas. It was the best feeling, to accomplish something, even if it was high school.
After the ceremony, Klaus was right there to hug and congratulate Bella. His arms went around her, and he dipped her down in a kiss, that caused her to giggle, and smile.
Damon and Mary were there with the kids. Damon was holding Matthew, and Annabeth and Lola were patiently waiting to throw their arms around Elena and Bella.
"Congrats!" Mary smiled and laughed when the girls tackled Elena and Bella. Such a joyous event.
Watching from afar, Edward hid, watching Bella closely. He had plead out, trying to do the right thing and then his lawyer got it reduced with a new judge. He was prepared to go to jail, but somehow his luck changed and here he was. He had been watching Bella. How happy she seemed to be. She carried on with life like nothing had happened. Somehow, that made Edward mad. She was supposed to be broken. His life was ruined because of her…because he wanted her. Sure he made a few mistakes, but they were young. They make mistakes right? Since he's been released on probation, he's managed to stay off the radar. Even his probation officer's radar. He didn't want to be known or seen anymore. Since his release, he's slowly convinced himself that he really hadn't done anything wrong. That this was Bella's fault. He watched Klaus dip her down and kiss her. His blood boiled. Then there was a woman with Damon, and three kids. Who were these people? The two girls ran at Bella and Elena, and hugged them. Damon was holding a child. This confused Edward, but he would figure out what was going on there.
Stefan smiled and then slid his arm around Elena's waist, and then he kissed her cheek. Then Elena gasped, and then her hand went to her belly, which startled Stefan, who's hand went over hers instinctively. "What's wrong?"
"She kicked!" Elena beamed. She moved her hand and put Stefan's hand there. After a few short moments, Stefan felt the kicks on his hand. His mouth dropped open and he looked at Elena.
"That's incredible." He murmured.
Damon watched his brother, and smiled, and then leaned in and kissed Mary gently. "He's going to be a great dad," he murmured in her ear.
Mary nodded her agreement. "He sure will. How about dinner everyone?" She said, clapping her hands together.
Bella nodded. "I am starving."
"Me too," Elena said with a laugh.
They decided to gather at the Mexican place in town that had the best queso dip. Afterwards they parted ways, giving hugs, and well wishes. There was an art showing at the gallery tomorrow, so Bella really wanted to get back and make sure everything was ready at the gallery.
"You don't have to worry about that stuff tonight love, we can just work on it tomorrow morning." Klaus insisted as he drove her to the gallery.
"I know, but there's some things I want to make sure is just right. Then I'll go back home." She explained. She had parked her Jeep at the gallery earlier in the day, and rode over with Elena to the high school.
"I can stay with you."
Bella shook her head. "You promised Kol."
Klaus sighed. "You're right. Well, if you need anything, just call me, I'll dump Kol for you in a heartbeat."
Bella smiled. "I don't doubt it, but you and Kol haven't spent a lot of time together and he just graduated. Celebrate. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and then they were outside the gallery. She leaned over and kissed him softly. "I love you."
"I love you too," Klaus said with a smile, and then he watched her get out and walk to the front doors of the gallery, and fish out her keys. Once he saw her go inside, he pulled away, leaving her there to go hang out with Kol, Elijah, and Finn on a brother's night. The only one missing was Henrich, and he was away at boarding school, and wouldn't be home for another two weeks.
Bella moved a few of the pieces around for the layout. Klaus let her do the floor outline for the show, and she was happy that he trusted her so much with this. He was really good at setup, but this show was the first show that she was hosting herself. She wanted to make sure it was perfect. She went into the office to retrieve the piece of art that was sent to them by an artist in London that Klaus had scouted out before him and her got together. The artist was anonymous, which made the art that much more intriguing. She carried it out to the floor and placed it on the bare spot on the wall that housed the other artist's art. She turned and then came face to face with Edward. She gasped, fear instantly hitting her.
"Edward!"
"Hello Bella."
Bella swallowed, trying to steady herself. "I heard you were out."
