Hello again everyone,

Sorry this chapter is late; it was such a struggle and I tried many times to write it, but only really started yesterday around the time I was supposed to be updating. The same cannot be said for the next chapter, which I'll be working on immediately upon uploading this.

I hope this chapter finds you well. There was a little bit of a decrease in the reviews for last chapter, but I still want to thank all those who did review and keep reviewing every chapter. The love you guys have for this story is something I've never experienced for any of my others, on this account or my other canon one. It truly warms my heart when I open my emails to see reviews from you guys, and I hope you don't stop. :D

This chapter is not beta'd because I wanted to upload it as soon as it was finished; apart from a clean-up from me, it's not been through Chandrakanta's capable eyes and analysis, so please excuse any mistakes you find.

You can find links to the images from this chapter on my profile; there are two-you will see what they are.

I really love this chapter even if it's quite different from the others; it shows a growth even though its not quite as into the Cullens and their movements and all as much as it is about the family ties and Bella and Klaus.

Of course, I own nothing but the plot.

See you down the bottom. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5 – Song for Someone

A week later, and the Mikaelsons and Bella were still recluses inside their dwellings. Klaus was not willing to announce their arrival in a city so tumultuous yet since Bella was so fragile at the moment, as well as her being on the run from her mate, Edward, whom she was not ready to come face-to-face with should someone leak her whereabouts.

If there was one thing Klaus knew better than any other, it was that the world was rife with betrayal and one could never be too careful when it comes to whom you trust.

And thus, Klaus Mikaelson found himself looking down upon the city below him, arms outstretched and gripping the cold iron in fists as he stood perched on the balcony. He was troubled; half of his mind wanted to be in with his mate though he knew that she was showering (and it took all his one thousand years of control to grit his teeth against the urge of visualizing her wet and waiting for him in their shared chambers' bathroom; that would grant him no favors). The other half of his mind was taken up by the rather unsettling news he'd received from Elijah about the Cullens.

It seemed they had come to the arrival at a decision to make haste and travel to Italy. The thought of their prolonged and vast distance from Bella would have kept him satisfied, however this was not to be the case for two reasons, again both leading back to his dear little swan. It was not just that the Cullens on their way to the Volturi coven, but the increase in distance was causing Bella to react in a most unfortunate manner because of the strain on her already overwrought mate-ship to the young Edward.

The increase meant that Bella was experience a tightening sensation around her heart, almost like a heart attack in its power, and that put Klaus on edge. His wolf and his vampire in their dual connection to the young girl screamed their infstincts inside of him; they wanted to mark her, at least to give her some kind of ease of mind, but the rational side of Klaus—getting slimmer by the moment—knew that this was a bad idea. The last thing he wanted was to take his mate's will away when it had already been so compromised.

The sound of the door to the balcony sliding open brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Bella standing by the door, her eyes betraying her nerves.

He smiled. "Hello, love," he greeted her warmly, opening his arms in silent invitation.

Bella blushed, the smile she gave him shy as she nodded and she walked into his arms quick in long, fast strides, pressing her head into his clothed chest and sighing at the release of tension once his arms fell around her and tightened just right. It was moments like this that she could see what this connection was about; they fit together so well, and Niklaus's touch was so comforting and loving despite the stories she'd heard from Rebekah and Kol of his rather demonic moments. She found it rather easy to read behind the lines and see what was going on, to break down the wall he'd held for centuries, the mask he'd created to shield his pain behind a belligerent, emotionless mask of cruelty.

Klaus smiled to himself as he pressed a kiss to her hair, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes as he, too, calmed from her easy embrace. His wolf and his vampire quieted their prolonged monologues of worry and doubt as he slipped into a sense of peace. He had time for all of that, but right now he just wanted to hold his mate.

"We should go in," Bella whispered, turning her head to the side on his chest now. Her eyes were closed and a relaxed smile played on her lips. As always when Klaus was holding her, she wasn't seeing Edward's angry eyes or hearing his voice in the back of her mind when she closed her eyes… she was just living the moment in the arms of the man she felt safest with… of the man she saw herself falling for little by little. She knew she would get there.

