Bella sighed heavily, shaking her head. Why the Scooby gang cared so much about what she did was beyond her. In a rush of vampire whirlwind, she packed her bag and was back out the door three seconds after blonde and blonder finished their séance in regards to the "hybrid situation."
"Bye, guys. Take care. And don't do anything stupid," the brunette said her farewells with her bag swung across her back.
"Back at you!" Caroline shrieked, still perturbed by the fact that she was left out of the loop.
"Stupid is my middle name," the agent chuckled, but her mood darkened quickly, a conversation coming to her mind, taking place many years ago.
So, in plain English, are we friends now?
Friends…
Or not.
Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you.
You say that a lot.
Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me.
I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect clear, too. So, as long as I'm being… not smart, we'll try to be friends?
Oh, yes. One of the stupidest mistakes of her life. Associating with Edward Bloody Cullen. Look where that got her. For a short few months of bliss, she traded an eternal existence of misery. So not worth it. But maybe moving to Forks was the starting point of it all. Stupid selflessness. Why did she have to think about Renée's needs instead of her own? Wasn't she about to the same now?
"Bella… everything alright?" Caroline asked with concern. Bella spaced out longer than she thought.
"Yeah, everything is fine. Seriously, don't meddle in Klaus's plans. I'll handle him," the hybrid bid her farewell then disappeared from their sight at vampire speed. The only evidence of her leaving was the slamming of the front door.
Bella was furious with herself. Why was she letting him affect her so even after all these years? She started her truck with an angry huff and drove away towards the road leading out of Mystic Falls.
Unfortunately, driving gave her way too much downtime. Even if she were to be traveling at 200 mph, she would still be able to react fast enough to anything happening on the road in front of her, and her truck could only push 120. Her mind wholly took advantage of which to dwell on the Cullens creeping back into her life. She didn't know what to make of it. She certainly didn't trust them. Especially them not leaving again on a whim without consulting her. Bella knew that she wouldn't be able to handle that devastation again, not with her heightened vampire emotions. Hopefully, her less than elegant display at handling Alice was enough of a warning for them stay away in the future.
She made the drive back just over an hour, parking her vehicle in front of her apartment building. The agent knew that Edward couldn't have possibly made his way to D.C. yet, but she was still relieved when she couldn't smell his scent anywhere in the vicinity. Forcing herself to move at a human pace, she entered, trotting up the stairs to burn some minimal energy instead of taking the elevator, which would have made her too fidgety.
Fortunately, all the furniture came with her rent, and she had only accumulated a minimal amount of personal belongings over the years. The brunette packed all of her stuff into two suitcases and a duffel bag in a matter of minutes. She took a few moments to say her farewells to her current life then brought everything she owned down to her truck after locking up.
The girl went back inside, ran up the stairs again and exited on Mr. Robinson's floor, knocking on their door.
"What do you want?" the grumpy elderly shuffled towards the door to open it. "Oh, it's you, dear," he said when he noticed it was only Bella. Made you wonder if he was a regular victim of the doorbell prank.
"I'm sorry it's so sudden, but I'd like to end my lease on the apartment upstairs. You can keep the security deposit of course," the agent informed him as she handed over the keys.
"Oh," the retiree looked befuddled. "Is there something wrong with the apartment?"
"No, everything was superb, but I'm moving out of town," she explained with a pang of guilt. She knew they relied on the income that came from the lease very much, but surely they could find a new tenant soon enough. Oh, right the compulsion, she remembered as she imagined him showing the place to potential residents, she had to release him from it for them to be able to do that. The hybrid looked into his eyes deeply. "You can let anyone you see fit into the apartment from now on. Is Mrs. Robinson home?"
Mr. Robinson looked up in a daze. "What? Oh, yeah, she is. Mable!" he called out over his shoulder, and soon his wife shuffled out too.
"What is it, Abe? Who is it?" the woman who could be her grandma asked. "Bella, dear! Come on in for a cup of tea!"
"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm in a hurry. I was just leaving the keys to the apartment," Agent Swan replied apologetically. When the elderly came close enough, she released her from the compulsion too. "Take care of yourselves."
She said her goodbyes and left, the couple waving after her forlornly. Bella had been the best tenant they could have ever hoped for. She didn't throw parties, cause a ruckus, or bring up random men at odd hours like some of the other residents in the building. No one had so much as a complaint about her ever.
