Bella's choice to rescue
"Do I know you?" Klaus asked Bella and Charlie, wondering who these people were.
"No, not yet. Sorry, I'm being rude. I should introduce myself. You might not believe me but I... My name is Bella Swan and I'm Kol's soul mate. This is my father, Charlie Swan." Bella declared bravely while her father came to stand closer to her.
"Kol's soulmate? You seem human and given your young age, you can't have known him... He hasn't been around since the early 20's. Even if you're a witch taking special herbs, you wouldn't look this young. It doesn't explain how you know me either..." Klaus replied.
"It's a weird story that's a bit long but since you're a vampire werewolf hybrid, I guess you've heard weirder. By the way, you must have broken you curse, congratulations! I knew you'd do it eventually, hoped you'd managed it without too much trouble. Anyway, when I was a kid, a woman, a witch I guess, told me that the supernatural world was real and that I'd start dreaming of my supernatural soulmate that very night, and every night since then, as a reward because I helped her and was nice to her after some kid knocked her over. I did and I dreamt of Kol, his life, his family, which is how I know who you are. My very first dream... My very first dream of Kol and his family was of the night Henrik died. I know you followed him to try and bring him back, that you wanted to make sure Mickeal didn't punish him. I know it's hard to believe given your experience in life and how often you've been lied to and betrayed but it's true, I just want Kol back. I mean, I never really was with him in real life so I know that I can't have him back, but you get what I mean, right?" Bella explained in a quick voice.
Speaking so much and so fast was very unlike her, but she wanted to get so many information out to Klaus before he got bored and left.
Kol didn't look like he was about to behead them, so that was good. After all this time, Bella knew Klaus pretty well and she could see that he was trusting her, believing her.
"Well, even if I wanted to give him to you, the coffins where my siblings are presently resting were recently stolen." Klaus replied, wondering why he felt like he could trust this human girl.
Charlie, given his job, was good at reading most people and he could tell that this Klaus wasn't on his guards. He was willing to believe and trust Bella, which was good for them. It would make their job easier.
"I know, and I had a dream about that about a week ago. Someone named Stefan has them. I can't tell you where, but I can describe the place, which I think will help you find it. It's a dirty old house full of spirits of dead witches, lots of them. I've brought a cocktail of herbs that should prevent those witches from working their powers on dad and I. Kol used it before on someone and it worked. It doesn't work on vampires though, but since it works on werewolves, maybe it'll work on you, maybe just a little." Bella replied, looking Klaus in the eyes, letting him see her.
She knew that he'd be able to decide if he believed her or not by looking in her eyes. After all, how many times had people told her that she was an open book?
"Alright, I believe you. Why don't you come on in, we'll talk about everything." Klaus nodded, inviting the two newcomers inside the house.
"Thank you." Bella and Charlie nodded as they followed Klaus to a living room.
"You're her father? And you let her come here, knowing everything?" Klaus asked Charlie.
"Well, I couldn't let her come alone so I came along, but I don't think I'll be much help, unless she needs me to start shooting at people. I might be the chief of police back home, but we live in a very small town where we can count the criminals on one hand. I mean, if in order to get your siblings back we absolutely, for some reason, need to go fishing, I'm your man, I'm great at that. Otherwise..." Charlie replied, making everyone chuckle.
"Now, Bella, I feel like you went over the story rather quickly, why don't you tell me the whole story?" Klaus asked and Bella nodded.
"Of course." She replied with a smile.
Bella told her love's brother everything from the moment the witch fell down and she helped her to the moment they decided to come to Mystic Fall's to find Kol. She made sure to include details of everything and to be as believable as possible.
"I'd offer you the possibility to see it all in my head, but you might not be able to get in. Edward Cullen can read everybody's mind except mine. It seems like my head is sort of private. He told me that he has trouble reading my father's thoughts clearly too, so maybe it's genetic. I'm not on vervain either. You're welcome to try anyway." Bella told Klaus who nodded and got closer to her.
"You're right, I can't get in." he nodded.
"But do you believe me? Do you trust me?" She asked him.
"I do. It honestly goes against everything I've ever believed in but I do believe you. And even weirder, I trust you. I can't explain it but I feel this bond linking me to you... You are family." Klaus nodded with a smile.
"Don't you usually dagger your family members?" Bella joked, making Charlie and Klaus chuckle.
