Chapter 9
It's not safe for you out there
Cate crossed her legs on the couch and kept her eyes on her teacup. She was very uncomfortable, and she really couldn't think of anything to say. She was still very cautious around Klaus and Elijah's other siblings made her nervous as well. The whole thing was still hard to comprehend. Maybe she believed what Elijah had told her, but she wasn't sure could she trust him. So far, he had been nothing but kind to her, but she was still reserved. She didn't trust anyone easily.
"So, how did you and Elijah meet?" Kol asked.
"In a hotel bar," Cate replied cautiously.
"Really? When was this?"
"Few weeks ago."
"How long have you two been together?"
"We're not," Cate murmured. She really wasn't comfortable talking about this. What had happened in that hotel suite... That had been the craziest thing she had ever done. For the first time in her life, she had been wild and reckless. Free. Sure, and look what that had gotten her. Pregnant with a vampire's child. She was nothing but an idiot.
"A one-night stand?" Kol hummed. "That doesn't sound like the Elijah I know. But I can certainly understand why you caught his attention..."
"Knock it off, Kol," Rebekah snorted. "Leave the poor girl alone."
Elijah's brother grinned and made himself comfortable on the armchair. He and Elijah's sister both had a glass of bourbon in their hand. Klaus hadn't joined them; he had said that he had better things to do. Cate only hoped that Elijah would return soon. Maybe she didn't completely trust him, but at least he didn't make her nervous.
"I appreciate you came," she stated after a moment of silence.
"Of course," Rebekah replied. "I know how important this is to Elijah."
"And to us," Kol added smiling. "I was curious to meet you, darling and I must say that you didn't disappoint me."
Rebekah rolled her eyes.
"Honestly Kol?"
"What? I'm just trying to be nice." He paused and leaned towards Cate. "I have to ask, what kind of perfume you use?"
His question stunned her.
"What?"
"You smell very nice."
"Okay... Thanks, but I don't use any perfume, just body spray."
"Well, I like it either way."
"That's... nice," Cate murmured.
She was relieved to see Elijah entering the room.
"Elijah," Rebekah said smiling and hurried to hug her brother. "Good to see you."
"You too," Elijah replied. "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome," Kol hummed.
"Hello, Kol," Elijah greeted his brother and looked at Cate. "I'm sorry for not returning sooner, is everything alright?"
"Yeah," she replied and stood up. "I think I'll lay down for a moment if you don't mind."
"No, of course not."
Cate glanced at Kol and Rebekah.
"It was nice to meet you."
She went straight to her room and took a deep breath after closing the door behind her. She didn't think that she would be able to relax around Kol any more than she could around Klaus. Something about them made her extremely nervous. Well, they were vampires, but there was also something else. Elijah didn't make her feel like that.
She wasn't completely sure about Rebekah, but there had been something weird about the way she had looked at Cate. Or maybe she had just imagined it. Hopefully. She sighed and closed her eyes, placing her hand on her stomach. The whole pregnancy thing still felt unreal to her. She had honestly never thought that she would become a mother.
What kind of a mother could someone so messed up be? Just the thought scared the hell out of her. Not to mention there was Roark, witches who could kill her whenever they would want, vampires who creeped her out and so on. The whole thing was a nightmare. Maybe her mother hadn't been so wrong when she had wanted to isolate Cate from the world.
"It's not safe for you out there."
That had been her mother's mantra for as long as Cate could remember. She had always warned Cate not to draw attention to herself. Not to act or dress like a whore. Otherwise they would find her. Cate had never really understood who "they" were. She had assumed that her mother meant men in general. Not that Cate had sought the company of men anyway, not after how her father and brother treated her.
She had always assumed that all men were like that. That was the reason why she had ended up in Elijah's hotel suite. He had been kind and respectful. She had felt safe with him. And now... She wasn't sure how she felt. A part of her wanted to trust him, but she didn't yet. She did believe that he was trying to help her and the child, but she wasn't sure about his other intentions.
First of all, nobody seemed to know how she could be pregnant in the first place. Vampires shouldn't be able to procreate. That raised the second question. What was this child? Cate sighed tiredly. Why did everything had to be so complicated? A sudden knock on the door almost made her jump.
"Yeah?"
"It's me," Elijah's voice said. "May I come in?"
"Sure."
Cate turned to the door as it opened, and Elijah entered the room. He had a paper bag in his hand.
"I brought you the magazines you asked," he stated smiling. "And the chocolate bars."
"Thanks," Cate replied.
"No need to thank me. Anything you need, just say the word."
"I appreciate that."
They were both quiet for a moment before Elijah continued.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," Cate murmured. "All of this is just a lot to digest."
"I can believe that. Is there anything I can do?"
"Not really."
Elijah hesitated for a moment; his eyes were on Cate's stomach.
"And the child? Do you have pain or anything like that?"
Cate shook her head.
"No. I didn't even notice that I was pregnant before those women kidnapped me."
"Oh..."
"Yeah. I haven't really comprehended that yet."
"Well, me neither," Elijah replied. "To be honest, I still find this hard to believe."
"Yeah, I bet you do."
"Don't get me wrong," Elijah added quickly. "This... I thought for a very long time that I would never have children. To me, this is a miracle."
Cate wasn't sure what to say. She doubted that she could ever be a good mother to anyone. That was if she would live long enough to even give birth.
