AN: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you're all having a wonderful day! Your support and kind words mean the world to me, so I thought I'd give you guys a present! Enjoy xoxo
– Forks, Washington –
"What do we do?" Stefan asked his brother as he began cleaning up after breakfast.
Bella was upstairs in the bathroom with Nan. She'd only been able to eat one slice of dried toast before racing upstairs, hand over her mouth.
Damon wasn't sure what to tell him. He had no idea. He didn't even know this was possible. Whatever was growing inside Bella was growing fast. In one night, she'd practically doubled in size. And, despite the ballooning of her stomach, she was losing weight. Already, her face looked thinner. Her hair was lank and she looked frail.
If it was growing this fast inside of her, how fast would it grow when it came out?
"I . . . I don't know," Damon sighed.
"We can't just watch her die, Damon!"
"I know, but I don't know what to do, Stefan! It's not like this is something either of us has ever seen before."
"You're right," Stefan conceded. "Okay. Um. What about . . . trying to contact the Cullens? Her ex or one of his coven members must know something or have some answers, right? Didn't she say their leader was a supernatural doctor? Maybe he's dealt with this before and knows how to save her?"
"I already called Meredith Fell. She's on her way. Should be here tomorrow morning with her colleague Wes Maxfield."
"Who's Wes Maxfield?"
"No idea. A colleague of Meredith's. Another doctor, I think. He works over at Whitmore College."
"Doing what?"
"I don't know, Stef. He's a professor, I think."
"What does he teach?"
"Biology. Or chemistry. I don't know," he shrugged. "Something medical related, I think . . ."
"But they're both human?" Stefan asked.
"As far as I'm aware, yes." Damon sighed, growing annoyed with his brother's questions.
"This isn't a normal human pregnancy, Damon. What are two human doctors going to do? One we don't even know!"
"I don't know, Stefan!" Damon snapped. "This screwed-up situation is completely out of our wheelhouse. I don't know what to do or who can help. And don't say we should contact the Cullens. What would be the point? Even if we could get in touch with them, there's no guarantee they'd come back. They left her! Without even bothering to say goodbye. To me, that doesn't scream eternal love."
Again, Stefan agreed. "Maybe that's true for Edward, but their leader is a doctor. He took an oath!"
"Doesn't mean he lives by it," Damon pointed out. "And we don't know which of them did this to her. It could've been the doctor. Just because she was dating one of them doesn't mean he's the one who did this to her."
Stefan looked over at his brother. "What do you mean? You don't think her ex-boyfriend did this?"
As Damon looked out the kitchen window, his mind went back to the moment Bella had called him Uncle Damon. He hadn't been expecting that. Nor was he expecting to feel so protective of her. He'd only just met her. He barely knew her. And yet, the moment she called him Uncle Damon something shifted in him.
"I don't know, Stef," he admitted. "There's a lot of unknowns. If she can't remember that night, who's to say her ex did this to her? It could've been any one of them."
Stefan frowned. "You think she's lying or withholding something?"
Damon shook his head. "No. I think if she can't remember that night it was because she was forced to forget."
Stefan nodded, realizing what his brother was saying. "You think she was compelled to forget."
"They're a perversion of true vampires, right? Maybe they have a way to control minds like we do. She said they can . . . what was it? Dazzle? What the hell is that? Is it like compulsion?"
Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. She's a witch. We already know our tricks don't work on her, maybe theirs don't either. She said Edward couldn't read her mind, maybe their dazzle wouldn't work on her."
Damon sighed again. "If she's immune to the parlor tricks of vampires, there are other ways to make her forget. It wouldn't take much to slip her something."
Stefan nodded. "She did say Edward brought her aspirin and a bottle of water. Maybe there was more in it than water. That could be why she doesn't remember. There are plenty of date rape drugs on the streets. Some even cause amnesia."
"Maybe," Damon frowned. "Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree. I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever know the truth. The fact is, she's pregnant and we have to deal with that. Whoever the father is, his parts done and unless he shows himself, and has a damn good explanation, we're on our own."
Stefan smirked. "If he shows himself, Charlie's gonna kill him . . ."
