Hello, guys! I hope that you're all safe and making the best out of life. I bring to you the next chapter that I hope you will all enjoy. I am also very grateful and happy for the support you guys have given me, so thank you all!
Now, on to the review response:
-xenocanaan: Yes, Klaus did handle it better than what he regularly does with his siblings, since Gwen means something else to him who he can't treat like he does his family, which is quite a conflict for someone with his personality. The mysterious woman is a little tease for a future plot that will turn things upside down, but I am keeping her a mystery for now. ;)
-GhostGypsy: The ghosts coming back will reveal an event (don't know what else to call it without giving away a spoiler) from Gwen's past, but I don't want to give away what will happen between this chapter and the next few. It seems the redhead caused an uproar, but she is meant as a tease, so you guys will have to be patient as to who she is, but she is very important for the future.
-Love . Fiction . 2020: Thanks, I hope you love this one as well!
-Guest: Weeeeeeell, let's just say that the redhead and the other two are not gonna be friendly, but I don't wanna spoil, so you'll just have to read and find out, so hold on for the wild ride that is to come.
-PrincessMagic: Thanks, and there is going to be a lot more of Bex/Gwen bonding in the chapters to come, so stay tuned!
Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to the Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything pertaining to it. I only own my characters and whatever else that is not from the show.
a bad day
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Juniper mumbled to herself, "I can't believe the nerve of some people. Why on earth would someone want to rob a bookstore?" She walked around the room with her eyes roaming over every surface for anything she might have missed in her packing.
"I don't know, maybe because they're desperate students," Gwen suggested as she sat on the bed crisscrossed and watched her witchy friend pace around their shared room, collecting and storing the last of her belongings before stuffing them into her suitcase that had been placed on the bedroom bench at the foot of the bed. The halfling's eyes followed Juniper as the latter went through her mental list to make sure that she wouldn't forget anything.
"I don't sell university books," Juniper said as she continued to pack.
Gwen grew more anxious because she wasn't going to have Juniper with her for quite some time since she offered the security the young hybrid needed in a town where she didn't know anyone and its supernatural residents disliked their presence. Still, she had Rebekah with her, and they were getting along well enough. Gwen also knew that Juniper had to leave to take care of the robbery on the store she oversaw, so she couldn't complain or voice her concerns that were for her benefit. Receiving a call from the police in the early hours of the morning was never a good way to start the day, and this resulted in Juniper hurriedly buying a plane ticket back to Chicago in a foul mood that got better after she took a shower.
"Am I missing anything else?" Juniper asked no one in particular as she gave one more look around the room for anything that she could have overlooked. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."
"I think everyone feels like they're forgetting something when they're planning a trip back home." Gwen zipped up Juniper's suitcase before getting off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. "You have everything, so I think you're all good."
"I'm not so sure about that," Juniper said as she gave Gwen a disheartened smile. "I'm leaving you behind in a town full of…whatever. Are you sure you don't want to come back with me?" she asked as she grabbed the younger girl's hands in a firm grip. "I bet Klaus would agree with me on this, which would be a rare thing if he did. There's no point in you staying here."
Gwen snorted with a playful roll of her eyes as she stood in front of Juniper. "First of all, I can't believe you're using Nik to get me to agree with you."
"Is it working?" Juniper asked with a hopeful smile and her shoulders hunched.
"Nope, it's not," Gwen stated with a grin, causing Juniper to release an exaggerated sigh as she threw her head back. "Second of all, I don't want to leave Rebekah on her own. We'll both manage, so you can leave without any worries." She took a deep breath. "Besides, I don't want to go back to Chicago to be locked away once more. I thought you of all people would support me in this."
"If it were anywhere else, I wouldn't have a problem with it," Juniper countered as she looked back at Gwen, raising an eyebrow. "You know, like any other town." She hummed as she thought about her words. "Except New Orleans."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
Juniper waved her off with a flick of her wrist. "Well, there's a rather large coven of witches living there with a strange practice of burying their kin to strengthen themselves, so I don't want to imagine what they'd do if they caught wind of you," she explained. "Look, I just want you safe. You're the closest thing I have to a family, except for Missus Bixby."