Without a word, Klaus picked her up in his arms, movements slow and gentle so as not to alarm her. He never wanted to cause her any discomfort. He carried her inside and lay her down on the bed, pulling the covers back before drawing them back up over her. He was already dressed for bed, so he sped around to the other side of the bed and pulled himself under the covers beside her, drawing her in against him and smiling when she pressed her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her and they breathed in tandem as the fingers of Klaus's right hand danced on the skin of her arm in a slow, comforting manner designed to relax her into sleep. He found it the best method so far in relaxing her that much, otherwise she'd be a tense little ball against him, disquieted and tired but drawn by stress so much she couldn't quite ever fall into that needed sleep.

Klaus found himself once again fighting his impulses. Indeed, Bella was beautiful and alluring to him in every way, but it was not in this manner. Klaus was, as he'd told her, not a patient man, and while he did not want to push her and he was quite happy by their already-made progress, he longed for a more loving relationship than they had now.

"Would you have dinner with me?" Klaus asked her, blurting the words out on an exhale. He cursed himself when he felt Bella jump in surprise a little, her eyes popping open and a sharp inhale hissing through her teeth.

Bella's lips parted in a small 'o' of surprise, before she swallowed as she heard him speak. She pushed down on his chest to sit up, bracing her left arm to hold her up as she stared down, unseeing, at his covered chest in thought, and without realizing it causing quite the stir within the man below her when she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. Glancing up at Klaus, she blushed seeing his eyes intent on her.

"I—" a smile played on her lips. "Yes. Okay, yes."

And then she lay her head down on his chest once again, missing the wide, toothy grin that beamed on Niklaus's face as she fell asleep in his arms. But Klaus found it hard to sleep that night, his thoughts now distinctly more imaginative as he thought of Bella and their pending date.

~TPoL~

Elsewhere in the house, the sole other member of the household awake was Kol. He sat against the door into the hall, his head laid down on his knees, bent up and braced against his chest, arms wrapped tight around his chest. He wanted to close his eyes, his face scoured by a tight grimace as growls threatened to rip from his chest; he held them in, not wanting his other siblings to hear and try to come to his aid.

Hallucination after hallucination had plagued his mind, but he found that since he'd returned from the other side, he did not have that strong desire to end his life. That was strengthened by the other words, words he remembered hearing from the spirits on the Other Side before he'd been resurrected.

"Your path on the other plane has not yet ended, Kol Mikaelson. Your destiny still awaits you."

A low knock at his door sounded, and Kol groaned. He'd forgotten himself. He pulled himself up and was quick opened the door, finding a kind-eyed Elijah standing there, a small, genial smile on his face as he took his brother's disheveled appearance.

"You should have called, brother." The words were colored with a soft tone, a light scolding; he walked forward into the room and turning to face his brother who closed the door and turned to face him.

"I am fine, Elijah," he stated and Elijah chuckled, but it was not a sound filled with amusement; it was strained, choked almost.

"Do not hide from me, Kol. You don't have to do that, not when you are suffering like this. I have spoken with Rebekah and Klaus as I am sure Rebekah has told you; we only wish to help." He was stepping forward with every sentence he gave, taking in his brother's clenched jaw and flared nostrils. He reached up to grasp his youngest brother's shoulder and leaned his forward against his much as he had with Niklaus a millennia ago. "Always and forever, brother. Always and forever. I am sorry that you have ever felt as though we are not here for you, and I know our actions in the past much support that theory, but no more. Losing you, Kol… it made us realize how much more to us all you mean than an inconvenience or an irrational, out of control brother that we must control ourselves. I am so very sorry, and I only hope that you can someday forgive us, my brother."

Kol inhaled deeply, his eyes clenching shut and his muscles froze up. It meant so much to him, far more than he would ever admit. But years of shielding bitterness and pain caused him to straighten and pull away from the embrace. His eyes were drawn downward from his brother's knowing gaze. "Thank you, Elijah," he murmured under his breath, opening his eyes and speeding to his bed, "but you cannot help me."

