All characters from The Vampire Diaries belong to L.J. Smith as well as all characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.

Chapter 41 Anywhere but Here

I had never heard of anyone announcing their arrival before, but here we were standing near the door waiting for Niklaus' sister to arrive.

"You guys realize this is ridiculous, right?" I asked both Niklaus and Elijah who were standing with me. I felt like a complete idiot just standing here acting like the Queen of England was about to enter our home.

"It's Rebecca." Elijah said with a shrug accepting it as a given.

"If she's not here within the next minute I'm teleporting my ass out of here." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my foot impatiently on the floor.

Hearing the annoyance in my voice Niklaus reached over and uncrossed my arms in an attempt to pacify me. "You wanted to meet my family, Angel." Nik annoyingly reminded me… for the billionth fucking time.

I rolled my eyes in response.

Please, Angel? He asked sweetly.

Aargh. You don't play fair. I grumbled, knowing I was done for when he uttered the word please.

He silently chuckled next to me and pulled me into his side as he kissed me on my neck. I'll make it up to you, Love. He whispered seductively into my mind as one of his hands slowly slid down to my ass and squeezed it.

I heard a long drowned out sigh followed by Elijah's voice. "Will you two please stop? I hear her car pulling in… it is also very annoying." He added at the end.

We both chuckled and straightened ourselves out right on time because the door suddenly burst open revealing a beautiful blonde young woman.

"Hello Brothers!" She exclaimed, as she quickly walked forward and embraced Elijah in a hug and as soon as she released him she rushed into Niklaus' arms, using the opportunity to push me out of the way. It annoyed me more that she did it on purpose but made it look like an accident. Great, I quickly I was dealing with a petty child.

She pulled away from him after some time and finally turned to look at me.

"You must be, Bella! It is such a pleasure to meet you." She said happily as she embraced me as well, it would have been a nice gesture if she had meant the hug but I felt her arms tighten around me painfully forcing me to activate my shield around my body to protect myself. I quickly pulled away from her at the action and narrowed my eyes at her.

"Wish I could say the same, if you wouldn't have just tried to crush me to death." I replied, if she thought I was going to play these sneaky little games behind Niklaus' back she was wrong.

"Rebecca." Niklaus said sharply.

"Oh I'm so sorry, it's been so long since I've come in contact with a human. I didn't mean to hurt you." She said in a sweet saccharine voice. As if I'd fucking believe her.

Lucky for me Niklaus didn't either. "Rebecca…" Niklaus started to say but I grabbed his hand to stop him. I'm glad he acknowledged her lies but I also didn't want them to fight within the first 10 seconds of reuniting.

"No harm, no foul. You hungry? We waited just for you to have dinner."

I could see by the look on her face that she was not at all happy with how things were going. She realized she was losing pretty quickly, I could see she wanted to say no but knew she would not be in Nik's good graces if she refused. She plastered a fake smile on her face and nodded happily. "Of course!"

I allowed Niklaus to lead the way and trailed behind them, Rebecca quickly wrapped her arm around Niklaus' and animatedly talked to him about her recent trip to France. Elijah trailed behind with me and lightly hit me with his elbow, I looked up at him and realized he was already looking down at me from the corner of his eyes. He widened them comically and gave me a small smile, I rolled my eyes and lightly chuckled.

I could see he was also trying to bear Rebecca's presence just as much as I was. He was his sister so he had to, I on the other hand was trying my hardest to accept her. I didn't really have to but I wanted to. I wanted Niklaus to have his family with him and I wanted them to be like my own as well. I was really going to try my hardest to make things work… even if it killed me.

I shook my head, as I realized at what lengths I would go for love. I was willing to bear this god awful spoiled brat just to make my mate happy. I knew she would test my patience, but I had no other choice it was now or never.