"Honestly, it's like you don't trust us." Rebekah's voice had Gwen and Juniper turning to look at the Original leaning against the bedroom's doorway with her arms folded over her chest. "Gwen and I can manage a few baby vamps and stubborn humans."
"Don't forget the witch," Juniper reminded the vampire with a pointed look.
Rebekah nodded while waving her hand dismissively. "They can't kill me, and I won't let anything happen to our girl, so there's nothing for you to worry about."
Gwen nodded, her eyes narrowing. "You guys make me sound like a burden."
"Only if you make things difficult," Rebekah told Gwen before looking back at Juniper. "As you can see, you can leave with a mind devoid of any worries."
"I don't know how I'll be able to do that when taking Mikael into account," Juniper argued, remembering why Klaus had skipped town and left them stranded without so much as a call or text. It worried her how the Klaus–a hybrid with no known fatal weaknesses–was so terrified at the mention of a single name that it had him running for the hills. This only proved that Mikael wasn't someone to be underestimated or taken likely, and people in the town seemed to have found him.
"If they found my father, we would have known about it by now," Rebekah told Juniper.
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked the Original with an eyebrow raised inquiringly.
"Had Mikael caught wind of Nik being in Mystic Falls, hell would have already broken loose and this town would have been turned inside out in his zeal to kill my brother," Rebekah explained, recalling the many other times she and her siblings had escaped Mikael's wrath, leaving behind a place to be razed by their father. "Trust me, he's hard to miss." She cleared her throat as she pushed back any unnecessary memories related to her father.
Gwen had heard enough tales about Mikael from Klaus throughout her life, and he was a man who she hoped to never meet or put a face to after hearing about the horrors he subjected his own son to. When Klaus talked about the father who raised him, he showed a myriad of emotions that she saw displayed in his eyes, but the pain was the clearest one. It made her angry to know how a father could be so cruel and heartless to his child. And because of all that she knew about him, Gwen could only think that Mikael didn't love his children if he was capable to waste a millennium trying to kill his own blood, so consumed by his anger.
"See?" Gwen looked to Juniper. "No Mikael."
Juniper nodded with reluctance, letting go of Gwen's hands. "Fine, I'll keep my calls to one per day." She reached for her suitcase and dragged it off the bench with a grunt, pulling out the handle. "I'll also try to get things in order back in Chicago as soon as possible. I can also take the time to visit Missus Bixby in Florida after I settle things with the police to get her on board with selling the store, so I might be gone for quite a while." Her eyes shifted between Gwen and Rebekah. "Will you guys be all right on your own?"
"Come now, June." Rebekah rolled her eyes, only being slightly annoyed, but it was due to the number of times the witch had asked the same question since she bought her plane ticket. "We're big girls. I think we can handle ourselves just fine, so stop being such a mother hen and go back to being fun."
The witch closed her eyes as she frowned, and her lips became a thin line. "I am not a mother hen. I just fuss a bit." She then opened her eyes to narrow them at the blonde vampire. She further elaborated when she saw Rebekah open her mouth. "That doesn't mean I'm a mother hen. I just have a problem with this whole situation."
"I just can't believe how fast you can go from a snarky smartass to a worrywart," Rebekah said and then snapped her fingers, "just like that."
Juniper huffed, "I am allowed to be concerned, especially when I won't be here to keep you two out of trouble."
"We will strive to be model citizens," countered Rebekah. "But I can't promise anything."
"That is not the least bit reassuring, but I'll take whatever I can get," Juniper remarked before checking the time on her phone. "Well, it's ten in the morning and my plane leaves in three hours, so I better get going." She looked up at Rebekah as she picked up her purse from a chair nearby to put the strap over her shoulder. "Did you get me a taxi?"
"Yes, I compelled the man to wait downstairs like a good little boy and put on some relaxing music," said Rebekah, huffing in annoyance as she remembered how rude the man was after she told him to wait. "With the attitude he had, he's lucky you're in a hurry. Any other day, I would have had him chewing out his own tongue."
