Chapter 10
"You slept with Damon?" I asked a groggy Rebekah as I passed her a cup of warm coffee. We had met up at the local coffee shop, her still in her gown from last night and me with a spare change of clothes for her to change into. She had walked from the Salvatore Boarding House to the coffee shop near my motel instead of calling a cab.
"Please don't remind me." She rolled her eyes as she took a sip. "Ran into Elena as I was leaving too." Rebekah remarked as she ran a hand along her bottom eye, a feeble attempt to fix her day old eyeliner.
"Oof, Elena's been doe-eyed over Damon for a few weeks now. How'd she react." I nestled into a large chair across from where Rebekah sat and placed my drink on the table beside it.
"She was gobsmacked. She'll definitely be staring daggers into my back for a while." Rebekah chuckled. "Anyhow, I heard from Klaus that you will be joining us for Lunch today?" She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Not that kind of luncheon, as if that would ever occur." I roll my eyes at her. Although I would like that, I blushed softly at the thought. Looking up, I realized the blush must not have gone unnoticed as Rebekah was staring me with a devious grin.
"Hush now, Bella. I know for a fact that you like Klaus and he likes you too." Rebekah shifted in her seat slightly.
"Ah, well that may be true Beks, but I will not date your brother while he actively keeps his hybrids under mandatory control. It's morally wrong and repulsive to me." I shake my head fiercely and wave my hand in an annoyed manner.
"Bella, we are already morally damned." Rebekah laughed as she took a sip of her coffee.
"You think you are damned?" Perplexed, I looked down into my drink. "I had a boyfriend who thought the same. Remember me telling you about Edward?"
"The cold one who tried to suck out all the Venom from the bastard James?" Rebekah's eyes darkened for a moment. When I had told her the full story, Rebekah had tried to contact a witch friend to resurrect James just so she could kill him again.
"Yes." She nodded gently. "He thought he was damned. He seemed to genuinely think he's an inherently evil being, damned to hell no matter how he behaves. He wasn't or rather isn't. And neither are you or your family. You are not damned. You are however devious." I wink gently to cut through the sudden tension.
"Ah, yes. I am quite devious." Rebekah laughed softly. "Bella, did you always believe creatures, like us, weren't damned? Even before becoming bitten?"
"I'd love to say yes but the truth is that the time period I was raised called most things or people they couldn't understand as monstrous. It took me a long time to learn what Self Love is and to actively do just that." I smile softly at Rebekah. "Stop hating what you are and learn to love who you are instead."
I noticed a tear slip down Rebekah's cheek before she stood up suddenly and turned away from me. Her hands reached for her face for a moment before she turned back to me, cheery as ever and a smile on her face. "Come on, my brothers are probably wondering where I am and it's almost lunch time anyways. You can help me pick out my outfit."
I smiled once more and stood up, "That sounds fun. Let's go."
We quietly made our way to the Mikaelson Mansion, occasionally Rebekah would ask for a song to be played. Once I had parked at the garage, Rebekah pleaded that I not tell her brothers about Damon. I nodded before we made our way inside. The house was already cleaned up after last night's events, miraculously. There was no sign of a large ball ever having happened at the home. Perks of being a vampire, I thought dryly. We had walked into the large living room when Rebekah stopped suddenly in front of me.
"Well, well, well, there's our girl!" I heard the voice of Kol call out close by. Peering around Rebekah's shoulder, I noticed Kol standing by Klaus, who was seated on the couch and appeared to be sketching something.
Kol flashed in front of Rebekah, blocking her path. "And you have brought Ms. Swan with you!" He smirked and flashed me a bright smile.
I noticed Klaus tense up at hearing my name but was still sketching, rather aggressively now. "Hi Kol, nice to see you ag.." I started to say right before Rebekah hit Kol in the stomach with her purse.
"Get out of our way, Kol." She hissed as Kol laughed.
"Out all night! What a scandal." Kol playfully teased Rebekah. "I trust you did better than that commoner. Matt, was it?"
"If you don't shut your mouth, the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth." Rebekah hissed harshly. I glanced at her curiously. She looked flushed at the thought of Matt or was she just mad at her brother for teasing her? Turning my head, I noticed Klaus was grinning. "Don't start, Nik!" Rebekah yelled as she noticed the smirk as well.
"I didn't say anything". Klaus protested while stifling a chuckle and placing his sketching down beside him.
"I'm bored!" Kol hollered, gaining everyone's attention. "Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she's having fun! I need entertainment. Bella, would you care to provi…" A pillow smacked Kol harshly in the face.
