Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or the Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and LJ Smith. I do own the original characters created for the storyline. Please support the official release.

Writer's Notes: Thank you Navywife, Trinity, Moondancer, and Roxy for your reviews! I'm excited for this story. It is different than other stories I have written, but I am loving it so far! Hope everyone has had an amazing weekend and Happy Mother's day to all you mothers out there! As always, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


Klaus put his brush on the canvas and painted. He did this often when he was thinking about something or was troubled. The picture wasn't clear yet as he painted, but it would become evident that he was thinking of Bella Lockwood. He didn't hear Elijah when he walked in, odd for a vampire as old as himself.

"You have been painting for four days brother." Elijah's lilted voice filled the empty, quiet space. Elijah was taller than Klaus by a couple of inches. His hair was dark, as well as his eyes, but he was handsome. He was elegant in the way he talked and walked and even how he dressed. It was rare to see Elijah dressed casually at all.

Klaus didn't look away from his painting. "That is because I am working on a masterpiece dearest brother. Would you rather me be out there killing and pillaging?" He said, his voice slightly irritated, but also amused.

"Niklaus, something is troubling you brother, I can sense it." Elijah said, ignoring Klaus's irritation.

Klaus looked away from the canvas and looked at his brother. His older brother for all intents and purposes. "I met a girl." He said and then resumed painting.

"Niklaus being troubled by a girl? Have we fallen into a parallel universe." Elijah teased him and walked closer to Klaus.

Klaus sighed and set the paints aside and faced his brother fully now. "Yes, a girl. It's peculiar really. I have never felt this way and I have only seen her a few times. Twice I spoke to her, the other times… I just look from afar."

"Shyness brother? This isn't you. This… girl… how is she different?" Elijah queried, dropping his jesting nature towards his brother to actual interest and concern.

"I'm not shy. She's just… I don't know how to explain it. I saw her and from that moment, nothing mattered more to me." Klaus said and shook his head. "Either way, I need to focus. I'm here to break my curse and I don't need to be caught up in… feelings." He shrugged it away.

Elijah rolled his eyes. "You, brother, need to relax. The curse will be lifted eventually. Have patience. This girl issue… now that is more important. You should figure these… feelings out before we seek everything, we need to break the curse."

"Perhaps you're right."

"Perhaps." Elijah said with a nod. He was curious about this girl that had Klaus twisted up inside.


Bella found a hiking trail that she wanted to check out. She used to hike back in Washington State. At least it was one of her hobbies she did before Edward. She was trying to accept what he did to her and move past it. She was realizing now that he was abusive and he didn't love her. It took a long time for her to come to those terms, but she finally came to her senses and she was feeling better for it. As she hiked, she kept track of which way she was heading. She came to what looked like a cliff that overlooked a quarry. There was beautiful water down below. It was peaceful there on that cliffside, so she sat down, her back against one of the larger angler rocks and she pulled her sketchbook out of her backpack. She started sketching, just welcoming the feeling of being alone in nature. The trees seemed to hum as the wind passed through the tops and there were subtle sounds of squirrels foraging for their acorns. It was a nice breath of fresh air. She got lost in the feeling of nature and her sketch, completely oblivious to the fact she was being watched.

Klaus happened to stumble across Bella. He usually came to this spot to overlook the quarry and the caves. It's where his family first ever lived. He remembered going to the caves as a young boy and he had found memories of his siblings. Whenever he wanted to escape all the noise, he came to this spot. When he arrived, he saw Bella, sitting by the cliffside drawing. He stopped studying her. He was amazed that she was even here in this spot. Was it fate that brought her and him here together at the same time? He didn't want to scare her, but he didn't want to creep in the woods either. He approached, careful not to make sudden movements, but he did startle her.

Bella didn't realize there was another human around and when Klaus appeared, it made her jump, her heart leaping up into her throat. When she saw it was Klaus, she relaxed a little, but her heart rate was still beating steadily high.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to scare you." Klaus said, his voice soothing.

Bella just nodded, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's alright. I didn't know anyone came to this spot."