"Thank you for that," Juniper said and began to make her way downstairs and toward the house's entrance with Gwen and Rebekah following behind her.
Rebekah sighed as they descended the stairs. "I can't believe we have to stay in this dull town."
"Only for a while," Gwen assured the blonde as they reached the first floor before going to the front door.
Just as Juniper was about to step through the threshold, she stopped and turned around to make one final protest. "I can just postpone the trip, at least until Klaus comes back."
"Go!" Gwen and Rebekah told her with raised voices and smiles on their lips.
"The sooner you go and solve your little problem, the sooner you return," Rebekah said when she saw Juniper hesitate to move from her spot on the doorway as she pondered about the pros and cons of her leaving. "We'll be fine, June," the vampire reassured the witch as she hugged Gwen to her side with both arms around the young girl's shoulders. "I'll keep us both safe. If you're anything like Nik, I would hate to see you get upset," she said with a grin.
"I doubt that I am as bad as Klaus," Juniper huffed, giving Rebekah a playful glare.
Rebekah shrugged her shoulders, still holding onto Gwen. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"You'll miss your flight," Gwen piped in.
"Fine," Juniper said to the younger girl, a smile breaking out on her lips. "I will say that I pity the fool who tries anything on you two."
"That's much better," Rebekah said with a small laugh. "Thank you for having some faith in us."
"Yeah, whatever," Juniper mumbled, rolling her eyes at the smiling girls. She looked at both Gwen and Rebekah for a moment longer before shaking her head and forcing herself to stick to her plans. "Okay, I'm going," she sighed, not at all happy that she was leaving her friends in enemy territory without a witch on their side. "Please, don't hesitate to call me for anything. Call me first, then you can call Klaus."
"Yes, mother," Gwen and Rebekah said simultaneously.
"Well, mother knows best." Juniper rolled her eyes before gathering the two girls in a big hug with Rebekah being a bit awkward due to not having experienced such affections in so long. "Stay safe, both of you. And don't trust anyone in this town," she whispered to them as she pulled back a bit to stare at their faces, her brows furrowed with worry. "I'll see you guys soon." She stepped away from the embrace with a wide smile and walked toward the taxi to place her suitcase in the trunk before getting into the backseat, giving a final wave of goodbye through the window to Gwen and Rebekah who waved back as the driver pulled out of the driveway.
Gwen waited until the taxi disappeared from her line of sight with Rebekah, both standing on the house's entrance in their pajamas. The halfling had thought about mentioning what she saw the night before to Juniper, but she didn't want to add more worry to the witch when she already had to deal with the break-in of the store, so she kept it to herself. If she had said anything about seeing another ghost that left her with nothing but a feeling of unnerving dread, Juniper would have never left and would have had more trouble to deal with back in Chicago if she stayed longer, and Gwen didn't want to be a burden. And so, the half-faerie could only hope that nothing would happen regarding the possible ghosts still haunting the town.
"So," Rebekah began, stepping back inside the boarding house with Gwen before closing the front door behind them. "What do you want to do today?" she asked the hybrid as they stopped in the foyer.
"Well, we can start with breakfast. Want to eat here?" Gwen suggested, receiving a nod from Rebekah.
Before either girl could say anything else, Damon appeared from the living with a pained expression and a shirt caked with his blood around the abdomen area. He paused when he found Gwen and Rebekah staring at him with odd looks, giving them a once-over when he saw them in their pajamas and how their legs were on display due to the baggy shirts and shorts they wore, but he shook his head when Elena's face appeared on the forefront of his mind, but he still found himself admiring the physique of the women in front of him. "Well, I hope you lovely ladies are having a good morning," he said before a grunt left him, his chest still healing from the fire poker that had been embedded in his abdomen and his skin becoming smooth after being burned by the sun. "I hope you're having a better day."
Rebekah raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired vampire, her lips pursing as she raised her eyebrows. "What the bloody hell happened to you?" she asked. Her nose caught a whiff of something that had been burnt.
