"In a child's eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe."
~The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms~
xXx
Waking up after being run through by an antique chair leg wasn't a fun experience. Waking up and discovering that the wounds hadn't healed themselves, and that there were stitches in your person was an even less pleasant experience. Marcella's entire body felt stiff, for someone who was already dead that wasn't a good sign. She sat up slowly to discover Roman sitting to the side of her bed. He tilted his head at her as she blinked clearing her vision. Something wasn't right.
Everything felt just slightly off kilter.
"Do you know what happens when a person's soul is at war within them?" His voice is sardonic, eyes dark. Roman looks about as pleased with her as she currently feels. Marcella leans back into the soft pillows rubbing her temple.
She did. He'd only warned her a thousand times before.
"The body fall apart around it. Even if they're a vampire." She answers finally looking over at him. He shakes his head standing from his spot in the chair and comes over to sit on the bedside. He brushes a mused curl from her face. Nodding softy.
"Even if they're a vampire. Marcella, you had to have known this. Why didn't you call me?" He could have fixed it for a time. A patch job so it never came to this. Marcella ducks away from her friends touch she cast her face towards the window. It is at that moment she realizes she is not in her bedroom.
She must be a the Kern house. Although this room looked unfamiliar to her. Roman pulls her face back to him, she needed to focus, he sighs. "One of your eyes has returned back to its original color. It's fighting for control, you need to be more careful. If you do not get your soul sorted and soon. Marcella you may meet a permanent death." Is his final warning, then he leans down and places a kiss upon her head. Marcella shuts her eyes, listening to the absence of a heartbeat, the quietness of his veins.
A dream.
Her eyes shoot open and Roman is not there. She is still in the strange room that she doesn't remember but she's alone. Eyes open and close, an open once more, fluttering with life as she forces herself upright struggling to breathe. This shouldn't hurt so bad. Shouldn't be like this. Marcella clutched at her aching chest.
Everything felt like fire. Burning inside her body, raging relentlessly through her being.
She assumed this was perhaps the way nature was trying to balance itself. Another thought of screw nature echoed in her mind before she let her feet fall to the floor. Marcella pushed herself up from the bed carefully, apparently she had stitches and she had no desire to rip them.
Her body was essential human. All her supernatural healing was focused on keeping her being in balance. It didn't have time to heal external injuries. Didn't have enough power to stretch that far.
A set of clothes has been set out for her. Leggings, and oversize pink sweater-hopefully it was the one with the bows, Marcella loved that one- and a pair of nude flats. Her hair is a lost cause, she decided after eyeing her appearance in the full length mirror. Based on how the curls have returned she'd probably been out of it for a few days. Marcella slips on what are obviously her shoes it was time to figure out where she was.
It hurts to walk. To breathe, but Marcella pushes through her pain. She has too. Her thoughts rage. This shouldn't have happened. Elijah should t have let Rose get that far. She shouldn't have told him to let her.
Water under the bridge.
"About time." It's drawn out sarcastically, but there is undeniable relief in his tone. Mismatched eyes meet those of deep oceans. Marcella smiles.
Damon.
She throws herself at him, despite the pain. Wraps her arms around his neck breathing in blood and bourbon. Burying her face in his chest. His arms draw tight around her smaller frame. Hands and fingers twisting in her hair, knotting around loose curls.
She's never allowed to do anything without him again. She was too careless. He presses a kiss to the top of her head, he'd thought she wouldn't make it. Damon thought he'd lost her.
"Never again princess." Never again.
"I quite agree sweetheart." There is something comforting about seeing them both. It made Marcella feel secure, protected. She could depend on them both to keep looking out for her.
Interesting what mere kindness did for the heart, what price of loyalty was paid back. Damon and Niklaus were hers. She'd forgotten what that meant for them both as well. She was theirs . It's no surprise that Damon is waiting with the hybrid for her.
Damon lets her go and gently passed her over to Klaus. The hybrid wraps one arm around her pulling her carefully close to himself. Marcella buries her face into his side concealing one eye. She didn't know what they'd say. How they'd react to her news.
