{"id":520,"date":"2024-08-17T00:41:18","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T00:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520"},"modified":"2024-08-17T00:42:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T00:42:39","slug":"chapter-01","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 01"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 01<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Bella always liked watching the newcomers arrive at the cemetery. She usually sat perched on one of the tombs as the newly consecrated witch appeared on the Ancestral Plane, usually with a confused look on their face and unsure what to do next. Bella wasn\u2019t a people person, and it took many years for her Ancestors to realize that they should just leave her be. If she wanted to have someone to talk to; she would seek someone out herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whispers were that one person was coming to join them, to add to the power of the Ancestors, and she was surprised to see two souls appear. One of them being the one of Kol Mikaelson, and the Ancestors weren\u2019t pleased. She watched as he was picked up by the burst of magic that the Ancestors shot at him and flew over her head, outside the cemetery. She grinned, magic was so awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new kid was Kaleb Westphall. He explained that he was finally free of being possessed by the spirit of Kol Mikaelson and thanked the Ancestors for accepting him as one of them. He looked cute. Freakishly tall, but cute. He was angry with Kol, though, and he couldn\u2019t wait to finally beat the living daylights out of him. What was it with men? She had seen it before when other warlocks would join them, the anger, the testosterone, was still raging like mad upon arrival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deciding she had heard enough, she quietly retreated to her little slice of the afterlife. Sure, she could go after Kol Mikaelson and say \u2018hello\u2019, but what was the point? He had told her he never wanted to see her again all those years ago, and she wasn\u2019t about to bother him with a warm welcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had ghost pigs and ghost goats to take care of. There was a hole in the fence because one of the pigs wanted to escape and she needed to fix it. It was funny how sometimes the offerings made by the life witches appeared in the afterlife, and no one was taking care of those frightened, sometimes traumatized animals. Before she got there, they were running through the empty version of New Orleans, and while it was fun to watch them run around like that, she knew that they would feel better when contained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she became a pig and goat farmer. Not that she\u2019d ever get babies from them or whatever, or they\u2019d be food – because hunger wasn\u2019t something you\u2019d get when dead – but the animals were good people. Not challenging and predictable. She liked predictable things. They weren\u2019t difficult – only when they wanted to escape, but a simple magic spell made sure they always returned. Sometimes, just sometimes, she let them roam freely, just to see the chaos unfold in front of her and have them scare the Ancestors.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, she wasn\u2019t crazy. Maybe the afterlife had made her a tiny bit loopy. Maybe. Who wouldn\u2019t go a little bit crazy after being dead but not dead for a century? The Ancestors certainly were nuts, acting like they were better than anyone else, looking down on alive people when they came to the cemetery, spitting on the vampires, making it seem like bird droppings. When she killed herself, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Eternally wandering around the city she had grown to hate had not been one of her plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t fair. He\u2019d finally been accepted in his siblings pact of \u2018Always and Forever\u2019 when he died because his older brother put a hex on him. It wasn\u2019t fair. It wasn\u2019t fair. And sure, when Rebekah told him that they\u2019d consecrate his body so that his spirit could be accepted by the Ancestors, he had thought it\u2019d be a piece of cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He died a witch. He was a witch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was an abomination; that\u2019s what he was. Sure, he\u2019d been a witch before his mother turned him into this monster and she had brought him back from the Other Side, but not in his body. No, his body was in a jar in Niklaus\u2019 study – ashes. In essence, Kaleb was the witch whose body was consecrated and Kol\u2019d been merely a passenger on the ride to the Ancestral Plane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hitchhiker and unwelcome. And the worst of it all, his magic didn\u2019t work here, because he was still an Original Vampire spirit and vampires couldn\u2019t do magic. He knew his sister was working hard on finding a spell to return him to the land of the living – again, but such magic was hard to come by. Even he knew that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d been evading the Ancestors for weeks, if not months, now, all the while keeping an eye on Davina and he didn\u2019t like the choices she was making. He couldn\u2019t keep tabs on her the usual way, so he only got snippets, but he could feel her presence leave the Ancestors at one point and hoped that she was alright. Shunning never meant anything good and knowing his squeeze; she\u2019d figure out something else. She was smart like that. Perhaps too