Hello everyone!

I apologise for how late this chapter is and I hope it doesn't happen again. This chapter was a later addition to the fold and only one scene was all that clear upon hearing this song but it felt too needed to let go. The road to getting this chapter to what it is as I write this was long and arduous and full of annoyance but here we are and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like this chapter. I can only hope that you will, too.

Because of how tardy I am, this has not gone through Chandrakanta but only myself, so all mistakes are my own fault and I apologise whole-heartedly for them. I hope they are not too cumbersome for you to overlook.

Just thought I'd let you know that I uploaded a oneshot during the past week named "Already Gone." It's a Bella/Elijah that will be soon expanded into a multi-chapter length story at the request of one of the readers. I urge you to go check it out and please let me know what you think. Here's the summary-

Elijah Mikaelson had simply always been too good a dream to be true and permanent. From the moment he had saved her from the clutches of Victoria, Bella had known that while something drew her to him, it was fragile, easily broken. She had waited for it, scared and wishing it never would but resigned with its inevitability. Bella/Elijah. Rated M. OS.

Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next Monday with chapter 7…

See you down the bottom...

Chapter 6—Catch Me

It was heaven and it was hell, a terrifying dichotomy that had somehow come to a beautiful joining in the slow, sweet, synchronized movement of Bella and Klaus's lips against one another.

She was drowning. She was struggling with the terror inside her as it waged war on the part of her—equal in size and fighting for domination—that was convinced this was perfect and right. It was, of course, but it was in that touch of their lips which felt like an eternity that Bella found a name to all the feelings she'd been shielding herself from ever since meeting the hybrid in her arms.

And it was that realization that caused the revolt, and found Bella ripping her lips from Klaus's moments after they'd first joined.

They stared at one another for a long moment, Bella's fright clear in her eyes, the emotion making them glisten with tears—an image Klaus would never forget. And then Bella looked around, her face crumbling as she backed away, her instinct for flight winning over fight as she fled the room, leaving Nik stranded in his own storm.

She raced to her old bedroom, just down the hall, barely opening the door and throwing herself against it on the floor before the tears started falling down her face, and she was lost in a sea of confusion.

Her mind was in turmoil, and her heart wouldn't settle down, beating hard in her chest as if she were still running as she wanted to. Her lips tingled as she felt the urge to run far, far away so she could breathe. She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers to them, feeling herself flush at the memory of how Klaus's felt against them. The kiss had brought up emotion that Bella was not quite ready to face just yet; she had known that she would fall for him, could feel herself beginning to, but that kiss… it had told her just how far she had already come. She was not on the edge of the cliff looking down, she had already jumped and was making her descent. All she could do was pray that Klaus was there to catch her.

And by god, from that kiss and the look in his eyes and the way he spoke to her… the way he painted her, it looked as though he would be. She knew they both had trust issues, both had enough issues in general that it would seem probable they were too broken to fit together but Bella also felt that maybe, just maybe, there was a hope that she could perhaps be safe with Klaus and she was sure he felt the same way. He had never let anyone in the way that he was letting her in; she wasn't even quite sure if his siblings knew some of the things he was beginning to tell her. And they'd just glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

Bella waited as her breathing slowed, eyes closed as she turned away from the real world in favor of her thoughts. She needed something definite, something to pull her back from the brink of insanity she could feel clawing at her in the aftermath of that kiss. And she found it, within seconds—the threads wrapping around her soul and her heart and her mind, pulling her to Niklaus. She felt them, strong, and yes, battered, but glowing. She prodded at them, taking in the difference between the two threads woven in together—his wolf and his vampire, she recognized. To be certain, it was different to the one she shared with Edward; worlds away. Stronger and more unbreakable but not in a way that would bring the same immeasurable fear that Edward's had; this connection was not oppressive and overbearing—it was light, like being wrapped up in a cloud but somehow with the knowledge that you were safe—you could never fall through the cloud. This wasn't suffocating at all.

The connection was sweeter, more tender—building up her confidence and happiness, those emotions—her own emotions, wants, dreams no longer the sacrificial lamb awaiting atop the alter for slaughter. It was rather another way—she could still see that alter, but on it was Klaus—his love, his comfort, his passion… his safe arms and his desire to love and protect her always, to journey to the moon and bring it down to her just so she could touch it with the tips of her fingers. But he was not awaiting slaughter; he was being offered to her, if that was what she desired. She didn't have to give in and surrender to the bond, but she could… if that was what she wanted. And it was; itwas his love that she wanted to fall into.

She had a choice. Therein, she was granted the one thing she'd never be afforded in any kind of relationship with Edward Cullen.