"Yeah, you look terrible," Gwen added, looking Damon over for any more injuries. "No offense."
"None taken, shorty. Also, not that I'm pointing any fingers," Damon began with a lopsided grin as he leaned against the wall, needing a bit of support after the night he had. "I was wondering which one of you has a fetish for tying up men in chains and shoving a poker stick into their chest?" By the looks of distaste that they gave him, he discarded both girls from his list of suspects, since they didn't seem the type to torture him on a whim. Still, he was missing someone to interrogate. "What about your witch?" he prodded further. "She seems like a gal with a few kinks."
Gwen frowned at Damon. "Yeah, she's more of a gal who goes straight for the heart." She folded her arms over her chest. "Trust me, you wouldn't be here right now if she had a beef with you. Besides, we went straight to bed last night," she explained. "And believe me, she's not someone who wastes her sleep on torturing others."
"And where is the wayward witch?" Damon asked since he'd rather determine for himself if they were telling him the truth. He also wanted any other possibility to be true and not the one circulating in his mind.
"You just missed her," Rebekah told him as she pointed at the front door with her thumb that she threw over her shoulder. "She just left to deal with a few things back home. Have you asked Stefan?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "He could just be messing with you, you know."
Damon nodded as he began to make his way to his room. "Yeah, it occurred to me, but this isn't his style."
As both girls watched Damon go up the stairs, Rebekah turned to Gwen and asked, "Want to go out for breakfast instead?" She didn't want to find out how Damon got skewered.
Gwen nodded, preferring that plan. "I think that's best."
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After breakfast in a cozy café, Gwen and Rebekah decided that it was a good day to stroll around the town as they talked about the blonde's experience in school. It was a weekend and the weather was too nice to spend it indoors, so the pair opted to go exploring and get better acquainted with the area, given that they would be living in the small town for quite some time. It helped that there was no drama being caused by the supernatural residents of the town, so both girls were more relaxed and enjoyed their outing without needing to be on guard.
"Have you talked to Nik?" Rebekah asked Gwen as they walked down a sidewalk, heading for the Town Square.
Gwen shook her head. "Not today, but I'll call him later." She huffed as she readjusted the strap of her purse over her left shoulder. "I'm still upset that he ditched us." Her anger had been replaced with hurt since she was shocked that he had left her behind like he did, even if she felt freer. "At least he left us all our stuff."
"Don't dwell on it too much," Rebekah told Gwen as they neared the Town Square. "Trust me when I tell you that this won't be the first or last time that my brother will disappoint you. I lost count a long time ago of the amount of times he has disappointed me." She opened her mouth to continue, but she didn't want to have Gwen believe that Klaus was all bad when he had raised a kind young girl, which was something that still baffled her. "Still, he does care about his family." She glanced at Gwen with one corner of her lips quirked up. "And that includes you, which is something I can agree on."
The young halfling smiled at the vampire. "Thanks, Bex."
Rebekah hummed at the nickname, remembering how only one other person called her that. "You're welcome, pet." She felt like she needed to find a better nickname for her much-younger friend, wanting to come up with something better. She frowned when they came to a stop on the other side of the street from the square, seeing a crowd of people gather around a platform. She also noticed that lanterns and decorations were being set up. "What's going on here?"
"A festival or something?" Gwen guessed as a slim woman of medium height with short, light brown hair that was straightened and contrasted against her blue eyes walked up the platform to overlook the people.
"As a long-time member of the Historical Society," Carol began as she spoke into a microphone that was attached to a podium, "I am especially proud to be kicking off this day of festivities. Thank you, volunteers." Her lips widened and showed off her pearly whites, receiving a round of applause before she continued. "Tonight, we turn off our town's lights and flare up our lanterns in honor of the night of illumination started by our founders 150 years ago." She then gestured to a middle-aged man who stepped up to the platform. "Here's founding family member Tobias Fell with a history lesson." She then made way for said man to stand at the podium to begin his speech as everyone applauded.
"Sounds fun," Gwen said as she looked up at Rebekah, eager to find out how the town would look like with only lanterns lighting up the night. "Want to go?"