clever and too naive at the same time and that could be disastrous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vampire wished that he could look at other people like he had done when Kol was on the Other Side, but it was near to impossible with the Ancestors right on his heels whenever he managed to use his residual magic. Oh, he fought the Ancestors off as well as he could, but dead people simply didn\u2019t get any deader. On occasion he allowed himself to be beaten up or hurt otherwise, if there was one thing the Ancestors were good at, it was the art of torture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pretended that they were successful at dampening his spirits, but he was simply biding his time until his sister, or Davina, would find a safe spell to bring him back. He was NOT staying here. He merely hoped that they would find a safe way to get him back and not that they\u2019d have to sacrifice a lot. He wasn\u2019t worth them giving up their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of him on the Ancestral plane. He and his siblings killed quite a few of them, the Deveraux witches were especially tenacious, and the only places he could truly hide was on the outskirts of it all; the witches found it too dangerous to even go there. They weren\u2019t fond of pubs either, but they didn\u2019t mind going in once they knew he was in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And no, he wasn\u2019t afraid of them. Well, perhaps a little. Most of the dead witches still had their magic here, and while he still had some magic of his own, it wasn\u2019t nearly enough. And without his vampire strength and speed, all he had was the ability to win in a fist fight. But witches used magic, and he couldn\u2019t get anywhere close to them before being thrown across wherever he was at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of him didn\u2019t mind getting his ass kicked for the shitty things that he and his family had done over the years, or perhaps he came to this reasoning because the Ancestral Plane was dark, very dark. The Ancestors weren\u2019t all that loving after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had always found it fascinating that the Ancestral Plane still had alcohol. She once drank every bottle in a bar – it wasn\u2019t as if she could die from alcohol poisoning – and a day later it was all there again. Luckily, hangovers didn\u2019t exist there, even though everything else could hurt you or bruise you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d been dead for nearly a century, and it was fascinating to see that the Ancestral Plane changed as New Orleans changed. Her favorite bar was currently Rousseau\u2019s. She\u2019d been there a few times, using the music box while she danced around and drank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It had been far too long since she got plastered like that, and now that Kol was on her side, she needed to drink to forget. He was going to stick around for a while, wasn\u2019t he? He was dead. Truly dead and this time as a witch. How that had happened, she wasn\u2019t quite sure, but at least he had lived the life he\u2019d always wanted for himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he was still a giant asshole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she walked into the street Rousseau\u2019s was at, she realized that not only was he a giant asshole; he also needed saving. \u201cLeave him alone!\u201d She yelled at the witches who were casting spells on him, before realizing that she, too, still had magic and pushed them away, setting up a barrier to protect Kol, who looked stunned to see her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, she wasn\u2019t quite sure why she helped him, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She kept casting spells until they scattered before dropping the barrier and walked into the bar to take a bottle of wine and settle in for the night while the music box played softly. It didn\u2019t take long for Kol to enter. Of course, he never could leave things unfinished. He pretended that he could, but something always kept nagging in the back of his head. The maniac did have some sort of moral compass, after all, in his twisted way. Or perhaps it was his curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a sight for sore eyes,\u201d he replied, trying to sound happy and excited, but she could hear that he wasn\u2019t. From her corner on the bench, she eyed him and took a sip of his wine. \u201cI didn\u2019t fancy you for sticking around and help the living to have more power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was consecrated, Kol, I\u2019m stuck here until they decide to let me go,\u201d she said as she took another sip of her wine. \u201cBut they probably won\u2019t, seeing as I took my life and this is hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t remember how you died?\u201d Kol was standing at the table now, waiting for Bella to give him a sign that he could sit down. \u201cLove, you didn\u2019t kill yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella let out a snort as she took another drink from the bottle. \u201cThey said I cursed myself after Edward left and my baby died,\u201d she murmured as she slightly shrugged. \u201cApparently it was an accident. And it\u2019s been a hundred years; I\u2019m dead. No big deal. I merely wished that I didn\u2019t have to be here.