All in Time Part 7
Despite wanting to leave as soon as I walked across the threshold of the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon and Elena had given me a reason to stay. The vampire and doppelganger had devised a plan to fool Klaus into coming back and unsurprisingly, Stefan jumped at the opportunity. Even Elena's friends had decided to assist in what I considered a suicide mission. What's more surprising is Rebekah's willingness to help group kill her brother.
"How could you want this?" I had asked her while dragging her into my bedroom when I saw her a few days later.
"You don't know what he has done to me. Forget locking me up in a casket for decades: he murdered our mother." The blonde vampire cried out in anger before sitting on my bed.
"How do you know that?" I ask while trying to mask my shock from her outrage.
"Elena told me." Rebekah choked out before letting herself sob into one of my pillows.
"And you believe her?" She didn't answer my question out loud, but she nodded her head. I moved towards her and laid a gentle hand on her back. "Well, I guess this does make things complicated."
We spent the night consoling each other, watching corny dramas, and discussing how we could each conquer the world. We fell asleep in my room, but the next morning, I awoke to Damon sitting at the edge of my bed and Rebekah gone.
Damon's frequent visits to my room were starting to grate my nerves. For the first time since arriving, I let my annoyance be visible on my face. I kicked him off my bed and snarled up at him with my teeth bared. "GET OUT!" I bellowed.
Damon let out a scoff and a roll of his eyes. "Now now, Ms. Temper, I come bearing good news!" He grabbed my foot from under the covers and yanked me down closer to him. The blanket flew away leaving me exposed to him. Luckily I had enough sense to wear a black lace night camisole, but it didn't bequeath much to the imagination.
"Let go and leave." I hissed while flailing about trying to loosen his grip. Instead of letting go, he began to massage my foot, and I decided desperately not to relax under his ministrations.
"You don't want me too." He whispered while massaging the ball of my foot.
I have never once felt attraction for the dark haired vampire, but his voice sounded alluring. I felt my head roll back and heard myself sigh. Shaking my head, I looked back up at him and attempted to glower. "Yes, I do." My voice sounds far away and quiet.
I noticed for the first time that Damon wasn't wearing a shirt. The pale light of day behind him gave a soft glow around Damon's edges. I found myself staring at his stomach where rippling lines of muscle glimmered slightly as if he had stepped out of a shower recently.
"Like what you see?" Damon chuckled mischievously, and his hand started to move up my calf. A wave of intense temptation hit me, and I tried not to blush furiously.
"Damon?" I hear the faint sound of Elena's voice calling from downstairs, and I look back at him. He seemed to stiffen at her voice, and his hand disappeared from my leg.
"See you later, Swan." Damon left with a wink, and I waited until the door shut before moving.
Confused and slightly unnerved by what had just happened, I tumbled off the bed and made my way into the bathroom. I took a quick cold shower and shook away the thoughts of Damon and his hands.
As I was slipping on a pair of skinny jeans, I hear Damon yelling at Elena. I throw on a green v-neck short sleeve shirt and grab a pair of brown leather boots. I make my way towards the hallway when I hear Stefan's voice. I pause and listen as the trio begins to talk about tonight's plans.
"Never your mind, brother. The less you know, the better." Damon says.
"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you two executing your plan perfectly," Stefan says sternly. Why was he so arrogant about this? They have been talking and planning for almost a week. "So, excuse me if I'm cynical."
"You're the one that we should be worried about." Elena's voice is soft but accusatory. "If Klaus asks you one wrong question- the whole thing falls apart."
I hear Stefan scoff and take a deep breath. "You do have reason to worry, but if I look back in our history of epic plan failures, it's usually because one of us let our humanity get in the way. Upon taking odds on how this thing goes down, it's certainly not going to be me who screws it up. I'll see you at Homecoming. I can't wait." Stefan ended his rant with walking out of the house.
I frowned and thought about the last time he acted so rudely. Something was amiss. I quietly went back to my room and sent Rebekah a message to be wary of Stefan tonight. I looked out the large window and frowned as I watched Stefan walking into the forest. As much as I love him, he was acting stranger than usual. I walked back downstairs, surprised to find it empty and walked outside.