He nodded. He hadn't tried to take a step forward yet. "Yeah. Reduced sentence. Probation with time served." He said casually. "You're doing well for yourself." He commented, looking around the gallery.
"Well, I've always been an artist Edward, you know that."
"True." Edward said. "My life is ruined."
Bella didn't make a comment, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that.
"We were in love once," he began, and took a step forward. "We were so in love, and then I made a small mistake. She really didn't mean anything, and you wouldn't believe me."
She swallowed again, taking a step back. "Well, I loved you too. It hurt what you did. If she didn't mean anything, then why did you do it in the first place?" She tried to keep him distracted with the small talk as she backed up again.
Edward sighed, taking a step forward again. "I could give you all sorts of excuses, but none of them would be believable. You didn't believe me back then, why now after saying I raped you."
"But you did."
"Did I? You were very drunk Bella."
"Why would you leave so quickly? If it was consensual, then why not stay in bed with me until morning? Or why did you plead guilty?"
Edward shook his head. "You wanted me to. You needed me to."
"Needed you to rape me? Are you insane?" Bella was stunned that his demeanor had changed. He was no longer the Edward Cullen that she knew as a kid. Nor was he the man that she once loved.
"I'm not insane Bella. I'm completely sane. I've never been so clear in my entire life. What you need is me. You don't need Klaus Mikaelson." He looked at her hand. He saw the ring, and he frowned. "But it appears that Klaus wants to claim you as his." He sighed. "That's just not going to work for me. I'll have to handle Klaus then."
"What are you going to do?"
Edward pulled his phone from his pocket. "I made some friends while creeping around in the shadows. I can have Klaus ended if I want- "
"No. What do you want? Leave him out of it." She trembled with the fear that something bad could happen to Klaus. Would Edward kill him? Hurt him? What?
Edward grinned. "Well, you can start by coming over here." He said and when she hesitated, he huffed. "Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. Come over here now," he said it more sternly.
Bella took a breath and walked towards Edward, forcing herself to stop shaking as she stood in front of him now.
"Good," he said and reached up with both hands and framed her face. He held her firm as his mouth went to hers, kissing her. She went rigid against his mouth, and his tongue pressured her to open her mouth to let him in. She let him, tears rolling down her cheek as he shoved his tongue in her mouth. His hands dropped from her face, to her waist, where he tugged her to him roughly. She hit his hard chest with a thud, and his mouth raked hers. She felt his growing erection against her leg and then he moaned against her mouth. He pulled back to look at her.
"Bella, you need to kiss me back. I can call my friend and- "
Bella kissed him then. Her mouth opening again, and her tongue meeting his. Tears continued to stream down her face as she kissed Edward. Her heart ached so bad and her chest was tight with fear, fear for Klaus.
"That's better," Edward said huskily in her ear. He then pulled her along with him. "Go ahead. Lock up." He said and she pulled the keys from her pocket and locked the front door of the gallery, after setting the alarm. "Come on, get in your Jeep." He said as he opened the passenger side door.
Bella climbed in and closed her eyes as Edward got in the driver's side. "Where are you taking me."
"On a little trip. Seatbelt." Edward said calmly. "Know this. I already have a prearranged check in with my friend, if I don't make my check in, then Klaus will suffer." He told her, and Bella nodded, tears sliding down her face more.
Edward drove away from the gallery, and then he reached over, a cloth in his hand and covered her mouth. She didn't realize what was happening and she passed out.
When Bella finally came to, she was on a bed. She looked around her, and saw a room that was small, and it wasn't hers. Edward was sitting in a chair, texting on his phone. He looked up when she woke. "Oh, well good. That didn't take long."
"What are you going to do to me?"
"It's not what I'm going to do to you Bella, it's what we're going to do together. We love each other right?" He asked.
Bella swallowed, afraid to answer wrong. She nodded her head, complying.
"Good," he said and stood. He set his phone down and pulled his shirt off, revealing his marbled chest, his toned abs. Bella wasn't disputing that she once found him attractive, but now she was just repulsed by him. "Take your shirt off."