The brunette hopped into her truck yet again and began her twelve or so hour long drive to New Orleans. If she was lucky, she could make it there just before midnight.
Compared to the capital city of the country, the home of jazz was a lot spunkier in character. D.C. had a sense of dull propriety and dignity to it. Bella's eyes grew wide at the various colors and forms the buildings of New Orleans danced in even at night. Music seeped out from joints on every corner, street performers entertaining the crowd out and about to have a good time. Maybe this was what she had been missing all along. Some goodhearted fun.
She parked in front of one of the hotels in the French Quarter, figuring that was a good place to spend the night. As she got out, the stench of vampire hit her nose hard. Even worse than Mystic Falls. How many vampires lived in this city? Or did she just choose the worst possible place to make her debut to the town?
Someone appeared behind her back.
"Well, well, look at what the wind swept along," a mocking male voice addressed her. Her instincts told her it was a vampire, but she made an effort to turn around at human speed instead of whirling around into a crouched defensive position, for the sake of secrecy and the well-being of people around them.
When she turned, she saw a tall African American man, his hair buzzed short and adorning a short circle beard, wearing a casual blue hoodie and grey undershirt.
"Can I help you?" Bella inquired with a forced polite smile as she shut her car door with a loud bang.
"I could ask the same from you. You are trespassing on our territory," the man retorted conceitedly, crossing his arms as if taking a stand. What a douche, the agent huffed inwardly. Even the Cullens had been more courteous to cold ones passing through the Olympic Peninsula.
"I doubt it. I was invited," she replied with a sly smile, since Klaus's voice hit her ears from a distance, him being only a few blocks from them. He would surely sort this out. The dark-skinned vampire's face faltered as if realizing the severity of the mistake he made.
"Marcel, is that any way to greet our guest?" the Original Hybrid strutted up to them, looking between them with a smirk. "Bella dear, welcome. You made the trip down in no time," he turned to her, kissing her on her cheek.
"You know how it is, we like pushing our cars to the limits, and they are still not fast enough," the agent batted her eyelashes with feigned civility.
"That I must agree with! Do you have a place to stay for the night?" Mikaelson asked jovially, but before Bella could turn his veiled offer down the other vampire tried to make his escape.
"I better get going," Marcel stated, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, or fearing Klaus's wrath.
"Oh, no you don't," the werewolf hybrid grabbed the other man by the shoulder to firmly hold him in place. "You better make up for your lack of manners. I'm sure Bella here could use a little entertainment and a tour of the city," he suggested, or more like ordered.
Bella had to wonder just what the hierarchy in a vampire settlement was based on, or how it was enforced. She had never lived among her kind, but she would guess it had something to do with age and how far removed the vampire was in the sire line from the Originals. Not that any of that really applied to her with her unique makeup. And she was more of a lone wolf anyway. No pun intended.
"No, it's quite alright. I'll just find a hotel. I like exploring by myself anyway," the agent quickly cut in, starting to feel sorry for Marcel, despite his earlier behavior. There was a solid basis for the reputation Klaus had.
"Nonsense, the compound is just down the street. We have plenty of spare rooms," he now outright offered a place to stay.
"Klaus, we had an agreement," Bella reminded him of her conditions for coming to New Orleans. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Marcel was bewildered by her upfront challenge of the Original's authority. Hm. Interesting. Just how many times did he go behind Klaus's back to stick it to him? She had the feeling that the man was not to be trusted.
"I know, I know. It's just until you find a suitable place of your own," the man explained with unfaltering glee. As a matter of fact, his all too agreeable behavior was suspicious to Bella as well. What the hell was he planning?
"Fine," the agent said begrudgingly after a few seconds of scrutinizing silence, reaching behind herself to the platform of her truck to get her luggage.
"Marcel, help her with her bags," Klaus finally released him, pushing him slightly forward. The whole thing must have been really humiliating to the black man, Bella realized. No wonder he was prone to mutiny. Klaus really needed a lesson in people management.
"I'm capable of carrying them on my own, thank you very much," the brunette huffed, lifting the biggest suitcase out with ease.