Away from the fog of Edward's influence, Bella could discern many things. The pull to Klaus was stronger—not just because the bond offered what she desired in her life, but because of the dual connection; his vampire and his wolf both in accordance as their joined soul called for hers. The bonds were not marred by any kind of frightful fits of forced submission given in moments of turmoil of the mind. Indeed they were at the very core what the little voice that was ever growing inside her claimed to be; these bonds—two connections forged and entangled into one—was safe and comforting, sweet and tender, reassuring and loving; it was no bars, no conditions. It was Niklaus and Isabella, happy and confident and equal.

And Bella smiled despite the tears streaming down her face because yes. That was what she wanted, despite all her fright and all her worry that perhaps she shouldn't—perhaps she couldn't. So she wasn't ready to seek it just yet, that was fine; in time she would be and she knew that Klaus would be there waiting, his arms outstretched for her. And she would walk into that embrace, feel his arms enclosing around her, encasing her, and for the first time in his one thousand years and her near two decades on earth, the two of them would be home.

Bella winced, coming back into the real world; her remorse for her reaction, already bad, had only grown worse, especially as she heard the crashes coming from elsewhere in the house, far more distant than just his art room. But the thought of going to him left a sick feeling in her stomach that she couldn't quite comprehend, the memory of looking into his eyes and her stomach dropping with so much more than just a slight fear was too much for her, and so, without much thought, she dragged herself up from the floor and got on the bed, content with the idea of hiding away in bed for the rest of the day.

And just as she was falling asleep, she felt it; Nik's arms wrapping around her and pulling her in against his coiled, tensed frame. She slipped into a dreamless sleep with the safety of his arms around her.

Niklaus fled the room as soon as time caught up with him and he realized his actions. He cursed himself as he entered the bedroom they'd been sharing, his thoughts such a mess it was hard to string two words together. What had he been thinking? He hadn't. It was a spur of a moment, and before he even realized what was happening, his lips were on his mate's and then he was lost in sensation. He winced at the memory, pulling himself from his thoughts. His hand connected with the wall hard enough that the paintings hanging on them fell and the glass in the frames shattered. But he couldn't stop there. He didn't want to think; he wanted to be as far from that as possible. So he created enough noise that he couldn't focus on his thoughts, could just hear the glass shattering as he threw vase after vase into the wall across from him.

He whipped his phone out and pressed a key, listening with very low patience to the dial tone, grow irritated when all he heard was the sound of his brother's voice before that familiar beep. He hung up with a growl and threw his phone into the wall, hearing the thud as the phone smashed upon impact. He whooshed to the phone on the desk and called Elijah again. "Elijah," he said, "when you get this, come home. I need to speak with you… I believe I've cocked this up." He ended the call and walked at a human pace over to the bar, not bothering with a tumbler glass; instead, he took the bottle and settled into a chair, his jaw set as he looked out the window and waited.

It was not too much longer before he had sufficiently calmed and realized that his brother was not going to be coming for a while and his mate needed his presence. Glancing around the room, he grimaced and cleaned up the mess he'd made before he could resist the call no longer. Slipping out, he made his way to the room that inhabited his mate. Even upset with himself like this, he could not stay away from her. He knocked on the door, quiet and unimposing, but upon garnering no answering call for him to either leave her be or enter, he listened closely. A small smile appeared on his lips as he took in her slow, deep and even breathing, the slowed, relaxed beat of his Bella's heart. She was sleeping. He opened the door and slipped through the small space, closing it behind him before making his way to the bed. There, he sat on the edge and watched her, mournful blue eyes fixating on her flowing brown hair, glinting red in the sun, the small grimace on her face urging him to flit to the window and close the blinds. His heart sang at the answering small smile on her face as the light fell away from her closed eyes.

He would never tell a soul but this woman before him had Niklaus Mikaelson wrapped around her fingers.

He chuckled under his breath to himself as a pout settled on his mate's face while he reached for him; even in her sleep, even after all that occurred, she still wished for his presence. Perhaps it was just the mating bond, but he knew there was at least a small hope left there yet. He prayed his actions had done nothing to tarnish it. He knew he would be very lost without her.

It was when Bella whispered his name that he gave in and took off his shoes. She sighed when he pulled the covers back and settled into bed next to her, wrapping her up in his warm embrace. He'd not had to pull her close at all as she'd already been turning toward him in her sleep.

Klaus sighed as the girl, the object of such strong emotions manifesting inside of him and growing more powerful by the second, lay sleeping in his arms. As chaotic as his emotions were at the moment given her reaction to his kiss, he knew he'd never let her alone with the threat of Edward's presence in her mind so fierce, so he bit back the violence in his mind, the need for a more physical purging of such heavy emotion. Instead he focused his attention on Bella, his breaths matching hers as he, too, drifted from the world into a dream state.