Bella's fingers trembled as she lifted her shirt up and over her head. She was wearing a simple bra, nothing fancy like she normally did with Klaus.
"The bra." Edward motioned with his hand.
Bella reached behind her and unsnapped her bra easily, and it fell away, exposing herself to Edward. She closed her eyes, unable to stop all the tears. She heard his pants unzip, and she was afraid to open her eyes.
"Take your pants off. Panties too." He ordered.
She shook as she stripped her pants and panties off. She was completely naked now, her eyes still closed.
"Bella, look at me." He ordered again. She opened her eyes, looking at Edward. He looked calm, too calm. "Good, now lay on your back." He said and she did. She looked up at the ceiling, but then Edward was on top of her, his face in her view. "Now, I'm going to go slow. I want this to be a good moment between us. You're going to cum for me. Do you understand?"
Bella nodded, tears rushing the corners of her eyes again. He slithered down her body, his mouth all over her. She wanted to throw up, feeling repulsed by his touch, by his mouth. This his mouth was on her clit, his tongue lapping upwards into her folds, and she started to tingle, she didn't want that. She shook her head, tears coming to her eyes as he forced her into arousal. His tongue was rogue, darting in and out, and then his hands were inside her, swirling around, breaking the tension at the same time his tongue wove over her swollen bud. Her body jerked, and then the tension in her belly released after what seemed like eternity, her orgasm flowed out of her and she cried. Then his hard cock was inside her moving. He was thrusting hard into her, hitting her center, releasing more tension inside. His hands were rough on her breast, bruising the skin as he groped her hard. His mouth found her throat and he bit her, and she cried out in pain. He sucked that spot, the bite that bruised her pale flesh, and he rammed into her, sheathing himself inside her fully. She was going to break if he didn't stop, but she knew that he wouldn't. Then he was swelling inside her, that much she could feel still, and he exploded. She felt him ooze all in her and she cried harder, his cock twitching with every rope released and his groan in her ear, made her shudder in disgust. He turned her, forcing her to her knees and then he slid into her again, thrusting and thrusting. She felt pain shoot through her as he didn't yield himself to her. He pumped hard and deep with abandon. He was grunting and groaning, his fingers bruising at her hips. She cried, a sob coming from her after what seemed like another eternity. He was orgasming again, shooting his hips to hers and emptying himself a second time.
"Mmm." Edward leaned in against her, his chest against her back, her arms trembling to hold herself. "You're hot baby. Tell me you want me again."
Bella cried, "I…I want you again." She stuttered.
That satisfied Edward, and Bella squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that it would all just stop, and this was just a nightmare.
[Mikaelson-Swan Gallery: The Next Morning]
Klaus got to the gallery early. He sent Bella a text when she didn't answer her phone. He knew that she worked too hard and was probably sleeping in, and he would let her. He walked inside and looked around. She had set up the new art wall so perfect. He smiled, proud of her. He walked into the office and saw her phone sitting on the desk. "You left your phone," he said with a sigh. He took out his phone and called Jeremy.
"Yo, what's up Klaus?" Jeremy said, his voice labored.
"I didn't interrupt anything?"
"I'm on a run."
"Ah. Your sister left her phone in the gallery. When you see Bella, tell her please so she doesn't look all over the house for it." Klaus relayed.
Jeremy was quiet a moment. "She's not at home. I figured she was at your house last night."
Klaus frowned. "Not at home? She said she was going home after the gallery."
"Her Jeep isn't at the house, and I didn't see her come in last night." Jeremy said, and stopped running. "She wasn't at your house? That's strange."
"Strange indeed. If you do see her, tell her I'm looking for her please." Klaus said and then hung up. He called Damon next.
Damon answered quickly. "Hey man," his voice was hushed.
"I woke you?"
"No, I just got Matthew to sleep. Ear infection again," He murmured and then Klaus heard him closing a door and then footsteps. "What's up?" He said, his voice normal.