\u201d She then pointed at him. \u201cHow come you\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong story, darling, one you don\u2019t need to hear,\u201d he replied kindly as he sat down across from her and sighed. \u201cYou didn\u2019t kill yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She mimicked his sigh and shrugged. \u201cI did. Did you know, some of the witches they consecrated over the years had psychological degrees? I talked to them, a lot, about my life. To find some sort of peace with it all, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I wasn\u2019t like anyone else when I was alive. I still am not like anyone else, I guess. I\u2019m doing better, but it hasn\u2019t gone away completely. I wanted to know what was wrong with me. My daddy sent me away for a reason and didn\u2019t tell the family I was going to that I was slightly peculiar, but I suppose they found out when I didn\u2019t share the same interests as their daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI liked you; you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella took a longer swig of her bottle of wine. \u201cYou took advantage of my magic, Kol Mikaelson. You took advantage of my inability to see the bad in people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His jaw fell open in mock surprise. \u201cBut I also took care of you; I hooked you up with your old man when you were too crazy and old to—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smashed the bottle on the table and rose to her feet, quick to hold the serrated bottle close to his face. She might not be able to kill him, but she could hurt him. She didn\u2019t like the surge of anger and sadness that washed over her. She had done so well to keep those feelings at bay, but Kol\u2019s betrayal in the past still stung. And the memory of Edward put even more fuel on that fire. \u201cHow could I\u2019ve been so stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, in all fairness, you weren\u2019t right in the head.\u201d She wasn\u2019t going to hurt him, too, was she? Nah, Bella wouldn\u2019t do that. She was too meek, too kind, to even consider cutting him. Then why had she broken the bottle? \u201cWho can resist such a handsome face like mine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can,\u201d she said bitterly as she threw the bottle against the nearest wall. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I saved you from the witches. Next time, I\u2019ll egg them on,\u201d Bella continued as she walked out of the bar. She hated to feel this way and while she could completely understand most of the Ancestors with their hatred towards Kol, she didn\u2019t want to stoop to their level and hurt him. It was bad enough that he was here and knowing his family, knowing him, he wasn\u2019t going to be there much longer. She was just going to have to stay clear from him and until he\u2019d leave, spend time with the ghost goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, wait up,\u201d Kol\u2019s voice sounded, and she kept marching. She couldn\u2019t go straight to her goats now; he\u2019d know her hidey hole. No, she was going to walk towards the cemetery where the other witches were. They\u2019d kick him away again. Rid her of him. Yes. Great idea. \u201cBella, come on. Why are you angry at me? You knew how I was, who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She let out a cry of frustration and turned around to face him. \u201cYes. And the family put me in that asylum for a reason, Kol. To unburden them. To make sure I wasn\u2019t a burden to anyone else. I\u2019d never find a husband, and you got me out of there!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were miserable!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou never asked me if I wanted to leave!\u201d Bella shot back at him. \u201cI was fine where I was. I was taken care of and not in anyone\u2019s way. No, it was your ego that came in there, killed half of the people who were taking care of others and took me away because you liked my magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t as if I left you unattended,\u201d Kol huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. \u201cYou didn\u2019t belong there. You weren\u2019t crazy.\u201d Maybe it was because death erased most ailments, but she was doing better, she wasn\u2019t even afraid of making eye contact with him and didn\u2019t stumble over – or mince, for that matter – her words. \u201cYou\u2019re still not.\u201d No, she was angry. But was she angry with him or herself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I was, Kol. I still am. I\u2019m merely able to hide it better now that I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I got you the husband you so desperately wanted, no, needed, for your survival. All you could do was mope and complain after I took you away from the asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, and you got me Edward. Good job,\u201d she said sarcastically as she turned around again and continued to walk away from him. \u201cYou should have left me alone, because after finding him, you told me you never wanted to see me again anyway because you\u2019d grown bored of me. I wished you\u2019d have killed me then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not being fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not?\u201d She let out a laugh. \u201cYou killed everyone you came in contact with; you never cared for controlling your blood lust, and yet, you allowed me to live? Why? You nearly killed me a couple of times after our first meeting, so why not do it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’re not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d she said as she kept walking. \u201cI\u2019ve died before it was my time because you couldn\u2019t leave well enough alone, so yes, I\u2019m not too happy with you. When are they going to bring you back? Any idea?