Neither would like it.
No one like to hear that someone they loved was a walking time bomb. That she could die, permanently. Marcella presses her lips together tightly. Silence curls up in her mouth. She doesn't tell them.
She doesn't tell anyone.
...
It turned out the home she'd woken up in was the one Niklaus was having built. He'd apparently bought the land back in December and construction had started after Christmas. Being as it was April now a lot had been done. Not finished by Niklaus' standards but livable and safe to bring Marcella too while she was unconscious. A week had passed since then, and Marcella hadn't seen Elijah.
He wasn't in a coffin. His stake was in her possession and hidden. She couldn't be mad at him. Which meant she hadn't denied the story he'd fed his brother and Damon about how she'd been injured. It just wasn't something she was going to worry over. There was nothing being upset would do to change what happened and if time turned back she knew it would still happen the same way.
Marcella couldn't be upset about the nature of Elijah. While he might have been noble he was also curious, who was she to deny his curiosity. Just like he wouldn't deny her the retribution that was owed. She did wonder is Rose survived but since she hadn't seen the second oldest she hadn't been able to find out.
"Why do you look like someone has spit in your coffee?" Marcella looks up from the mug she'd been staring into while contemplating. She smiles kindly at her fellow blonde.
"I was thinking." She tells the older girl as she takes a seat across from her. Marcella had set up camp on one of the sofas a cup of coffee and a choreography book. Her chest wound wasn't exactly healed and both of her boys were treating her like glass.
She wasn't a china doll. Marcella would be fine, once she got her shit sorted.
Rebekah's brow shoots up. "That much was obvious love." Marcella just snickers.
"I haven't left this house in days. I'm not a fan of being told what to do." The smaller girl admits sheepishly, she sets her mug down on the coffee table only slightly wincing now. Rebekah rolled her eyes at the familiar sentiment.
Kol wasn't a fan of being told what to do either.
"Then don't love. No one is making you listen." Rebekah reminds her and Marcella grins mischievously.
"Would you like to get lunch Becca?" Marcella pushes the blanket off her legs. The original female smiles.
"That is the best idea you have had in a while love."
Lunch actually turned out to be a terrible idea. Because who else would they run into than John freaking Gilbert. They hadn't even gone to the Grill, just a small cafe. There shouldn't have been any main posse there. It could have been a nice quiet affair but as usual Gilberts always ruined everything. He hadn't said anything but there was something about the look in his eyes that hadn't settled well with her.
She supposed the sentiment of when it rained it poured fit very well. After their run in with the douche bag Marcella couldn't shake the terrible feeling arising in her gut. Something wasn't right.
Something was terribly wrong.
The smaller blonde turned to Rebekah horrified anticipation on her face. "We need to go. We need to go now. Damon is in trouble." Rebekah watches as the once calm collected teen becomes flighty, erratic. Despite being still in so much pain the girl pushed it all aside. Concern eating at her eyes, fear gripping at her lips.
This wasn't Kol. Not how he was now at least. But how he had been. In that moment Rebekah finally sees exactly what Nik had seen. Humanity.
"Let's go save your damsel."
They make a hasty getaway.
She found Damon in the park helping set up for a community event. No doubt Caroline had roped him into it. The older Forbes girl had the tendencies to do so, this wouldn't have been the first time she'd told Damon he'd be helping. Rebekah follows sedately behind the ever so slightly breathless girl. Her brother wouldn't be pleased if something happened to the small girl while she was in her presence.
Either of them.
Marcella is halfway to Damon when a man the original has never seen before is stopping her. "Don't make this any worse for yourself than it already is sweetheart." Something about the way he says it sends shivers up Rebekah's spine. The dirty, provocative way it's uttered sounds nothing like how she's heard that word be used towards the small girl she was starting to consider family.
Rebekah watches as Marcella doesn't miss a beat and strikes the man across his face. The skin on skin contact sounds sharp, painful, there would be a mark. "You have no right to stop me Mason." She hisses, low, dangerous.
