Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and L.J. Smith. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Thank you munzke11, CrazyGryl, and Bookloverz22 for your reviews! I'm so excited that everyone is still enjoying the fic so far. I have a lot of great things coming so thank you so much for the support!
"I'm not sure I want to believe them," Bella said as she got into bed next to Damon. She felt exhausted. It had been a very long day, and there was too much shouting that went on.
"Well, I'm not sure this is something that they can really lie about," Damon said as he shifted Bella into his arms gently, his hand resting on her little belly bulge.
Bella sighed. "Well, I know the Volturi have a bad reputation, and Jane and Alec are part of that. They have abilities that can put anything down."
"Mmm. Not anything. You do know that there's some glitches with the Cold Ones and their abilities, right?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, so Jasper's ability affects you really well, and while he does have a calming affect on me sometimes, it's not that strong. It's something that I can easily block out if I tried hard enough."
Bella thought about this. "That is really odd. Do you think it has to do with you two being different species of vampires?" Damon leaned in and kissed her softly.
"Well, probably. I'm sure there's some sort of bigger explanation behind it that Enzo or Vi could tell you about, but right now, I just want to hold you," he paused and kissed along her jawline. "And kiss you," he kissed her throat and a low moan of pleasure came from Bella as her eyes fluttered closed. "I just need you," his words were a whisper against her shoulder and his hand was trailing up under her shirt now.
"Mmm, well. We can do all of those things," she said, turning into him. His hand brushed against her breast and she winced, pulling back. "Ugh…."
"Oh, it's begun?"
"Uh huh. Painful to touch, let's not touch those for a while," she sighed sadly.
He grinned and then kissed her on the lips now, gentle at first before she opened to let him explore. The heat traveled to her face as his hands caressed her inner thigh, moving up and down in a slow stroking motion.
Downstairs there was a loud commotion that had Damon pulling back and getting out of bed quickly in just his pajama bottoms. He looked to Bella. "I'll be right back," he said and left her on the bed and rushed downstairs.
"Emmett? Lexi?" Damon said looking from them and then to the two Asian teens laying in the floor. Enzo rushed through the door caring an older black woman in his arms.
"What happened?" Damon said as he went to Sheila who was the only one conscious.
"I was attacked while out in town, oh god, I think a few weeks ago. A month?" Sheila was shaky and visibly thin and even pale.
Enzo and Lexi were panting, doubled over and Emmett was a little rough too. Emmett finally spoke. "That is Angela Weber and Ben Cheney. They're Bella's friends. We found them, but Damon…it was not easy."
Damon took out his phone immediately. By now, everyone was coming downstairs. Jasper and Alice rushed to Angela and Ben immediately, and Stefan came to Sheila, helping her into the parlor to sit down.
"Bonnie, you need to get to boarding house now, we found your grandmother," Damon said quickly and was hanging up and rushed to the kitchen, grabbed water and then back to the parlor to give it to Sheila.
"Get Angela and Ben into the parlor out of the foyer here," Jasper said quickly, leaving to go get some first aid supplies.
Bella made it down the stairs to see Alice and Lexi carrying Ben and Angela. She gasped and rushed down the stairs as fast as she could. "Angela! Ben!" Tears were automatically stinging her eyes. Emmett put a hand on her shoulder and then pulled her into a hug.
"Hey, it's okay. We got to them in time. They're alive, just severely dehydrated, probably hungry, and a bit banged up," Emmett's voice was calm and soothing.
Damon sat, holding Sheila's hand. "Can you tell us about the vampires that were holding you?"
"They had red eyes, I recognized them as being Cold Ones. They had me gagged so I couldn't speak any spells. The one that was called Laurent was the one that came down to check on us the most. He gave us water, and then some food. Angela there is a fighter, she tried her hardest to keep conscious and then Ben was beat a little from time to time just to inflict pain on Angela," Sheila closed her eyes as she drank the water down fast before opening her eyes again and looking to Enzo. "At first, when I saw him," she said nodding to Enzo. "I thought that they were sending someone to take care of us. I heard them talking about moving locations, but when he knelt down and looked me in the eyes, I knew he wasn't like them. He has dark brown eyes. He was very gentle and spoke quietly. He assured me that he was there to help me and that he would bring me back to Bonnie," her voice broke now as tears finally made their appearance.