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI might be stuck here forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood luck, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you think I like being here?\u201d He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking, earning him to be knocked flat on his ass by her magic. She didn\u2019t like to be touched; he had forgotten about that. \u201cMy mother brought me back as a witch after I died the first time. It\u2019s only because of my brother Finn that I\u2019m here! I liked being a witch again. Honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She eyed him as he spoke, knowing that he was telling the truth. \u201cYour mother hijacked an innocent boy\u2019s body to bring you back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell yes, that\u2019s unforgivable, and I\u2019m still waiting for him to take a swing at me, but he gave me a second chance, darling, and I loved every moment of it. Until Finn hexed me. You see, mother brought him back from the dead too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard,\u201d she said with a shrug. \u201cThe Ancestors were pissed off about Finn, mainly because Vincent Griffith is such a powerful witch who\u2019s done inexplicable things with his former wife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI swear, I didn\u2019t know she was insane when I put Rebekah in her as a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella shrugged. \u201cI suppose there hadn\u2019t been any time for anyone to inform you about the Dowager\u2019s House, how your brother made sure it was turned into a witch\u2019 prison after your stunt with the diamond and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, so you do know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she said innocently. \u201cAt first, sure, I kept an eye on you from this side, but after you had gotten yourself daggered, I didn\u2019t have anything to watch, so I started to focus on my own healing. I sometimes eavesdrop on the Ancestors. Or you know, the rest of the dead witches, when I\u2019m bored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd how\u2019s that working out for you?\u201d He smiled at her, finally getting off his ass and back on his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSlightly embarrassed by the resentment I hold towards you,\u201d she sighed and looked in the direction she\u2019d been meaning to take; the way to the cemetery to make sure Kol would leave her alone, but she figured he could use a friend. \u201cHow are they planning on bringing you back?\u201d She turned into an alley as she walked, directing them away from the cemetery and towards her safe place. She had no reason to be on high alert with him. While dead, she was stronger than he was. Powerful, he had barely anything magical left in him. The feeling of having to be vigilant – or hyper-vigilant in her case – eased, and she relaxed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t got the foggiest, but both my sister and my girlfriend vowed to—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGirlfriend?\u201d Bella couldn\u2019t help but let out a snort. \u201cYou? And she\u2019s still alive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was human, darling,\u201d he said frustrated. \u201cEverything\u2019s different when you\u2019re human. No heightened senses for one. No bloodlust\u2026 I loved it. Now, I understand that they can\u2019t put me in another person\u2019s body so that I can stay human.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning another corner, she was slightly surprised that Kol followed her. For all he knew, she could be leading him to the rest of the Ancestors. \u201cThat\u2019d be rude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps, but they\u2019re likely going to use my ashes. That\u2019s all I\u2019m going to say about it. You never know who might be listening in this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shrugging, she kept walking. Kol was close to her, but still at a safe distance, something she preferred, and he had remembered. \u201cI doubt the Ancestors will allow them to resurrect you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smirked, then. It was a good thing that Rebekah hadn\u2019t been asked to become a New Orleans witch in Eve\u2019s body and that Davina had been shunned. \u201cOh, I know, but the Ancestors tend to forget that there\u2019s more magic in the world than the one that\u2019s fuelled by them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella huffed. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t put it passed their arrogance, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou should come back with me. The world is different now, more accepting of others and I\u2019m pretty sure you\u2019ll love the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it? No?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly. No,\u201d she repeated as she took a left. \u201cDead is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ll be able to get a second chance at life!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to be dead!