"Sure, but what do we do until then?" Rebekah hummed, also interested to know what the lights would look like. "We're hours away from nightfall."
Gwen looked around and tried to think of what they could do while they waited. "We could go to the Mystic Grill."
"Sounds like a plan," Rebekah agreed. "I am getting a bit parched."
The halfling smiled and matched Rebekah's stride as they walked toward the Mystic Grill, passing by people setting up everything for the night's event. Oddly enough, the halfling felt weird as she looked around, trying to find whatever it was that was causing the odd feeling within her to grow. It was like someone was staring straight at her, causing the hair on the back of her neck to bristle. She wrapped her arms around herself to find some comfort as the empty pit in her stomach got deeper and threatened to swallow her whole. It was as if something bad was going to happen, and she hated how afraid she was when she was looking forward to having a good day with Rebekah. It frustrated her. Gwen shook her head and steeled herself, pushing back her agitation.
Just as they stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the Mystic Grill, Gwen and Rebekah took notice of one of the tables outside of the establishment, finding it occupied by Elena, the doppelgänger's younger brother, and Alaric.
Rebekah smirked at the occupants of the table, meeting their cautious eyes without any problem. "Good afternoon," she greeted the group of three as she walked by them.
Gwen only offered a small, forced smile before quickly averting her gaze away from them, finding it a bit uncomfortable to hold the gaze of the people who probably loathed her for her affiliation with Klaus.
"It seems others had the same idea," Rebekah sighed after they entered the Mystic Grill to find it full of people mingling about and waiting for the Night of Illumination to start, the sounds of many voices talking overpowering the music played on the speakers.
"We can go to another place," Gwen suggested since she couldn't see any empty tables and some people were waiting to be taken to a table.
"Nonsense," Rebekah said with puckered lips as she looked around for the perfect table. She grabbed the brunette's hand and walked toward an occupied booth near the bar, standing in front of it and drawing the attention of the boy and two girls whom she recognized from school sitting on it. "I am going to need you all to kindly stand up and look for somewhere else to gossip," she said after making eye contact with everyone at the table. She stepped aside for the group to take their leave, smiling at them as she said, "Thank you very much." She and Gwen sat at the table with the latter giving the vampire a pointed look. "What?"
"You could have let them finish their drinks," Gwen said as she gestured to the beer bottles on the table.
"Oh, they don't mind," Rebekah waved her off, flagging down a waitress. "Yes, fetch me your best bottle of red wine, dealer's choice. And don't bother asking about our eligibility to drink," she said as she compelled the waitress before glancing at Gwen.
"What desserts do you have?" Gwen asked the waitress who had her brown hair in a high ponytail.
"We have strawberry cheesecake, brownie with vanilla ice cream, salted pretzel bites, and a hot fudge sundae," the waitress listed off.
Gwen didn't have to think about it, her mouth already watering at the thought of what she wanted. "I'll have the brownie with vanilla ice cream, please."
"And take this mess with you, darling," Rebekah said to the waitress as she gestured to the items belonging to the previous occupants of the table.
The waitress frowned as she realized something. "They left without paying. Nice," she huffed before smiling at Gwen and Rebekah. "I'll be back with your order." She picked up the scattered bottles and wiped down the table before leaving.
"Not much to do in this town," Rebekah remarked with her hands interlaced on the table. While she was enjoying her experience as a student, the town was already boring for the blonde vampire, given that she was used to bustling cities that stayed awake throughout the night.
"I don't know." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "It's a cozy town, but I do wonder how it still stands with the amount of 'accidents'," she paused to make air quotes with her fingers, "that happen here." Still, she had to admit that she would prefer to go somewhere else and visit other cities. "I can't say this place is on top of my list of places to visit."
"Oh, I bet Europe must be lovely around this time of year," Rebekah piped up, remembering the last time she was on the other side of the world before her mind went to a closer destination. "I also need to see New York, and let's not forget about New Orleans." Her heart thumped painfully for a moment at the thought of the place she felt she belonged.