"I believe I can," Elijah said, the words laced with determination as he sat beside Kol on the bed. "I have noticed, and Rebekah has confirmed that the effects of the curse aren't so strong as they should be. I believe I know why that might be."

Kol's brow furrowed, just a twitch of muscle, eyes tightening in both curiosity and suspicion, but he listened to his brother as he coached him… and that night, he found a connection he'd never thought he'd have.

~TPoL~

The following morning, Kol was still asleep when the three other Mikaelsons called a meeting in the bedchambers of Klaus and Bella. Bella, too, was still asleep and since her first seizure, Klaus was hard-pressed to leave her unless there was no other option, either for her own privacy or for some pressing matter or another.

"What is the meaning of this, Elijah?" Klaus asked with quiet passion, arms tightening around his mate's waist as she lay sleeping with her head on his shoulder.

Elijah and Rebekah shared a smile before sitting on either side of the bed. "How is she?" Rebekah asked, her eyes dancing over her new sister's form. A small smile lit her face as she saw how close her brother and she were, and the most content smile she'd seen on either of their faces—Klaus in what seemed like forever, and Bella since she had met her weeks ago.

The grin on Klaus's face broadened, as did Elijah's and Rebekah's. "She is doing much better. She has agreed to have dinner with me, perhaps later this week."

"That's excellent, brother, I am happy for you," Elijah replied, before straightening.

Rebekah and Klaus recognized the moment their brother became more serious and shared a look before turning back to their older brother. A millennia together and they knew each other very well; they knew his tells, and as such, knew that their brother had something serious to share about their brother, Kol.

Klaus was not oblivious to what was occurring to his brother. He may not have approached him yet, but that wasn't just because of his time with Bella; it was also much to do with his worry. He worried about the reception he would receive were he to stand outside his brother's room and pledge his support. For the past millennia, all Niklaus had done with his brother was dagger or undagger him according to some agenda, and yet despite all, he did love Kol. He loved all of his siblings, and he could admit to himself that while he may front those daggerings as for their own safety—there were many other reasons he used as a front, and in some way, all were true—but the main one was simple. He did not want to be alone, for his siblings to leave him; and so if he had to dagger them all for their safety so he would not lose them, he would. He had, many times over.

It was explaining all of this to Kol in a way that his unhinged brother might understand and perhaps forgive him that was immeasurably harder, and yes, indeed, the prospect of baring all to any of his siblings—to anyone at all—frightened him.

Even though he knew he would have to with Bella. Though in her he knew he had found someone who would not judge him, whom he could trust not to hurt or betray him; it was hard, placing that trust, and he was slow to do so but it was happening.

"How is Kol?" he found himself asking, breaking out of his thoughts.

Elijah's smile was grim. "That is indeed what I have come here to speak with the both of you about." All three of them frowned, worry clawing at them for their youngest brother; he was irrational and flighty and unpredictable—indeed, he was most certainly dangerous… but they already had evidence of just how grave the affect may be on Kol. They'd already lost him once because of it. They were not prepared to lose him again, even if they knew how to bring him back.

"What, Elijah?" Rebekah asked, voice sharp and forceful. "Spit it out."

Elijah sighed, and when he spoke, his voice was low and gritty, troubled. "Kol does not have very long before the hallucinations get far worse than they already are. He tells me that he is not yet feeling the desire to kill himself, and he is unsure of whether he actually will or not." He looked between his siblings, taking in their worry. "However, we have discovered something that explains much of why his experience is far less than it should be."

With a gentleness long forgotten before her, Klaus brought Bella harder against him, sitting up straighter so his back was against the headboard of the bed. "And what is that?"

Elijah gave a small smile to both of them, much as he had with Bella upon meeting her again when she was more lucid; it was designed to comfort them. His voice, when he spoke this time, was cautious but far more hopeful and passionate than it had been the previous. He sat forward. "Kol has been feeling a slight pull. I have heard that finding your mate can greatly lessen the impact. At this stage, it is buried under the effects of the curse but the mere fact that he is feeling that pull means she is within this city."

