13

BELLA stared around the room that would temporarily be her new home, at least for the next night or two until Molly thought it was safe enough for them to make their move. They were in Molly's room, she realized with a jolt, her lips parting in awe as she looked around the space that the vampire a few years older than she had made a home for herself, as much as she could have in her hell. To her, the room was amazing.

There was a rich red Persian imported rug on the floor and a little area for writing.

Attached to the room which Bella was more than tempted to disappear into and explore, at least for a minute, was a beautiful library that consisted of a large window looking out over the city, and an old fireplace.

Molly told her Dracula had given them express permission to move about the castle as well, though there were a few instructions to follow, though they did little to impede her freedom. They could visit any room in the house, as long as they were careful to stay out of the basement and the room just outside the hall at the far end and to the right.

She informed her of those being Tepes' rooms and that the vampire was usually a private man.

Not even in her usual sour moods as his prisoner here did Molly attempt to sneak in. Bella curiously eyed the various nick-nacks that were littered along the shelves in the room, most of them relics of what she could imagine Molly's past life as a Viking woman had been. One relic, in particular, caught her attention.

She found herself drawn to the raven pendant Molly wore around her neck Noticing her looking at it, Molly smiled wryly and removed the cord from around her neck and held it out to Bella for her inspection.

"One of Odin's ravens," Molly murmured in a thoughtful voice. "Huginn. He and Muninnn represent thought and memory. I wear it every day to remind myself never to forget," she confessed, her voice soft and shy.

Bella took it with a light nod of gratitude and held the pendant at eye level.

"Is it from your husband?" Bella heard herself ask and decided it was stupid to even ask.

She had already given away the hint that she wanted to know more about her new acquaintance, hoping in time, she could call the blonde a friend. She hoped too, if they made it out of this alive, the others would as well.

Bella tore her gaze away from the pendant and looked at Molly curiously.

Molly let out a dark chuckle. "No, I don't have one. Not anymore. Your husband saw to that. And good riddance. No. Nic gave me this, before, when I...before I was Turned," she murmured, shaking her head with a little half-smile.

Bella nervously wet her lips and looked at the pendant again.

She recalled the sullen and morose look in Nic Tepes' eyes when she had brought up Molly and wondered if her new friend knew of his secret feelings for her or if, for her safety, Nic was forced to be good at hiding it.

Bella knew it was none of her business to get involved in her new friend's life, yet if there was a chance Nic Tepes could be persuaded to help them escape, then she thought she had to try. If she didn't, she was as good as dead and she would never see Edward or the rest of her family again. She let out a little breath and pressed on.

"He must care about you then, to give you that," she said, and without thinking, continued to speak. Bella smiled hopefully as she carried on. "He likes you, Molly," she blurted out, her words clumsy and blunt. "N-not to be nosy or…I just…I mentioned you and then he got…upset."

Bella inwardly cringed and mentally slapped herself for daring to overstep her boundaries. She didn't even know the girl.

Molly's eyes widened before she sharply looked away, but not before she snatched back the raven pendant yet did not put it back on, merely holding the raven charm in her fingers lightly.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that, I just…he looked…upset. He…uh, said some things that shocked me is all. I guess I'm going to have to get used to him too." Bella paused and let out a soft, albeit nervous chuckle as she ran her hands through her wild hair and tried to collect her thoughts. "I think you should talk to him. He doesn't seem like his brother or his father. You'll eventually run into him again if we're stuck here for the time being and prolonging things isn't going to help." Bella fell silent as she watched Molly's dark eyes widen and then soften as she turned to face Bella and slowly slipped the pendant back over her neck. The blonde suddenly huffed in defeat.

"Why did you come back?" Molly asked, deflecting the topic of Nic Tepes in the span of a single breath. Bella frowned, still wanting to talk of Vlad Tepes' second son, wondering if he could be persuaded to help them escape.

She'd heard many things about the Tepes family from her history classes. Some things were good, but most…were not. The topic had always unnerved her and so she was grateful they had glossed over most of the family in her classes when she'd been in school.

She wondered if Nic was a monster like Cristofer had been like Vlad was proving himself to be.

Would he help them?

Bella sighed as she took a lock of her hair in her finger to twirl while she pondered these odd thoughts. She sat in silence on the edge of the chair she'd been sitting in while her mind entertained these unusual musings.

She then remembered her new friend an answer and returned her gaze to Molly in front of her.