She'd skin him alive if given the chance. Rebekah is suddenly more interested than she should have been. What had this man done to her to warrant such an unsolicited response? Such wrath. Marcella shoves him away with the strength she should have been conserving racing over to Damon as John Gilbert, a deputy and her mother approach him.
There was no way this would end well.
It doesn't.
"Mama what's going on?" Marcella questions hesitantly as she approaches. Damon giving her an irritated scowl. Probably because she wasn't where he'd left her.
Liz pauses then. Taking in the innocent look on her youngest face, the concern in her eyes. This was her friend that John had accused of being a vampire, that Mason Lockwood had agreed with. This was the same Damon who came over to her house and made cookies with her daughter. That was here setting up for the picnic because Caroline had asked him to.
Could he really be a vampire? Should she have truly believed John? He hadn't always been the most trustful.
"Nothing Marcie, just some council business." Marcella's brow shot up at what was obviously a lie, she turned to look at Rebekah over her shoulder. She needed her to leave. It would be pointless to expose both of them here. Hopefully she'd understand.
"I'll see you later love." Rebekah pats Marcella's shoulder in understanding before walking away. She knew to alert Nik.
Obviously this was a family matter that didn't concern her just yet. Marcella could in fact handle herself. Rebekah had seen first hand just how far the smaller blonde was willing to go. She knew that this would be fine.
Marcella nodded her thanks before turning to look back at her mother who was biting her lip. At the deputy and at the smug look on John's face. She narrowed her eyes, ignored the pain in her chest. This wouldn't be fun.
"It's okay princess, just some last minute meeting bs. Nothing to worry about." Damon tried to convince her. To prevent her from doing anything to drastic. But they both knew what this was, what this meant.
John had gone and spilled the beans. She turns and looks at the deputy walking straight up to him, he wasn't wearing and from the smell of his blood from the paper-cut on his thumb he hadn't been ingesting either. Marcella smiles at the young officers biting her lip twirling a piece of her hair. A picture of sheer innocence. "Deputy Hansen. Tell me is my mama lying to me?" The officer doesn't even blink.
"Yes." The answer falls from his lips a second later. Marcella shifts her eyes to her frozen mother. She'd never wanted it to come to this. Never wanted it to come this far. Her eyes move back to his.
Unfortunately this was just how it had to be. She'd made a promise and she had no intention of breaking it.
"What did John Gilbert tell my mama that has her so antsy around Damon Salvatore?" She's still twirling the curl around her finger looking positively less threatening than she was. John reaches towards her a vervain syringe in his hand, he wouldn't let her go any farther. He'd make her pay for what she'd done, what she'd let loose. Marcella catches him by the wrist and in a swift motions crushes every single bone under her hand. A small yell falls in the air.
Good.
"That Damon Salvatore is a vampire, and so are you." Marcella looks away from deputy Hansen eyes drifting towards the Gilbert man. She lets go of his broken wrist carelessly. The tension around them high, no one was breathing.
Then Marcella turned her gaze back to her mother, only to find a horrified expression. Disgust in the woman's eyes who was supposed to love her unconditionally. So that's how it felt. Marcella sighed, before turning back to look at the deputy. "You will forget whatever lies John Gilbert has been feeding you about Damon Salvatore, about vampires, you will go home pack a bag and leave Mystic Falls forever." He nods mindlessly and Marcella almost feels bad for the young deputy. Almost. But he was a liability and had no family ties to the area. It wouldn't hurt him to have to start over.
Marcella turns her full attention to her mother then, she tries to take a step in her direction but her mother steps back. Hand on holstered gun, a gun that was no doubt filled with wooden bullets. "Mama.." Marcella utters softly, voice almost cracking.
"No, you are not my daughter." Liz turned her heel and walked away before she did something regretful.
Damon goes to stop her to try to get her to stay to talk. But Forbes women had a bad tendency to act on their emotions. Right now Liz felt betrayed. Her daughter watches as she walks away unable to take her mismatched eyes off a woman who could barely even look at her.