"Do not be crude to our guest, Kol." Klaus warned and I saw Kol grinning wickedly.
"It's not fun to entertain yourself alone." Kol winked before turning towards me. "Join me, Bella. We could have a lot…." Another pillow interrupted Kol but he caught it this time. "Your aim is off, brother." He laughed before chucking the pillow at Klaus who stood up and dodge it effortlessly.
"And yours is still shit." Klaus said as he walked towards Kol. "Come, let us go for a drink. I didn't have nearly enough last night, what with you trying to murder Rebekah's date."
"Well, it is the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart." Kol teased before walking out of the living room.
"Yes, please go! This house has enough men rolling around in it." Rebekah called out after him. She turned to say her goodbye to Klaus when a snickering Kol interrupted her once more.
"Just like you, Bekah!" Kol's voice called out.
I watched as a red faced Rebekah ran after her younger brother leaving me alone with Klaus.
"Good Day, Ms. Swan." Klaus smiled down at me. I looked away from him and stepped back.
"Hello, Mr. Mikaelson." I nodded politely.
"Mr. Mikaelson?" Klaus grimaced for a moment and pretended to clutch at his heart in agony. "What happened to calling me darling?" He sounded hurt.
"Is that what you want me to call you?" I glance up at him with a coy smile. I do love teasing him.
"No, I'd much prefer it if you called me yo…" Klaus was leaning down towards me when Kol's voice once again pierced the air.
"What are you waiting for Klaus, let's go!" I could hear Rebekah smacking him for a moment.
"Good riddance, both of you!" Rebakah screeched over her head as she entered the living room once more. Klaus stepped away from me as Rebekah's head turned back towards us.
Klaus nodded softly towards Rebekah as he walked out the room, humming a gentle tune as he did. Rebekah looked at me curiously but before she could say anything, Elijah walked through the door holding onto burnt sage and his face distorted in confusion and fear.
"Rebekah." Elijah looked towards his sister sadly.
"Oh not you too, Elijah!" Rebekah pouted and flung herself onto the couch with dramatic exasperation.
Elijah looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm worried about mother. Have you not noticed her strange behavior?"
"She's been dead for a thousand years." Rebekah laughed. " What's strange for her?"
"Burnt Sage." Elijah said as he handed the sage to Rebekah. Walking over, he noticed me for the first time. "Ah, Ms. Swan?"
"Hello Elijah." I smiled softly at him. "What does burning sage indicate? I'm not familiar." I say genuinely curious.
"It's what mother uses for a privacy spell." Elijah answered while taking a seat on the couch. Rebekah handed me the sage and I inspected the bundle before handing it back to Elijah.
"You know she fancies such things." Rebekah sighed. "Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her."
"Who is Fin?" Had I met him at the ball last night? I couldn't remember.
"Our oldest brother whom I do not trust." Elijah answered while putting the sage bundle in the pocket of his jacket. "He hates what we are, he always has."
"That's not true." Rebekah wagged a finger at her brother. "And as for mother, she returned for one reason, to make our family whole." Rebekah grabbed her brother's hand. "She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?"
"None." Elijah sighed heavily before getting up. "I'm sorry for bothering you with this sister. I am heading into town, do you require anything?"
"No, we just got back from town ourselves." Rebekah smiled towards me. "Bella's to have lunch with Mother today."
"Oh, how nice. That must be why the cooks are here. I do hope you enjoy our mother's company today, Ms. Swan." Elijah smiled at me again. The Mikaelson's were all uncommonly beautiful, I decided, just like the Cullens. The Cullens, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
With all the boy's gone, Rebekah and I headed up to her room and began the grueling task of picking out her outfit. I felt comfortable in my white shirt and blue jeans but eventually Rebekah argued that they were not appropriate for a true luncheon. She was a lot like Alice when it came to clothes.
Alice Cullen. Her name made me cringe slightly even now.
"Bella?" I heard Rebekah's voice call out to me.
"Ah, sorry. What was going on?" I shake my head furiously and turn to look at Rebekah. She was staring at me with wide eyes. Looking down, I noticed my cell phone crushed in my right hand. "Oh, oops?" Confused, I put the phone down on Rebekah's night stand and go to sit on the bed.
"Bella, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Rebekah said softly as she walked towards the bed from her closet.