I made my way straight into the kitchen to avoid further conversation for the time being and started gathering the food. Niklaus and I had cooked this time and we had made such a mess in the process. Ok so it was mostly me, I was the messy cooker, Niklaus like most everything in his life was meticulous in his actions. I felt his presence as soon as he entered the kitchen and felt his arms slip around my waist from behind as he trailed kisses down my neck.

"You owe me big time." I whispered as I leaned my head back and turned my head so that I could capture his lips.

He hummed deep in his throat and spoke into my mind. I'll make it worth your while, I promise Love. He kissed me for a second longer but then pulled away from me. Just be patient, she'll realize how important you are to me and she'll try a little more. We just have to give it time. He said as he caressed my face.

I nodded wordlessly, having nothing else to say, and then placed two plates in his hand. He smiled at me and pecked me on the lips before exiting the kitchen with me trailing behind him once again. We both set up the table and I didn't miss the surprised look on Rebecca's face. Elijah had a small smile on his face but didn't utter a word. It took me back to Elijah's continuous surprised expressions after he moved in with us. He wasn't used to seeing his brother so… domesticated, for lack of a better word. It had been about a week now since he moved in and he was used to seeing his brother happy and content with his life now.

We all sat down and started to eat. "Wow, Bella. You're a wonderful cook." Rebecca commented, it sounded sincere so I happily accepted it.

"Thanks but it wasn't just me… actually it was mostly Nik and he basically instructed me on what to do." I said, complimenting my wonderful mate.

He looked down at me and smiled. "And you did great, Angel."

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. "It didn't sound like it when you were ordering me around like a general. Who knew he was so controlling in the kitchen?"

"I didn't even know he cooked." Rebecca said, looking surprised at her own words and at what she was seeing and hearing. "How come you've never cooked for us before?"

Niklaus looked suddenly shy, looking down at his food as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess we have always had servants around to do it for us, I never bothered to do it then." He said as casually as he could manage.

It was awkwardly quiet after that so I kicked Elijah under the table.

"Tell us more about your trip, Rebecca. Did you stay at Les Bristol?" Elijah quickly asked, saving all of us and shifting the direction of the conversation.

I let out a long exhausted breath, this night was going to be a lot longer than I'd anticipated.

"Aarg!" I yelled out as I threw myself face down on top of Paul's bed.

He chuckled at me from his spot on the bed. "That bad?" He asked

I leaned up on my elbows in order to speak. "My god it was like torture! She's so rude and childlike, Nik was all shy and bothered by the surprise on Rebecca's face at the 'new' him, and Elijah barely even helped. I kicked him like 10 times throughout our meal to get him to participate, or to at least alleviate some of the tension. I barely got out alive by excusing myself with an 'I'll leave you three to reminisce.' bullshit." I huffed out . "I mean, it's not a complete lie… maybe they'll use this time to work some of their shit out."

Paul opened his arms out to me motioning for me to join him, I crawled on the bed and roughly dropped my body beside him. He pulled me into him and I lay my head on his chest.

"I'm sorry it wasn't as easy as we had hoped. I wish I don't ever have to go through that with my mate… whenever I find her." He said quietly.

I frowned at his words. He'd never mentioned finding his mate before, he's always been so content with being a bachelor that I never thought he actually wanted to find her yet.

"Let's hope she doesn't have too much family then, or at least no family feuds." I commented but on a serious note I added. "You've never talked about finding your mate before… is THE Paul Lahore ready to settle down?" I asked in a teasing manner to lighten the mood.

He chuckled at me as he played with my hair. "I don't know. Since I've started living near you again and I can see how happier you've been since you've found your mate, I guess it's got me thinking about it now."

"I still love you too." I defended myself, feeling like I needed to reassure him somehow.

He snorted at my answer. "I know you do, sweet thing, and I love you too but I see how much you've struggled with Klaus and yet how happy you still are and I figure it's been worth it for you. I was just wondering whether I would have to go through the same kind of hardships. I'm not ready for her yet and I want this war to be over before I do meet her. I can barely stand the thought of you getting hurt. Can you imagine how much worse it would be if I had my mate to worry about?" He asked.