"I know. But we have a certain image to uphold, don't we?" Nik winked at her, taking the luggage from her hand and handing it to Marcel, grabbing the other, leaving Bella with only having to carry her duffel bag. Whether he meant some misplaced chivalry or the fact that vampires had to keep their existence a secret remained a mystery to her.
They walked down the street in silence, Bella taking in the unique architecture of the quarter further. She liked the atmosphere the district had with its balconies and flower crates.
"Here we are," Klaus announced suddenly, stopping in front of a red brick building with dark green window shutters and massive white double doors.
"It's… nice," Bella offered unsurely despite the weird vibe she was getting from it and without thinking or asking, let herself inside, much to the men's astonishment.
"Hi…" a beautiful green-eyed blond woman greeted her, glancing behind the agent at her brother questioningly then back at her. "I'm sorry, but how were you able to enter?"
"Freya, this is Bella Swan," the original hybrid offered as an explanation, but truthfully he had no idea how she had bypassed the invitation either. "Bella, meet my older sister, Freya."
"Nice to meet you," Bella offered awkwardly. She realized her mistake too now, she should have thought of them knowing the same trick of protecting their home that she had used. This was the second time she had ran into it. Should have been more careful.
"You too…" the obviously non-vampire but still somehow thousand-year-old woman – if she really was the sister of the Originals like Klaus said – trailed off. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't really explain it."
"The cat's out of the bag, so I might as well tell you. As you know, double vampire hybrid here," the brunette pointed to herself as she explained, trying to keep it lighthearted. "Cold ones aren't constrained by invitation. Neither am I. But don't worry, I don't intend to stay long, nor want to visit without express permission."
The siblings shared a look, while Marcel's brows would have gotten lost in his hair if he had any over his forehead. Oops. He wasn't in on the loop about the hybrid freak-show. Great.
"It's alright, I was going to invite you in anyway, stay as long as you like," Freya offered cordially, grabbing her by the shoulder and guiding her towards a set of stairs. "Let me show you to a room you can use."
Meanwhile, the witch's mind was running through the contingency plans they had set up for the welcoming of the powerful girl, none of which accounted for the possibility that they won't be able to rescind her invitation. She might need to invent some new spells.
"A hybrid, huh," Marcel commented with a huff, throwing a meaningful glare at Klaus before leaving. This time the Original let him go.
Klaus glanced after his former protégé then at the stairs where his half-sister and hopefully future mate disappeared to. Too many damn complications. He could count on Marcel brewing some kind of plot against his plans again.
Bella carefully regarded Freya as she showed her a room, itching to ask what she was. Maybe a witch? If she remembered correctly, the Originals were created by their witch mother with an immortality spell. Raised the question why wasn't the older sister included in that.
"So, this is it. Make yourself at home," the blonde told her with a small smile.
"Thanks," the agent replied curtly, not planning on staying long enough for this place to feel home.
"Ah, Bella, you've arrived," came a soothing baritone form behind them. "Welcome to the Abattoir."
Slaughterhouse? Really? Bella raised her brow at the title. Quite fitting actually if you considered that vampires lived there on a permanent basis. She absolutely didn't want to know the history of the place that made the house earn the title.
"Elijah, don't frighten our guest," his older sister admonished with a tut.
"No, it's fine. Elijah has a history of making me feel uncomfortable in my place of residence," Bella remarked snarkily. Giving up her apartment wasn't that much of a sacrifice after he had invaded her privacy there. Although sharing lodgings with him wasn't high up on her list of preferences either. When Freya looked between them confusedly, and the Original didn't care to elaborate, she added. "He broke into my apartment in D.C."
"Actually your landlord let me in," the man in the immaculate suit corrected with a hint of a sly smirk. Cheeky bastard. He knew exactly what she had meant.
"You mean the one you compelled to let you in?" the agent retorted, crossing her arms, unamused.
"If you really wish to get technical then yes," Elijah relented, now full on smirking.
"Cut it out you two. And try to be civil with each other while Bella is enjoying our hospitality," Freya interrupted their banter with a shake of her head.
"I'm game, as long as Elijah here vows to respect boundaries," Bella snapped with a piercing gaze at said vampire.
"You have my promise," he conceded, not wanting to antagonize her particularly.
"Good," the brunette countered, just to have the last word.