"What do we do?" Rebekah asked, both hers and Klaus's minds already flying through all they'd heard of the legend of mates—Klaus taking into account his experience; he, too, had felt a pull before meeting Bella, though he hadn't realized what it was. Had Kol done so on his own or with Elijah's aid?

He was brought from his thoughts by Elijah's voice again, whom was gesturing with his hand. "As much as it may not be a good idea, we need to get him out there and finding her. Upon meeting her, the bond will further soothe the effects of the curse; he'll be in a much better headspace until the next potential hunter is located."

Klaus and Rebekah thought for a moment.

"And you think he would support this?" Rebekah asked, a small smile of hope gracing her features. "Does he even want a mate?" She could not imagine that he did, but then his knowledge about the ins and outs of the bond made far more sense if he did. This thought saddened her; it made her realize just how little she knew her brother.

A secretive smile on Elijah's face confirmed as much for her, and also Klaus, whose thoughts were on a similar wavelength. Elijah's tone was almost smug in his satisfaction as he gestured with a flick of his right hand, leaning backward as he spoke. "He has already given full consent."

Rebekah stood from the bed, glancing between her unmoving brothers. "Well then…?" she prompted, gesturing for at least Elijah to get up. "Elijah," she growled.

Elijah chuckled. "Dear sister, allow Kol some more rest; he is in great need of it. We will speak with him latter and begin the search once he feels ready. I agree that time is of the essence, but we should not force him into making a move on this until he is. Meeting your mate is quite life-changing; we do not want to push our brother into something he is not ready for."

Rebekah sat back down on the bed in a huff. "Fine," she granted them before standing once more and walking out of the door without another word. Behind her, Elijah and Klaus chuckled at their sister's dramatics.

Rebekah made her way to Kol's door once more, and she entered in silence to see the youngest of her brothers. She sat down in an armchair close to his bed, a soft smile on her face even though her brow was pinched in focused thought. She sighed to herself as she realized just how much they had to come in order to claim the relationship she shared with her other two brothers, and a swell of guilt hit her as she thought on her actions toward Kol in the past.

She would make up for it. She would guide her brother through this curse, and she would help him find his mate. Then he would get to know him and her.

They would become the family they had one been again. It was a mere matter of time.

~TPoL~

It was another week after that when Bella woke up to find a bouquet of red roses on the bedside table next to her. With a small smile on her face, she sat up in bed and reached for the letter propped against the glass vase. She pulled it away and flipped it open to read.

Little One,

I would like to ask that you agree to our dinner together tonight at seven. We will have the house to ourselves and during this time I would like for us to get to know one another.

I hope you enjoy the roses; I thought them a fitting gift for you. I would have sent you your favorites, but cannot as I do not know what they are. This, as well as many other things, is what I wish to discover tonight.

If you wish, you can find me in the room across from this when you wake.

I hope to see you soon, love.

Klaus

Bella was aware of her flaming cheeks as she read Klaus's note. Her heart throbbed in her chest, and she took a shaky breath as she read the note once more, making sense of the words on the page. His script was very fitting of his character; elegant, old-worldly, and yet edgy. She smiled to herself as she regarded it. She settled back into the pillows once more, breathing easier now that the initial shock at his efforts had died down. Part of her didn't want to leave the warmth of the bed, but she knew it would be too be so far from his side for too long. She'd been successful in previous attempts to stave off the symptoms when away from him for at least an hour given the increase in his presence at every other time since the piano incident; prolonged contact always made the small moments they were parted easier for her to bear. But neither he nor she were willing to risk it much, and so with a forlorn sigh, she escaped the warmth and comfort, pulling the covers back and got up, reaching for her dressing gown.

Curling up in it for a moment, she slipped her feet into the little house shoes Rebekah had bought for her in Mystic Falls—they hadn't ventured out of the house since arriving in New Orleans; Klaus was a paranoid thing when it came to her safety, so revealing their stay here in a city so monitored was a risk he wasn't willing to take until she was ready to see Edward in the flesh. And they all knew that wasn't something she would be ready for any time soon.