"June said that New Orleans might not be a good place for me to visit," Gwen said, but she was still curious about the city. "Nik always moved us to large cities, but we never went near Louisiana or anywhere south." Now that she thought about it, he always kept them to the north of the country, never going too far south. "Did you go there?" she asked the vampire.
Rebekah cleared her throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable as to where the conversation was headed. "Go where?"
"New Orleans," Gwen clarified.
"Oh, yes." The Original vampire forced herself to smile at the young girl as memories of her time in the Big Easy surfaced, including the ones that pained her heart and the ones she preferred that remained buried. That city only had pain and heartbreak for her and her family. "My family and I lived there for quite a long while, actually," Rebekah explained after tearing herself from her mind. "We practically built the city from the ground, not that any history books will corroborate that."
"Really?" Gwen smiled at this, eager to know more since Klaus never mentioned any of what Rebekah just said before. "Nik never talked about it before."
"I doubt he ever will, pet," Rebekah sighed, closing her eyes when she forced back her last memories of the one place that had become a true home to her and her siblings. "While we had some of the best years there, being a place where my siblings and I had spent in peace with little grievances," she paused to clear her throat as she looked up at Gwen with a pursed smile, "there were also many tragedies." Her eyes became downcast as she hoped the waitress would arrive to get some liquid courage so that she could loosen her tongue. "There was someone important to us whom we lost when we were last in New Orleans, so you can imagine why he might despise reliving it."
"I'm sorry," Gwen whispered, deciding not to prod any further with the sadness she felt emanating from Rebekah. "Mikael?"
Rebekah gave Gwen a rueful smile, saying with a snort, "When is he ever not related to the darkest moments of his family's life in some way?"
Silence fell over the pair as they became lost in their own thoughts. While it wasn't exactly awkward between them, they each wanted to move on from the topic and onto a better one that didn't have them talking about the grim things in their lives. It frustrated them both how their conversations always ended up focusing on something gloomy, which tended to be connected to Klaus–directly or indirectly.
"And how is life out of my brother's shadow so far?" Rebekah asked as she broke the silence, placing her chin on top of her hand that was propped up on the table. "I can imagine that it must feel a lot more freeing."
"Well…" Gwen hummed as she mulled over Rebekah's question, carding her fingers through her loose strands over her right shoulder. "Honestly, I expect him to pop out from a corner at any minute." She still felt like he was monitoring her somehow, given that Klaus hadn't set up any boundaries or rules this time around. When they moved to a new place, he always told her to stay within a certain perimeter and never really left her without someone who he ordered or compelled to watch over her. "I can't really find myself. I've been isolated for so long that it feels so weird to move around without feeling like I'm being watched."
"Just forget about my brother. It's what I do when I want to have a good time," Rebekah said to try and reassure the young girl. "Any type of drink with alcohol helps with that, but the amount needed varies from person to person."
Gwen chuckled as she shook her head. "I don't plan on being a day drinker when I don't have your high tolerance for alcohol."
"Your loss." Rebekah shrugged her shoulders. "And this is your time to find out what you want to do with your life. Forget about Nik and what he deems you should or should not do." She snorted as she leaned back against her seat. "He can very well shove it, so don't be afraid to tell him that."
A small laugh escaped Gwen. "Yeah, I don't think I can say that and expect him to take me seriously."
"Whatever version you want to say will come to you when the time is right and he has exhausted your patience," said Rebekah, smiling at the waitress when their order was brought over, noticing that Damon and Alaric were sitting at the bar, so she stayed alert. "You should watch out for the signs, like around the time you want to wring his neck." She served herself some wine into a glass the waitress also provided, keeping the bottle on the table.
This had Gwen laughing before digging into her dessert, enjoying the combination of the hot brownie and the ice cream. "The thought has already come up a few times."
"Good," said Rebekah. "Then, we won't have to wait too long."