"Bella didn't go home last night after the gallery. She left her phone here at the gallery. I'm just trying to figure out where she's at. It's not like her to just pull a disappearing act like this." Klaus was worried,
" I haven't seen her. I'm at Mary's though. I don't think she would have gone to the estate. I can check with Stefan, but I doubt that she would be there."
Klaus sighed. "I'm afraid she's in a ditch or something, and without her phone, I don't know how to find her."
"Her Jeep. It has GPS. I'll call you back," Damon said and then hung up.
Klaus was starting to panic a little, he paced a bit before he shot a text to his brothers, Rebekah, and Freya.
[McKinney General: 3 days later]
Bella was in the hospital, she noted, surrounded by some monitors. She felt sore, her mind fuzzy. A nurse was writing something down and glanced over at Bella as she woke up.
"Oh, there she is. How are you feeling ma'am?" The nurse's voice was so sweet.
"Water," Bella croaked, and the nurse moved a cup of water with a straw to her lips and Bella drank. "Thank you," she said and looked at the nurse. "What happened?"
The nurse frowned. "You were found parked in your car outside the hospital, unresponsive. You looked to be sexually assaulted. Do you have any memory?"
Bella tried to think hard. "My head hurts."
"You were hit over the head it appears or you at least fell hard."
"I don't know. I'm in a hospital. I…I don't know what my name is…" she frowned.
The nurse frowned too, and then paged the doctor immediately.
The doctor was there in a few moments. He was tall, slender. Blonde hair cropped short, daring blue eyes. "Bella, you're awake." The doctor spoke at her.
Bella frowned. "I'm sorry, is that my name?"
The doctor frowned and exchanged a look with the nurse. "Yes. I'm Carlisle Cullen. Doctor Cullen, do you recognize me?"
Bella looked at him, studied him hard. He was familiar. The face was nice, and she recalled him somewhere in her memory. "I believe so. You do seem familiar."
Carlisle nodded, and then shone a light in each of her eyes, testing the reaction. "Joy, get CT-scan. I want to see if there are any bruising." He said and then stepped out in the hall. He had just got on shift that morning, when Bella was brought in. He hadn't had a chance, but now he was going to make calls to Elena and Jeremy, now that she was awake.
By the time Bella got back from radiology, Elena, Jeremy, Damon, Stefan, Mary, Klaus, Alaric, and Elijah were all at the hospital frantic. Carlisle stopped them from rushing to her. The nurse got Bella situated back in her room.
"Listen. She's got amnesia. She can't recall what her name is, and she's been through some physical assault, and trauma. I don't want to overwhelm her. Start with Elena and Jeremy. They will be more familiar to her as they are her siblings. Ric, you'll go in next. Then Damon." He said and then looked at Klaus and stopped him from protesting. "She's in a delicate stage right now. Please be patient."
Klaus nodded, tearing up, and then Mary was there, pulling him to her in a hug, and he let her, he rested his head on her tiny shoulder and his arms just went around her, as she held him tight.
Bella looked up at Elena and Jeremy when they walked into the room with Carlisle. Their faces were really familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. They were brother and sister probably based off their facial structures. What were their names?
Elena was the first to speak. "Hey. How are you feeling?" It was possibly a dumb question, but Elena really just wanted to rush to her sister and hold her and cry, but she couldn't.
"I'm…okay? I don't know. It's weird. Carlisle says I have amnesia. That he doesn't have a timeframe for it. I got knocked on the head hard." She explained.
Jeremy nodded. "Can I come hug you?"
"Sure Jer." Bella said automatically and paused. "Wait. Jer. What is that? Is that your name?"
Tears sprang to Elena and Jeremy's eyes as they both grinned. "Yes. Jeremy. That's my name, but you call me Jer." He said and then he went to her and hugged her, his body was warm, she noted, and strong. He kissed the side of her head.
"You're….my brother…." She was guessing, but she felt that was probably the likely answer, the way both Elena and he were looking at her.