Klaus offered a warm smile, he was charming to say the least, but Bella was different. He felt different when he was around her. This was only the third time speaking to her. "Yes, it's on my property. I come here often."

Bella frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I'm trespassing."

Klaus waved a hand. "It's quite alright. You can come here as often as you like." He smiled. "You draw fantastically well." He complimented as he edged closer.

Bella looked down at her sketchpad. She was drawing wolves again. She had an obsession at this point. "Oh, thank you." She said and blushed a little at his compliment.

Klaus squatted down then. He was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt and just some casual jeans, unlike the first time they met. He had come from his own art studio, so he was relaxed and dressed not to impress anyone. It didn't matter, Klaus was sexy regardless of what he wore. "I'm a painter. I come here for inspiration sometimes, it appears you do the same."

"Well, it's relaxing. I just… I like the quiet. I also like nature." Bella said and bit her lip a little.

Klaus took notice of her biting her lip and he somehow wanted to be the one biting her lip right now. He noted that she was wearing long sleeves even though it was summertime technically. "I do too." He murmured, thinking about how similar they were. Or at least, he felt they were. She was his fate he was starting to realize, but he didn't understand it quite yet. "I apologize for the intrusion though. I didn't want you to think I was creeping around randomly."

"Oh, it's no bother. Really. I'm the one creeping around." Bella said with a nervous laugh.

Klaus smiled and nodded. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure. It's your… land, so I can't tell you no." Bella said awkwardly. She hated herself for being this awkward socially.

Klaus then sat down next to her. "Where are you from?"

"Washington State." Bella responded simply and she put her sketchbook in her bag and her pencils. "I'm really sorry for trespassing. Um. It was nice seeing you again though." She said and got to her feet, which spurred Klaus to get to his faster than she did and he held out a hand to help her up. Bella slid her hand in his and she stood, her icy eyes gazing into his ocean filled ones. She still had her hand in his as she got caught in a weird trance.

Klaus studied her face; she was extraordinarily beautiful. Her skin was flawless, her dark hair was like waves of silk and her eyes were mystical. He wanted to kiss her badly and so he leaned in, his hand lightly gripping hers, before his lips brushed against hers gently. It was a test for himself, to see if kissing her meant something. To his surprise it did.

Bella didn't know what to do with this moment. She felt Klaus's lips brush hers and her flight or fight response wanted to kick in, but her mind turned to mush it seemed and she was paralyzed in place. His lips were cooler than hers just by a little, not by much. She felt a whirlwind of emotions well up inside her at once and it made her feel fuzzy. Slight tingles shot out to her fingers, her toes and she didn't know what this feeling meant. Why was she standing here with a stranger, letting him kiss her?

When Bella didn't move away from him, Klaus tested the kiss further, pressing his lips to hers firmer. When her lips parted, he swept his tongue across to taste her. It was warm, gentle and slow, unlike any of the times he's ever called on a woman and as a 1000-year-old vampire, he usually didn't take anything slow. He did what he wanted when he wanted. But something told him to just be gentle and so he was. It was almost like a dream. Was this truly happening?

Bella felt lighter, like she was walking on clouds as Klaus's lips melted against hers. When her anxiety spiked, it pulled her out of her dream cloud and she pulled away from Klaus, taking a step back. She rubbed her lips together. "Um… I… I have to go." She said and shouldered her bag and looked away.

Klaus reached up and cupped her face with his hand softly. "Why…"

"I should just. Dinner at the Grill and… I-"

Klaus leaned in and kissed her again and she kissed him back. This felt so real, he wasn't dreaming right now.

Bella's eyes fluttered close and she let Klaus kiss her again. She battled against the anxiety of being kissed by a man and a few moments later she pulled away again and turned her back on Klaus. "I have to go." She said, her voice rushed, before she ran away. She jogged back down the trail she came up to put distance between her and Klaus.

Klaus stood there, confused why she left him standing there. That never happened to him. Women didn't just leave. But she had. She left. Who was Bella Lockwood and why was she driving him mad?