"I couldn't just leave you here, Molly. That was not going to happen," she snapped, almost sounding angry with her.

Bella crinkled her nose and pulled a face of disgust. She shook her head to rid her mind's eye of the horrific images her imagination conjured at the thought of what fresh hell her new friend would suffer if she'd left her alone.

"We're friends now, friends look out for each other. You have my back and I have yours. You helped me get away from the Volturi. Now, I want to help you get away from Dracula if I can. Come back to Forks with us. You could start over, and make a new life for yourself. Maybe…forget about some things of your past life you're not proud of."

Molly looked shocked but less so than she had expected to be.

A hesitant smile crossed her features and the candles that Molly had lit and scattered throughout the room for warmth and light flickered as the two vampires sat in silence, as new friends.

Bella blew away a stray strand of hair that was getting in the way of her eyes and she huffed in frustration. She was grateful for this moment of peace that was letting her get to know the vampire who'd saved her life a lot better, and she was surprised to learn how modest Molly was.

Molly was a beautiful woman, and in a way, the spritely blonde with elfin-like features reminded her a lot of Alice. In ways, it almost made Bella feel a bit uncomfortable, almost subpar when sitting across from the Dane who had an amazing ability Bella had always thought was nothing but fiction.

Bella had never found herself ugly, not by any means, though the moment she'd chosen to surround herself with a family of immortal vampires, she'd not been able to help the small twinges of jealousy from time to time when she would meet an immortal woman who was ten times more beautiful. Molly's voice broke her out of her stupor.

"Hey, are you alright? You're, uh, looking a little dazed there, Bella," she said, the blonde furrowing her thin brows as she trailed off, looking concerned in the newborn vampire's glistening crimson eyes.

"Huh? Oh…I uh, was just thinking. I…this may sound stupid, but um…I was just thinking about beauty, now that I'm…like this," Bella murmured and tugged on a lock of her hair as she spoke nervously. "If I'm uh, being honest, I-I think you're an attractive woman, Molly, and I could imagine you turn a few heads when you pass by and I've no doubt you charmed your husband when he met you, but you're intimidating too. I don't know if I've met a shadow walker before. I thought they were just in the stories and shows. I don't even know why I'm talking so much about this, but I've always compared myself to others, and even now I'm doing it with you. Have you…ever done that?" she asked.

Molly's eyebrows rose and her jaw went slightly slack in surprise as she rose to her feet and made as if to head to the door.

"I'm…I'm… flattered that you think I am, Bella, but it's not healthy. And yes, I have actually. There was a Saxon woman near our village that I grew to be friends. I wished I could be dark-haired like King Alfred's young daughter," Molly chuckled and then turned away, a hand on the knob of the door to leave. "You should give yourself more credit, Bella. You are beautiful just as you are, and unique too. I've never met a girl who would have chosen to stay human knowing full bloody well her partner would outlive her. I don't think I could have made that choice if I'd been given it. Your Edward must be very special to you, Bella," she admitted wistfully, her red eyes turning cloudy as she looked towards the door, her tone and expression suddenly somber. "Not that I'm telling you what to do or anything. Here I am rambling again. I should go fetch you a cup, are you thirsty? Have you fed at all?"

Bella grimaced and pulled a face. "O-only once," she confessed, her nervous eyes darting around the room once before she flicked her gaze back to Molly.

Molly nodded in understanding.

"It takes some getting used to at first. I prefer Italian blood myself, but sometimes, the French and the British aren't so bad. A bit sweeter than I'd like, but every vampire develops a favorite blood type," Molly told her, a slight teasing lilt to her voice. It took Bella a moment or two to realize the blonde had just made a joke.

Bella recovered and tried to smile warmly, though her smile was strained, and she knew it didn't meet her eyes. "Thanks." It was all she could think of to say.

Molly nodded curtly. "Don't mention it," she muttered lowly under her breath, and she wrenched open the door and scurried down the corridor, leaving Bella alone with her thoughts.

Bella was perplexed at Molly's strange behavior, but not enough to dwell on it, if she was being honest with herself.

She was very kind and beautiful. Molly was fair-haired and fair-skinned, though a light smattering of freckles dusted along her nose, and Bella found herself wondering what color her new friend's eyes had been when Molly was still a human. For some reason, she imagined them to be brown. Bella quietly contemplated Molly's laugh and awkward phrasing whenever the blonde spoke her mind. She'd known this vampire but a precious hour at best and she was already leaving one hell of an impression on her. She hoped if they made it out, she would stay in Forks.