Klaus liked Bella and her father. They seemed to know everything there was to know about him, yet they were comfortable enough to joke, like when Charlie mentioned fishing, or to tease him. Was it weird that he was already willing to go through hell to help Bella when he only just met her?
"I'll make an exception with you. I was about to undagger them all anyway. Now that Mickeal is dead, there's no more danger, as long as..." he started to say.
"As long as they don't wake up your mother. I knew you were waiting for Mickeal to be dead. I'm glad you got to do it, get revenge for everything he's done to you." Bella nodded, proving that she knew more than he guessed.
"Yes. Now, if you came all the way here, am I wrong to guess that it means you love Kol?" Klaus asked Bella.
"No, it wouldn't be wrong. I'm in love with Kol, and I'd do anything to have him here with me, awake. I just... I want to finally speak with him, be in the same room as he is, feel our bond... Have an actual conversation with him." She replied and Klaus nodded.
"Where are you planning on staying? I could offer you my hospitality..." Klaus suggested.
"We have two rooms at Misses Flowers' boarding house but if you're offering, we'll gladly accept your hospitality. I'd feel better knowing Bella is safe." Charlie replied.
It warmed Klaus' heart to know that Charlie considered his daughter as safe in his house, in his presence. Of course she truly was, Bella was family, he could feel it. Already he felt the urge to protect her. Knowing that her father approved, knowing what they were, it felt nice. He was trusted without using compulsion.
"Then you can go and get your bags back. Bella can take Kol's room, she'll end up sharing it soon enough anyway, might as well consider it hers right away. I'll have a guest room ready for you." Klaus nodded.
"Alright, I'll go and get our things while Bella tells you everything she saw around the coffins to help you locate them." Charlie decided, doing his best to ignore Klaus's remark about Bella and Kol's room.
"Will you be able to find it on your own dad?" Bella asked her father.
"We do have a GPS in the rental, Bells. It's not harder to use than a microwave." Charlie rolled his eyes.
"And how many microwaves have you blown or destroyed in the last few years?" She asked with a smirk that made Niklaus smile.
"It's not my fault, the things just end up killing themselves once they're alone with me! I think it's the microwaves that are allergic to me. Hey, maybe someone cursed me so that microwaves wouldn't survive around me!" Charlie replied with an amused smile of his own before he left the house.
Bella smiled at him and watched him leave confidently while she started telling Klaus all the details of what she had seen.
"So, what did you see?" Klaus asked Bella.
"I'm guessing you know who has them? Some brown haired guy named Stefan, strong enough to lift the coffins on his own. I did see the phone call when he told you that he had them and would dispose of them if you didn't do as he said." Bella asked Klaus.
"Yes, Stefan Salvatore, a vampire. He's mad because... Well, I wasn't really fair to him and his friends when I came to break my curse." Klaus told Bella.
"From the conversation you had with him on the phone, I understood that you broke your curse. I was happy to know that you did. You deserved it. I mean, I know you had to kill people, but after all this time, you deserved it. It was unfair of your mother to curse you." Bella told him with a kind and sincere smile, surprising him.
"Not many people think as you do, but thank you." Klaus nodded before he told her everything that's happened since he got to town, showing her pictures of the people he spoke about on his phone as he did.
Elena Gilbert and her brother, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, Alaric, Caroline Forbes and her mother the sheriff, Tyler Lockwood and a few of his hybrids, Bonnie Bennett the witch... In return, Bella showed him a picture of the Cullen family so Klaus would know them if he ever crossed them.
"So, there were dead witches around the coffins?" Klaus asked her, getting back on topic.
"Yes, Stefan spoke to people that weren't in the room, no phone anywhere, and suddenly, the torches and candles lite up and the coffins were invisible." Bella nodded.
"You're right, probably spirits of dead witches, lots of it." he nodded.
"The windows I could see were extremely dirty but I could see hints of trees outside. The house didn't look in great shape but it seems rather big and ancient, definitely not modern. I didn't see any trace of electricity." She added.
"I think I know the house. A house were the spirits of a hundred dead witches are waiting for revenge, eager to kill vampires or other enemies. It won't be easy, those herbs you have might not be strong enough to protect you and your father against so many spirits... I don't feel very comfortable risking your life this way." Klaus shook his head.
"Isn't there a way to convince them to hand the coffins back?" Bella asked.
"I don't think so. Witches, especially dead ones, tend to be head strong." Klaus shook his head just as he heard a car parking outside.