\u201d She was starting to regret that she\u2019d canceled her original plan, and it was too late now to stop. She wasn\u2019t quite dead now, was she? Sure, her physical body had perished and turned into nothing but bones by now, but she was still sentient. Bella was an Ancestor now. Maybe she should allow Kol to bring her back, only for her to kill herself, or get killed, and leaving instructions to be cremated. To be turned to ash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol didn\u2019t take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer anyway. If he had made up his mind about something, chances were that they were going to happen. Such as \u2018breaking her out\u2019 of the asylum her sponsors had put her in. Still, she wouldn\u2019t get her hopes up. She liked Kol\u2019s newfound positivity and ability to have absolute faith in his sister and the shunned regent, but spells like that were difficult. Dangerous. \u201cYour family thinks they can get away with anything, play God, whatever, well, I\u2019m not playing along. You will not bring me back with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to admit, it\u2019s tempting,\u201d he teased her as he looked around. \u201cYou brought me to the Cullen estate?\u201d It was as if he\u2019d stepped back in time. In the living version of New Orleans, the house had been demolished years ago. Why was she holding on to this house? The answer to that question came soon enough once she lead him around back. There were at least a dozen of ghost goats and twice as much as chickens and some pigs. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes the Ancestors keep the spirits of the offers to them,\u201d Bella shrugged as she opened the gate so that Kol could enter. \u201cI thought I\u2019d keep them in one place instead of them walking around in fear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd they have feelings too,\u201d she said as she closed the gate and walked through the yard to get to the back door of the house. \u201cAnd I know what you\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI doubt it,\u201d he said as he hesitantly followed her, eyeing the animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI should let go, allow the Ancestral Plane to get caught up with the way New Orleans is now, let go of this house,\u201d she lovingly ran her hand along the wall as she made her way to the parlor. \u201cAnd perhaps I should, but on the other hand, this is where I spent the last years of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything was as he remembered it. He couldn\u2019t imagine she was happy in this house. \u201cYou like to torture yourself then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shrugging, she allowed herself to fall onto the couch and looked at him. \u201cIt\u2019s not torture. It\u2019s a reminder of how you set me up with Edward after springing me from the asylum. Despite Edward\u2019s \u2026 shortcomings and temper\u2026 he did care for me. And I killed him. It pains me, still, that —\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol blinked at that. Had she truly forgotten the way that she died? How Edward died? He had heard different versions now, and he was worried. Had the witches altered her memory somehow or was it the trauma that had done this to her? \u201cBella, please,\u201d he said as he lifted her legs and sat down on the sofa, placing her feet gently in his lap. He understood where her anger came from now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If she didn\u2019t want to be resurrected for another life, then perhaps he could give her the peace of mind that she needed to move on. To leave this place. She didn\u2019t belong here. While all the other Ancestors were nearly always together or at least running in packs, she hadn\u2019t joined a particular group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at her, he realized that she looked caught or stuck. He could almost see the gears in her head rotate faster and faster to change the subject. And she did. \u201cHey, so if they bring you back with your ashes, does that mean you\u2019re going to be a vampire again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He scowled at that. Yes. Yes, that meant that he was going to be a bloody vampire again. \u201cIt\u2019ll be different this time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big smile appeared on Kol\u2019s face. \u201cBecause of Davina. I truly love her, Bella. I\u2019d do anything for her and make sure she doesn\u2019t get hurt. I\u2019ll behave, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hummed a response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about your blood lust?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He huffed. \u201cIt\u2019s not that hard to get under control, I never really felt like controlling it. It\u2019s far too much fun to maim and kill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ll control it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Davina? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hummed again and shrugged. \u201cIf you get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost as if she heard something that wasn\u2019t there, she sat up and cocked her head. \u201cSpeaking of the devil\u2026 She\u2019s on Bourbon Street. Here. Grab her before they get to her, they\u2019re not too happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s here?\u201d Kol shot up and looked at her. \u201cYou\u2019re not pulling my leg or anything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFind her,\u201d she smiled at him. \u201cI\u2019ll be here when you return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The  Ancestors worked a little bit like some sort of hive mind. She had long learned how to \u2018tune out\u2019, but she thought it would be wise to tune back in. Not that Kol needed a savior, no, he liked getting beaten up, she figured as much, but because should the Ancestors do anything to hurt the shunned witch that came to visit him, Bella could do something about it. Or try to, at least. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had to scrape Kol up from the floor of St. Anne\u2019s and brought him back home where he could recuperate. Thanks to her goats, chickens and pigs, the other witches didn\u2019t like to come to her place, and Kol would be semi-safe. Unless he\u2019d piss her off, then he\u2019d have a problem. Bella pushed him onto the couch and lit a fire before leaving him to find him some alcohol to drink. He looked defeated and worried, and she didn\u2019t particularly liked that look on his face. It always meant that there was going to be trouble. For who? It was likely to be for all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to admit,\u201d Bella said as she handed Kol the bottle of bourbon. \u201cShe\u2019s a crafty little witch, isn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol sighed as he opened the bottle and took a swig. \u201cIt was incredible to see her again, she doesn\u2019t even mind this face, how great is that!\u201d He laughed and shook his head. \u201cNo one can resist this handsome face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can,\u201d Bella countered with a flat tone of voice as she sat down in one of the armchairs. \u201cIt has never been a problem to resist you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you keep saying,\u201d he winked at her. \u201cShe came down here to tell me that she found a spell to bring me back and wanted me to look it over. Davina knew I was lying when I said it was a fake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut hey, that\u2019s great, she found a way to bring you back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sighing again, he took another swig of the alcohol. \u201cIt\u2019s a Strix spell. Now, back in the old days, my brother Elijah set up a secret society of the world\u2019s greatest minds – all vampires, of course – and they\u2019re a bunch of dicks. They have their own coven, and they\u2019re dangerous. The Strix and those witches. I don\u2019t want her to be involved in that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd let me guess\u2026 she won\u2019t back down because she wants to bring you back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly and there\u2019s nothing I can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella shrugged. \u201cJust let it happen and then protect her when you\u2019re out. Help her then. Kill the coven and satisfy your blood lust. It\u2019s not like you to be so afraid, Kol. Man up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol snorted. \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t act as if you have a better offer, Kol. You want to return to your family; she\u2019s providing the chance. It\u2019ll be everything you want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I want you to come back with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot this again,\u201d she rolled her eyes at him and relaxed into the chair. She couldn\u2019t wait for him to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of the next few days – if you could call them days, the Ancestral Plane was always so dark, she heard chatter from the Ancestors that they were slightly freaking out about Davina having been with them to talk to the Mikaelson vampire. They knew that there was no stopping her now that Davina wasn\u2019t connected to them anymore. Bella didn\u2019t tell Kol, of course, she didn\u2019t want him to worry with hear-say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Kol disappeared mid-sentence when she and he were talking again. Part of her was glad, because the conversation had once again landed on her death, but she was worried. It hadn\u2019t been a big spell that had swept him away; it was likely a dark object of some sort. No resurrection spell. If it had been, she would have been able to feel it. Damn, that Davina Claire was one crafty witch. Possibly a bitch, too, like her Ancestor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She decided to spend a little time with the Ancestors, to spy on them. See what they were up to, and walked into the graveyard when Kaleb was spitting out hate towards Kol. It wasn\u2019t a secret that the Ancestors loathed the Mikaelsons. They\u2019d rather see them gone after all the misery and all, and Kaleb\u2019s anger was more personal. Thanks to the Mikaelsons, his life ended prematurely and for nearly a year his body had been taken over by an Original. Kaleb was even more toxic than a Mikaelson, in Bella\u2019s opinion. He was trying to entice the Ancestors to do more work of disrupting the Mikaelsons through the regent. Kill them, if they had to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella scowled. The Ancestors agreed that something needed to be done, that a plan had already been set in motion to make sure that the Mikaelsons suffered, and likely would die. By the time she\u2019d gathered her information and went back to the house, Kol was back, looking tired and fed up. Scared, even. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not good,\u201d he said as he lifted a chair and threw it across the room. \u201cI wish there was a way I could warn my brothers. They\u2019re\u2026 Oh, why does she have to be so clever and so bloody stubborn!