Some small talk was exchanged between Gwen and Rebekah, enjoying their time conversing about the places the vampire visited throughout the centuries, the cultures she was introduced to, and the people she met along the way. From the time Rebekah and her family were in Greece to the short time they spent in Cádiz before returning to the New World. Although the vampire couldn't cover how she spent a thousand years seeing every corner of the world in one afternoon, Gwen only grew fascinated by everything Rebekah told her, and she was especially intrigued by the other Originals since Klaus had only ever mentioned them in passing. It was only a few days ago that Gwen found out that he carded around his siblings in caskets, so she was extremely curious to know more about them.
"So, Elijah is the one who cleans up after you guys," Gwen stated after Rebekah told her a story about a fun and tranquil dinner Rebekah had with her siblings, which were very few and far between throughout the centuries.
"I think it's his hobby," Rebekah chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. "I can assure you that he is the best of us." Her smile widened the more she talked about her noble brother, and Gwen could see the fondness in the blonde's eyes. "And he always wears a suit."
"Always?" asked Gwen, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
Rebekah nodded, swishing the red liquid in her glass. "Always, for everything."
Gwen had a hard time believing that. "All the time?"
"I think he sleeps in them," Rebekah laughed, imagining Elijah sleeping in one of his many suits, which she wouldn't put past him.
"Apart from Nik and Elijah, you have two other brothers, right?" asked Gwen.
"Yes, Finn and Kol," said Rebekah. "Finn's judgmental nature made it impossible to have a civil conversation with him, and he became worse as time passed. I wasn't close to him, but I had hoped he'd come to terms with what we are," she said with a despondent sigh. "I believe the dislike he had toward us when we were human turned into hate after we turned. He is a very complex fellow, my brother."
Gwen hummed as she looked at Rebekah's gloomy face. "I don't believe he hates you, he's your brother. You guys are connected by more than blood."
Rebekah's smile was bittersweet. "Oh, my family can be complicated like that."
"Maybe, but he has to have a soft spot for his baby sister," Gwen told her to try and cheer her up.
"Now that is a good joke, pet," said Rebekah, mockingly.
"Well, what about your other siblings?" asked Gwen.
"Elijah is Elijah, and Nik is Nik," Rebekah sighed before a grin grew on her lips. "Then there's Kol."
Gwen lifted her eyebrows, smiling. "Is he your favorite?"
"Kol is the youngest of my brothers but older than me by, like, a year." Rebekah smirked as she recalled the many fun times she shared with her wild brother. "He and I always got into mischief together, which irritated Nik to no end. I would love to introduce you to him if he would stop getting on Nik's bad side."
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, frowning.
"Let's just say that Kol doesn't fear Nik and does whatever he wants, which is the reason why he always lands in a coffin with a dagger in his chest," said Rebekah. "Not that I'm justifying the whole daggering thing, but Kol does know what buttons to push, and that is not a good thing to do with someone like Nik."
"I can imagine," said Gwen, finishing her dessert. "So, what is Kol like?"
"He's a handsome one, my brother." Rebekah grinned at the smiling girl. "He's very cheeky and unpredictable with a temper that can rival Nik's, but he does have a heart. He cares for the ones he loves, even though he has a funny way of showing it and keeps it hidden beneath layers of charm." She smirked at the halfling. "Should you ever meet him, don't tell him I told you that."
"I'll keep my lips shut," Gwen chuckled as she smiled at the vampire. "Well," she began as she looked around the bar and grill, "do you want to spend the whole day here or do something else?"
"I'd rather not watch people waste away at the bar," Rebekah answered, glancing at Damon and Alaric. "What do you suggest we do?"
"We can go shopping," Gwen suggested. "I have one of Nik's cards."
Rebekah perked up at this. "That sounds like a perfect idea."
"Great." Gwen slid out of the booth. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
Rebekah nodded as she finished the last drop of her wine. "I'll be here, trying to survive without you." She was looking forward to discovering more fashion styles.
Gwen walked toward the restrooms, weaving through people to get to her destination. When she entered the hallway that led to the bathrooms, she bumped into a person who stormed out of the men's restroom, causing a small yelp to leave the hybrid's lips. "Sorry about that," Gwen apologized and paused when she saw that she had bumped into Elena, which had her frowning when she noticed that the doppelgänger had stepped out of the men's restroom. "Oh, it's you."