Bella walked out of the room and to the door across, and just as he had in Mystic Falls, Klaus was there before she'd even stopped, opening the door with a small smile as he took in her appearance. "Morning, love. You slept well?"

"Quite," she replied, walking on through as he stepped to the side and closed the door behind her. Bella gasped as she took in the room before her; paintings lined the walls, with few standing on easels at various places throughout. She watched as Klaus walked back over to the one closest to the window, paintbrush in hand and he stroked it across the canvas. It was faced away from her, towards the window, and Bella watched him for a moment longer before turning her attention to the rest of the paintings in the room. Taking her time, she perused them with a sense of wonder; she could hardly believe that these were Klaus's. They were beautiful. Most were abstract in fierce, bold colors of red or black, but some lighter, too; Bella could tell they were the more recent, stacked against the wall in front of the darker ones and the same style on the other easels.

After some time, Bella made her way to Klaus's side. She still couldn't quite see the painting his focus was so intense on, regarding him with new eyes; she was still reeling from what was the most insightful evidence into this man—her mate—and his emotions.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, still looking at him.

He tensed just a little, pausing mid-stroke, before he smiled at her. "Thank you, love." Then he continued through the stroke.

She watched him a moment longer, before steeling herself. "Can I see?" she asked, gesturing to the painting he was working on.

A pucker appeared in his brow. "I don't usually show unfinished works," he began, but he placed the paintbrush down and turned to face her. He regarded her for a moment and then smiled. "But I think, love, that I can make an exception for you." He took her hand and gently pulled her in front of the painting, turning her to face it in slow movements.

When her eyes fell upon the painting in front of her, two things happened: her eyes welled with tears, and a strangled gasp left her lips. She was standing in front of a painting of herself. Her hair was black, yet the strands in front of and around her face were a brown-red. Her eyes were cast downwards and her lips had fallen open. Looking at herself, she felt…

"Beautiful," she whispered, her voice choked with emotional. She couldn't stand to look at the painting; she could not believe the girl Klaus had painted was her. It couldn't be. She wasn't like that; beautiful, confident… resilient—because that is how she felt she looked in the painting. Strong, fearless, and independent; so much the way she used to be and so much the way she wanted to be once more.

"Not quite," Klaus whispered into her ear. Bella was shaking when his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, his chin resting on her shoulder as the two gazed at the painting in front of them; Bella in shock, Klaus with an admiring smile. "You are far more beautiful here in my arms than you are on that canvas."

Bella swallowed against the lump in her throat, jaw trembling as the tears in her eyes leaked. "When I look at it I feel… beautiful, and whole, and strong. I want that back, Klaus. He stole it from me." Her voice was hoarse and thick with resignation. The fight had left her.

He's broken me, she thought to herself, lifting her arms and wrapping them across her waist, over Klaus's. Her hands clenched his as she fought the whimper building. Her face screwed up with the pain she was feeling at that realization. Edward Cullen had ruined her, utterly and with complete abandon; she would never have back all that he stole from her.

Klaus turned her around in his arms, looking into her eyes with that intense blue gaze of his before drawing her in. His arms formed a protecting barrier around her, shielding her from everything else as she laid her head against his chest. "You are still strong and beautiful, Bella. You ran from him; you saw what he was doing, and did what most others in your situation never would have had the gall to do. That speaks of your courage, your will and determination—your drive to fight his hold." He drew back and took gentle hold of her chin, bringing it up so she'd look him in the eyes. Pain clawed at him, seeing her own staring back at him. "You may not be whole, not now, but you will be again one day. I will make sure of that. Trust in me, Bella; I am speaking from experience."

She frowned. "What?"

Without a word, Klaus's hand reached up to the neck of his Henley, and he pulled on a cord to reveal a silver bird. He let it rest against his chest as he spoke to her. "When I was young, my mother gave me this necklace. She told me that Starling birds were very important to Vikings and that this necklace would protect me; that if I ever needed her, I only had to clench it in my hand and she would come. I asked if any of my siblings were to be given one, but she said I was special," he spat the word, a sardonic smile on his face, but Bella could see the pain in his eyes; concealed so well, and yet never to him. It was as if he didn't have it in him to pretend around her. "What my mother failed to tell me was that the necklace was far more important than that; it was designed to hinder my werewolf abilities and limit my aggression, to hide the affair she'd had with my father from Mikael.