\u201d Kol kicked against the table, and Bella took a few steps back towards the door as he continued to rage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She listened to him as he told her about the coven\u2019s plan to sever the sire links of Klaus and Elijah – Rebekah too, but she\u2019d been lost to them – and then kill them. How while he hadn\u2019t said anything, Davina could tell that he was lying when he didn\u2019t know the key ingredient to the spell that she was after. She was under stress by Aya, Queen Bitch of the Strix and she was so desperate to bring Kol back that she was going to go ahead with the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dangerous scheme. Davina could die, and one mispronounced word would be catastrophic. Bella had to laugh at that. Kol was a drama queen. He\u2019d always been one. But he was usually right too, so Bella was even more convinced that she had to find a way back too, somehow. She wasn\u2019t going to tell him that. She didn\u2019t want to worry him and in all honesty, she didn\u2019t want to return. But Bella had a feeling that Kol was going to need her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once he had quieted down, she sat down on the couch with him and told him not to worry. She was sure that everything was going to be alright. She hoped, though, that her newly found clarity would return with her. She didn\u2019t want to return the way that she was when she died, almost unable to walk the streets of New Orleans due to all the stimuli. In the modern days as they were now, it was probably going to be worse and, despite having a goal in mind, she didn\u2019t want her head to explode. Maybe there was a spell that could save her, dull everything so that she could help her friend. She wasn\u2019t going to tell Kol that he needed saving, mostly because Bella wasn\u2019t entirely sure about it, yet, and because it\u2019d only make him feel worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did she want to save him, though? Because friends did that to each other. For each other. Just as this Claire witch wanted to resurrect Kol. She made a promise, and she was keeping it, no matter the costs because that\u2019s what friends did for each other. There was no doubt in Kol\u2019s mind about Davina succeeding with the spell, and to see that Kol had absolute faith in someone\u2026  If Bella had to be honest, Kol had been the only friend she\u2019d ever had. So she was going to do this. She was going to save him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol\u2019s head was on her lap now, and she had her hand on his arm, feeling his breathing steady again, his anger and anxiety dissolving slowly and her determination growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was going to hope and pray that the Ancestors wouldn\u2019t know she was missing until she had undone at least some of the damage they were thinking about inflicting. Bella would seek out the Regent to help her – if he was willing. Perhaps he needed a good dose of reality, and she was going to give it to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until it was time, she was going to think of a fool proof plan and hope that she\u2019d be able to succeed. Because if not, New Orleans was going to be in great danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something was brewing, she could feel it. She could hear it. The Ancestors were restless and chanting; electricity was tugging on their reality, heading straight for Kol, who was still with his head in Bella\u2019s lap. Was she going to be able to do this? She\u2019d never been a strong witch, but surely lifting along on someone else\u2019s spell was going to be easy right? Especially with the Nexus Vorti in play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She could hear Davina\u2019s voice in the distance. Chanting. The blood of two brothers, the ash of their dead. \u201cThe bones of a friend,\u201d Bella muttered as she held on to Kol while she reached out for the same Nexus Vorti Davina was using to cast the spell to raise Kol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next thing she knew, it was dark and cold. Smelly. The smell of decay was invading her nostrils and her throat as she gasped for breath. It took her a moment to realize that she\u2019d returned to her old bones, and she was interred at the cemetery. There were noises outside, right against her resting place, it seemed, but she needed to get out. The smell was just too bad. Too intrusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using her magic, she blasted the cover stone off the grave that had protected her bones for a hundred years. It felt good; she felt energized and yet, she was scared shitless. The world had changed, she already knew that, but she could feel it. The air felt different on her naked skin, somehow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shimmying out of her hole, she landed on her feet, and it was only then that she noticed two half naked people standing in front of her with a shocked expression on their faces. That\u2019s right; it wasn\u2019t every day that someone returned from the dead, was it? \u201cHello,\u201d she replied with a soft voice. Oh, she felt woozy. \u201cPlease take me with you,\u201d Bella managed to say before she passed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who knew that coming back from the dead was that draining on a person? When Bella came to, she was in bed, comfortably warm with the blankets all over her. Part of her didn\u2019t want to wake up and just enjoy the comfort of a real bed, the relative silence, and the light. But she couldn\u2019t, she had a mission to fulfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Bella sat up, she once again met the faces of the people who she had scared shitless at the cemetery when she had risen from the dead. \u201cHello,\u201d she said again. Bella felt glad that she wasn\u2019t scared of people anymore. Or perhaps it was because she needed to find Kol and save him from whatever the Ancestors had done to him. \u201cMy name is Bella. I am terribly sorry for have given you such a fright. It\u2019s not every day someone returns from the dead, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that we\u2019re both former drug addicts and now sober otherwise we\u2019d have believed we were tripping,\u201d the man replied dryly. \u201cThey say New Orleans is a magical place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is,\u201d Bella smiled at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re sorry for uh—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t mean to defile your cemetery, please don\u2019t hurt us,\u201d the woman begged her, causing Bella to let out a snort. \u201cThe mood struck, and we have zero to none impulse control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat were you doing?