Jeremy nodded. "Yes."
"And you're my sister, who is pregnant…. with a girl…. St…Steven? No…." Bella frowned. "Stefan?" Her head hurt and she reached a hand up to rub her temple.
Elena nodded, rubbing a hand over her belly. "Yeah, that's good Bella. Real good. Carlisle is this good?"
Carlisle nodded. "It is. Amnesia patients can take anywhere from a couple hours to a few years to regain their memories if they do."
Bella rubbed her head again. "My head is hurting, can I get some Tylenol for it? Or is that bad?"
Carlisle nodded. "I'll have the nurse bring you some. There are more visitors here for you Bella, whenever you're ready, we can-"
"Just send them all in at once." Bella said. "I want to remember. I really do."
Carlisle studied her a moment and nodded. He left her to go out to the lobby. "She's got a headache it appears. She's recalling small things, like Jeremy. She knows that Elena and Jeremy are related to her. She wants all of you in at once. She's hoping she can remember. But remember, she's in a delicate stage. She looks rough, so try not to make her feel bad." He warned, and then let the group back there.
Bella watched the strangers file into her room. She looked around, her eyes landing on Alaric first. She squinted at him, trying to figure him out. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Was he related to her? She felt like she did know him. It clicked in her head. "Ric." She murmured the name.
Alaric nodded. "Yes." He smiled. "How are you feeling kiddo?"
"I'm….getting there." She said and looked at Stefan. "Stefan. You're Stefan," Bella smiled big. She recalled who he was. "You're going to be a dad. I'm going to be an aunt."
Stefan smiled and nodded. "I am."
Bella frowned and looked over at Elena. "Wait. Where's Aunt Jenna?" She remembered their aunt's name. Her face was fuzzy a little, but seeing Alaric, made her think of aunt Jenna."
"She's on her way," Alaric spoke up. "She was with a client and had her phone off until recently."
Bella nodded and looked around the room again. She saw a tall dark haired man, with dark eyes. He was standing off in the corner. Like he didn't belong. He didn't really seem that familiar to her, so she moved on. She looked at the blonde haired man, ocean blue eyes, broad shoulders. He was muscular. Fit. Dreamy to look at, and then she saw the small woman with long blonde hair and emerald eyes. They didn't favor each other so they weren't siblings she mused. She then studied the tall dark and handsome with blue eyes. He was interesting. His eyes were alluring, and almost spellbinding. She knew him. Was comfortable with him. She looked at Stefan, noticing some similarities. They were brothers. "Damon?" She said it as a question, unsure of herself at first.
Damon nodded. "Yes. That's right Bella." His voice was soft.
Bella sighed, obviously satisfied with that, and happy that she got another one right. Her head hurt, and she put a hand up to it. Carlisle returned with some Tylenol and gave it to her. She took it quickly. "Where's Jasper?" She asked suddenly, the memory of the blonde hair, brown eyed man.
"He's not here," Elena answered.
"Oh….is he away?"
"No, I just didn't think to call Jasper Whitlock," Carlisle commented. "Did you want me to?"
Bella nodded. "Yes, and…Alice?"
Carlisle nodded. "Alice is my daughter. She's on a plane right now going to France. I'll give Mr. Whitlock a call. I'll be back." He said and left the room again.
Bella sighed, looking around and shook her head. She looked at the woman. "You seem familiar. I just…"
The woman smiled, a tear running down her cheek but she shook her head. "It's okay Bella. I understand." Damon's arm went around her waist and he kissed her temple and she leaned into him comfortably.
"You're Damon's wife?" She was guessing.
"No, we're dating, but not married. It's okay, don't tire yourself," the woman assured her.
Bella sighed. "You're important to me though." She wanted to scream with frustration. She looked at the two men she hadn't identified. The ocean blue eyes stared at her, hurt and fear plagued his eyes. "You…" she murmured.
Carlisle returned. "Jasper will be here shortly. He's in McKinney with his brother Pete."
