Friday met a certain copper-haired cold one in a hotel room in downtown D.C. He got in past midnight because the unusually sunny day in Seattle prevented him from boarding a plane before sundown. Now Edward was in a similar predicament, he couldn't start searching for Bella until the rays of the sun retreated.
That left him with plenty of time to wallow in his thoughts. The century-old creature was guilt-ridden. No matter how hard he tried to protect his love from the dangers of the supernatural world, somehow she managed to fall right back into it. To think that she had been a vampire for nearly five years!
Alice had alluded to it, but it was clear that she was of a different kind. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to acquire a day-job in law enforcement. Edward could see why she would have chosen that. Charlie, her father, was a police chief, and after her utter lack of balance and clumsiness was cured by her transformation, there weren't any practical reasons why she should avoid this line of work. Edward saw in her father's mind how proud he was of her, even if worried at times since he had no idea about her change in circumstances.
Still, Bella must have only been months old in her new life when she started her training at the police academy. Spoke great lengths about her control over her thirst. Though he couldn't know, maybe this different kind of vampires never had this trouble to being with.
Edward was saddened by the fact that she had never come looking for them, although that was understandable too. He had left her in the woods, utterly heartbroken, though he never would have imagined that she would believe him so quickly. Was there any love left for him in her heart? Could he regain her trust? He had to find out.
Around 4 PM the weather shifted, thunderclouds rolling in, so he was free to roam the city, trying to find her scent. He had to hurry too because the rain would wash away the traces. He had no idea where to start. Charlie didn't specifically think about which federal agency she was working at right now, but Edward was reasonably sure it wasn't the FBI or CIA.
Something with the Navy or Marines, maybe the Coast Guard? He quickly looked up the agencies related to those part of the Department of Defense.
The Navy Yard, where NCIS was located, was closest to his hotel, so he decided to try there first. He parked his rental car a bit ways off from the gate and walked there on foot. He instantly knew he was in the right place. Though there were different undercurrents to her smell now, proving to him that she was a vampire now, the floral scent – of lavender, roses, and freesia – that he loved so much was still there. The freshest remnants were nearly three days old, muffled, apparently, she left the place by car, but it was evident that before that she frequented the area on a daily basis.
He deemed going in and asking about her a bit risky, so he tried to track her scent. There was a fairly strong trail, a route she had taken several times, probably on foot on occasion, so it might have led to the place of her residence. Triumphantly he trotted back to the car and followed it with the windows down so that he didn't lose it.
A mere seven-minute drive away he found another hub of concentrated scent at a nice apartment complex, where she had obviously gotten out of the car. She must be living there. The sign at the corner of the parking lot claimed it to be Capitol Park Plaza Apartments. Her scent was fresher there, only a day old. She had been back in Mystic Falls yesterday morning, that much he knew, but she must have come back here shortly after, but not to her workplace. Seemed odd.
Edward drove into the lot, and after parking, he continued tracking her scent to one of the many entrances of the complex. On the doorbell panel, he quickly found the name, Bella Swan, living on the sixth floor in apartment 6C. By sheer luck, someone came out at that precise moment so he slipped into the crème colored lobby before the door could close again. He took the elevator to the right floor and found her door with ease at the end of the carpeted hall.
He stood there for minutes, running his hand through his copper hair agitatedly, trying to work up the courage to knock, even though he knew she probably wasn't there. The last trail led out of the building, not in. Right then an elderly man stepped out of the elevator heading straight for that door with a large batch of keys in hand.
"Can I help you, young man?" Abraham Robinson, Edward found out from his thoughts and also the fact that he was the landlord of the apartment, asked with wary curiosity.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Bella Swan," the cold one politely inquired and noticed that his tone automatically lessened the greying man's fright. Can't be a delinquent if he had such good manners, right? Still, his unnatural aura served as a deterrent to most humans with the slightest bit of survival instinct. Not her Bella though.
