A.N. - Check out the new cover image! It looks like a rom-com ;D Anyway, be sure to R&R. Enjoy. It's going to be epic. No spoilers ;)
Song: Awolnation - I Am
A month had flown by and somehow both everything and nothing had changed. Hope grew like a flower, somehow getting more adorable and beautiful with each passing day. There was no news on Claudia or the illusive Cassie, despite Klaus' tireless efforts to hunt them down. Belle was finally adjusting to her new condition, which still puzzled her and everyone else. And Davina had yet to find a cure or any semblance of an explanation for what was happening.
Belle and Klaus lay across from each other in their bed, just inches apart. It was late in the morning, around ten. The sun cast bright white light into the room, reflecting in Klaus' eyes as Belle stared absentmindedly into them.
"We should probably get up now," she murmured. Though neither of them made a move to do so.
"That's the third time you've said that in the past half-hour."
Her stomach growled obnoxiously, disturbing the silence that followed his words. She groaned. "Guess I'll actually have do it this time. I forgot how finicky the human body is."
She rolled away and stood, stretching her arms toward the ceiling before putting on a raspberry-colored silk robe.
"I thought you weren't labeling your condition as 'human'." He smirked a little before getting up and pulling on some clothes that set out on the back of a chair. A black t-shirt and blue jeans: the Klaus usual.
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." She headed toward her dresser and pulled out a plain navy sundress and clean underwear. Her robe slipped off her shoulders to the floor, pooling at her feet. She kicked it away and got dressed.
"I'm gonna go downstairs." She turned around, suddenly face-to-face with Klaus. She stood on her tiptoes and quickly pecked him on the lips. "I assume you'll be preoccupied." She put her hand lightly on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingertips.
"Aren't I always?" He smirked, holding her hand in his own for a moment before letting it fall to her side.
She smiled and headed out the door. She went downstairs to the kitchen where Elijah and Rebekah sat. They were drinking tea while Elijah flipped through the local newspaper. She went to the china cabinet, grabbed a teacup and a saucer, and plopped down in the chair to Elijah's right, across from Rebekah.
"So," she started, pouring herself a cup of tea. "How are we today?" She sipped her tea, eyeing them curiously.
"Fine, thank you." Elijah glanced in her direction.
"How's being human, or whatever you're calling it?" Rebekah asked. Belle could've sworn she heard a hint of genuine concern. Granted, it was covered by a bitchy tone.
She sighed. "It's a pain in the ass, but I'll manage." She put down her cup and picked up a muffin from the tray in the center of the table and picked at it absentmindedly.
Her mind strayed to what it was to be human. On the outside, it meant to be weak, fragile, mortal. But at its core, being human was beautiful. Humans have so many possibilities right at their fingertips: birthdays that actually mean something, having children, growing old with the one you love. Sometimes she felt that she'd give up everything she had to be like that. Human, beautifully human.
She decided to take another crack at finding Claudia at her former home in the countryside, the one that used to be hers. Since Klaus was out, she took Elijah with her. Under the current circumstances Klaus didn't want her going out alone.
"Are you absolutely certain she's here?" Elijah glanced at her from the driver's seat. They were just pulling into the driveway.
"I'm not, but it couldn't hurt to double check." She looked ahead toward the house. There were no cars out front and the landscaping looked a little overgrown, like no one had been there for a few months. She frowned as Elijah stopped the car and they got out.
Elijah walked up the stairs toward the front door. She trailed behind him, looking around suspiciously, trying to find any sign that she, or anyone for that matter, was there. Any clue would help since they had squat.
The interior somehow looked even more vacant than the exterior. A layer of dust coated every visible surface. The Victorian styled furniture that was there the last time she, for lack of a better word, visited, was now covered with plain white sheets. The walls were barren aside from a few lighting fixtures.
"Another dead end, as expected." Elijah crossed the floors, hands in the pockets of his dark gray slacks.
"Just because no one's here doesn't mean that they didn't leave anything behind that could help us. You check the living room. I'll check the downstairs bedrooms."