"And I'll help," Damon hissed. "This ain't right, Stef. We've done a lot of shit in our time but this . . ." he shook his head, disgusted, "this is a new kind of awful. And I'll take great pleasure in ripping the bastard apart."
That was a surprise to Stefan. He didn't think Damon would care as much. He never cared about Caroline or how he'd used her. This was, essentially, the same thing, except Bella's pregnant.
Not willing to get into that conversation, Stefan changed the subject. "Have you noticed how she keeps scratching the bitemark on her wrist?"
Damon nodded. "Mm. I'm surprised it hasn't healed by now. Didn't she say something about venom healing injuries, like our blood?"
"Yeah. The doctor's mate was severely injured when he found her and his venom healed her without leaving a mark on her, so . . ."
"Why hasn't the bitemark on Bella's wrist healed?" Damon finished.
He was about to turn away from the window and check on Bella when a car turned onto their road and headed straight for the Swan residence.
"Someone's here."
Stefan joined him at the window as Nan and Bella returned to the kitchen.
"You know, if I didn't want to have kids before, this experience has officially put me off ever carrying another child," Bella muttered, heading towards the couch. "Whoever said childbirth is a joyous experience can bite me."
Damon growled as he watched three men exit the car. One he recognized. "Son of a bitch," he hissed and raced out of the room.
"What's going on?" Nan asked, coming to the window. "Oh! Bella, dear, we have guests."
"Wonderful," she yawned. "Is it the men in white coats finally come to take me away?" She wondered. "Actually, maybe I'd be better off with a priest come to bless my little bundle of joy . . . or perform an exorcism, whatever he feels works best for Satan's child."
Stefan chuckled as Nan dashed to the front door to greet the newcomers.
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Outside the Swan residence, Klaus, Kol, and Peter chuckled as they listened to the female inside wondering if they were there to take her away or exorcise the demon inside her.
"I like her already!" Kol announced with a grin. "She sounds feisty. I hope you can handle her, Nik."
Klaus rolled his eyes. He's had plenty of experience with feisty women. Not that he was going to mention that to his brother or in earshot of his potential future mate.
They were walking up the driveway when the front door was thrown open and the most mouthwatering scent hit Klaus like a freight train. Everything inside of him—the bound wolf, the vampire, the man—stood still in awe and hope. Every honed instinct he had, told him exactly who that scent belonged to and what she would come to mean to him.
As soon as the scent registered in his mind, an odd sensation hit him. It was so powerful, so undeniable, he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He doubled over, hand over his heart as it nearly beat out of his chest. He hadn't felt his heart race so fast in centuries.
"Nik?" Kol shifted beside him, all traces of humor gone as he watched his brother struggle with an unseen attack.
"Can I say 'I told you so' yet?" Peter grinned.
Despite his body's reaction and the beautiful scent bombarding him, Klaus still couldn't believe it to be true. How could a man like him—one so broken and brutal—ever find the other half of his soul? It didn't seem possible. Or likely.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head to glare at Peter. "This means nothing," he hissed.
Peter grinned, knowingly.
Ignoring Kol and Peter, Klaus forced himself to straighten up. He was Klaus Mikaelson. He would not be bested by a scent!
─── ･｡ﾟ: *. .* :ﾟ. ───
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." A black-haired male smirked, his eyes on Peter. "Didn't think I'd see you for another few decades, at least."
Peter shrugged. "I like to do the unexpected."
Damon's eyes shifted to the two men behind Peter. "You bought backup this time."
Peter smirked. "I don't need help to kill you, Damon."
"I'm older than you," Damon reminded the Cowboy before him.
Peter smirked. It was a lie. He was older than Damon by five years. But he wasn't about to tell Damon that. Five years wasn't going to make a lot of difference. And either way, he wasn't worried. Though there was a hint of concern in Damon's eyes.
Rightly so.
Excluding the Originals—because there aren't many who'd willingly go against the first vampires—there are very few regular vampires with as much battle and tactical training as Peter Whitlock. The only other vampire with more experience than Peter and an even darker history was his brother, Jasper. Now there's a man you don't want to cross. The cold one's Southern Wars had provided the brothers with a more than adequate education in the art of battle.
─── ･｡ﾟ: *. .* :ﾟ. ───
"Where's your brother?" Damon wondered.