"Oh, she moved out yesterday," he informed him dejectedly. Edward saw the scene play out in his mind and his knees almost buckled as he saw the image of his love after so long. She looked a bit different, her features more angular, refined, not the awkward teenager she used to be, though he found her just as lovely back then too. Her eyes were the same chocolate brown they always been. Another surprise.
"Has she maybe left a forwarding address?" Cullen asked just to make sure, but he was fairly certain she didn't, based on the quick glimpse he got.
"I'm afraid not, she just said that she was moving out of town. It was all very sudden, she didn't even give us proper notice. Nice lass, she was though, offered to leave the security deposit without us even asking," Mr. Robinson ranted on absentmindedly as he tried to find the right keys for the door.
"Thank you anyway," he respectfully nodded, already rounding the man to make his exit.
"Sorry I couldn't help," Abe still concentrated on shifting through the keys with shaky hands.
"Have a nice evening," Edward bid him farewell and disappeared into the stairwell.
"Good… goodbye," the landlord muttered, finally looking up but finding no one in the hallway.
Once outside and back in the safety of his car, Edward's mind reeled. Moving out of town so suddenly? Right after she ran into Alice and Jasper? Was she running from him? Did she hate him that much? She did ask to be left alone, even attacked Alice, though he couldn't imagine her doing that, not without provocation. Maybe she had felt threatened somehow, or Alice had tried to stop her from leaving, which led to her reacting that way.
He had two options now, go back to the Navy Yard and try to find someone who knew her and listen into their thoughts, or go to Mystic Falls and hope that someone there had information on her whereabouts.
Option one seemed more rational, he was right there, less than ten minutes away, but the cameras and the sharp instincts of agents were a serious risk factor. Naturally, a federal agent disappearing without a word would raise all sorts of red flags, so her place of work must have had some information, if nothing else that she quit, though doing that on such short notice was suspicious too. Maybe she arranged a transfer?
Edward drove back to the Navy Yard, his mood at a near all-time low. Unfortunately, he faced the same problem as before, there wasn't any convenient way to park near either gate of the place. You either had to go in through the security check or lurk around on foot.
The yard was like a little town of its own within the city, with restaurants, coffee shops and everything inside, so agents didn't really mill around outside of the gate, only coming and going by car. Edward knew that standing around there would get suspicious very soon. So he decided to walk along the perimeter of the brick wall fencing the area.
It really must have been his lucky day because a train of thought coming from an approaching black Dodge Charger caught his attention.
I'm so confused by all this. Tony has been acting weird since yesterday morning, then there was that mark on his face. Obviously, someone slapped him. Hard. Abby wouldn't say anything though she seemed to know what happened in Mystic Falls. Then Bella suddenly transfers to New Orleans, and now I have to look into her past? So fishy. And Gibbs, well he is Gibbs.
Edward identified the thoughts coming from the relatively young,w geekish looking guy from the back seat. The other, about middle-aged, man riding shotgun had a scene of kissing Bella then her slapping him repeating over and over in his head. It seemed like a memory, but he was befuddled by his impulse to kiss her, about how he couldn't help it. Like he didn't have a choice but do it. The copper-haired cold one's blood practically boiled in rage that someone dared to try to take advantage of his Bella, even if she was perfectly capable of handling the situation.
And that is when the older – at least compared to his passengers – pepper-haired man driving, shot a sharp gaze at him, just as they passed him on the street. Edward reined in his facial features but it was too late, his murderous stare had been seen. He tried to discern from the man's thoughts, who according to the other two was Gibbs, what he made of him, but his mind was singularly driven, no side-tracks, focusing on exactly on the issue at hand and nothing else. The image of a copper-haired, amber-eyed teenager, unnaturally pale with obvious anger issues was filed away for later use, not dwelling right now on trying to figure him out.
In either case, Edward was not planning on staying any longer, he had what he came for. Bella was in New Orleans.
Bella found Klaus busy painting, dragging the brush across a canvas with jerky, agitated strokes. He must have used art as a sort of therapy, to get his frustrations out. From the door, she couldn't see what he was working on, only a section of his face that wasn't blocked by the easel, but he was so immersed in the process that he didn't even notice her standing there.