"Good," Elijah repeated, just to spite her, cocking his head to the right, wondering what her next move would be in this fascinating little power struggle.
"God, grow up already," Freya muttered under her breath, especially at his little brother, stalking away from the infantile vampires.
"I am sorry that my actions made you uncomfortable," the Original offered sincerely after a beat.
"Apology accepted," Bella graciously replied, standing there awkwardly, wanting to be left alone to settle in.
"Right, I'll let you unpack," he said, realizing the tension and turned around, exiting the room.
Elijah didn't seem like the socially inept type, yet he behaved like one just now. Was she really making the thousand-year-old vampire uncomfortable? The situation oddly felt like the time she had arrived in Forks to live with her dad. She just hoped that somehow this wouldn't end in a similar disaster.
Bella fumbled around in her suitcases trying to find some sweats and a shirt to put on as nightwear then locked herself in the bathroom for a shower. Her body didn't need the cleansing per se. She didn't sweat, and grime didn't stick to her skin, but the familiarity and comfort of the routine kept her doing it every night or so. The hot cascading water felt nice on her skin.
When she stepped out, with the towel still wrapped around her damp hair, she froze for a moment, realizing that she wasn't alone in the room.
"Looks like it isn't Elijah who needs a lesson in respecting privacy," she commented wryly, making her way to her luggage to get her hairdryer out.
"Sorry, love. When you didn't answer the door, I wanted to make sure you were alright," Klaus smirked at her mischievously. Bella glanced down, following his line of sight, noticing that through the flimsy material all her… assets… were practically visible, if nothing else than their outline. She defiantly crossed her arms in front of her chest, blocking his view, after straightening up with the sought object in hand.
"I'm sure you heard the shower running. Slipping in there isn't something you or I have to worry about," the agent commented sassily, not in the mood for his flirting.
"Yeah, well you could still have run out on me, or someone might have abducted you. Raises the question why you didn't hear me knocking. I'm sure your ears are just as keen as mine," the Original challenged her playfully.
"I…" the agent paused. Truthfully she had gotten too lost in thought back there. She needed to keep her guard up more. "I was just too caught up in the bliss of a good shower. Didn't think I needed to worry about ambushes in an infamous fortress like this place is."
"Ah, Elijah let his tongue slip," he chuckled then switched to a more serious tone. "In any case, even if this place is guarded 24/7, you never know just how solid their loyalty is. Best to keep your eyes and ears open at all times."
"About that. I don't think you should trust Marcel," Bella commented as she moved back towards the en-suite and began to comb through her messy tresses.
"You caught onto that, didn't you?" Klaus darkly muttered, leaning against the door casually as he watched her.
"I'm a federal agent, remember? Being observant is in my job description." Not to mention she was naturally this way or otherwise she never would have discovered the Cullens' secret and the supernatural world. In no way she wanted to impose on the way he handled his men, it wasn't her business, so she let the topic of the vengeful vampire to Klaus since he knew about the situation it seemed. "Which brings me back to another point. You still haven't told me what it is you really want from me. And don't come with the companionship bullshit, because I'm not buying that's all of it. Nor the prestige, status, and power it would mean if you had me on your arm. I'm guessing you are trying to butter me up for something with this romance front you are putting up."
Maybe it would have been more prudent to keep her suspicions quiet, but she was tired of playing games and wanted him to fess up to whatever he was up to.
"You aren't very trusting, are you?" he evaded yet again.
"No, I don't trust that you won't cast me aside the moment I'm no longer of use or convenience to you," Bella blurted out, her insecurities getting the better of her.
"I really have a bad reputation," the werewolf hybrid sadly remarked.
"That too, but I've learned it the hard way to only rely on myself."
Her whole life was a giant learning experience in that regard. Starting with her mother. Edward was just the topping on the cake.
"I wish you would tell me who messed with that beautiful and smart head of yours so wickedly," Klaus stepped closer, tucking one of the wet locks of hair behind her ear. The gentleness of the gesture caught her off guard for a moment.
"I wish you stopped trying to dig into my past," Bella broke off the eye contact and stepped out of his reach to fiddle with the hairdryer. Fortunately, he got the message that she wanted him to leave.
"Get some rest, love. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow," he sadly told her, letting his hand drop. The rejection stung a bit. Definitely seemed like one step forward two steps back with this girl.
