A.N.- Happy almost Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans :) I'm thankful for the support I've gotten for this story so far! I have so much more in store, so keep it up. I'm sorry my updates haven't been very consistent. I promise I'll try to update every Sunday like I used to. Please review.
Also, follow my twitter at HaylijahIsLife for updates about my stories and just fangirling in general ;) Thanks
Song: Lorde - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Belle's lips curled up into a sadistic grin that mirrored Charlotte's. "Well, this day just keeps getting better." She folded her arms over her chest as she looked down on her enemy. Her self-righteous attitude was all too obvious. She turned to Marcel. "A word?"
He nodded.
She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside, speaking in a hushed tone. "Where did you find her? More importantly, how did you manage to get her here?"
He was quick to respond. "I've had Josh and a few of my guys out looking for her for a couple of days."
"At my request," Klaus added, grinning arrogantly, earning an eye roll from Belle. She couldn't help but smile. He was once again embracing her revenge fantasy. Now, thanks to him, it was a reality.
"Anyway, they found her at Rousseau's around two o'clock this morning," Marcel said.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "So she was just there?" It wasn't adding up. Charlotte had evaded her for centuries. Why would she surrender now? "I want to talk to Josh."
Marcel called for Josh, who was just a few rooms away. He jogged over, confused and a little surprised. "What's up?"
She looked him over, seemingly sizing him up. How could a baby vampire, let alone one so average, be capable of capturing a thousand-year-old monster like Charlotte? She doubted he could even take on Marcel, who had less than two centuries on him. "How did you do it?"
His mouth gaped slightly as he rummaged through his thoughts to find the right words. "Uhh," After a few seconds he simply shrugged. "Me and a few other guys just vervained her, tied her up, and brought her here. No big deal." He spoke casually, like a kid who had just aced a test, but was trying to not brag about it.
She knew he was lying, but her mind was focused on one thing at that moment - ripping out Charlotte's cold, black heart. "Fine, whatever. We'll talk more about this later." She waved him off before spinning around and walking back toward the room Charlotte was being held in. When she was just a step away, Klaus blocked her path. She refrained from rolling her eyes. "Yes?"
"Will you need any help?" She knew that the real meaning behind his words was, "let me do it for you". Klaus wasn't just a control freak - he was also overprotective, especially since they were now together, though she didn't know what "together" meant for them at the moment.
Confidently, she shook her head. "She's weak and tied up. What could she possibly do to hurt me? I think going up against a raccoon would be more risky than going up against her right now. I'll be fine." She knew he was still uneasy, nevertheless, he stepped out of her way to let her pass.
She approached the room with zeal and closed them once she was inside. After securely locking the doors, she turned to her target. "You don't know how long I've waited for this day." She sneered, slowly advancing.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Are you going to sweet talk me, or are you going to kill me?" Her patience was clearly razor-thin. Lucky for Belle, she had no intention of dragging this out longer than she needed to.
She walked around to the back of the chair and broke the chains. They fell to the floor with a metallic clatter.
Charlotte stared at the broken shackles in confusion. "What are you doing?"
Belle walked back around to stand in front of Charlotte, placing a hand roughly on her shoulder. "Unlike you, I believe in a fair fight. Get up." She took a few steps back and tapped her foot impatiently. She had waited nine-hundred years and she wouldn't wait so much as a day longer.
Weakly, Charlotte pulled herself up and rubbed her sore wrists. She scoffed. "Right, the werewolves. Silly me for overlooking the detail that the cure for a bite was right at your fingertips." Charlotte looked down at Belle, a good 5 inches taller than her, at least. Adversely, Belle appeared to be the more intimidating one.
Belle shrugged superciliously. "You can't get rid of me that easily. Now, let's get this over with. Do you want the first hit?" She thought perhaps she was enjoying herself too much, but decided otherwise. It was her revenge and she had the right to enjoy it.
Charlotte threw a punch at Belle's face, but she wasn't fast enough. She staggered forward as her fist hit the space where Belle had just been. She appeared behind her and swiftly kicked her in the back, causing her to topple to the floor like a house of cards. Belle then proceeded to kick her in the ribs so she was on her back, facing the ceiling. "Kick a woman while she's down, why don't you?" She groaned in pain as she clutched her side.
Honestly, Belle was disappointed at how things were playing out. She hadn't expected that fighting Charlotte would be so...easy. She had spent years training vigorously, preparing for this moment. Maybe it wasn't just the vervain; maybe Charlotte was just weak. Belle had never faced her head-on, so she had nothing to compare it to. Belle grabbed her by her shoulders and threw her against he wall. Charlotte winced in pain, but didn't make a single advance. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you fighting back?" She was beyond the point of being annoyed.