"I called Bonnie, she's on her way over now. Locator spells weren't working, and she was frantic looking for you," Damon said softly as his hand rubbed hers. Their relationship had blossomed before the kidnapping. He had helped her find her daughter again, Abby, and they had been reunited for a time before Abby was turned into a vampire. Then Abby was living in isolation because she didn't want to be a danger to everyone right now as a newborn vampire.
Just then Bonnie burst into the parlor, tears streaming down her face like a river and then she was flinging herself towards her Gran. "Oh Gran! You're alive! You're safe!" she was sobbing as she clutched her. Then she was turning, looking at Damon. "Who found her?"
"Enzo did." Damon said simply and then Bonnie was staggering up to her feet and then she launched herself at Enzo. She hit him hard with a loud oof as she clung to him sobbing into his hard chest. A moment of shock registered on his face at first and then his arms came around her securely and help her tightly against him because her legs were giving out from under her now.
"Oh, calm down, Love. It's okay," Enzo's voice was low and calming.
"I…can't thank you enough," Bonnie sobbed out and then pulled back to look at him. "Enzo, you were bitten," she said, looking at his torn black shirt, his shoulder had a crescent bite. It was slowly healing, but it was there. Her hands moved up his chest to his shoulders as her hand traced the wound. "Does it hurt?"
"Like a bitch, love," Enzo smiled at her and then Jeremy was rushing into the parlor. He looked at Enzo, cradling Bonnie closely, but his eyes went to Sheila and so he rushed over to her, checking her out. "Are you okay Sheila?" Jeremy reached a hand out to grab hers.
"Oh yes, I'm fine. I'm more worried about Angela and Ben. They haven't woken up yet," Sheila murmured.
Bonnie pulled herself out of Enzo's arms, her legs unsteady, but she was feeling better. Her Gran was here now. "I'll go look," she said and moved across to Ben and Angela on unsteady legs. She knelt in the floor over them and took a breath to calm herself before reaching her hands out over them. She started murmuring a chant.
The whole room was silent as they watched Bonnie. When Bonnie broke away, her nose was bleeding, and she looked winded. Enzo moved quicker than Jeremy and reached down and helped her to her feet. "Come now, sit down," he said, pushing her into a chair and then quickly getting her a drink.
"Bonnie, are you okay?" Damon asked as he stood and moved towards her. Bella's eyes were still on Angela's pale, face. Her eyes were sunken in, and deep purple and black circles formed. She was thinner than when she saw her last.
"I'm fine," she said weakly and took a drink. Her Gran watched her intently, a shadow of worry on her face. "Angela and Ben are alive for now. They're incredibly weak. We have to get fluids into them, but there's one other thing," she paused and then looked up to Bella and sighed. "Angela's mind is trapped. Her mind is locked inside a box of sorts, and I don't think she'll ever wake up."
"Why can't we just feed them our blood to heal them quicker?" Stefan pointed out.
"That would heal their outside, but that's not going to heal what's on the inside. Ben, yes, blood will fix him, but Angela, I'm afraid I don't know how to fix it," Bonnie's hand dropped now, almost losing the grip on her glass. She was really weak. She was drained. It was weird that she was drained so quickly. It wasn't a spell that required so much energy, yet here she was.
"Jeremy, why don't you take Bonnie up to one of the rooms and get her in bed to rest," Damon said, standing and then moving to Sheila. "I want you to stay here tonight. It's safer for you than you going back home. I need you to be safe," his blue eyes stared at her and she stared back for a few moments before nodding. "Alright. I'll stay here the night." She started to get up, but then Alice was by her side now. "I'll help you to a room Mrs. Bennett," Alice's hands were gentle as she moved Sheila to the stairs and then decided to just pick her up in her arms and carry her. The look of shock on Sheila's face dissipated after a couple of moments, realizing that it wasn't abnormal for Alice to life a person since she was a vampire.
Stefan moved and gently picked up Ben. "I'm going to settle them into a room for now. I'll give him my blood to help the healing process." He said and moved out of the room and to the stairs. Jasper went and picked up Angela carefully, and followed Stefan out of the room.
Bella sat down finally, realizing that her legs were shaking. "I…." she couldn't even formulate any words. Angela was alive, but she was trapped. How was this fair? Angela didn't do anything to anyone for this to happen but knowing her had done this to her. Being friends with her was the reason behind her and Ben getting hurt like this, and for Bonnie's Gran being hurt. Tears fell from her cheeks and Damon moved to her.