Where there was one Whitlock there was bound to be another. From what Damon knew, they were rarely separated. Though if the rumors are true, Jasper was either dead or he'd joined some weak coven who were keeping the great warrior on a tight leash.
Absently, Damon wondered if Jasper Whitlock was the same Jasper Hale who attacked Bella on her birthday. He dismissed that idea quickly; why on earth would a real vampire join a coven of cold ones?
"He's around."
Well, that wasn't good.
Damon looked to his right and shifted closer to the little old woman as she came out of the house. "Marie, why don't you go back inside and let Stefan know we have company."
─── ･｡ﾟ: *. .* :ﾟ. ───
The moment she saw them, Marie knew who their guests were. Or, that is to say, she knew of one of them. Possibly two, if her theory was correct about the pretty brunette boy.
Though she was not an official member of the Gemini Coven—and she had no interest in alerting them to her existence, or Bella's—having a tie to the coven afforded her a few liberties. For example, information. She had access to all of Edith's journals and grimoires. As well as all those that had been passed down over the years.
She knew all about Qetsiyah, Silas, and Amara. She knew of the Travelers. And the doppelgängers. Tatia. Katerina. And now Isobel Flemming's daughter, Elena, who was adopted by the Gilberts after her birth. She knew about the two prison worlds. Kai stuck in 1994. And the first prison world housing at least five siphons from 1903.
The Gemini Coven has been around for a very long time. Possibly longer than anyone knows. They've been privy to and a part of a lot of the world's history.
It all started in Greece, two thousand years ago. A powerful witch named Qetsiyah was a part of the coven. She, along with her lover Silas, created the first immortality spell. And then, the Gemini bore witness as she damned Silas and Amara—a true mated couple—to an eternity of suffering for betraying her.
After the immortality spell was created, the coven was divided. A faction of the coven believed that immortality was proof they could accomplish even more with their magic. The other half saw the immortality spell as a crime against nature.
It was that half—those who serve nature—who killed Qetsiyah as punishment for making immortality a possibility and then went on to curse the other half of the coven, which is how the Travelers came into existence. Essentially, they are cousins of the Gemini coven. A branch of witches unable to do earth magic due to the curse placed upon them.
Gemini sure do love their curses.
For the next two thousand years, the Gemini Coven dedicated their lives to ensuring the Travelers never broke their curse by keeping them from getting their hands on Silas and Amara's doppelgängers.
There was a lot Marie didn't know. But, really, she had no interest in finding out the sordid details of the Gemini Coven's less-than-stellar history. She wasn't sure what side she was supposed to be on. In support of a spurned lover and possibly the most powerful witch in history. Or on the side of a mated couple whose only crime—as far as Marie could see—was wanting to be together.
If Silas had just been a man about it and broken off his engagement to Qetsiyah none of this would be a problem. They'd all be dead and there'd be no doppelgängers.
As far as Marie was concerned, a two-thousand-year-old feud was none of her business.
However, the knowledge of doppelgängers meant Marie knew all about Tatia and her unwilling involvement in the creation of true vampires. More specifically, The Original Family. The Mikaelsons.
Most witches know not to get into bed with an Original. They're dangerous. More so than any vampire the world has ever seen. Only those who're either reckless, stupid, or desperate ever willingly get involved.
Vampire business is not witch business. She'd heard the saying from her mother, grandmother, and friends more than enough times. But Marie . . . well, Marie has never been one of those smart witches who steer clear of vampires. After all, she is the niece of two vampires.
If two Originals are here now, they're here for a reason. Marie had no idea what that reason was, but if she could persuade them to help her grandbaby and save her life, there was nothing she wouldn't do for them.
─── ･｡ﾟ: *. .* :ﾟ. ───
Peter smirked, enjoying the sight of Damon squirming. He deserved to squirm.
Beside the dark-haired vampire, the little old lady wearing a bright pink tracksuit huffed. "Nonsense. Just because you have trouble making friends, doesn't mean I do." She pushed the vampire aside, and took a step forward, though she didn't leave the porch. "Now, gentleman, what can I do for you?"
Peter looked toward the woman and tipped his head, removing his black Stetson. "Actually, ma'am, it's more what we can do for you."