When her mother is no longer in hearing distance she turns to look at Damon. A sad smile on her face, a tear at the corner of her eyes. He doesn't verbalize his thanks but she knows she has them. Marcella's face sets to stone quickly not letting just how much this hurt show as she turned to look at the smug bastard. His wrist may have been broken but he got what he wanted. John Gilbert had just outlived his usefulness.
"Make sure he burns." Is all Marcella mutters before walking away. Damon smirks at the man. That he could do.
It would be his absolute pleasure.
...
Letting Rebekah convince her to live a little had been a terrible, horrible, no good idea. Alright getting from Mystic Falls after the emotional turmoil she'd just been through was actually a great idea. Inviting Isadora to join had been an even better idea. But why did If have to be so damn muggy? Her hair really couldn't handle all this humidity.
"Lighten up love, jazz is good for the soul." Marcella scoffs at the happy sadistic tone in Rebekah's voice. If she wasn't anything less than perfect she'd be complaining about the humidity too.
Isadora laughs at her side drawing an arm around the smaller girls shoulder. "Ella she's right. Live a little." That was funny coming from her considering she knew that they were both dead.
"You know what screw you both." Marcella huffed crossings her arms over her chest. Looking a lot like a grumpy kitten. Both girls laughed, pushing her along the sidewalk easily.
Apparently neither were going to let her stew. Caroline has texted her that morning to tell her to enjoy herself and that she'd handled their mother. Not to worry, have a good time. Marcella frowned at the implications of the text.
She really didn't want what had happened to Liz on the original timeline to take place. Her mother had made her stance very clear, it wasn't her place to take it away from her. The horrible truth was that no matter how her mother treated her she would always still love her.
"Isadora Knightley, is that you?" The dark woman lifts her head up and grins widely in the direction of the call of her name. Marcella tilts her head curiously at the approaching male.
Thierry Vanchure.
How did Isadora know him? She lets go of Marcella's shoulder and strolls over to the man, pulling a move straight out of the blonde's handbook and wrapping both her arms around his neck. Rebekah and Marcella both watch with mirrored amused expression as the dark woman kissed the man full on his lips. He laughs when his lips are released and Isadora smirks.
"It's been a long time Thie." She intones, linking her arm through his and pulling him over to both blonde vampires. Isadora knew Marcella would get a kick out of him.
"What brings you lovely ladies to the quarter?" He asks her and she smiles a bit knowingly.
"What usually brings people to New Orleans?" Marcella can't help but to ask snickering to herself. Isadora rolls her eyes. The forties vampire and right hand man smiles.
"Money, love, sex, you know the usual things." He tells her. Isadora smirks, stepping closer to the small vampire. Marcella grin maddens, slightly crooked, slightly off putting. A look like that shouldn't have looked so natural on her sweet face.
"How boring darlin'. Rebekah wouldn't you agree?" Marcella tilted her head to look back at the unusually silent girl. The original usually always had something sarcastic to say. But her eyes are focused further up the sidewalk. Marcella follows her gaze.
A dark skinned man stepping out of a jazz bar. Rebekah swallows, Marcella can't help the smile on her lips, and Isadora just grins wickedly as if she'd planned the whole thing. Nothing to distract from family drama like a good ol' romantic comedy. Or was it a tragedy? Honestly Isadora didn't remember.
"Rebekah?" Marcella tries again concern lapping at her voice. This could be a problem. The man looks down the sidewalk in obvious search of his friend when his eyes land on the small group.
Three vampires, and an immortal woman did not make for a conspicuous party.
Marcellus Gerard had arrived.
Rebekah took one more look at her lost love and turned her heel vamping away. Marcella sighed, this was going to prove to be highly entertaining.
Just the distraction she needed.
XOXOX
So just to let you all know I probably won't be posting a new chapter for a few days to a week at best. My family is coming to visit from out of state for the next couple days and I won't be able to write much. Having said that I'll let you in on a little secret. Kol will be appearing in chapter 26.
So hang in there because Kol is coming and coming soon.
I hope that you all like this chapter!
Thank you so much for reading, I am looking forward to hearing from you all.
Have a lovely day!
Sincerely, La'Rae