~TPoL~

Rebekah wiped her lips and licked her fingers clean of blood, pushing the body of the man she'd just drunk from off her. She looked toward the youngest of her brothers, rolling her eyes as she spotted him at the opposite end of the alley, almost jumping in his shoes as he looked around and scented the air. She watched him a while longer before her eyes connected with Elijah's, who had come to stand next to her. Her arms crossed over her chest and she raised an eyebrow. "This is bloody pointless," she said.

Elijah chuckled, a small smirk remaining as he faced her. His hands in his slack pockets, that annoying posh look on his face as he regarded the sole sister he had with a look of indulgence, that same look increasing when he watched his brother. "Have faith, sister."

She groaned, her head falling back as she gazed up toward the heavens before she straightened again and spoke low and fierce. "There is not one cobble stone of this godforsaken quarter that we haven't yet covered. It's late, we've been at it all day, and we are no closer to finding the girl. Why shouldn't we just call it a day and head back?" That sounded about bloody perfect to Rebekah at the moment; a small, wistful smile danced on her lips at the thought of peeling her clothes off and slipping into a hot bath. She couldn't decide if she wanted a glass of red wine or blood, and she glanced at the body at her feet. Red wine, she decided, fancying herself full for now when it came to her more primal desires.

She looked up to her older brother and found his eyes tight as he contemplated her words. A degree of hope glimmered inside her, that image of a nice bath growing clearer. But just as one brother was about to speak, the younger hopped to it.

"Come on!" Kol called from down the other end, a wide grin on his face. He was bloody near bouncing on his feet yet again, his enthusiasm not having left him the entire day since they'd set out that morning.

Elijah looked down the alley and back to his sister, quirking an eyebrow. "It seems he has found something," he said, "and who are we to deny our brother this."

He continued walking down the alley after Kol and Rebekah stood there for a moment, a grimace on Rebekah's face as the lovely idea of a bath floated away. Elijah watched her, waiting at the end alongside Kol whom he was now trying to hold back in all his exuberance—"but I've found something, Elijah; we're close!"—and her response was a sigh as she set the corpse beneath her alight. Feeling a little evil, she decided to watch her kill burn but Kol was having none of it.

"Come on, Bekah! Your age is showing," Kol quipped and he ducked down the street before Rebekah could throw the lighter at him.

She growled under her breath, materializing at Elijah's side, turning her glare on him when he chuckled at the put-out expression on her face. "I swear to god, if he calls me old or says he has another false lead one more bloody time, I'll—"

Elijah's face flickered with emotion a moment before he interrupted her, lifting a hand to halt the words coming out of her mouth as he quickened his pace behind Kol. "Patience, Rebekah. Kol is merely excited and understandably so; finding your mate is a wondrous occasion. Perhaps you should simply extend your boundless compassion toward your brother and find delight in his happiness, yes?" His tone was cheeky and light, sardonic as he played her in that last sentence, but his words held weight behind him, reflected in his serious brown eyes.

Rebekah stopped and looked up toward the moon, eyes turning mournful. Her beautiful face crumpled and her eyes slid closed, a trembling breath clawing at her throat as she fought back against the pain in her chest—the pain she dealt with every hour of every day, sighing with the air of someone beaten down one too many times. She looked back down toward her brothers walking side by side, and couldn't find it in herself to smile as she walked at a slow pace behind the two of them again. "Yes, of course… wonderful," she muttered under her breath. She wallowed just a little longer before pushing it all away so she could focus on the task at hand.

Kol was further up ahead than the two of his siblings, and while he was of half a mind to tell them to hurry it up, he was too determined to follow his newest lead. There was something different about this one, more powerful; the taste in the air, the call in his soul—he was getting there, he was close to finding her, he knew it and he could not believe it. A thousand years—albeit a good deal of them spent in a box—and he was so close to finding the one woman who was sure to give him what all others lacked.

A foolish want, he'd always thought it, even as he recognized that some other part of him was craving for it so deeply. It was almost the same as the part that had always been crying out for his siblings' attention; he'd always felt abandoned by them once they'd turned—hell, perhaps even before then. He'd always wanted even just one iota, one glimmer of something reminiscent of care in his name from any of them. He'd never gotten it, but now here he was with it from at least two of his siblings and he was reveling in it. He was included, finally. Loved, surely. Elijah and Rebekah were now giving him the one thing he'd always wanted, the response he'd wanted when he got a little too out of control, and the embrace he longed for hearing their pledges of always and forever. So what if Nik wasn't in it yet? They were getting there, and bugger it if it only took his death for them to realize what was missing.