"I was the bane of that man's existence," he said with a humorless chuckle. "He was ashamed of me, of my weakness; no one but my mother knew that the reason I was weaker than any of my other siblings was because of the necklace she had given me—one that I fought so hard for against my father. I was angry when he tried to take it from me after I'd challenged him. I cherished it.

"The necklace stopped working after Esther made us immortal. Still, I had no idea of what it could do. Only became aware of much in recent years, as a matter of fact. I had once given it to a boy I was… quite fond of, whom I later changed into a vampire. It is now in my possession again and I wear it every day as a reminder that what once made me weak now only serves to strengthen me." He looked at Bella, his darkened expression lifting at the tears in her eyes; she felt pain in his place. The smile gave her was sad and full of understanding and gratitude—never before had a woman cried in his name—coming forward again and cupping her cheek. "Bella," he whispered, searching her eyes. "To my father, I was always weak… and that was because of my mother. I have told you that I do not do well with betrayal, and that is because I have been surrounded by it my entire life, some in ways that I am just now coming to understand. I have been broken—perhaps a part of me still is—but I have overcome it, I have built myself back up. You can and will do the same, and I will be there with you every step of the way. And trust me, love, when I say that I would never betray you, never hurt you; because I know what it is like to be hurt and betrayed by those you should be able to trust and those you love. I never want you to experience that; it pains me to know that you already have once. I will shield you from that so that no one can ever touch you again, least of all him."

"Why?" she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

Klaus's smile widened and he cupped both her cheeks now. "Because you are my salvation. You are who makes me whole, who fills that last broken part of me. You bring me light and happiness and a sense of belonging I never really knew I was missing." He chuckled. "I used to scoff at the thought of mates; I never believed it, thought it was a fable for the younger generations my siblings and I have created over the past millennia. Until you," he whispered, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. "You break and enter my imagination, and whatever is in there is yours to take. You've got eyes that can see right through me, and you're not afraid of anything they've seen. And yet you know from my siblings the very worst of me."

Bella's breath was shaky as she looked into Klaus's eyes. He was so different from that perfection that was Edward; he was real, and whole, and he wanted her. Her—the real her, not the one that Edward wanted, the broken doll. He wanted all of her, always and forever. His face was not spoiled by the beauty that had her dumbstruck when she looked at Edward, which broke her train of thought and yet he did that anyway. And yes, she was scarred from where she'd been, from Edward and his lies and his domination. But looking into Klaus's eyes, she could feel that melting away, fading into nothing.

They were a long way from what they had both been—Bella in her strength and naivety, and Klaus in his pain, his weakness, his hard exterior burning all around him but most of all himself. And they were a long way from where they needed to be.

But there was a light, a hope, in Klaus's eyes, reflecting back in her own as she imagined her life with him… and she could not let it go out. There was a darkness there, too, within him and hell, within her as well, she was sure. But in the other they found their solution.

Klaus whispered her name, and she his, their eyes not breaking from one another's gaze as he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers.

I am terribly sorry (not sorry) for the cliffy; quite mean, huh? Well, at least I updated a day late so you'll get the next chapter soon!

Remember, if you want sneak peeks, they can be found on Facebook in my group ncbexie25 Fanfics, the Vampire Diaries/The Originals + Twilight crossovers group, (a few others) and on my profile, Bexie Mc. Add me as a friend or request to join one of those groups; when everything is going smoothly, pic teases are on Friday, and the excerpt is on Saturday. Apart from that, you also get updates on what I'm doing in my group and on my profile, and anything to do with the shows or movies/books in the other group.

Remember-links to photos from this chapter are on the profile. I didn't want to spoil what was going on by telling you, but on my profile you can find Klaus's painting of Bella, and a picture of the Starling bird necklace Klaus was given by his mother. :D

Thanks for reading; now PLEASE tell me what you thought of the chapter!

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