My phone chirped, and I pulled it out to look at a message from Rebekah. She would be heading over shortly to get ready for the Homecoming dance and wanted help with her hair. I let her know I would be home and happy to help. I sighed heavily before turning back inside only to stop at the sight of Elena. Her hair was curling down her back wildly, and she looked bored. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a blood red shirt that had studs running along the collar, ripped black jeans, and an impressive pair of black knee-length heeled boots. She stopped as her eyes found me and the edge of her bright red lips lifted slightly in a smirk. That smirk and that curling hair made my blood run cold as I recognized Katherine Pierce immediately.
"Hey, Bella!" Katherine's voice wasn't her typical rasp, and I frowned.
"Elena?" I asked, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was standing in front of Katherine.
"Duh. Who'd ya think it was?" She laughed and smiled at me.
"Uh huh." I just stated as I continued to stare at her. Before I could say anything, Damon walked down the stairs and paused.
"Elena, shouldn't you be getting ready?" He gave Elena/Katherine a pointed look, and she sighed.
"Your right. Nice seeing you again Bella." The doppelganger smiled and walked from the room.
I waited a long minute after she left before whispering to Damon. "Is that K…"
"Shhhhhh." Damon put his fingers to his lips and nodded softly.
I blinked in surprise and gave him an incredulous look. Before I could ask him something, he was shaking his head. I sighed, turned around, and walked out of the house. Damon was officially the biggest idiot I had ever met.
I sent Rebekah a text message letting her know we should meet at the school so I could do her hair. When she questioned why I didn't want to go to the boarding house, I merely told her I didn't want to be in the same room as Damon. She sent me back a few emojis to let me know she completely understood. We agreed to meet in 45 minutes, and I began the walk towards the school.
When I finally made it to the school 15 minutes later, I found the police, water department, a few townsfolks, and Caroline Forbes standing around. Caroline's face was flushed slightly as she spoke hotly to Tyler Lockwood nearby. I made my way to her quickly, dodging around the few townsfolk in between us.
"Hey, Caroline." I smile as I approached her. She didn't smile back.
"UGH! Bella this is a nightmare!" Caroline exclaimed as she waved a hand up in the air.
"What happened?" I look towards the school and notice the Fire Department had also shown up. "Was there a fire?"
"The gym is flooded," Tyler answered with a heavy sigh while patting Caroline's back comfortingly.
"What?" I look over at Caroline who is shaking her head up in down sadly.
"Dance is canceled as well." Tyler shrugged his shoulders and Caroline's head whipped up.
"Excuse me?" She hissed viciously. Tyler took a step back, and his lips formed a thin line.
"Caroline, the school is flooded. We can't have the dance here." Tyler moved his hands frantically as he gestured to the school.
"What are we supposed to do now then!?" Caroline's voice rose a few decibels and bystanders started looking over at us curiously.
"Um. Is there any place that the dance could be relocated to?" I suggested trying to help.
Tyler's eyes lit up, and he gave a mischievous smile. "We can have it at my house." Tyler offered while placing his hand on Caroline's shoulder.
"Are you sure?" Caroline looked up at Tyler, and he nodded eagerly. "Ok. Send a school-wide text. I'm gonna call, Elena."
"No problem, babe." Tyler gave Caroline a quick kiss on the cheek before running off to his car.
Caroline watched him go before walking away as well. I watch her get into her car and speed away. "Bye to you too," I mumble quietly before turning around and walking back towards the Boarding House.
As I start walking back towards the Salvatore home, I sent Rebekah a text letting her know the dance was being held at Tyler's and to wait for me at the boarding house. The walk was quiet despite the sounds of sirens in the distance. I thought about what cities I wanted to move to since I was determined to leave Mystic Falls behind along with the Salvatore brothers. I could move back to Atlanta, GA. I often visited the large city, and I even rented my house, a red brick bungalow, out on occasion. The house was sitting empty at the moment so an ideal option. I also had a home in London, but that house is occupied by a group of University students. My property in Texas was still under renovations. With eternal age came the ability to travel the world. I had been nearly everywhere. I sighed and scratched my head at my distracting thoughts as I approached the Boarding House. I stopped walking as I noticed Matt escorting Elena/Katherine from the house.
"Wow! Look at you two!" I exclaim as I look at the pair. Matt smiled widely as he noticed me.
"Bella, hey are you going to the dance?" Matt asked enthusiastically. Elena/Katherine looked down at her nails and scrutinized them.
"Yes but I'm waiting for Rebekah. I'm going to do her hair, and then I and she will meet you there." I take a few steps towards the front door when I notice Matt blanch slightly.
"Oh. You don't know." Matt paused for a second. "She was supposed to be my date, but Elena is filing in since Rebekah left."