"And what is it you believe I need, young man?"
"Help," Peter answered. "I have a, uh, gift of sorts. I'm a conduit to The Fates. They've informed me of the situation with your granddaughter. Please, may we come inside and discuss this in private? I'd hate for any of your neighbors to overhear our conversation."
"Mm." Marie frowned, watching one such neighbor peeking out through her front room curtains.
"No." Damon shook his head. "Absolutely not. It's out of the question."
Nan was about to speak when they all heard a sudden cry from inside the house. As soon as he heard her in distress, Nik's head snapped toward the door and a low growl rumbled through his throat.
Nan's eyes widened as she watched the blonde male take a step toward the house, though he was unable to enter.
"Son of a nutcracker!" Bella cried.
Marie tore her eyes away from the door and looked toward the three men waiting to be let inside, unsure how to proceed.
"Uh, allow me to make the introductions," Peter said quickly. "This is Kol. He knows all about supernatural pregnancies and can help keep your grandbaby alive. And this is . . ."
"Klaus Mikaelson," Marie nodded, "I'm aware."
Klaus smirked. "You've heard of me . . ."
"You have quite the reputation."
"Uh," Peter cleared his throat, "Nik here is, uh, well, he's mated to your grandbaby . . ."
Marie looked at the two Originals. One blonde. One brunette. She could tell they were brothers. Despite their differences, there were similarities. She could also sense the power radiating from both men. And something else, something lingering beneath the surface, something trapped within Klaus. She wasn't sure what that meant or what it could be. She's heard whispers of a curse, though she's never paid much attention. Now, she wished she had. What was he going to get her granddaughter involved in?
"They're Old Ones," Damon hissed, his eyes wide as he looked between the two arrivals.
Klaus smirked.
"Not just Old Ones, darling," Kol grinned back at the baby vampire, "we're the first of our kind. The Originals." His dark eyes swept toward Marie. "And we are offering your granddaughter our help."
Marie's eyes narrowed. "And what is it you want in return?" She asked. "Old Ones such as yourself wouldn't do anything for free."
"Personally, I don't want anything from you . . ." Kol assured her. "I merely wish to help, if I can."
Marie's eyes went to Klaus. "And you?"
"Peter says your granddaughter is my mate, I wish to know if that's true."
"And if it isn't?"
"Then The Fates were wrong." He shrugged his shoulders in indifference, though he felt anything but. He wanted to be in that house; to know what had caused her pain and to stop it. His chest felt tight as if something was pulling him in that direction. And he didn't like that feeling at all!
"The Quileutes have asked for my help," he continued. "If my brother wishes to help you, I'll leave him here while I deal with whatever bother they've found themselves in before we leave the area and your family in peace. You have my word."
Marie nodded, still unsure if she should believe him. After everything she'd heard about the Old One's this was a surprising turn of events. And their attitude was even more befuddling. She certainly wasn't expecting them to offer their help, nor would she refuse. If they could save Isabella, she'd do whatever they asked of her.
"And you?"
"My name is Peter Whitlock." He smiled. "I'm not an Old One, but I am pretty old," he chuckled. "I'm, uh, going to kill your friend back there one day. But not today. Today there are more pressing things to deal with than the death of one jackass."
Before she could speak, another cry came from Bella.
"Marie!" Stefan called.
"Isabella, my darling?" Marie called. "Could you please invite our guests inside? They're here to help."
"What!" Damon cried. "Are you kidding me? What if they're not here to help?"
Marie shrugged. "Then they won't. I'm not sure what you expect me to do against Old Ones, Damon. I may be powerful, but I'm not suicidal. Going against one of them is a guaranteed death sentence. If they can help and are offering it without any strings attached, that's wonderful. I'll take it and be eternally grateful. If they can't help, then we're no worse off than we were half an hour ago."
Another cry came from Bella.
"Oh shit. Marie!" Stefan shouted. "I need you in here!"
"Come . . . in . . ." Bella whispered.
Before anyone could move, Klaus was through the door. Her scent was even more potent inside the house. It was a heady, overwhelming experience to be surrounded by something so attractive and necessary. Though he felt no desire to drain her. He did, however, wish to sink his teeth into her jugular and mark her as his, which was a startling realization and one he'd never felt in all his years.