"I'm sorry, Beks. I just…" I stammered slightly. It hurt to think about the Cullens sometimes. I had genuinely enjoyed my friendships with Alice and Emmett. Neither of whom had tried to contact me since Edward broke up with me. They didn't know I wasn't human but it still hurt that they both cut me out of their life so effortlessly. "You just reminded me of Alice Cullen for a moment."
"Edward's sister, right? She's the one who could see futures. How did I remind you of her?" Rebekah sounded hurt at being likened to someone who upset me so much.
"Yes, that's her. You both love shopping and dressing up. For a moment, I thought how interesting it would be if you two ever met." I laugh softly.
"Before or After I gut her for ditching you after Edward dumped you?" Rebekah smirked as she gave me a hug. We both laughed for a moment before Rebekah's phone began ringing. I left her in the bedroom to answer the phone while I went to the bathroom to wash my face and change into a blue cashmere blouse with bell sleeves with matching short pumps. Rebekah had even thrown me some gold jewelry to wear as ever. I smiled, my thoughts shifting to Alice again.
"Bella?" Rebekah's voice drew me away from my melancholy memories.
"Yeah?" I call out as I step out of the bathroom.
"I'm so sorry, but Elijah has asked me to help him with something. Will you be ok having lunch alone with my mother?" Rebekah was zipping up a pair of black leather boots as I noticed her.
"Yeah, is everything ok?" I ask.
"Of course! Just a little sibling bonding time, sweetie. I've already let mother know that you are here. She's outside in the garden pouring tea now. Come on, let's get you settled over there. When I'm done with Elijah, why don't we go out for a few drinks or at least dinner." Rebekah smiles as she pulls her hair into a ponytail.
"That sounds nice." I smile as I follow her out of the bedroom, down the hall and outside into the garden. Esther Mikaelson was relaxing with a cup of tea when we arrived. Like her children, Esther seemed to enjoy refined clothing and décor. She wore a light pink double button pleated dress with a long gold necklace and an assembly of dainty rings splayed across her fingers.
"Ah, Ms. Swan!" Ester smiled as she rose to meet me and Rebekah.
"Hello mother." Rebekah smiled warmly as she kissed her mothers cheek.
"Darling girl." Her mother kissed Rebekah back. "Are you not staying?" Ester said as she looked Rebekah up and down.
"Afraid not mother. Elijah has asked for my assistance, urgently. The Salvatore's are causing a bit of trouble apparently." Rebekah rolled her eyes. I glanced curiously at her. What kind of trouble are they up to?
"Ah, well yes, please go assist him. Ms. Swan," Ester turned her attention towards me. "Please sit. I am quite sure we can enjoy today without getting caught up in their antics." She snickered softly before pointing towards the chair across from herself.
"With pleasure." I smile and take my seat. Rebekah nods at us before disappearing quickly.
"Well, now we both can talk in peace without ears overhearing us." Ester says as she pours some tea in my cup.
"Yes, where shall we begin?" I ask as I start to add sugar to my tea. I heard a door opening behind me and Ester beckoned someone over with the wave of her hand.
"I was hoping we could start with why you lied to me."
That voice.
Edward Cullen stared at me with hate filled blood red eyes.
Old Witch House
Bonnie and Abby walked up the mansion filled with anticipation. Ester Mikaelson had called, asking for their help in a spell. Both witches were wary of the vampire creator. Bonnie had even heard whispering from the spirits at the house to be cautious of the elder.
"Who are they?" Abby asked as Esther emerged from the House with 3 others, a tall man with short brown hair stood close to Esther while a man with bronze hair and a woman with long curling red hair stood under the porch. All three were gorgeous individuals but the two under the porch looked ethereal with pale skin and dark eyes. From where she stood, Bonnie thought their eyes looked almost red.
"The one by Esther is her son, Finn. The other's, I'm not sure about." Bonnie answered as her eyes skimmed over the group. "Esther's son is a vampire so…" Bonnie pointed to her ear to indicate he could hear them.
"Wonder what your Grams thinks about the part we're playing in all this balance of nature stuff." Abby huffed as they continued the walk up the driveway.
"She's probably on the other side, screaming about getting involved with vampire business." Bonnie chuckled. The pair returned their attention to the group before them as they came to a stop.
"Bennett Witches!" Esther calls out gleefully. "Thank you for coming." Esther strides forward and grasps each one of their hands. "I can think of no better allies than the woman who sent Mikael into his long sleep and the girl who fought Niklaus so bravely." Esther smiled at the two with pride.
"Why exactly did you invite us here?" Abby asks as she pulls a hand out of Esther's grasp.