"What?" I give them a confused glance, and Elena/Katherine shrugged.
"She was rambling about Klaus and betrayal before disappearing. While I was in mid-sentence by the way." Elena/Katherine rolled her eyes at the last comment before touching Matt's arm.
"We don't want to be any later. Caroline is going to jump down our throats enough tonight."
Matt chuckled before the pair said goodbye and climbed into his truck. I was still confused about Rebekah's disappearance. I tried calling her as I walked inside but the line went straight to voicemail. "Hey, Beks. Where did you go? We were supposed to get stupidly wasted and dance our asses off at the Dance. Call me and let me know you're ok at least." I disconnected the call and slumped into the chair near the door, so my back was slight to the hallway. The chair was, in particular, my favorite seat because of its thick cushioned backing and anyone coming in had to turn to see you there.
I sat in silence for a few minutes before I heard feet moving down the stairs. I turned and noticed Damon. I waved my hand in acknowledgment, and he grinned impishly.
"Well if it isn't Hell's Bells."
"And if it isn't Devilish Damon." I laugh dryly.
"You should have said, Dashing Damon." He criticized and I stuck my tongue out at him.
"You should be dashing but your just an ass." I quip, and his arm smacks across his chest in mock pain.
"Be still my undead heart!" Damon cries out before heading over to the bar. He had grabbed a bottle of wine that had been mixed with blood and poured himself a glass. The faint sound of air swooshing made me turn my head towards the hallway. A man with dark blonde hair and a fierce from was gliding to through the room. He stopped as he noticed Damon first and then looked over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow glance. When the man turned his face towards me, I realized that it was Mikael. I sent him a gentle nod and returned my gaze to Damon.
"Did my daughter go to the dance?" Mikael asked as he continued his slow march towards the elder Salvatore.
I noticed Damon's left eye twitch slightly before he smiled. "Yep, you missed the photo op. Did you get the stake?"
What? I glared at Damon and noticed he was avoiding my gaze.
"I did." Mikael had replied while I stared at Damon. Mikael had made his way to Damon, and the pair stood by the fireplace. The light is growing eerily around the two plotting vampires.
"I'm not gonna take your word for it." Damon took a sip from his drink. "No offense to your honor and all…" He mumbled after seeing the sinister look in Mikael's eyes.
"None took." Mikael smiled a brilliant yet threatening smile. He put his hand on his jacket and a moment later, pulls out a white oak stake. The stake had an intricate cross stitch design, and the handle looked similar to a dragons head.
"Fancy. May I?" Damon asked eagerly.
"It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill an original." Mikael paused as he looked longingly at stake. "So I think I'll hold on to it. No offense."
Damon snorted sarcastically before gesturing to the bar. "I'd offer you a drink, but Katherine tells me you're more of a "vampire on the rocks" kind of guy."
"Technically, you could still offer." I chided before looking at Mikael. "We don't have vampire blood on tap, but would you care for a glass of scotch?"
Mikael was about to answer before Damon interrupted. "Why feed on vampires? Don't tell me it's the smooth aftertaste." Damon questions before he sat down in the armchair adjacent to the fire.
"I had a hand in creating vampires, but bloodlust was never my intention." Mikael's voice was calm, but I could hear the authority in his voice. He was a man who commanded people's attention with only his voice. He didn't appear overtly hostile but he was, and he used powers of persuasion to assist in his dominance. "Over the centuries I learned to feed on the predator, not the innocent." Mikael leveled his gaze at Damon, but the later did not cower; he only sheepishly grinned back.
The front door swung open, and we all waited quietly for whomever it was to walk into the room. Stefan emerged from the hallway. His eyes darted between Damon and Mikael and then me and Damon in confusion.
"Welcome to the Anti-Klaus meeting Stefan." I smile slightly, and he gives me a reproaching glance before walking up to Mikael.
"Change of plans. Klaus is back." Stefan announced. "He is at the Lockwood's, and he wants your body delivered to his doorstep." Stefan frowned, but Mikael chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.
"I'm afraid he is in for a colossal disappointment." Mikael continues to giggle a bit before returning to his neutral stance.
"Well, he's certainly not gonna come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?" Stefan tilted his head thoughtfully to Damon.
Huh. So Damon kept Stefan and me in the dark. I frowned slightly as my anxious thoughts began to bubble forward. Didn't he trust me? He indeed believed me enough to flirt with me and to have me watch over Elena. But I wasn't his friend. I'm no one's friend here. Even Stefan was more of an awkward acquaintance now.