"Well, if all else fails, you can always go back to your weapon of choice: threatening. I mean, a hundred dead witches means thousands of descendants..." Bella smiled, making Klaus chuckle, shaking his head.
"Your father is back." Klaus added, standing to open the door to Charlie, who held their bags in his hand.
Bella used that time to send a message to the Cullen family, to update them on what was going on.
"Thanks." Charlie nodded.
After that, Klaus showed them to their room. Bella was surprised to see how well fitted to Kol the bedroom was. Surprisingly, it was perfect for her too. Once they were done settling in their bedrooms, Bella and Charlie joined Klaus downstairs.
"I wanted for us to go and get dinner at the Grill, but we might need to keep quiet the fact that you know me..." Klaus frowned when they came down.
"Yes, the best strategy might be to keep a low profile for now." Charlie nodded.
"You like Pizza?" Klaus asked and Charlie nodded.
"Pizza is dad's kind of food. But I can cook something if you want." Bella offered.
"Don't worry about it, we'll get pizzas delivered for tonight. I don't have much in the kitchen that isn't blood bags." Klaus smiled.
Klaus ordered the pizzas and they spent the evening getting to know each other better because even though Bella knew a lot about Klaus, he didn't know much except for her name and the fact that she was Kol's soul mate.
.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to talk, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted and I have a feeling that we'll need to be awake and well tomorrow to rescue Kol, or at least to try and plan his rescue." Bella said before she wished them both a good night and went to lie in Kol's bed, surrounded by objects he had collected over the years.
"Quite a girl you've got there." Klaus told Charlie after Bella had closed the door to her room.
"I know, she knows what she wants and does whatever it takes to get it." Charlie nodded.
"How long can you stay? You know, in case it takes longer than necessary." Klaus asked curiously.
"I have 3 weeks at the maximum, but I should try and go back earlier. I doubt Bella will need me around once Kol is back. I'll just be in the way." Charlie replied.
"Would you be comfortable to leave Bella here or would she leave with you?"
"Whether Kol is awake or not, she'll want to stay here. She trusts you, and I trust her enough to leave her here with you. She's mature enough to be trusted, that girl was born 35 and keeps on getting more middle aged every year. Plus, the Cullen's aren't far if she ever needs more help. Emmett, Rosalie and Edward gave her their phone numbers and said they could come in less than 30 minutes." Charlie replied.
"I don't know why she trusts me so much... Especially since she's seen our lives..." Klaus shook his head.
"Bella sees past what is obvious. She sees who you are, really are, not only what you show people." Charlie replied.
"Well, in any case, I can promise you that she'll be safe here with us, with me. I'll watch over her and protect her, even if we can't get Kol back before you leave. I can feel that she's family. The bond between us, I feel it. She's my sister. I already feel for her as much as I feel for Rebekah. If the Cullen's hadn't killed that James, I know I would have sent my hybrids to hunt him and bring him back here so I could kill him myself, as revenge for him hurting her. And you... I feel that the bond expends to you, you're family too... It's weird, unexpected... New." Klaus explained.
"I feel comfortable with you too, I don't know why but I won't question it. I'm new to this whole supernatural thing. I mean, I just learned that my best friend's legends were true and that the boys at the reservation can turn into giant wolves whenever they want or get angry... I'm still learning." Charlie smiled.
"Bella is the missing piece of my family, I can feel it. With her, everything will be different, we'll be united together... Which is why I'll contact Sage tomorrow morning. She's my brother Finn's love and she'll help us get him back. Finn was always depressed by our state as vampires, but if she's around, he might not try to kill himself. She'll make him want to live." Klaus explained.
"Sage... Bella saw something about her once I think, she told me about it. She really impressed Bella. She's a fighter, right?" Charlie asked, trying to remember everything Bella had told him.
"Yes, she is. A fighter and a fierce feminist before feminism was spoken of." Klaus smiled.
"Bella's kind of woman." Charlie smiled with a small nod.
.
The next morning, Bella woke up still excited from her dream of Kol and she rushed downstairs calling for her father and Klaus who were in the kitchen already.
"Calm down, Bells, what's going on?" Charlie asked her as Klaus looked worried.
"My dreams!" She said, catching her breath.
"You dreamt of Kol." Klaus guessed with a small smile.