Bella nodded. "Thank you." She relaxed. "I remember painting. I'm an artist." She remembered a painting with swirls of colors violets and reds, and dark blues. Her memories were so fuzzy, like looking at something under murky water.
The dark haired man's phone rang. "Excuse me," his English accent sounded, and he stepped outside to take the call.
"He's…" Bella tried to remember, but she couldn't. She leaned her head back against the pillow. "I'm sorry."
Elena shook her head, wiping her tears from her face. "It's okay. No rush."
There was a brief knock at the door a few moments later and then it opened. Bella looked at the man coming through the door. "Jasper." She said, happy to see him. He glanced around the room, and then walked over to her bedside. He leaned in, hugging her.
"Hey darling, givin' us quite a scare aren't ya." Jasper said with ease, a small smile on his face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare anyone."
"Nonsense. No reason to be sorry. Just glad that we found ya." Jasper spoke again.
Bella grabbed his hand with hers and squeezed it. He squeezed hers back.
"Tell me something you remember about me, maybe that will help ya." Jasper said and sat on the side of the bed.
Bella swallowed. "Well. You play football. You took your helmet off. We went to…. homecoming? That's a real thing, right?" She sounded unsure.
"Sure is. We did go to homecoming together." He smiled.
Bella relaxed. She remembered something right. "We're not dating?"
Jasper glanced to the floor, a smile on his face, before he looked back up at her. "I'm afraid not darling. We're just best friends. Like peas and carrots." He winked.
She laughed at that and grimaced when pain shot through her. She noticed the move forward from the one man she had yet to identify. "I'm okay. Just sore." She shifted, feeling the soreness between her legs and tears sprang to her eyes, and she wasn't sure why it was sudden. She looked at the man, the one that was looking at her with caution. With pain.
"I'm sorry. I know you're important to me. You're familiar. Can you tell me your name?" She asked, hoping that would jog her memory.
"Klaus," his voice shook, his eyes a little red from crying she noticed.
She gasped. "Wait, you're…" she held up her hand, the ring still there.
Klaus nodded, tears coming to his eyes again. He wiped at them. "I'm sorry," he apologized for crying.
Jasper got up from the bed, and Klaus sat down, his hands shaky as he took Bella's hand. He watched her remember everyone but him, and Mary. His heart was getting ready to bust out of his chest, at how fast it was beating. He wanted her to just call his name, to remember him, but she hadn't.
Bella studied Klaus. He was her fiancé. She had noticed the ring on her hand and had hoped to figure out which one of the guys standing in the room it had belonged to. He was the only one that looked so pained over everything. But he had been silent as she recalled every other person, vaguely. She swallowed. "We're engaged for a reason. Which means I love you. So, I'm sorry that I can't remember right now. Please be patient?"
Klaus nodded, wiping his face with his free hand. "Okay. I love you." His voice was tight, strained.
Bella nodded and looked around the room. "I'm getting a bit tired…I'm sorry everyone."
Carlisle nodded. "I'm going to keep here for overnight, then she can go home tomorrow," he said, and then everyone was leaving, after saying goodbye to Bella. Klaus was last, he stood to leave, but Bella caught his hand.
"You can stay. You're the most important person. You get to stay." Bella murmured.
Klaus nodded and sat back down on the side of her bed.
"I'll be back in a while to check on you Bella, but if you need anything, hit the red call button." Carlisle said and left Klaus alone with Bella.
It was quiet, and it stretched out and blanketed the entire room. Bella could hear Klaus' breathing. His hand was over hers; his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. She was trying to remember. Trying to recall a memory, but she was tired. Too tired, to recall anything right now. Her eyes drifted shut, a weary feeling falling over her, and she dozed off. Some memories blinded her behind her closed lids. Memories of the gallery, Klaus talking to her, her selling her paintings for the first time. She saw Klaus in her mind, as he smiled at her. She remembered him picking her up when she called, she had been assaulted. She slept and she remembered.