"Didn't depend on that." I heard Damon get up from his chair.
"But you do have a plan, right?" Stefan's voice held a note of desperation.
"Oh yeah. We have a plan, right." I looked up to see Damon staring at Mikael before returning his gaze to Stefan. "Just doesn't involve you."
The next instant was like a blur, but I could see Mikael jumping on top of Stefan. I saw the blood after Stefan's body collapsed to the floor. Mikael had fed on him, ravaging his neck, and was now wiping his mouth with a small napkin.
"You couldn't just break his neck?" Damon mused while watching the blood pool around Stefan's face.
"Well, that certainly occurred to me." Mikael grinned mischievously before walking out of the boarding house.
"Damon…" I can feel my arms shaking and felt the anger rising in my chest.
"Bella, don't." Damon looked up, and I noticed his eyes are filled with determination. "Stefan needs a bit in timeout anyway."
"Damon, you just let Mikael feed on Stefan! You didn't stop him or even try!" I tried my best not to yell, but my voice still rose an octave.
"What was I supposed to do? In the space of 1/10th of a second, Mikael could kill us. Stefan will live." Damon grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and his bag from the closet. "Stay here, Bella. Don't leave the house and when Stefan wakes up," Damon walked over to his brother, looked down, and ran his hand through his hair frantically. "Tell him I'm sorry." With that Damon left and I was sitting in silence once again.
Sighing, I walked over to Stefan's body and picked him up gently. I laid him down on the couch and began to clean the blood off the wood floor. I grabbed the mop and mop bucket. I filled the bucket with a mixture of vinegar, dish soap, and warm water. I was almost done when I felt the wind shift slightly and heard Stefan gasp slightly. I moved to take a look at him when the sound of the door swinging open caught me by surprise. I stumbled slightly and fell behind the Loveseat while the broom had lulled underneath it. I struggled to grab the handle of the mop from under the loveseat when I heard the clack of high heels. I looked from underneath the loveseat and saw Elena/Katherine staring down at Stefan.
"Stefan!" The woman exclaimed, and I saw her bend towards him. She probably saw the blood and freaked a bit.
"Elena?" Stefan's voice croaked out.
"Not exactly." Katherine sighed, and I heard something hit the edge of one of the cushions. "Pep up! I only got a minute before they realize I'm not at the party." Katherine's foot started to tap impatiently. "If Klaus gets killed he is taking Damon down with him."
I put a hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp, but Stefan had begun talking. "So pull the plug on the plan." His voice sounded strong. She must have given him a blood bag.
"And face the wrath of Mikael?" Katherine scoffed. "We'll all be dead! Ok, look. I know that you've turned off your humanity and that you don't care, so there's only one solution."
I heard Stefan chuckle darkly. " What's that?" He asked, and I heard him began to slurp on the blood bag.
I watched as Katherine walked towards the edge of the sofa as if she was going to walk down the hallway. "Care, Stefan." Her voice sounded like a whisper and for once, I heard the emotion in the woman's voice. "Care enough to save Damon's life. Because I am going back to that party and I'm seeing this plan through." Her voice did not waiver and seemed to intensify as she continued her speech. "Klaus will be killed. We'll have our freedom. But then Damon will be dead. Your brother will be dead, Stefan." She had turned to face him as she pointedly finished the last statement. "Unless you care enough to do something about it." With a flourish of air, Katherine disappeared.
Stefan took a deep breath before standing up. "Bella, you can stop hiding now."
I frowned and crawled out from under the Loveseat. I looked up at Stefan, and his eyes were soft. "Stefan…" My heart started to beat rapidly.
"Bella, I'm about to do something that will make you hate me." He looked down at me, and I saw his green eyes begin to gloss over with tears. "I will always love you, Bella." Stefan smiled softly and then came rushing forward. His hand cradled my cheek as tears began to slip down my face. "No matter how long I am alive, Bella. My eyes will always search yours out. My heart will always clench at the thought that I have hurt you. I'm so sorry in countless ways." He kissed my forehead gently. "I know leaving won't be the best way to solve this. Saying goodbye is the most painful way to solve a problem, but I have to do this."
As Stefan went to step back, I grabbed his shirt and held him in front of me. I looked up into those emerald eyes filled with misery. "I love you, and I only want you to be happy. Do what you need to do." I leaned up and kissed him gently. Before our kiss could deepen, I withdrew and walked away from him. I had made it to my bedroom before I heard the front door open and a sobbing Stefan left.