"Yes, I did. And he did too! I saw a bit of my very first dream again and he was there, watching me watch him. Then I saw my encounter with the old lady and Kol was there too, watching. He's seeing me! I thought I had dreamt his presence during the James incident because of all the pain killers, my blood loss and the venom and all, that I didn't really see him but he truly was there! He was telling me to fight, to live, that he'd find me some day! He might even be here now, he's been with me from the very first moment I learned about him! He feels the same way about me as I feel about him! He loves me!" Bella exclaimed with a happy smile on her face that could melt any cold heart.
"Well of course he does, otherwise the witch wouldn't have told you he was your soul mate." Klaus smiled.
"Poor guy must have grown gray hair with all the worrying. I mean, you can be quite clumsy..." Charlie joked, making Bella blush and Klaus chuckle.
"That would be something to see, Kol with grey hair. He can be quite attached to his good looks." Klaus chuckled.
"I saw the James incident... Kol was... Angry, furious and worried... And grateful to the Cullen's for saving me." Bella nodded.
"Well, to get back to the rescuing of your sleeping beauty prince, I've made sure my hybrids would keep Stefan and his brother occupied in their home today, so we'll be free to try and reach the haunted witch house." Klaus explained, making Bella and Charlie smile at the mention of Sleeping Beauty prince.
"If the herbs don't work, I have another plan that might work." Bella stated.
"What is it?" Klaus asked curiously.
"I have a feeling that either of you won't like it." Bella shook her head.
"Bells?" Charlie asked and she sighted.
"I could lie to this Stefan, go to him once you point him out, say that I hate you because you compelled my parents to split a while back only because you wanted a shot at my mom, they won't be able to check if it's true or not. I'll tell them that I now live with my terrible uncle because you drove my father to kill himself out of despair because he lost my mother and thought he was going crazy, that it's all your fault... I'd say that I was a little girl but remember everything and have been planning my revenge for a long time... I'll tell them that you daggered Kol because he had made a dagger that would work on you, which is the truth. They don't need to know that the dagger was never finished and would never have worked. I'll tell them that I've done my homework with the help of a witch friend and Kol has hidden it somewhere before being daggered and we need him to tell us where, that if he made it in the first place, then he wanted to use it on you so he'd help them. If they question how I know all of this, I'll tell them that an old witch that owed me helped me find everything I'd need." Bella explained.
"I'm not sure I like you going so close to them without back-up, Bells..." Charlie shook his head.
"It's not a bad idea but let's try going to the witch house first. Your father is right, the Salvatore brothers are unpredictable and I don't want to risk them killing you just because they find you suspicious. Even if you had my blood in you..." Klaus decided.
"You're right. And I figured, if we don't have time to take them all out, we just undagger them all and leave before we're caught. Thanks to the dream I've had last night, we know that Kol sees this right now, he'll tell the others and they'll join us here." Bella added.
"You're right. Now let's get ready. We'll take your car, drive in the right direction and go once my hybrids say it's safe." Klaus declared and they got ready quickly and got inside the car.
It was obvious that the coffins wouldn't fit in the car, but if they managed to carry them out, maybe Klaus could get them out of the coffins and pile them up in the trunk and in the backseat until they got home.
Bella had prepared the herbs and made a tea out of them, the way she had seen Kol do it once and they had all drank it. They didn't know if it would work on Klaus, but they had to try it anyway.
"I've prepared a note for each of them just in case. If we can't take them out of there, we'll undagger them like Bella said and leave the notes in each of their hands, just in case Kol hasn't seen this moment yet. Maybe he doesn't see thing in real time, maybe he only sees them a day later or something." Klaus explained and they all nodded.
"What if the herbs don't work on you and you can't come in?" Charlie asked.
"I'll try talking with the witches, convince them by using my weapon of choice: threats against loved ones. 100 dead witches mean thousands of descendants for me to hunt down and torture..." Klaus replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"And if that doesn't work either, then we'll just undagger them and leave the messages." Bella smiled with a nod.
"We'll see. I'm not exactly comfortable with the present plan of letting you two go in, being only humans and all... Kol will have my head if anything was to happen to either of you." Klaus replied.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to us. Everything will be fine." Bella assured him as Klaus drove her closer to her soul mate.
Bella could barely contain her excitement. She was moving closer to Kol by the minute, she felt it and she knew that she'd see him very soon. She'd be able to see him, touch him... Then he'd wake up and soon be with her. They'd be together, finally. And now thanks to her last dream, she knew that he loved her too, that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. They'd be happy together.
What did you think of this change?
Will they manage to rescue Kol or will they fail?
Thank you for those who have reviewed so far. please doing so, it helps!
Lorelei Candice Black