Kol grinned as he turned the corner, letting those thoughts drift from the forefront of his mind. He was far more interested in the renewed pull than his siblings at the moment, and so without a hint of hesitation, he followed it as it pulled him down familiar streets. He was almost running now as he stopped across the street from a church, his siblings at his side.

He stared at the building in front of him, a small puckering of his brow hinting at his confusion. What the bloody hell had brought him here? The place was deserted, no sound of heartbeats anywhere in the building in front of him and it was clear as day that that was where he was being directed to.

And then he saw it, a rustling of a curtain in the floor above. The light was off, but he narrowed his eyes and peered closer for a moment before a grin broke out across his face and the confusion cleared. There! He had seen it. A figure in the shadows of the curtain, looking out the window. He stepped closer slowly, and had to restrain the violence curling inside him as Elijah braced a restraining arm across his chest.

"Careful, brother," Elijah warned him lowly, his eyes taking in their surroundings. They should be able to hear a heartbeat in the building across from them, be it that of a human, a vampire, or a werewolf but alas there was none, meaning the building was protected; the being in there was protected and heavily, but why?

"Can you feel that?" Rebekah muttered under her breath. "That magic; it's more powerful than anything I've ever felt—even from that of a Bennett witch." She stole glances with Elijah, both of them serious before turning to their brother. "It's coming from up there," she said, nodding toward the same window Kol had seen the shadow out of.

"We must take our leave, Kol," Elijah spoke for the both of them, beating her to it. "Your mate is protected and we need to know how best to approach the situation. We cannot simply walk through the door and attempt to get her. We have no idea who she is being protected by or from but whomever they are, the person protecting her has gone to great lengths. Just because we cannot sense any near does not mean there are no more creatures lurking in the shadows. We know where your mate is now and trust me, when the time is right, we will come back for her. But as of now, we must take our leave." He was going to say more when his phone rang and he whipped it out, a frown appearing on his face; there were several missed calls from Niklaus, and a few from the house phone as well. Without delay, he dialed the house number and walked away.

"Bella," he answered, hearing her heartbeat over the phone the moment she answered. "What is the matter?"

Kol and Rebekah watched their brother, frowns on their faces as he walked away from them, back the way they had come. Kol glanced their surroundings and the last remains of his delight left him as he realized just how right his noble brother was. Entirely too bloody sensible, but right none the less. His mate was in that room, but there was no way of knowing just how much danger was around them and there was no reason to be brash; Kol knew now from experience that it was wise to act with far more caution than he would have in previous times. He wasn't certain that he would be allowed back on this Side no matter what the spirits had been telling him about his unfulfilled destiny. Far be it from him to ignore the real risk in finding his mate and then dying so quickly; it was safer for everyone involved if he listened to Elijah.

Rebekah smiled at him and nodded despite the tension that was radiating from the area and indeed all three Originals. "Come, brother," she told him, watching him carefully. "We'll be back here soon enough. It's best we leave now… besides, we need to know what's going on with Nik and Bella."

Kol took one last look toward the window, hoping for another glimpse at his mate's shadow. But all he saw was the billowing curtains and he sighed, turning to walk with his sister. They disappeared down the alley and found their oldest brother leaning against a brick wall.

"What's the problem?" Kol asked.

"It appears that both Niklaus wishes to speak with me," he said, looking between the two of them, his brow furrowed.

"What's the problem?" Kol repeated, eyes narrowed as he raised an eyebrow. Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest and raised one of her own.

"You're being awfully cryptic, Elijah," she commented, eyes narrowed as she appraised him.

"It appears that Niklaus is in a rather bad mood and Bella wishes to speak to someone that is not him alone," Elijah elaborated, pulling away from the wall. All three of them walked down the alley at a slow pace, the moon's shining gleam lighting the path well enough for their advanced eyes. "Niklaus mentioned that he thought he'd made a mess of things. He sounded quite upset and Bella did not sound much better just now."

Rebekah sighed. "What has our idiot brother gone and done now?"

Kol chuckled; despite having to leave his mate behind, he was in quite the chipper mood. "Dear sister, I do hope you don't ask after me with that tone," he smarted and she glared at him, a growl in her chest. "Touchy," he cheeked, ducking out of the way from her hurtled shoe, which he caught instead and threw back at her.

"Enough, the both of you," Elijah got out hastily. "I do not know what Niklaus has done or if he has in fact done anything. Rebekah, I believe it may be of benefit if you could speak to Bella. This may give you some time to bond but also she is far more likely to open up to you than she is to either of us," he said, gesturing between Kol and himself.