Again.
Aggravated, I found myself dialing Rebekah's number. Through my heavy sobs, I heard Rebekah's specialized ringtone quietly beckoning from downstairs. We had designed the ringtone by singing the Sailor Moon theme song after we had binge-watched during our first sleepover party. Our drunken singing was her ringtone for me only and vice versa. I found myself flying down the stairs and pressing my hand to my ear. The sound was coming from the basement. The smell of dead flesh was beginning to creep through the hall and oddly the smell of a human was present: the smell of Elena. It was lingering but present.
I walked tentatively down the basement steps and the music grew louder. I found myself in front of one of the cellar doors. I pushed it open and cried out. Rebekah was lying on her stomach, a dagger protruding from her back, and her skin had become a morbid grey. She was clothed in a beautiful almost knee length silk red dress with ruffles. Her hair was curled into ringlets and a small diamond crescent hairpin was pinned near her right temple.
Elena must have daggered her before Katherine had arrived to take the blonde's place with Matt. Elena's scent was the only one present and I felt the white-hot rage for the human doppelganger intensify. She stabbed Rebekah in the back, literally. She couldn't face Rebekah so she chooses a cowards way. I cursed loudly before looking back down at my friend. What was I going to do? I could undagger her but Rebekah would kill Elena for this. Hell, I would too. Shaking my head, I knelt down next to her and took the handle of the dagger. I lifted the blade out gently before cradling the original vampire in my arms. Elena had made her grave and she would lie in it soon.
I got her in the backseat of my car before taking out my cell phone. I dialed the phone number Rebekah had given me in case emergency. A few seconds passed before I heard him answer. "Who is this?" Klaus snarled angrily into the phone.
"First of all, that attitude is precisely why I had second thoughts about calling you but Rebekah needs your help." I quipped.
"What has happened to Rebekah?" Klaus' voice growled dangerously.
"Well, your dopplebitch daggered her in the back." I felt the anger rising again in my chest.
"Elena did?" Klaus sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yes. Text me your address and I will bring Rebekah to you." I turned the ignition and the car roared to life. My phone binged and I took it away from my ear to see the address in a message from Klaus.
"It's done." Klaus' voice came from the speaker.
"Ok. I'll be there in ten minutes." I flick the end call button and loaded the address into the GPS.
When I arrived, Klaus was standing outside tapping his foot. His dirty blonde hair was disheveled as was his dress shirt and black slacks. Cleary his evening had been a bit rocky. His eyes grew wide with shock as he noticed me in the car. Once I stopped and turned off the engine, I stepped outside and walked over to him.
"You are…" Klaus began to stutter a bit.
"Yes, I'm the crazy woman from the bar in Chicago. My name is Bella Swan." I thrust my hand forward and he glares at me.
"You are in cahoots with the Salvatores." Klaus accused and slapped my hand away.
"Actually, they mainly kept me in the dark. I had come here to find Stefan whom you had under compulsion." I reminded.
"And what is Stefan to you?" Klaus' eyes narrowed.
"Stefan was not my maker but he did help me adjust as did our friend, Lexi." I shrugged. "Rebekah's in the back seat."
Klaus rushes forward and opens the door to the car. He looks down at Rebekah's body and sighs heavily. "My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment."
"You should know, Elena was the one who daggered her. I could smell the human's stench all over the basement where I found Rebekah." I heard myself hiss.
"What do you want from me in exchange for Rebekah?" Klaus whirled around and I looked at him dumbly.
"Excuse me?" I was confused by his line of thinking.
"You brought her here to bargain for something. Go ahead and ask your request." Klaus' eyes were hard and filled with determination.
I chuckled slightly and smiled. "I do not want anything from you. Rebekah did not deserve to be stabbed in the back like that. I'm leaving. The Salvatore brothers are both pains and the ass. You don't want to know how I feel about Elena right now." My thoughts turned dark as the image of Elena daggering Rebekah came to mind.
"Is this a joke?" Klaus again asked incredulously.
"No." I sent Klaus another smile. "Goodbye, Klaus. Please apologize to Rebekah that I was unable to stay." I sent him another smile before racing away as fast as I could.
Note from Author:
Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. \o/ Leave me a comment about what you think is going to happen know that Elena can't bargain Rebekah for Jeremy!
XOXO