"Yeah, and don't worry about it," Elena told Gwen while shaking her head, unable to even muster a smile after what she saw her brother doing with a deceased vampire. "I'm just in a bit of a rush, so I should have been more careful." She went to walk around Gwen but stopped before leaving to turn around to face the half-faerie. "Um, thank you for the other night," she said to a confused Gwen who tilted her head to the side, so the doppelgänger gestured to her chest with a wave of her hands. "You know, for whatever it was that you did."
"Oh, yeah, don't mention it," Gwen told her.
Elena nodded with a polite smile. "Still, thank you."
"Don't worry about it," Gwen waved her off with a small smile before going into the women's bathroom to take care of her needs.
After she was done and had flushed the toilet, Gwen went over to wash her hands but glanced at herself in the mirror over the sink. She ran her fingers through the lightened strands of her brown hair to have them flow past her shoulders. She also made sure that there was nothing out of place with her outfit. She adjusted her peach-colored, semi-sheered top that had a round neckline with short, cuffed dolman sleeves and a relaxed fit. She had matched the top with a pair of light denim skinny jeans and a pair of beige, ankle-high booties.
Gwen pushed her bangs away from her left eye and placed them behind her ear before she began to wash her hands. She kept her gaze on the cold water and soap that washed over her smooth skin. After turning off the faucet, she raised her head to the mirror once more and a gasp escaped her when she saw the smirking woman with red hair who she had seen the night of the party. Her heartbeat picked up speed as she stared into the young woman's shining brown eyes. Any other sound that wanted to leave her mouth got stuck within her throat. She didn't know what else to do except keep her eyes focused on the woman through the mirror, fighting to remain calm.
"Hello, again," the redhead said with a smooth voice, the grin on her lips widening as she looked at Gwen with malicious mirth.
The young halfling whirled around to face the strange woman but frowned when she saw no one there standing behind her. A soft gasp left her lips as she took a deep breath to calm herself, her eyes looking around the restroom in search of the girl with strawberry blonde hair. She knew she should have left, but she checked the stalls for any sign of the spirit she saw, coming up short. Opting to just ignore what happened, she turned around to leave.
Once she stepped outside of the bathroom, Gwen hadn't taken a single step before her mouth was covered by a pungent cloth and a strong arm wrapped itself around her midsection to pull her against a hard chest. From the cloth that had been shoved harshly against her mouth and nose, she could only smell something sweet, tempting her to quell her struggles to escape as she tried to push herself away from the person holding her captive from behind. The only other thing that occurred to her to do was to scream, but even that hard for her to do with her mouth covered, muffling her voice.
Gwen panicked when she realized that she was being pulled deeper into the hallway and away from the possibility of anyone seeing or hearing her cries for help. Fear was beginning to crawl up her body, causing her heart to thump painfully against her chest, which prompted her to fight tooth and nail against the iron-tight hold that pulled her into a storage room. She tried to kick or punch or scratch at anything, but she was getting nowhere, not when she had no strength or experience in self-defense or fighting. Still, that didn't mean that she wasn't going to make it difficult for her captor, even though her body began to lose energy the more that she breathed the strong scent the cloth gave off. Dark spots were dancing in her vision as her arms and legs began to fail her by the second, being unable to utter a sound louder than a mumble.
The young girl was terrified to think about what was waiting for her as darkness threatened to cloud her eyes.
Then, lips breathed cold air close to her ear and whispered, "Hello, poppet."
End of chapter!
And that was my attempt at a cliffhanger, so please don't kill me. I admit that it might've been a rather slow chapter that was difficult to write, but it's a set up for the next one. I am very excited to get into a bit of drama surrounding Gwen. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed!
I am here and ready for any rants you may have and whatnot, especially with how I ended the chapter. I am loving the love I've received in your Faves and Follows and reviews, so don't be afraid to tell me what you thought and whatever else you have on your minds.
See you guys in the next chapter!