Rebekah's lips quirked and she drawled, "What, because of our shared gender? Elijah, she feels intimidated by me. I highly doubt she is going to come crawling out and go into great detail as to what exactly has upset her or our brother." It hurt more than she would ever admit to say the words, but there was truth in them; Bella had not made any effort to spend time with her so far no matter the blonde's attempts to help. She could say that was largely due to her own attitude, but she wasn't in the mood to go about analyzing things and to say she'd never had a friend with whom she would need to discuss these sorts of things would be the understatement of her bloody life. She was, after all, the girl who'd had to compel herself a friend.

Kol and Elijah shared a look, Elijah sighing as he saw their sister wince at something she'd thought. He could in all honesty say that he was perhaps the one who understood her best and he knew that she'd never had a platonic friend. One thousand years had not done well to his sister in any case of romance or friendship, but he knew all he could do to begin with was encourage her to try.

As it was, Kol beat him to it, his tone a mix of seriousness and sarcasm. "Bekah, the girl isn't going to turn to either of us. For whatever reason, she is the mate to our brother and he has somehow done something to upset her. Whatever it is, she's even more intimidated by me than she is by you and she's not really interacted with Elijah all that much. Besides, as you pointed out, you're both women and that should help when it comes to your delicate sensibilities because I'm afraid us men have no way of knowing just what to do with you lot when you throw such a fuss."

Elijah smirked. "I believe what our brother is attempting to help you see, Rebekah, is that Bella is a part of our family and as he rather hinted to, she would be in far more capable hands with you than either of us. I am sure you would be able to help her in a way that Kol and I, perhaps even Niklaus would be hard pressed to. Besides," he stepped closer, the small smile on his face meant to be comforting as he looked into her eyes, "if you wish for her to be your friend, you cannot expect her to come to you. She is simply not that kind of girl, I'm afraid. And Rebekah, you are so deserving of our brother's mate's friendship I would hate to see it turn out otherwise because the both of you are too hesitant to approach one another. In times of need in light of emotional turmoil, it is easier to be reached out to than reach out to others, yes?"

Rebekah swallowed, looking between her two brothers. "You two talk too much," she said, and then she had flashed down the street, making her way home ahead of them. The two brothers shared a look as they, too, flashed home intent on helping their brother and his mate.

~TPoL~

Bella sighed at the sound of knocking and the cold of an empty bed and contemplated her options for a moment; she knew it wasn't Klaus, because he would have woken her with his arms around her as he held her secure in his arms, light caresses and a smile greeting her upon opening her eyes—though Bella wondered if perhaps that was different now and was filled with sadness at the thought, worsened by the fact that she had not seen him once all day and it was now well into the night. Either way, she was convinced that Klaus wasn't the type to knock at the door while offering no reason behind it, no verbal accompaniment at all (she didn't believe he would knock at all, to be honest, with anyone but herself at least). That left one of his siblings. From the persistent knock, she'd wager either Kol or Rebekah—Elijah was far too reserved for that—so she was colored surprise when she beckoned entrance to find Rebekah standing coyly with a small smile braced on her face and a wary look in her eyes.

Pulling the covers up, Bella sat against the headboard, watching her as Rebekah came forward and sat on the edge of the bed without a single word. They shared a look for a few moments longer, neither of them willing to speak first. It was about the time when the front door slammed, causing Bella to flinch and tears to well in her eyes. She knew it was Klaus; she could feel it. And she hated herself for it all.

Rebekah sighed at her reaction, an eyebrow raised as she took in the girl's countenance. No doubt her brother had sure done a number on the girl, and she hoped her brothers dealt with him accordingly. Regardless of their friendship status, Rebekah was already quite protective of Bella and, after the hand she had been dealt, she didn't want to see her hurt. "What happened with Nik?"

Bella laughed tearfully, wiping away the tears that were sliding down her face. She took a deep breath, looking down at her hands as she replied with false bravado, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice as she replied with light humor. "Wow, you guys really don't play around, huh? You just dive right into the heart of things." She was trying; it was a poor attempt in her frame of mind, but she was trying and a small smile graced her mate's little sister.

Rebekah smirked, looking down as she studied her fingernails then traced patterns on the bedspread. "Oh, you will fit well into the family, Bella."

Bella swallowed and looked away. "Yeah," she replied dryly, biting her lip. "And in answer to your question, we kissed… and I freaked out."

Rebekah blinked, lips pursed as an odd confusion came over her. She hated it. That was it? Her brother had kissed the girl and all of this rubbish was the result? An eyebrow rose in answer. "And why did you do that?"