He nodded and started his search.
Belle knew the house like the back of her hand, so it took her no time to find the room she was looking for, which was the master bedroom. Claudia would've no doubt chosen to stay in that room. After all, she needed the extra space for her huge ego.
The door creaked as she turned the knob and opened it. A massive bed dominated the room, while a few worn wooden chests and bookcases lined the walls.
The first thing that caught her eye was the chest at the foot of the bed. It had a lock on it, but the lock was open and the top was raised ever so slightly. She walked over, the floor boards creaking beneath her feet, and pulled off the lock, tossing it aside. She lifted the top.
The inside was dark, so it took her eyes a few seconds to adjust. A dusty old quilt and throw pillows filled the box. She pulled them out one by one, tossing them to the side and coughing as dust and a musty smell filled her nose.
Beneath everything, almost completely camouflaged, was a small wooden box with a lock on it. Claudia sure loved her secrets. She picked it up and tried to open it, but the lid wouldn't budge. Her face contorted in frustration as she dusted it off with her free hand. There was something carved on the top, but she couldn't make it out. She stuffed it into her bag and moved on to the other rooms. Whatever was in the box must have been at least mildly important since Claudia had locked it and hidden the key.
To her disappointment, she found nothing else in the rest of the house. She and Elijah met up at the bottom of the stairs where they had originally split up.
"Did you find anything?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Not really." She reached into her bag and showed him the box. "Just this, but it's locked. It's probably nothing, but I'd rather take it than leave empty handed."
He nodded. "We should go back." She nodded and followed him out.
As they were walking to the car, Belle was overcome with nausea. She leant again one of the columns on the porch, steadying herself.
Elijah turned and rushed over to her, chivalrous as ever. "Are you alright?"
Her face paled. "I don't think," before she could finish, she bent over and gagged as she spewed vomit all over Elijah's expensive leather shoes. He cringed, but didn't say anything. "Sorry." She stood up as much as she could, putting a hand on his forearm to balance herself.
"Here," he said, taking the handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her.
"Thank you." She wiped her mouth with it a and dropped it on the ground, knowing Elijah wouldn't want it back soiled and reaking of camomile tea and blueberry muffins. "Sorry about your shoes."
He shook his head. "Let's get something to settle your stomach. There should be a gas station or a drugstore a few miles from here."
She nodded and held on to his arm as he walked her back to the car. "Don't worry, I'll try not to puke in your car. Just roll down a window."
They found a gas station about ten minutes down the road. Elijah got out to wash off his shoes with the nossel that's typically used to wash windshields and fill the car with gas.
"I'm going to see if they have any Pepto-Bismal or something." Belle headed inside.
She headed for the medicine isle at the back of the store. She browsed the shelves until she found what she was looking for. She held the bottle of medicine in one hand as her eyes fell upon a row of lavender boxes labeled, "at home pregnancy test".
She shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous," she muttered to herself. She turned to walk away, but she couldn't let herself leave without at least checking. She grabbed a box, checked to see if the cashier was looking, and snuck into the bathroom, leaving the Pepto on the counter.
She sat on a ring on toilet paper that she had covered the seat with and waited for the results. "This is stupid. This is stupid. This is so damn stupid." She had recited this mantra under her breath for the past five minutes, but still hasn't swayed the little naive voice in the back of her head.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath before looking down at the stick. A little pink plus sign was etched onto the screen.
Her eyes widened and the stick fell from her grasp, falling to the dingey tile floor with a quiet thud that echoed throughout the tiny restroom.
She stared straight ahead but she saw nothing. Shock couldn't begin to describe the feeling that filled her entire body. It felt like needles were pricking her from head to toe, but at the same time she felt numb.
Her hand moved to her stomach, brushing over it through the material of her shirt. She barely felt it - even with what little of her heightened senses that remained - something she never thought she'd feel again. A tiny flutter.
A.N. - Thoughts? I'm very curious!