Yeah, he had no idea how terrifying it was. If I let it, the terror of losing Niklaus would consume my mind. I had to consciously think about erasing those kinds of thoughts from my head. "I don't know about the ready part since you're the only one that can decide that, but I do agree with you that hopefully it'll be after this war. Which by the way, we'll have to leave in about a few weeks or so to Volterra. I haven't told everyone yet. I'm hoping I can settle things with Nik's family within a week or so and then I can alert the rest of our family and friends. I don't want to stress them out for longer than they need to be."

He tightened his arm that was wrapped around me as he let out a long breath. "I'll be there with you Bella, every step of the way." He vowed, like he needed to remind me. It was a ridiculous notion, I knew he would be.

"I know and I would never think otherwise." I said as I leaned my head back and kissed him on his cheek. We remained silent for some time until I broke the silence.

"You'll find your mate eventually and I can't wait for you to experience that kind of love. It's slightly terrifying and incredibly magical all at the same time. I also think a person can never be truly ready to meet their mate, they just come into our lives when they're meant to be."

"Hmmm…" He said quietly. "I worry that she won't accept our relationship. I can't live without you, Bella."

I tightened my hand on his waist. "Don't worry about those things, Paulie. There's no point in worrying about things that haven't happened yet, besides, Nik and you got along well from the beginning. Even when he threatened your life." I chuckled lightly. "I haven't thanked you for that by the way. You could never imagine how much I love and appreciate you for it."

He scoffed at me. "Oh, please. If the roles were reversed I know you would do the same. I don't need you to thank me, it's what we always do for each other."

He was right, there was nothing in this world that we wouldn't do for each other. I feel like his mate would also understand our connection, just like Nik has. I actually couldn't wait to meet his mate, I wanted Paul to experience true happiness like I have.

"Alright, as much as I want to avoid the Mikaelson's awkward family drama, I think I should go…. though I really don't want to."

"If she keeps being a bitch, send her my way and I'll set her straight. No one messes with my best friend." He commented.

I giggled and kissed his chest before getting out of his bed. "Yeah, thanks. Though if you show her that sculpted six pack of yours I'm sure she'll change her tune rather quickly… you know that's not a bad idea. Are you willing to use your body to convince her to like me?" I asked teasingly.

He laughed at me and shook his head. "I'd prostitute myself for you in a heartbeat, B. Though having sex with my technically ex's sister-in-law sounds a little weird."

I scrunched up my face in disgust. "Ew, you're right. Wear a turtleneck when you meet her."

I heard his laughter ring in my head as I teleported myself back to Nik and I's bedroom. I was tempted to go downstairs to continue the pleasantries but thought better of it and decided to take a bath instead.

Ok, so I chickened out, sue me. That dinner alone exhausted me enough that I felt like I was ready to call this day off already.

I made my way to the bathroom and filled up the tub, adding a bath bomb to make me feel more relaxed. I removed my clothes and entered the tub relaxing back and letting the scent and warm water relax my body.

I expected Rebecca to be a tough nut to crack but I never expected to have such little patience with her. Honestly I was surprised at myself, I was usually very good at waiting people out but for some reason this time was different. I needed to re-center myself and try again, it was the only way. I was the one who insisted Nik reconnect with his family and it was highly hypocritical of me to give up after one dinner.

Out of the both of us, clearly I would have to be the adult one of the two. Even though she was centuries older than I and I was a mere 19 year old teenager… I didn't feel like a teenager though. My life was so chaotic and I've always been more mature than most. I already felt like I was middle aged at this point, I was forced to grow far beyond my years and I needed to show it. I was committed to reaching out to Rebecca and finding a way to connect with her.

I quickly decided I would start tomorrow, maybe invite her out for some shopping. She seemed like the kind of girl to enjoy that kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a good shopping trip as long as it wasn't longer than three hours and it didn't occur often. Then maybe we could go out to lunch and just talk and hang out, or maybe breakfast before the shopping.