The sigh that passed through her lips was harsh this time, frustrated. Words escaped her, tears rolling down her cheeks to drip onto the bedspread below; Bella made the true picture of a woman at the end of her rope, unsure and lost to what was happening around here and Rebekah was not too far behind. "I freaked out because of how it made me feel. I didn't realize how far gone I already was on your brother, I'm already starting to fall for him. I didn't realize that," she whispered. "I felt like I was drowning, Rebekah. I've never felt that before or at least... I have never felt it in a positive way. I wanted to lose myself in him."

Rebekah's nose screwed up; this was not the sort of thing she wanted to know when it came to her brother. She cleared her expression and smiled. "What are you afraid of, Bella?"

Bella blinked and looked at her, to which Rebekah quirked an eyebrow and cocked her head in an almost condescending manner, one that spoke volumes and screamed 'yes, it's obvious so come on, tell me.' This made the brunette sigh and she looked down at her hands. "If I fall how do I know he'll be there to catch me?" The words were whispered. There was still that worry in the back of her mind that Klaus would somehow be able to leave her; that the man she'd found such a good connection with would say goodbye. It was all she'd ever known, after all, and it was not something she was sure she'd survive if it happened with Klaus. That scared her.

Rebekah sighed. "My brother is painting," she began, making Bella look up at her, "and I'm not talking about moody streaks of color with meaningless shapes, I'm speaking of light and happy colors with one meaningful shape—you. No woman has ever reduced my brother to a man who paints serenades. My brother is controlling his temper, if he even has one these days at all. He hasn't snapped at you once, and there's not one person that my brother has not snapped at." She smirked to herself, eyes far away as she looked around the room. After a moment, she focused back in Bella and was serious in a way she hadn't been before, her voice becoming soft and quiet. "My brother is opening up and he's never willingly done that with anyone. My brother is not making immediate plans to storm the Abbatoir and steal back the city; his attentions are elsewhere—his attentions are focused almost solely on you. My brother is trusting you and being tender and loving with you; he is taking care of you for nothing in return, instead finding reward in your smiles and your trust and in the hope that, one day, you will let him in completely and love him the way that all of us have always wanted yet always lacked, none of us more than Nik. If those are not signs that Nik is in love, then I don't know my brother and I've lived a thousand years at his side."

Rebekah got up off the bed, leaving Bella now crying on the bed as she digested the blonde Original's words. She made it sound like Klaus was already in love with her, and that scared Bella just a little. While she'd already told her own life story and they'd begin to explore his, she still felt like they barely knew each other. This just wasn't something she could think about right now. Alas, she looked up at her mate's sister and before she knew what she was doing, she called, voice hoarse, "Rebekah, wait." She waited for her to stop and turn and gave her a small, tentative smile. "Thanks." All she received was nod before the vampire attempted to leave once more. "Would you—Would you stay with me?"

Rebekah's mouth fell open and it took her a moment to snap it shut. She tried to speak but found it hard and instead nodded and sat back down. The both of them stayed once more in awkward silence before Bella giggled.

"What?" Rebekah asked.

Bella shook her head, still giggling so hard her body quaked and tears leaked from her eyes. She gasped as she tried to speak, "I-I don't know why-why I'm la-laughing!"

Rebekah's lips quirked and just a few seconds later she caught the bug and was, too, laughing. The two of them laughed together for a good while, both trying to stop until they looked at one another and the damn would burst again.

Eventually, their laughter died down and Rebekah wiped a tear from her eye. "I have not laughed like that in years," she gasped, her mind trying not to acknowledge that the last time had been in the 20s, decades earlier, a decade she'd declare as the best of her life.

"Neither have I," Bella agreed, a small smile on her face. "I never had friends in Forks; Edward wouldn't allow it." Her smile faltered just slightly and there was a moment of silence afterwards.

"I've never had a friend," Rebekah replied quietly, staring down at the bed covering. She regretted the words the instant they came out of her mouth, irritated by the swarm of embarrassment she felt stinging her gut.

Bella smiled to herself. "I never really have either. The only friend I had was my mom and she's not really all that interested these days. Even then, she was always more of a friend than a mom and I needed the latter." There was sadness in her eyes, and Rebekah could relate; for all the hurt her mother had caused, she was her mother and the little girl inside missed her.

Rebekah took her hand in a silent show of support, and the two shared a grin. Feeling the conversation was unfinished, she tried again, nervous as she took a deep breath before speaking. "I am not good at this; I have never had a friend. But I would like to try… with you."

Bella smiled as she saw the girl in Rebekah that she knew not many were afforded a glimpse at. Behind that façade of confidence that any one thousand year old immortal—and indeed, first of their kind—would have, Rebekah was just a young girl around her age. She was still searching for the same things any girl her age was; companionship, love, approval. Maybe the blonde Original wasn't so intimidating after all. "I'd like that," she replied softly.