"Hey, don't cry," he said wiping at her tears. "Why don't you go get back into bed, and I'll take care of a few things down here. I'll be up shortly," he said, kissing her softly.
"Come on Bella," Enzo said and moved to her and then helped her to her feet before picking her up, nodding to Damon and taking her upstairs to lay down. Damon and Jeremy stood there with Bonnie. She was looking at her hands now.
"Bonnie, come on. Let's get you in bed too. It's been a long day," Jeremy coaxed.
Bonnie didn't look at Jeremy. She was thinking. She had her Gran and then Angela and Ben were alive, and all she was thinking about was the tingling she was feeling down her body from her embrace with Enzo. What was wrong with her?
"Bonnie?" Damon said and was squatted down, looking up into her face.
"Huh?" Bonnie said and looked around at the parlor, Jeremy was looking at her with worried, doe brown eyes and tears threatened to spill over. She moved her gaze back to Damon and nodded. "I think I should lay down."
"I'll take you," Jeremy said, and Bonnie shook her head. "Jer, I think that you just need to go home tonight. I just want to be alone. I can't…" she drifted off.
Jeremy nodded. "Okay," he said and leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He then looked at Damon. "I'm going to tell Alaric about the rescue." He said and left. Enzo made it back downstairs and sighed, going over and grabbing his glass he sat down earlier and took a drink.
"Well, Bella is laying down. Jasper came in and sent her his freaky calming wave stuff, and she passed right on out," Enzo reported. "Oh, and I think Jasper and Lexi are sleeping together."
Damon sighed and closed his eyes and Bonnie actually chuckled. It made Damon raise a brow at her in surprise. "This is funny because?" he asked.
"I don't know. There's a war coming, graduation is literally in 6 days, the protection spell is a bust, Angela is in some sort of mystical coma, and the realization that Jasper and Lexi are having sex is just so casually mentioned, that it just makes the whole situation seem just…." She sighed and then smiled at Damon. "I'm okay now. My Gran is back and is alive. I couldn't be any more grateful for that. Now I can seriously focus on the upcoming war and figure out the spells I need to perfect before then." She was quiet a moment and then she gasped. "Oh, I did a simple spell with Bella's blood to determine if the Volturi twins were telling the truth earlier."
Damon and Enzo looked at each other and then back to Bonnie. "That can wait until tomorrow Bon Bon, you need to rest."
She shook her head. "No, they are telling the truth. Bella comes from a long line of witches."
Damon looked stunned now. He slowly rose to his feet, looking at Enzo. "The Volturi twins are witches?"
"Well, yeah. According to the spirits, they are from a powerful line of witches. The Twins were turned in 800 AD. The spirits said that they were about to be burned at the stake before they were rescued by the Volturi," Bonnie explained.
Jasper's voice came into the room now. "Alec and Jane have very unique gifts. Like mine, but opposite. Jane will inflict a great deal of pain that can incapacitate you with ease. Alec, can cut off your senses, paralyzing you, making you easy prey. Alec's gift is visible, appearing like a black smog. It's slower, but it can be confusing on a battlefield. They were really young, only 13 when turned. They are the youngest, yet one of the oldest of my kind."
"So, in other words, it wouldn't be smart to piss them off," Enzo said, arching a brow.
"Their powers are not as intense on us, we're different species, it affects us differently," Damon said and then Jasper nodded in agreement.
"But why would they care about what happens to Bella or not? They've been emotionless for how long?" Enzo asked.
"Honestly, Jane is the one that believes in the preservation of family more so than Alec, and Alec worships Jane," Jasper explained.
Bonnie was thoughtful for a while. "Well, if they're here to help, then we need to accept their help. They alone can destroy the army that Victoria is building for the war. I can make them special rings like I did for you and your family Jazz, and that can be a peace offering."
Jasper thought about this. "Yes. I think that would definitely benefit us. Can Violet get inside their minds?"
"Yes, she can read anyone's mind if they're not blocking her out or don't know she's doing it," Damon explained.
Just then the door opened, and Jake and Paul came in. "We did a sweep, Jared and Rebecca are on patrol with Leah and Tyler now. No signs of Cold Ones," Jake reported.