Fuck, I hope it goes well.

Niklaus was planning on undaggering the rest of his family within the next couple of days and I wanted to be on relatively good terms with the two siblings who were currently alive. Elijah and I's relationship was actually pretty good. I was helping him loosen up and he surprised me with his hidden mischievous side. He was actually a pretty funny guy, his dry humor was unlike any other. We still had a ways to go but I was happy with the trajectory of our blooming sibling relationship. I could tell Niklaus was happy with our connection. Now all I needed was to have Rebecca accept me too, it was obviously not going to be as easy as it was with Elijah but it didn't mean that we couldn't eventually get there.

Feeling better about my current dilemma with a little speck of hope for the near future I made my way out of the tub and got ready for bed. I dried my body and wrapped my robe around myself as I made my way back into the bedroom. I sat on my vanity and brushed my hair, I was so ready for a good night's sleep. I had a feeling tomorrow would be a lot more exhausting than today.

Just then Niklaus appeared behind me and quietly removed the hairbrush out of my hand continuing to brush it through my hair himself. I smiled tenderly, he tended to do these small random actions for me and it always warmed my heart. It was his own way of showing me that he cared. Once he was done he offered me his hand to stand up and I took it without a thought. I stood in front of him and we silently stood together. He still hadn't spoken but he had looked so lost in thought a minute ago that I patiently waited for him to be ready to speak.

"I'm sorry things didn't go as well as you thought they would." He finally said.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at him. "S'okay. Not everything will always go as planned. Plus you guys warned me ahead of time and it was my own fault for remaining so optimistic... and just because dinner didn't go well, it doesn't mean I'll stop trying."

He let out a small smile and pulled me into his arms, lowering his head down to my neck to breathe in my scent. I wrapped my arms around him and settled in, always finding comfort in his embrace. I could literally stay here forever and be content with my life. Having him here with me made everything I would be going through with his family worth it.

He slowly pulled away from me and his face transformed into a mischievous grin. "I remember promising to make this worth your while." He said seductively. His hand slowly moved from my waist and took hold of the knots that held my robe closed. He slowly untied it and my robe slid open, revealing my sex but keeping my breasts from being completely exposed. He looked down at my body and then looked up into my eyes. "Do you trust me, Angel?" He quietly asked.

"Yes." I said without hesitation.

He gave me a gentle smile and removed the sash from around my robe. He released a light hum in his throat and with one finger he gently touched my stomach, barely making contactwith my skin. He slowly glided his finger up the middle of my body, in between my breast and continuing its upward trajectory stopping at the edge of my neck for a second. I waited in anticipation for his next move, he softly moved it along my shoulder forcing my robe to slide completely off of my body and drop down onto the floor. He reached for my hands and placed them together wrapping the sash of my robe around my wrists. He lifted me gently off the ground and into his arms and carried me to the bed to place me gently on the middle, he lifted my arms up above my head and tied them to the headboard. Ok, this was getting very interesting. He leaned forward and kissed me, it was sweet and gentle, much different to what I had expected it to be. He pulled away and stood back up throwing me a mischievous grin and walking away from me. I lifted my head to see where he was going and caught him walking into our closet. He disappeared for less than a minute and then walked back holding two of his ties in one hand.

"Do you still trust me, Angel?" He asked again.

"Yes." I answered again, quickly figuring out what his intensions were and realizing he'd asked again to make sure I was ok with what he was planning to do.

He grasped onto my left foot and wrapped one of his ties around my ankle, extending my leg and then tying it to the corner of the bed. He silently moved to the right and did the same to my other foot.

"I'm going to make you feel good, Angel." He promised.