Bella smiled sadly and brought her knees up to her chest and tugged her legs tightly as she mulled over the situation with Vlad Tepes, and what she might say or do to help Molly when the time came to flee.

A part of her still wondered if Nic Tepes would come with them.

She wondered if the man was as lonely as he looked. What had transpired with the vampire earlier in the hall was careless, but now she knew the man had a soft spot, perhaps even a weakness for Molly.

She hated the thought of her new friend possibly having to resort to taking the one bit of power she did hold over Vlad Dracula's son and using it to their advantage, but if there was no other way, then she wondered if Molly would do it. The cold of the room seeped into her frigid bones. Her muscles ached and there was a constant feeling of fear in her heart. She could only think of what was to come in the coming hours if they would flee and meet back up with the others on their way to confront this Pack that was refusing to ally themselves with Vlad Tepes.

Bella wondered what she might have done to handle the situation with Nic in the hall earlier differently, but nothing came to mind.

You did what you had to do when you gave yourself up to Vlad. Now be strong. For you. For Edward. He's counting on you. So are the rest.

The words in Bella's brain were aimed rather viciously at herself. It was how she had survived the worst of her breakup with Edward. She'd forced herself to grow up and to stop being so weak.

It was eventually how she had convinced herself when Edward had returned, despite her taking him back, to never let it happen again, to never let herself be so vulnerable ever again.

Now, Bella hoped it would see her through this and that she and Molly could flee Vlad. She nodded slowly to herself.

We have to take care of each other, Bella thought as she nodded.

At the very least, she thought the beginnings of understanding were starting to form slowly in her brain as she understood they likely would not get anywhere without Vlad Tepes' son's help.

She could only hope that Molly would convince him to help them.

MOLLY moved slowly and quietly through the darkened halls of the castle. She knew she had to move slowly so Nic or gods help her, Vlad, the happy bastard, didn't think she was trying to escape again.

If she did, Bella would be in terrible danger. She knew Vlad was just the sort of man to order a friend to be tortured in front of her and force her to watch. And you promised her you'd help her escape again, reunite her with her mate and the rest of her family, a voice chimed a warning bell in the back of her mind. She moved slowly to the staircase.

Fragmented images of laying eyes on Bella Cullen for the first time in front of the eyes of the entire Volturi coven ran through the blonde's mind just then. The feeling of seeing her, her sweet ticket to freedom after centuries of being kept as Vlad Dracula's precious prize…could not adequately be described.

"Vlad? Nic?" she called softly again. She rested her hand on the bricked wall and waited, her other hand clutching a small cup of blood, a useless sack of shit who'd tried to corner her the other night in an alleyway, thinking he could mug her for a quick fix, but he had been sorely mistaken and had paid dearly for it.

No one would miss the bastard, though she suspected his blood would bear lingering traces of the faint taste of whatever drugs had still been in his system. It wouldn't taste the best, but it was better than letting Bella starve.

As Molly climbed the winding stone stairwell that would lead her back to her room where she knew Bella would be hungry and expecting her, she felt a surge of affection for the newborn vampire that went even further simply because she was another soul Molly wanted desperately to keep from Dracula's influence.

It scared her, to feel this way for another vampire but it had been centuries since she'd met another girl or even talked to someone outside of the Volturi coven.

Her hands tensed around the cup of blood she held. She froze when she got to the top of the stairs. Molly knew she should go straight to Bella and insist she ate to keep up her strength, but she was too physically drained still from killing Alec and wounding Jane and mentally exhausted to even take a step forward.

All she could do was stare down at the cup of blood in her hands. As she did, her stomach tightened into knots, and she felt as though she were going to be sick. Her red eyes turned glossy for a long time before she took a step forward, though she did not immediately head to her room, but one of Vlad Dracula's private rooms which she knew she was not allowed to go. Though at the moment, Molly couldn't manage to pretend to give a damn if the happy bastard punished her. She didn't even know what was so special about this room in particular.

The man was so vain she knew she'd likely not find anything within except for a chair by the fireplace and one of his mirrors. Her chest felt tight, and she nearly felt dizzy as she slipped quietly inside the room, not bothering to shut the door behind her. True to form, as she suspected, there was a mirror hanging along the opposite wall.

When she got to the mirror and looked up at her reflection in the mirror, she was astonished at the ghost that stared back at her. Molly drew in a sharp breath and seized a pair of scissors that were lying idle on top of Vlad's desk.