Rebekah allowed but a small smile to grace her lips, but inside she was beaming. She had a friend. She looked around the room. "So what now?"

Bella giggled. "I think maybe a girl's night would be a good start."

Emotions swarmed within Rebekah and her mind swirled. This was murky territory and again, Rebekah wished she'd had more experience. "What does that entail?"

But Bella sighed and lay back down on the bed. "I don't know, I've been to one I've liked before." And she shared a look with her, rolling her eyes before the two laughed together again.

~TPoL~

Klaus looked up from the painting he was working on when Elijah and Kol entered the room. They both regarded him for a moment before glancing toward one another and coming forward. "Should we take this elsewhere, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, his voice soft and encouraging like he was calling a scared kitten out from under a bed—a comparison that made Kol smile as he thought of it—and Klaus sighed hard, setting his things down.

"I see no reason to leave here," he replied, his head back as he stared at both his brothers with sharp eyes.

"Rebekah's gone to speak with Bella," Kol told him, surprisingly serious, "and we think it might be a good idea to give them some privacy." Elijah nodded his agreement and Klaus growled, knowing they were right. He grabbed his jacket and without a word, left the room and slammed the front door to mark his leaving. Elijah and Kol sighed and darted off after him, hearing the hitch in Bella's breath as they passed her room.

"I hardly think that was necessary," Kol interjected once they'd caught up to their brother, who was walking down the street like a man on a mission. The brother in question grunted in response and continued on in his journey. The two brunets followed him in silence and waited to see where he was going, but they already had some idea and were not surprised at all to find themselves soon outside a building called Rousseau's. Their brother didn't hesitate to go inside and made a b-line for the bar, ordering and paying or a bottle of the oldest whiskey the bar had on hand. He took it with him outside into the alley and turned to his brothers.

"Talk," he growled.

Elijah sighed, hands in his pockets as he widened his stance. An eyebrow rose as he regarded his younger brother and his petulance. "Brother, you are the one who asked for my help. What is it that happened?"

"I kissed Bella and she ran from me," he muttered, looking down as he took a swig from the bottle.

"Did you flash your fangs?" Kol asked mirthlessly after a moment of silence. His façade broke and he laughed at Klaus, who growled and at least had the foresight to put the bottle on the concrete before lunging for the youngest male Mikaelson. Elijah caught him. "What? It was an honest question," he continued, a grin on his face that had been present to some degree since that morning. He couldn't wipe it off his face, but Klaus wanted to try.

"I did not," Klaus said through his teeth, grinding them together and locking his jaw. He picked the bottle up once more and continued to take swig after swig. "I showed her the painting of her. She was upset and she needed comfort; I was trying to tell her that everything would be okay—"

"By shoving your tongue down her throat?" Kol baited him.

"—so I told her about Mikael and Esther," he continued, sending a pointed glare toward Kol but then turning to Elijah, the more rational and, thank heavens, silent of the two. "We were talking about—" he refused to share that; his siblings didn't know about it and he liked it that way, so he left it at that and sighed, turning around and closing his eyes, squeezing them shut. "I kissed her," he said quietly, "I kissed her and she was kissing me back and then she pulled away and ran out of the room—ran to the room she had by herself before the epilepsy."

Elijah sighed, looking down whilst he thought. He had some idea why Bella may have fled the room, considering her history as well as the fact that she was kissing Niklaus back. He simply was not sure if this was something he should share with his brother in lieu of allowing him to piece it together or be told as much by Bella as they got closer. However, one more glance toward the blond Hybrid's back—and the almost empty bottle of whiskey in his hand—and he knew it was a good idea for him to speak his thoughts.

"Niklaus, I do not think you have made a mess of anything," he began, stepping forward to grab his distraught brother's shoulder. Once he was looking into his eyes, he continued, "I rather believe that you have made Bella realize some things that she had not before, and perhaps things she was not ready to see just yet. Give her time, brother, and all will be fine. I can guarantee that." A small smile played on his lips as he took in his brother's wide eyes, and he shared a grin with Kol, patting their brother on the back.

"Exactly what I was going to say," the cheekiest of the Mikaelsons affirmed. "Your kiss made Bella realize she's just not that into you and—"

Elijah closed his eyes in frustration as Klaus growled and threw the empty whiskey bottle to the concrete, hearing it smash upon impact. His hand flew up to point at his brother, jaw locked and eyes wide and furious as he advanced. "I swear to god, Kol, if you don't shut up—"

Kol smirked, arms outstretched and a playful eyebrow raised. "You'll what, dagger me again? Really? Do you really not have any other threats in your arsenal? A thousand years and you'd think you'd have quite the collection." He chuckled and looked to Elijah, putting a mock-confused expression on his face. "Isn't finding your mate supposed to make you happy? It's done nothing for him," he said, pointing toward the blond.