"Do you have a moment?" the brunette inquired after a few minutes, reluctant to disturb him, but the faster they got over with this whole thing, the better.
"For you? Anytime," he gave her a tight smile, setting the brush and palette down.
"Don't worry, I didn't come to fight," Bella offered the olive branch as she stepped into the room, hugging herself tightly to brace herself for the rest of the talk.
"About Camille…" Klaus began in a soft yet urgent tone, but she quickly crossed the distance between them, not wanting to hear any of it. It didn't matter.
"Shh, I don't need to know," the agent pressed her index finger against his mouth to quiet him. "All you need to do is bite me. We need to test out how I will react to werewolf venom before I jump into this."
"Love, there is a chance that my blood cannot cure you," the werewolf hybrid raised his brow, seemingly terrified of the prospect.
It made absolutely no sense to Bella. Unless, of course, he was afraid of his carefully laid plans going up in flames. In a way he also confirmed that she was right earlier, her being in New Orleans had one purpose. Killing Lucien Castle since the originals couldn't do it themselves.
"That is a chance we will have to take. It's far riskier to face Lucien without at least having some idea how my body can handle it, even if in the end his version of the venom is far more potent," she frowned because this was exactly the same thing that occurred to her and had to work through to reach her resolve.
"But if this goes wrong…" he insisted more vehemently now, cupping her face in his hands.
"Then you'll lose a pawn and have to rethink. Tough luck. But if you build a strategy on me without knowing what I'm capable of, you could endanger everyone else too with a premature move, and I know how important your family is to you. The first thing he will do is go for my neck, believing he could effectively take me out of the equation. If werewolf venom is not something I can handle, it's better for you to seek another angle. Before the fight starts, that is, improvising is not an option. I'm sure you have anticipated it since you learned about my hybrid nature that I was a big unknown and a huge gamble to place all your cards with me," Bella ranted on, avoiding his gaze at all costs.
"You are not a pawn, Isabella Marie Swan. I cannot lose you," the Original stated with conviction. That admission surprised her so much that she looked into his eyes, and didn't even notice that he knew her full name. He caressed her cheek fondly as he searched brown eyes for evidence that she believed him. "You are nothing less than a queen."
There was that phrase again, the one that had Bella wondering since their first meeting, and then Klaus kissed her passionately. For a moment Bella let it happen, his mouth softer on hers than she would have ever imagined, yet demanding with a sense of urgency and fervor. Practically sparks were flying between them, electrifying her very core. Edward had never made her feel this way, he was always so controlled and restrained with her. That thought suddenly brought her to her senses, and she broke off the contact of their lips, all too soon for the dirty blond haired man.
"Let's not mix pleasure with business and pretend that there is anything more between us," she said, swallowing uneasily as she stepped out of his embrace too.
Disappointment crossed his features, but he nodded reluctantly, even though he desperately wanted to dispute that statement. Maybe after this was all done and over with he could prove himself to her, show her that he had no ulterior motives. Not anymore.
"Where do you want to do this?" the usually coldhearted vampire asked her, now struggling to put up an indifferent front.
"Here is fine," Bella suggested, offering her wrist to him to bite. If she were to die, doing so among works of art seemed like a nice enough place. Although based on the accounts she heard she wouldn't drop dead instantly. A day or two of feverish delirium and aggressive hallucinations were first to come.
Klaus took her hand, noticing the cooler temperature of the crescent scar, running his thumb across it. Without realizing she had given him the same hand James had bitten all those years ago.
"I always wondered how exactly you happened to become a hybrid," he murmured. "A cold one bit you when you were still human?"
"Yes," she confirmed tentatively, not really wanting to rehash that part of her life, especially not with him. Who knew what he would do with this information, might even try to recreate it.
"Still, I do not understand why you had not turned into one then and there," Klaus frowned, examining the paler and slightly iridescent surface of her skin there.
"The venom was sucked out," the brunette explained curtly.
"By whom?" his perplexion was even greater now.
"Another cold one," Bella told evasively.