Charlotte laughed, taking a shaky step forward. "Have you ever wondered why I've spent all these years hiding behind my pawns and guards? I thought you were smart." She shook her head as she continued to laugh quietly to herself.
"Is that why you turned me? Because you thought I was smart?" The anger in her eyes dissipated ever so slightly as a glimmer of desperation shone through. "Why me?"
Charlotte then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, a sound that made Belle's skin crawl. Her throaty cackling trailed off after a few seconds. "Honestly, I was just bored."
Belle gawked at her in confusion. "You were just...bored?" She snorted. Was this really happening? She was tempted to pinch herself to see if she would awaken up from this...whatever it was. Dream? Nightmare? Drunken hallucination? Her confusion turned to anger in a flash. She plunged her fist into Charlotte's chest and wrapped her hand around her heart. "Who in their right mind turns someone into a vampire and murders a child because they're bored?!" she nearly yelled. If she hadn't been so consumed with anger, she knew she would be crying.
"Is that what you've been so goddamned angry about all this time? Because I murdered your little brat?" She winced as Belle's grip on her heart tightened.
Belle's face was now mere inches away from Charlotte's. Belle could feel her trembling in fear. "I'm angry because when you turned me into this monster," she paused to calm herself enough to finish what she was saying. "You ruined everything. My life wasn't perfect, but it was fine, I was fine. I was happy."
"But how long would it have lasted? You may have lived another ten years, fifteen if you were lucky. Your daughter would have grown up and left you before then and you would have been alone. You would have died alone." Charlotte spat the word "alone" at her like it was poison. "And do you know where you would be today? In the ground, six feet under. You should thank me for saving you from that life, an ordinary life. Don't tell me that you're unhappy now because I know it's a lie. You love being a vampire, admit it. I did you a favor," she choked out.
"And what about Max? Why him?" It was something she had always wanted to know. Out of all four of her siblings, why had Charlotte turned Max?
Charlotte stared back at her blankly. "I have my reasons."
"I'm guessing you're not going to share them with me." She was through with playing games. Charlotte's silence was the only answer she needed. "Well, I guess you're useless now. Fun's over."
Belle was about to rip out her heart when she objected. "Wait," Fear filled her hazel eyes. "Don't kill me. Please." A few drops of blood spewed from her mouth onto Belle's porcelain face.
A laugh escaped Belle's lips. "You destroyed my life and my family, and yet you have the nerve to beg for your life?" A fiendish smirk spread across her face as the fear in Charlotte's eyes magnified. "You're pathetic." With that she tore Charlotte's beating heart from her chest - her lifeless body slumped against the wall before sliding to the floor.
Belle stared blankly at the heart in her hand as it slipped from her fingers and fell next to Charlotte's grayed corpse. She wiped some of the blood off on her pants, took a few steps back, and went back to the door.
Klaus was waiting outside, his brow furrowed in concern. She said nothing to him as she walked by, a blank expression painted on her features to mask the agony inside. "Belle," he called after her. Still, she said nothing. He followed her as she headed up to the roof where she could be alone. It had always been her favorite place when she needed an escape.
Once she reached the roof she stood at the edge, looking out at the city. Normally when she would go up there, time seemed to stand still, but not today. The world felt like it was spinning faster than it ever had as her mind reeled.
She wrapped her hands around her waist as she tried to hold herself together. Her right hand was over the place on her ribcage where one simple word was inked into her skin, Lilith.
Klaus's footsteps came up from behind her as a single tear slipped down her cheek. He stayed quiet as he stood by her side, looking out at the people and cars that passed them by. No words were exchanged between them as the seconds turned into minutes. He didn't have to say anything - he just glanced at her for a moment out of the corner of his deep blue eyes. And that was all she needed.
Max looked out a large window at the empty yard that spread beyond the house for acres. He sipped at the drink in his hand before setting it down on the fireplace by his side. He heard a woman's footsteps echo behind him as her stilettos clicked against the wood floors. "Did everything with Charlotte work out?" he asked her as she stood beside him.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked no older than forty. A few gray hairs mingled with the rest of her ebony curls. Her piercing blue eyes stared blankly forward.
A smirk tugged the corners of her lips. "Of course." Her voice was sharp and icy. "Now, we must wait for the right time." They slowly turned to face one another. "I'm glad to have you back, my son." He hid his uncertainty behind a forced a smile, and nodded.