"How so?" the agent quirked her brow at him questioningly. What was he planning for tomorrow?
"Well, I would offer to show you around the city…" the Original trailed off. Obviously, he would have been thrilled by the prospect. "But you've already expressed that you would prefer to do that alone and do not wish to be seen with me. Either way, I'm sure you have a lot to take care of before you start work. On Monday, I'm guessing."
"Right," Bella tentatively confirmed. Tomorrow was Friday, so she probably had to find an apartment then, because the real estate agencies wouldn't be open on the weekend. Even though that was a logical assumption, it made her wary that he kept track of her life in such a way.
"Night, love. Sweet dreams," he bid her goodnight with a slight peck on her cheek then made towards the door to leave.
"Klaus…" the brunette hesitantly called after him, suddenly not so sure she wanted to leave things this way with him. He just looked so dejected, and for whatever reason, that bothered her a bit, despite her mistrust.
"Yes?" Klaus turned back, hiding his emotions at how glad it made him.
"Uhm… you too… have a good night," she said, not meeting his eyes again.
"Knowing that you are here, surely it will be," the Original smirked.
Even though Bella didn't look at him, she knew that Klaus did, she could hear it in his voice. Without another word, he finally left, and the girl let out a nervous sigh.
She almost turned the hairdryer on when conversation outside her door caught her ears.
"Aren't we turning into a real sap, Nik," Rebekah remarked snidely at her half-brother.
"You have no idea what you're yapping about, Rebekah," Klaus snapped at her angrily, brushing past her to get to his own room.
"Wow, she really did put you under her spell, didn't she?" the younger Mikaelson girl exclaimed in realization.
"My dear sister, mind your own business," he reiterated, anxiously glancing toward Bella's door, wondering if she was paying attention this time with her vampire hearing.
"You made her our business, remember? I just didn't think you would feel like this again. Especially so soon after Camille had passed…" his baby sister mused out loud, not meaning anything by it, but the mention of his former love had sent Klaus into a fit of rage.
Cami had died a horrible death because of the bite of Lucien Castle, and Enhanced Original Vampire. Not even Klaus's blood could save her. The memory still haunted him.
"I'd advise you to shut your trap before I decide that you'd better be put back into a damned coffin," the werewolf hybrid threatened, his eye glinting dangerously.
"There might have been a time when that threat scared me, but I doubt Freya would stand for it," Rebekah bravely countered, knowing full well that her older sister would never let Klaus's cruelty to get out of hand, especially against family members, but that just added fuel to the fire.
"Listen to me carefully. If you do anything to jeopardize Bella or my chances with her, I'll personally rip your heart out. Family or no family," Klaus spat at her as he pinned her to the wall by her throat.
"Jeez, calm the fuck down. I never said anything of the sort. I can't even tease my brother about his crush anymore?" she tried to make light of the situation, as if she wasn't scared to death by his though not uncharacteristic but way out of proportion reaction.
"I'm going to bed," the blond man suddenly released her and stalked off towards his room before he did something he would regret.
"Nik… Nik!" the girl called after him, wanting an explanation, but instead got cold shoulders, as he turned the corner without looking back. "Fucking stupid overreacting idiot."
Bella let a breath out she didn't realize she was holding when she heard the second set of footsteps leave the hallway. What the actual hell was that all about? Could Klaus really be in love with her and not just using her for some sort of plan? But they barely knew each other. And who was Camille? Why did he react so violently when she was mentioned?
You fell in love with Edward pretty instantly too, didn't you?
More like with the mystery he presented in the beginning. And it took months for that to evolve into anything more…
Have you thought about it, that maybe you are a similar enigma to the vampires of the world?
Great… and now I'm talking with myself…
With an angry huff, she turned the hairdryer on finally and meticulously dried every lock of her hair, trying to drown out the noises of the house. She didn't really mean to eavesdrop. Pretty nasty habit. But sort of hard not to with that level of intensity.
What wouldn't you give right about now for some mindreading abilities?
Just shut the fuck up.
She was truly going crazy if her subconscious was wishing for something like that. It would have been hypocritical of her to want the power to snoop around in other people's heads for herself when she valued her mental privacy above all else. And she certainly didn't want Edward around to make him listen in. She didn't want him around, period.