Her hands trembled as she realized what she had to do. She would not allow Vlad to use her anymore or have a hold over her life. One such aspect the bastard frequently commented on was her beauty.

She picked up the scissors and took a deep breath.

"It's only hair," she growled. Molly was not sure if she was comforting herself as she shakily raised a hand to her hair. The scissors were old, and she had some trouble getting through her hair.

Despite a surge of anger welling through her veins, she did her best to keep her hands even, and when she was finished, she could not find any glaring mistakes. When her hair was long at shoulder length, it tended to curl slightly, but now that it was much shorter, it appeared silky and straight. Molly let out a shuddering breath as she ran her hands through her finished hair, feeling her head intently, checking for any glaring mistakes.

She cut it short, to where her hair now framed her face in stray wisps and strands to just past her chin.

As she cut, she saw spots in her vision and her body swayed. Her head was starting to feel light.

Molly knew Nic had come to stand in the doorway, and she knew Cristofer's brother was watching her, but she kept cutting. A half-choked sob left her lips as she furiously cut with the scissors. She did not care that Nic was standing there. She needed to be free. She ignored the tightness in her chest and waited for him to speak as she finished.

She shivered as mats of her hair now lay scattered around her feet as she took a step back away from the mirror.

A chill ripped through her as she met Nic Tepes' gaze as he stared at her with a frown on his face and then down at the hanks of blonde hair that were near her feet. He was not pleased.

He stared at her so intently that she felt herself beginning to grow worried that just the simple act of her cutting her hair to try to free herself from Vlad using her in any way would cause Nic to snap and kill her.

She ran her hand through her hair self-consciously. She was sure she had butchered it and it looked a mess with the dull scissors, but she'd cut it short enough, she thought no one would notice or care.

And if she survived, she could go to a salon and have them fix it, she tried to tell herself.

"M-Molly," Nic stepped forward, the pity written all over his face as she looked at him. "What have you done…?" he growled, as he bent at the waist slightly to pick up a lock of her hair.

It almost seemed to glow against his bone-white fingers, and he met her eyes as he stood.

It nearly broke him to see her face crumpling and knowing that Father and his bastard of a brother had a hand in her misery all these years, though he'd tried to do what he could to protect her from the worst of their cruelty.

She was so wounded in the heart, Nic could almost feel her hurt as knives seared against his skin.

"Are you done?" he asked tenderly, before stretching a hand to pluck the scissors from the blonde's grasp.

She nodded, but Nic did not seem satisfied with her answer. He furrowed his brows, and he looked down at the cup in her hands. He nearly glared at Molly, and the look caused a strange nagging pulling feeling.

"How is Bella? Your new…friend," he bit out, nearly spitting the word 'friend' as though it were poison that had settled on his tongue.

Molly shuddered. She would have wanted to lie to Nic, but something within her felt wrong, though she cautioned herself against revealing too much. She hardened herself at that moment.

Molly lifted her gaze to his and looked Nic Tepes squarely in the eye.

"She wants to leave. I'm helping her, Nic, whether you like it or not. She can't stay here, she has her own life to get back to. If it wasn't her mate, that Edward, then another vampire would likely have one day killed your arrogant prick of a brother, and I think deep down, you know it too," Molly retorted as she felt her lips curl in a feral sneer.

Molly heard Nic growl in pain. She mumbled while biting down on her lip. She recalled what Bella had said about Nic liking her. She wondered if it was true, and it was then that a thought crossed her mind.

What Nic's decision would be would help her decide once and for all how she felt about Nic Tepes.

Nic had always liked her, a part of her knew that, of course, she'd known.

She was quiet, mild-mannered, and respectful and even when she already knew what Nic would be about to tell her, she would listen to him patiently and with respect in a way Vlad never did. The fact that he had not punished her for finding her in his father's private study spoke volumes and it gave her some hope.

"I just…help us get away from Vlad, Nic, please, you know your father keeping us here like this isn't right. You're not a bastard like your brother and father, so help us. Prove to me and to Bella that a Tepes can be kind. That a Tepes can be good, I know you think you're bound by blood as his son, but you're not, your happy bastard of a father does not rule the world and he does not rule you," Molly begged, not bothering to hide the warbling note of pleading in her voice as she, a vampire who was unused to begging for anything from anyone in her life, now begged Nic. "Five minutes while we're dealing with the wolves, let me set her free in the forest. She can reunite with her family. I just need you to keep your father away. I would leave at a later time to avoid suspicion. I will take her to the edge of the woods myself. Your father won't know you had anything to do with it, and if anyone gets into trouble it's going to be me and me alone. Not you, Nic, I'll make sure." She froze when he looked up, his red eyes pinning her into place.