"He must have had great self-restraint. I am told cold ones can rarely stop feeding once they start," the Original mused. He was still caressing the skin on her wrist, and it was becoming increasingly harder for her to ignore the tiny pleasurable shivers that ran up and down her spine in response.
"How do you know it's a he?" she quirked her brow at him.
"Wild guess. How did you come to associate with multiple cold ones? Were you not a teenager then?" the werewolf hybrid responded with a question of his own, thrilled by the mystery the girl in front of him presented.
"Let's just say I'm a danger magnet," the agent chuckled darkly. Edward used to say that. How right he was.
"I guess it is rather lucky you are practically indestructible now," Niklaus commented absentmindedly. He was starting to get really protective of her, and having second thoughts about sending her into the fray.
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't bet on that. No matter where I am, somehow even greater danger manages to find me. Let's just take you for example," Bella pointed out.
"You believe I mean you harm?" There was an underlying hurt and sadness in his tone.
Yes, she wanted to say. Or at least he definitely didn't have qualms about pitching her against an Upgraded Original vampire, letting the pieces fall wherever they may. Instead, she tried a more diplomatic route.
"Intent and consequence rarely go hand in hand. And the way you first approached me, dragging me back to Mystic Falls with a murder case just screams 'mortal peril' by anyone's books," the brunette chastised.
"You are right. Not one of my finest moments. I did not know at the time when I came up with that plan how you would make me feel yet," he admitted with a sigh.
Bella was getting more and more befuddled by the way he acted towards her. She couldn't decide what was true and what was merely manipulation, especially not taking into account Rebekah's intervention earlier in the kitchen.
"Anyway, let's get this over with already," the agent decided to just ignore it for now and get to the point of her visit. If she survived this, she would have plenty of time to sort through everything.
Without further ado, he bared his werewolf fangs, his eyes turning yellow, and bit her. He managed to break the skin, a trickle of her blood running down from the corner of his mouth. For some reason instead of pain, the act left her with an undercurrent of desire, even a small moan escaped her lips. Blood sharing was not a practice she had ever taken part in, but she started to see the appeal of it among vampires.
"Oh, shit! Don't swallow it," Bella exclaimed hastily as she realized that cold one venom might not be wise to be consumed. By anyone really. It had highly corrosive properties, and the shapeshifting wolves at La Push were sort of allergic or sensitive to it, did nasty stuff to them if bitten. Who knew how werewolves would react to it, even if said werewolf was a hybrid.
"Why not? It's just blood, love, even if vampire blood. I have drunk plenty of it over the years," Klaus released her hand, looking at her with a mix of confusion and carnal pleasure as he licked the remainder of the blood off his lips.
"No, it isn't. I'm also partially a cold one, who have venom coursing through their veins," she reminded him, apprehension at the possible outcome creeping into her mind.
For a few seconds, it seemed that all was well, both of them staring at the other in anticipation of what's to come. Then suddenly he looked like he was going to be sick, his face paling, maybe even a little green, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"Excuse me for a moment," Klaus muttered apologetically, holding up a finger and pressing his other hand to his mouth.
He ran out to the nearest bathroom and hurled noisily into the toilet, even his dinner resurfacing. Bella timidly followed after him, the caretaker side of her personality kicking into high gear. She yanked one of the small towels off the rack and ran cold water over it, then pressed it against the back of his neck.
"I'm so sorry, I should have thought this through. I'm guessing the venom might even be more concentrated around the scar than other parts of my body," the brunette murmured as she soothingly ran circles into his back with her fingers, praying to whoever would listen that this would be the full extent of the adverse reaction and it won't get worse. She wanted to tell herself that she only feared the retribution from the rest of the Mikaelsons if she got him seriously ill, but truthfully she was really worried about Klaus.
As soon as everything left his system, he straightened up, looking much better. After a final shudder, he took the towel from his shoulders and wiped the sweat off his face with it.
"I am all right now. Terribly sorry that you had to see that," he smiled at her meekly as he flushed the toilet.