I believed him. The huskiness in his voice and my current position were doing things to me already, I was starting to breathe a little quicker as his eyes slowly devoured my exposed body. He started to unbutton his shirt and then let it fall to the ground, he slowly climbed on to the bed and crawled over me without letting a single part of himself touch my body. He was still enjoying the view, as if committing it to memory. "You are glorious." He whispered and then dipped his head as he licked my right breast starting from the bottom and slowly sliding it up until he reached my nipple, slowly swirling his tongue around it and then finally sucking it into his mouth. I let out a loud moan and tried to arch my back off of the bed but quickly found out I wouldn't be able to. He pulled away with my nipple still in his mouth and then abruptly let it go, resulting in a biting sting from his action. It made me instantly wet.

Who am I kidding? I was probably already leaving a wet pool underneath my sex. I wanted so badly to press my legs together to ease the ache between my legs but it was impossible to do as they were currently tied to the bed.

"Nik." I whined as I tightly closed my eyes.

Sensing what I needed he crawled back down towards my legs and kneeled in between them. He lifted one of his hands and with his index finger he caressed my mound, sliding his finger down my slit and then slipping it inside of me. I moaned at the action.

"Is this what you want, Angel?"

"Yes." I moaned out as he slid his finger in and out. He was looking down at me with so much hunger in his eyes and I could tell he was fighting to restrain his own need in order to please me first. Without warming he slid a second finger into me making me cry out in pleasure, "God, yes!"

He was pumping his fingers in and out of me, teasingly at first but when he heard me whine he quickly picked up his face. "God, you are mesmerizing." He said breathlessly. I thought I was the only one breathing heavily from the pleasure he was igniting in me but he too was out of breath, as if pleasuring me caused him the same amount of satisfaction. Realizing he gained as much pleasure in me as much as I did under his ministrations, did something to me and I felt the beginnings of my orgasm making my walls tighten around his finger, feeling this he turned his hand so that his thumb could swirl around my clit. It took two more pumps after that for me to explode onto his hand. He continued to pump his hand into me and my orgasm became endless, I was fully restrained and the inability to move at my own will caused an intense euphoria I could never begin to explain.

Before my orgasm could end I felt him pull his hand from me and then I heard some tearing and suddenly my legs were loose and he had managed to flip me over and onto my knees. The top half of my body was extended with my hands still tied to the headboard and found I couldn't hold myself up. My upper body was firmly pressed down onto the bed with my knees underneath me and my ass high up in the air. Faster than my brain could process his cock filled me from behind and I let out a loud scream that was muffled by the bed. I turned my head to the side so I could breathe, which wasn't as effective as I thought it would be with Nik slamming into me and pushing me further into the mattress with each thrust.

"Nik!" I yelled out but it wasn't in complaint, I wanted him to continue to fuck me at his own will.

"Fucking heaven." I heard him grunt behind me as I felt him tighten his hands on my hips. I could hear the sound of our skin making contact and I didn't know which sound I loved most, Nik's sexy grunts or our skin slapping against each other. Lucky for me I didn't have to pick and had the pleasure of enjoying both at the same time. I was enraptured by him, I never imagined sex could get any better than I had experienced before but I was so wrong. I was elated that I was wrong, there was just something about Nik that made me reach heaven every time.

My hands tightened into a fist in an attempt to contain the euphoric feeling but there was nothing I could do for myself in this position. I didn't mind it though, being restrained added an intensity that I could never explain. I could feel him tense behind me but I wasn't there yet, nor did I want to be. I wanted this to last forever.

Niklaus had something else in mind. Sensing I was fighting my orgasm he slid his hand down and moved his finger along my clit, "Let go, Bella." He moaned and groaned all at once. I quickly realized I wouldn't be able to hold off any longer with his wicked fingers moving magically over my clit and I did as I was told. My orgasm crashed over me like a tidal wave and I screamed out as I fell into an endless pit of pleasure. He continued to slam into me as he came inside of me but I was already gone, flying somewhere in the sky.

I felt him moving me but I barely registered the action, I was breathless and currently no longer on this earth.

I love you, Bella. Was the last thing I was aware of before I fell into darkness.