After a moment, she awkwardly reached out and touched the side of his face, the icy coldness of his skin meeting her fingers.

"You could come with us," she blurted out. "We could take you with us. Bella thinks I would like it in Forks…"

She trailed off as she recalled the first time she had taken notice of Nicolai Tepes alongside his brother, swathed in dark leathers and atop his horse when the men were passing through her settlement at the time.

He'd looked at her, his red eyes cold, but his smile was warm when Molly had turned to look at him for a moment during the lull in conversation with Cristofer who had been heavy in laying on the charm.

It was almost as if he'd seen something he liked very much and meant to have one day. At the time, she thought the brothers were mocking her for it and she'd taken an immediate disliking to both men.

But now, she knew better, and the truth was even more alarming than her original assumption, and she recalled the look in Bella's eyes when her new friend had told her of Vlad Tepes' son's secret feelings for her.

It gave her reason to hope he would help them to escape Vlad. Nic was looking at Molly now as though she had lost her mind and perhaps she had, but he didn't outright refuse her request either, and she had some hope.

She knew full well what Nic would be risking if he went against his father. She did not want to pressure him into it, but Molly wanted to say it in such a way that Nic would be more inclined to make his own decision to help her and Bella flee Volterra. She looked down at the floor for a few minutes as she collected her thoughts.

"Please," she begged. It was all she could say. "Nic, if I mean anything to you, you must help us. Let me live."

She was terrified as she left her words hanging in the air between them. She knew Nic would likely be angry with her that he wanted to flee, but the pain in his eyes was an indication that Bella had been right.

She hoped it would see her through this, that he would be calm enough to listen.

She wanted to let him know that she did not and had never hated him like she had Cristofer and that she did not want to leave him behind, but she had no other choice. She could not let Bella get herself killed.

Molly reached for Nic's arm and touched it, despite her rational side screaming at her not to do this. Molly clenched her jaw and did not flinch when Nic's hardened gaze locked onto hers.

"We can't stay here and live, Nic. Not like this. This isn't living, for either of us, especially not you. I won't let you destroy yourself anymore, either. You're not as far gone as Cristofer was, Nic. There's still hope. We're prisoners here, all of us, and you know it." For a moment, there was perfect stillness between the two vampires. Neither of them seemed able to move at all, and then she heard Nic groan out of frustration, and the silence was now shattered. He turned away from her sharply and ran his fingers through his thick black hair in anguish.

"I must be out of my mind to even think of doing this, Molly," he bemoaned, speaking more to himself than to Molly at the moment. He swallowed hard but he did not step away from her as he turned back around to face her fully.

She was surprised when he very nearly smiled, a tiny curl of his lips that was almost, dare she think it, hopeful. She felt some hope swell in her chest as she watched the vampire battle whatever inner emotions were now waging war on his conscience.

After a moment, he spoke. "Fine," he breathed, though he did not sound happy. "I will wait for you outside your window. We leave before dawn. If you're late, we're not doing this. And you and Bella do not leave my side, not for anything, and don't you dare speak a word of it to anyone but Bella, do you understand?" he hissed.

Molly gave a short jerk of her head as a nod by way of response, hardly daring to believe it. Nic dipped his head in acknowledgment and then stepped back away from her with what seemed a great exertion of willpower.

Nic turned and went from the room in a flash, retreating once more into the darkness of the corridors and leaving Molly alone to ponder what had just transpired. Molly stayed transfixed in her spot, frozen and unable to move.

She made a silent vow to be kinder to Nic going forward if they were successful in attempting to flee.

Perhaps…after all these years…she had misjudged him.

A/N: Thank you to all who have favorited/followed/left lovely comments, they are wonderful & mean the world! I am finding Nic and Molly to be very interesting characters and I had thought to include a small segment or two of them throughout this story. I struggled between choosing him and going back to Edward for this chapter. But in the end, I wanted to keep Edward's inner thoughts still a bit of a mystery at this point, though I'm sure many of you can guess the thoughts going through our favorite emo vampire's mind at the moment considering the mess Bella has gotten herself into at this point and sort of by extension, Edward's had a fault in this as well. Anyway, I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and where I plan to take it!