"Are you really fine?" the vampire hybrid appraised him, trying to see if he was speaking the truth and not just trying to spare her feelings.
"Yes, good as new. My system just successfully rejected the venom. Sort of like a sudden case of food poisoning, or when you taste the rancid chicken, and your gag reflex just kicks in," the Original explained with a wry smile. There was only a very limited list of things that could harm an Original, especially permanently.
"Thank God," Bella sighed in relief and sagged back against the tiled wall behind her, burying her face in her hands.
"Your concern for me is still heart-warming," Klaus chuckled as he turned around and sat back down on the floor facing her. The smirk on his face made it evident that he purposefully used the same words as on their dinner date, just to tease her.
"Oh, shut up," she let out a nervous giggle, hiding further behind her arms and knees, blushing hard. Denying was getting harder and harder with every minute they spent together. On some level she found Klaus intriguing, despite the evil front he put up. She sometimes felt this was just a hard front he had put up to protect himself.
"How's the wrist?" the Original inquired a moment later, his mood taking a sudden disquieted turn as he tried to pry her right hand away to see if she was reacting to his venom or not.
"Huh? Oh, right. It doesn't even hurt," the brunette had almost forgotten that she was bitten by a werewolf not ten minutes ago and let him move her hand towards himself to check on her bite wound.
"Astounding!" His eyes went wide as he noticed that there was only a red puckering of the skin left, almost completely faded already like a typical injury of this size would on a vampire.
"What were you expecting?" the agent inquired.
"Werewolf bites do not heal, because the venom prevents it. Within a few hours, the blood gets infected. First the chills, fever, then the hallucinations that get progressively worse. By the end the bitten vampire goes rabid, feeding on anything and everything that comes its way. Then dies. Nasty business."
The entirety of the process had been a mystery to her so far, not having witnessed it firsthand. Did not sound pleasant at all.
"Well, I guess I skipped right over this hurdle too," Bella sighed as she pulled her arm back, hugging herself once again as she laid her head on her knees facing Klaus.
"What do you mean?" he inquired with seemingly genuine interest.
She let out a big exhale, considering what she should reveal.
"I get the feeling that in many ways I got the perks of being a vampire without much of the drawbacks. That's all," the girl said finally, opting not to go into specifics. Klaus was being charming to her and appeared to care about her welfare, but honestly, how long would this last? He might even perceive her as a threat once he knew everything. Having an edge was paramount if things came to the worst.
"Ah, you did mention that you have never consumed human blood. I take it you have no problem controlling your thirst then? Would be hard to work among humans otherwise," Klaus speculated.
"No, I've never experienced blood frenzy," the agent confirmed. "I'm not even sure if I have fangs, cold ones don't, just very sharp teeth. One of the reasons I never wanted to drink human blood is that I'm afraid if I taste it once, I won't be able to resist it anymore. Killing people is not an option I could live with, but if I stop before I drain them fully, I might accidentally turn someone into a cold one. That is if my bite is venomous, I can't know that for sure either."
"Well, there is always the option of blood bags," the Original pointed out indifferently. Definitely not his first choice.
"Deer are fine too, even provide a little thrill of hunting. They run faster than humans," Bella smirked at her own remark.
"I guess you are right, though they are not nearly as tasty," he finished in a low predatory whisper befitting of his true nature.
The brunette just shrugged. Convenience or pleasure never factored into her decision regarding her diet.
"Come, I believe we could find a more comfortable place to continue this captivating conversation," Nik eased himself off the floor offering a hand to the girl.
She looked at it for a moment, the scene from Aladdin coming to her mind, when the street boy disguised as a prince, standing on the magic carpet over her balcony, asks Jasmin if she trusted him, before taking her on a ride beyond her wildest dreams.
Disappointment at the prospect of being rejected almost flashed through Klaus's thoughts when finally she placed her hand in his. As he pulled her up, Bella felt blood rushing in her ears and overbalanced, ending up falling against his chest.
The last time anything that even remotely could be considered as clumsiness happened to her was nearly five years ago.