"You are descendants of the witch Ayana." Esther says as she pats Bonnie's hand before taking a step back from them. "She was a great mentor of mine and I think it's only fitting that I draw from her bloodline."
"So are you channeling our ancestors?" Bonnie asked worriedly.
"I draw from the entirety of the Bennett bloodline, living and dead. The connection affords me great power," Esther's smile dropped. "Although it is somewhat difficult to maintain, which is why I require you, mother" She points to Abby. "and Daughter." She points to Bonnie. "The bloodline made manifest. Tonight, my sisters, we shall bring peace to the spirits of nature that we serve and for that I thank you." Esther smiled as she turned towards the Old Witch House. "We will begin by casting the pentagram here," Esther pointed towards a large clearing close to the house.
Finn walks forward with a large jar of salt and hands it to Bonnie. Taking it, Bonnie looks towards Esther. "The pentagram represents our connection to magic." Esther says as she walks up to Bonnie. "Pour the salt into a pentagram form please, Bonnie." Nodding, Bonnie walks over to the clearing and begins pouring the salt. "The salt is a symbol of the Earth." Esther's voice rings out as Finn begins placing and lighting torches around the pentagram.
"The torches?" Bonnie asks as she finishes filling out the salt pentagram.
"Five torches. One for each of my children." Esther's watches as Finn lights another torch.
"What's the spell you're doing?" Bonnie asks as she walks over to her mother.
"As the witch who cast the spell that made them vampires, I can also reverse it. When they become human again, they can be killed. As they are linked as one, my brave Finn will be the sacrifice." Bonnie looked over at Finn with horror filled eyes. "With his death, will come theirs." Esther smiled at her son as he lit the last torch.
"And you're just willing to die?" Abby asked the Original as he walked by her.
"My mother has released me from an eternity of shame. It's not a sacrifice, it's a gift." Finn smiled sadly as he kissed his mother's cheek.
"Can I ask, who are they?" Bonnie nodded her head towards the two still standing under the porch.
"Ah, they are Cold Ones. They have come to collect a certain… prize." Esther smirks and looks off towards the last window on the house. Bonnie follows her gaze and freezes. Isabella Swan looked down on the group, her mouth was covered by gag and Bonnie could make out ropes covering the vampires front torso.
"Bella?" Bonnie gasped out in shock.
"Yes, it seems Ms. Swan tricked these two Cold Ones and now they seek revenge. What greater revenge than to get the front row seat to her death." Esther smiled wickedly and blew the young woman a kiss. "Finn, best not to delay it any longer. The moon is almost in the right position." Esther gave her son one last hug.
As Finn begins to walk towards the circle, Bonnie feels a shift in the air, as if a warning from the spirits. Something was off. Within a second, Bonnie watched as Finn fell to the ground and his skin began to shift to gray.
"Something's wrong!" Esther cried out and ran towards her son.
"Mom," Bonnie pulls at Abby's arm. "We need to go help Bella!"
"I wouldn't if I were you." A steely voice said from behind Bonnie as a chill came over the young witch.
Bonnie turned towards the voice to find the red headed cold one within inches of her, the Cold One's red eyes staring menacingly at her throat. Bonnie jumped back and glared at the cold one. "Who the fuck are you?"
"My name is Victoria and Bella is mine to deal with." The woman smiled menacingly up at the window.
"And who's your boyfriend over there?" Bonnie nodded toward still standing under the porch. A burst of sunlight poked through the clouds and for the first time, Bonnie saw what they looked like as the sun glistened like thousands of diamonds off the two cold one's skin. It was mesmerizing.
"Doesn't matter, he dies after Bella does anyway." Victoria laughed gleefully. "Can you believe he wants me to kill him."
Bonnie turned her eyes to the cold one who looked down in shame.
"He was even denied the privilege of death by the Volturi." Victoria's unhinged laugh caught the eye of Esther.
"YOU DARE INTERRUPT MY SPELL WORK?" The ancient witch swiped her hand towards the cold one who was suddenly thrown into the air and tossed into a tree with ease. "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE THE GIRL IF YOU DARE TO INTERRUPT AGAIN!" The witch's eyes glowed brightly as she stared down the angry cold one.
Victoria cracked her neck before nodding and walking back towards the porch. I need to learn that spell, Bonnie thought as she watched Victoria take her place back under the porch.
"BENNETT WITCHES!" Esther hollered loudly and the pair turned the attention back to the witch. "Please go inside the house. I fear my children will be arriving soon and you should not be caught up in their antics. Our ancestors will keep you safe." Esther swiped her hand, more gently this time, towards the house where the door opened softly.