Klaus growled and lunged for him, but Elijah blocked the attack, stepping between them with his arm wrapped around his volatile brother. "Niklaus, control yourself. Kol is merely joking and whilst I agree that this is hardly the manner in which he should try to comfort you," he sent a pointed look toward the youngest of the three, who held his hands up in surrender, a wide smirk on his face, "I will have to ask you to excuse him. He has been like this all day and I fear it has only grown worse once he found his mate before we received your call."

Klaus sighed and forced himself to relax, nodding for Elijah to let him go. "Fine," he grunted, "let's go back to the manor. We've left Rebekah and Bella alone well enough, and I don't want to risk the distance any longer." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off back in the direction he'd come from. The two others followed after him, easily catching up, and chatter settled between the three of them as they wandered home, unknowing of the eyes that were watching them.

When they made it to the house, Elijah made his way inside, but Klaus stopped and pulled Kol aside. Kol watched his brother, who seemed oddly nervous, as he pulled him along further away from the house before turning back to face him.

He took some time to talk and when he did, the words shocked Kol into silence.

"I wouldn't dagger you again," Klaus admitted in a low voice, so low Kol almost hadn't heard him.

It took a moment, and his response was none too sharp when he spoke. "You… what?"

Klaus sighed and rubbed a hand over his features, opening his eyes once more to stare into his youngest brother's. "I won't dagger you again, I swear to that. I… Losing you, Kol, it was hard and what I hated most was that you thought I was going to kill you before you died. I could never do that. For all that you vex me and test my patience, I love you and you are my brother. I would never kill you. Most of the time, the reason I dagger you is because I want to protect you. But Mikael is dead and there is no other threat like Silas for us to deal with. I have a mate now, and I have you back and we are all living together and I like it. I want it to stay that way. So I will not dagger you again and if you wish for me to do so, I will burn those daggers—every last one of them—in front of all three of you."

Kol blinked. This was not what he'd been expecting. An apology, certainly, also some recognition of their siblinghood and how much he'd been missed and how Nik had come to realize his numerous mistakes in the time that Kol had spent on the Other Side (although that had seemed a bit ambitious). But this—a vow to never dagger him again and a small insight into why he had done it as well as a heart-to-heart—was never something he would have anticipated. It was almost too good to be true.

And then Klaus muttered the words that sealed his vow, three words that Kol himself had never been included in, had never had directed toward him prior to his death.

"Always and forever."

His mouth ran dry and he cleared his throat, a myriad of emotions playing in the depth of his eyes as he stared at the blond man before him. He stared for but a moment longer before nodding and muttering those three words back. "Always and forever," he whispered into the night just as he had a few times before, but this time it was to his brother and those words had been said to him first.

Nik smiled at him, just a small almost pensive smile but it meant a lot to Kol and so he returned it.

"All is not forgiven," Kol said after a moment, "but we'll get there eventually, Nik."

Nik nodded, echoing the sentiment, and after sharing a quick hug—that would take some getting used to—the two followed their brother into the house and up the stairs. They found Elijah outside Bella's room, and listened to the sounds of a movie playing on the television as the two girls laughed. A light smile was playing on Elijah's lips, one that was returned by the other two when they looked at one another. The smile on Elijah's face only grew as his two younger brothers looked away and began to chatter about Kol finding his mate's location and glimpsing at her shadow.

Their family was finally coming together.

Later that night, Bella smiled as she fell asleep in the arms of the man she was falling in love with. She knew what was happening now and she was accepting it; she wanted it more than anything. She was trying hard not to be scared; she knew this wasn't the same as with Edward—for the first time in her life, she knew that what she was feeling was real. She smiled in her sleep, she laughed as she sang, and she was calm and felt happy and safe and loved even as she felt terrified by the feelings Klaus had awoken in her.

But Klaus, in the way he held her, the way he kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, promised not to break her.

So she gave up and let herself fall, knowing Klaus would be there to catch her.

So here we are at the end of a rather long chapter and I find myself asking how you felt about that? What are your thoughts on everything that's happened in this chapter, all the little discoveries and new mysteries waiting to be solved? Please let me know in the form of a review... I cannot wait to read your thoughts.

Thanks to everyone in my fanfiction group for their patience in this matter. Things will now resume as normal and I'll see you next Monday for chapter 7. Things will be heating up from then on and I'm really excited now. :D

Don't forget to check out my new Elijah/Bella oneshot, "Already Gone."

Please review...

ncbexie25