Do vampires still mark their mates?
Klaus wasn't sure about vampires but wolves were entirely different. Old school, traditional wolves often marked their mates, but he wasn't sure it was common practice in the modern world. He hadn't spent a lot of time around wolves. Any time he attempted to get close to one or a pack, they rejected him because of what and who he was.
He followed her scent to a small living room. As soon as he entered, his eyes landed on a young woman in her late teens. The pull in his chest urged him forward. Now that he had eyes on her, it eased just a little, being replaced by a feeling that enveloped his heart. He couldn't describe it. There were no words for something so . . . encompassing.
His eyes moved over her petite, supple frame. Long dark hair stood stark against soft, pale skin. She was sitting on the sofa, holding her right side. Her back was bowed slightly. He could see the pain in her dark brown eyes and smell the salt of her tears.
He had a sudden urge to reach out to her. To hold her against him and soothe her pain. To cup her cheek in his palm and press his lips to her forehead. It was shocking. He'd never felt such an urge. Such desperation. He knew, almost on instinct, that he needed her to look at him. He needed to see her eyes.
Behind him, he heard Kol and Peter entering the house.
"I think her ribs are broken!" The boy—who Klaus recognized as his old friend Stefan Salvatore—said panicked. "I tried to give her my blood . . ."
Klaus could see that. It looked like she'd vomited blood. She and Stefan were covered in it.
". . . but it didn't work!"
"Try your blood, Nik," Peter said from the doorway, looking unphased by the situation they'd walked into.
Without thinking, without questioning, because all he needed right then was for her to be safe and unharmed, Klaus darted forward and took his young mate into his arms. "It's all right, little love. I've gotcha," he whispered.
He sank his teeth into his wrist and then held it against her lips. Weakly she tried to resist but the moment the delicious taste of his blood touched her tongue, she moaned and latched onto him. He tasted like heaven. Like nirvana. She relaxed into his embrace, curling into his body as he held her tightly against him.
"There you go," he whispered, burying his head into her hair. "Good girl."
"I . . . I don't understand," Stefan frowned. "Why does his blood work and mine didn't?"
"The short answer: he's her soulmate," Peter shrugged. "The long answer: he's her soulmate."
Stefan looked at Damon, who was scowling, and then toward Marie, who looked completely at peace with this situation.
"I—"
"Don't bother, Stef," Damon huffed, "He's a cryptic bastard who ain't gonna tell you Jack unless it serves him somehow."
Peter smirked.
"Sounds familiar," Stefan sighed.
"I am nothing like him!" Damon growled, pointing a finger toward Peter.
"Really?" Stefan questioned. "Cryptic. Doesn't share information unless it serves his agenda. A jackass. Yep," he nodded, "sounds familiar to me."
"You don't even know him!"
"I know he wants to kill you."
"Then I guess you two have something in common, huh?"
Stefan shook his head. "After everything you've done since you came back to Mystic Falls, can you blame me, Damon?"
"Boys!" Marie shouted, interrupting whatever Damon was about to come back with. "We have enough to deal with without you two bickering. Stefan, go get showered and cleaned up. Damon—"
"I'm not leaving you alone with these . . ." he bit back a growl when Marie turned her glare on him, "visitors."
Without answering him, Marie turned back to her granddaughter. There were more important things to deal with than Stefan and Damon's issues right now. They could deal with that mess later.
Right now, her granddaughter was still in the arms of an Old One. Peter's claims that Klaus was mated to Bella were shocking. But, the moment the two locked eyes, Marie knew Peter had been telling the truth. He really was a conduit for The Fates. And Bella was mated to an Original. Not just any Original, either. Klaus Mikaelson. The most feared, sadistic, and brutal Original.
What was even more startling—more startling than her granddaughter being the mate of a powerful Original vampire—was that said vampire's eyes were now glowing bright amber.
AN: I love this chapter.
So, Klaus is finally in Forks. Something's going on with the shifters in La Push. We'll get back to them soon. Peter and Damon have history. Peter is planning to kill Damon. I wonder what that's about? And Meredith Fell and Wes Maxfield are on their way to Forks. I wonder how that's going to go?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments. xoxo