The Bennett Witches nodded their heads before walking to the house. As they passed the cold ones, Bonnie heard the whisperings of her ancestors. They were not pleased at the cold ones' presences, especially that of Victoria. As they walked into the foyer of the house, they heard Esther cry out in relief. Turning her head, Bonnie watched as Finn began to rise once more. Abby glanced towards Bonnie, fear and guilt washing over the elder witches normally calm exterior. Bonnie nodded her headed towards the staircase and put a finger to her lips as she pulled on Abby's arm softly. Abby silently agreed as they headed towards the stairs. Bonnie could hear the noise outside as Esther welcomed her son's to their impending death.
"This place has some serious vibes in it." Abby said as she brushed her hand along the walls.
"The witch spirits will protect us from the Originals, but we should grab Bella quickly and get into the basement." Bonnie turned to look at Abby. "Mom, you go straight into the basement and lock it. I'll be able to unlock it with magic so no worries there. I'll go grab Bella."
"Baby, no. What if you get…" Abby started to protest.
"Mom, there is no time. Run and hide. I'll be down shortly." Bonnie gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before sprinting up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, Bonnie looks back down but doesn't see her mother. Sighing with relief that her mom listened to her, she began running towards the room Bella was in. Just before she gets to the door, Bonnie felt a presence and spun around. Stefan Salvatore looked down at her with a somber face and guilty eyes.
"Stefan? What's going on?" Bonnie asked timidly.
"They took Elena." Stefan's graveled voice was soft. "They're going to kill her unless we stop Esther."
"Stefan," Bonnie put a hand to her chest. "I- I can't stop her. She's channeling us!"
"Bonnie, if you can't stop her. I have to find another way." Stefan's eyes once again flashed a guilty look.
For a moment, Bonnie could hear the muffled cries of Bella as she struggled against the restraints. Bonnie could hear the Original's outside, squabbling and fighting. But she couldn't hear her mother.
"No… Stefan, no." Bonnie pleads as she tries to run past him but he blocks her way.
"What are you gonna do?" Bonnie rails against the vampire, slamming her fists onto his chest over and over. "Even if you kill us, Esther is channeling every witch in our ancestry, living and dead!".
"Esther's drawing from the witches. The only way to cut her off is if one of you is no longer a witch." As Stefan's words dawn on her, Bonnie feels the shift of magic in the air. Her mother, Abby, was gone. Just as Bonnie felt the magic shift, so must have Esther whose screeches loudly rang out. Another screech can be heard and Bonnie recognized the voice was that of Victoria. Stefan's eyes glance worriedly down the hall.
"Who is that?" Stefan asks as he pulls Bonnie to her feet.
"Her name is Victoria. I think Esther sold Bella out to her. She's a cold one." Bonnie explained as she nodded towards the door she had been heading to. "Bella is in there, tied up. The spirits are protecting us. Save her." Bonnie glanced once more to the door. "I have to go find my mother." Bonnie gasped out in jagged breaths.
"Damon is bringing her to the Forbes'." Stefan looked away from Bonnie. "I'm so…"
"Save it, blood sucker." Bonnie spat as she pulled herself together and walked away from him.
Stefan watched her walk away, knowing his part in her mother's death- Bonnie would never speak to him again. Pushing aside his guilty feelings, he pushed the door open to the room Bonnie had pointed towards. Isabella Swan was looking solemnly out the window at first before she turned her tear stained and muddy face towards Stefan. He noticed then the thick rope encircling her and the large daggers embedded into each of her thighs.
"BELLA!" Stefan screamed and raced towards her. "Shhhh, Bella. It's going to be ok." Through Bella's muffled cries, Stefan slowly removed the vervain laced ropes, wincing ever so often as Bella's muffled screams became louder with each foot of rope. Just as he tossed the large bundle to the side, the door to the room swung open.
Klaus looked at Bella and whimpered softly, "Oh mia bella!" He raced forward and yanked the daggers out of her legs. Bella let out a long scream and her body began to shake violently. Klaus put a hand on her shoulder and Bella looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Shhh." He whispered softly to her as he slowly removed the gag from Bella's mouth. "It's going to be ok." Klaus signed quietly as he watched the wounds from the dagger disappear gradually.
"Klaus!" Bella wrapped her bloodied and bruised arms around the hybrid and sobbed deeply as soon as the gag was gone.
"What did Esther do?" Klaus glowered at Stefan as he stroked Bella's hair.
To be continued...