Damon nodded. "Okay. Good. Well, I think that after graduation we should focus on the protection spells. For now, Bonnie needs to rest up."
She started to protest but Enzo interrupted her. "Don't argue Love, it'll be better if you wait until after graduation. Right now, things are quiet. We took out quite a few baby vamps getting your Gran and the other two out. They're suffering their losses right now, and they won't try right now anyways. Alice and Ezra are keeping an eye on the future, so we'll know immediately if they change their minds."
Bonnie sighed and nodded. "Okay," She stood, swaying a little, but Enzo stopped her.
"I'm going to go get you into bed," Enzo coaxed and steered her out of the parlor and up the stairs.
Emmett came back down the stairs with Stefan. "I'm going back to the manor. I'm going to fill Klaus and Violet in. Elijah and Kol have left for New Orleans to find someone that they say will help our fight." Emmett said before throwing up a peace sign and leaving.
Damon looked to his brother. "How is Ben?"
"He's awake and won't leave Angela's side. He doesn't really remember everything that happened. He was unconscious a lot because they beat him down. He said the last thing he remembers is it snowing outside and then he was changing a tire and then darkness for a while," Stefan explained before getting himself a drink.
"It doesn't make sense why they would kidnap the two of them and Bonnie's grandmother," Paul said, a confused look on his face. Jake nodded in agreement. "Bella was really good friends with Angela and Ben back in Forks, but it's not like they were best friends. It was a weird strategy move on their part," Jake crossed his arms.
"Well, we're not going to get anywhere tonight. Let's sleep on it and talk about it in the morning," Damon said, and everyone mumbled their agreements before retiring for the night.
: New Orleans :
Elijah and Kol moved through the Quarter before spotting Marcell. Marcell saw them at the same time and made a motion with his head to follow him. They met in private out of the noises.
"So, what brings you back here?" Marcell asked as he moved around the large room freely, going to a liquor cabinet and pouring them all a brandy.
"Two things. I'm looking for my sister Freya, I know she came back here after we freed her and I'm looking for the leader of the wolf pack here," Elijah said casually.
Marcell smiled as he handed Kol and Elijah their drinks. "Yes, Freya is here. She's the only witch that's allowed to practice magic freely, because she's an Original witch, I figured that I shouldn't really deny her that. As for the wolf pack leader, that would be Casey Marshall. He's got a pack size about a dozen. He's not fond of vampires," he explained.
Elijah nodded and took a drink. "That's fine. When you see Freya, send her to me. I'm not staying here in the Quarter, but at this really nice hotel right outside New Orleans. The French one."
Marcell laughed. "Okay. I'll send her. By the way, Elijah, tell Klaus that his hybrids can stop spying. If he wants to make a visit, tell him to come."
"I'll tell him that," Elijah and Kol turned and left. When they got out of the quarter, they approached the territory that belonged to the wolves.
A taller man with short, dark hair and green eyes met them. "I'm assuming you have a death wish walking into a wolf's den."
"Ah, your kind can't hurt me. I'm Elijah Mikaelson and this is my brother Kol. I'm here to talk with Casey Marshall."
"I'm Casey. What can I do for an Original like yourself?"
"I require the company of Hayley Marshall," Elijah said simply. "I believe she knows a Tyler Lockwood. He can't make it here at the moment, but since I was coming this way for my sister, he asked me to drop in and ask for her presence in Mystic Falls."
"Since when does Tyler do business with the Mikaelsons?" A girl with olive skin and dark hair. Her green eyes were dark, almost closer to a hazel.
Elijah grinned. "You must be Hayley."
"I am," she said simply, she stood straight, fierce, ready to go on the defense.
"There's going to be a summit. Tyler and Klaus will be in attendance. A Sam Uley and Jacob Black will be there as well. It's a wolf summit," Elijah took a step forward. "I've come as a favor for Tyler. He is an ally, and a friend. He's protected by the Mikaelsons and this summit, is important."
Casey growled. "Why didn't he send for me?"
"Because, Tyler knows Hayley and asked for Hayley," Kol said with impatience in his voice.
"The summit won't take place until after the full moon passes. That gives you two weeks," Elijah said, looking only at Hayley. "You can bring others to attend." He turned with his brother without casting another glance.
"Where's the summit being held?" Hayley called.
"Mikaelson Manor, Mystic Falls Virginia," Kol called out and then him and Elijah disappeared into the shadows.