\u201d Bella cocked her head as she pushed the blankets aside and noticed that she was wearing a man\u2019s shirt to cover her modesty. She was going to need clothes if she was going to venture outside. And she required food. Likely a bath, too. \u201cDo you live here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, no. Liam and I live in New York. We\u2019re on our honeymoon,\u201d the woman smiled at her, letting out a sigh of relief. \u201cSo what kind of magic trick was that then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo trick,\u201d she replied as she got out of bed and walked around the room. There were a lot of things that she didn\u2019t recognize. Perhaps she shouldn\u2019t have done this. No, focus, Bella, she told herself as she found the bathroom. \u201cI died in 1913. I believe it is now 2013, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you sure you didn\u2019t order wonky mushrooms, Tempy?\u201d Liam hissed at his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery. We need to take her to a hospital or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo we have to? Maybe she\u2019s in for a threesome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiam! She\u2019s obviously in a fragile state, maybe now is not the time to rope someone into having a threesome and she looks barely legal anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was eighteen when I died,\u201d Bella replied with an amused smile on her lips as she used her magic to get the water running into the bath and pulled the shirt off her body. She felt fortunate with these two people; she could have been all by herself, and she could have collapsed and then picked up by the police. Only for them to stuff her into an asylum again for public indecency or whatever. \u201cI\u2019ll need to borrow some clothes when I\u2019m clean.\u201d She said as she stepped underneath the water and reached for the soap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wanted to go to the Regent, but chances were that he wouldn\u2019t believe her, and the Ancestors would get really mad. Her best bet would be to go to the witch who brought back Kol and tell her what was going on – hopefully; Kol would still be out for the count so that she could fix things before he\u2019d know that he\u2019d come back wrong. Or something like that. Or maybe it was better to monitor things for now. Stay out of sight, out of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The water was warm, and the soap smelled delicious, what other wonders would this new version of New Orleans bring to her? She hadn\u2019t planned on lingering, though. She was going to fix Kol to the best of her ability and then leave New Orleans to disappear forever. Dead was dead. She wasn\u2019t supposed to be here. She wasn\u2019t going to allow herself to enjoy her new life. Then why was she washing herself to look more presentable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*-*-*-*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She thought it was nice of the couple, Liam and Temperance Tucker, for allowing her to stay in the room for as long as she needed, on their costs. Bella wasn\u2019t sure why they were so kind to her or how they were able to pay for the luxury, but it was nice. She blessed them with virility and fertility in return, although she got a kick out of realizing that both hadn\u2019t been much of a problem for them; the woman was already expecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t that hard to fit in with modern day New Orleans. Or modern day life, for that matter. When she lived with Edward, she had a bath, so that wasn\u2019t different. From what she had gathered, everyone had a portable telephone right now and instead of writing letters, it was either sending each other a short message on the telephone. How impersonal. Cars were everywhere. Even big ones who drove people through the city. There weren\u2019t many cars in the Quarter, but she had seen a lot of them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a lot had changed, either. She did feel slightly different. More at ease, or perhaps that was because she\u2019d been dead for so long and learned to deal with it properly. She wasn\u2019t quite sure about that just yet. It was hard for her not to walk to the Mikaelson home and tell them that something was wrong with Kol. Or to the Regent. Or even that little witch Davina. No, for now, everything was going the way it was supposed to, but it became harder by the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was nice to know that the tea shop near the Norwegian Sea men\u2019s church was still there, albeit now owned by granddaughter Ann. It was a tea shop, but she made them from freshly dried or plucked herbs, and everything was organic. Magical, you could say. While her grandparents had definitely been some sort of practical witches, Ann seemed to be convinced that she was running a tea shop. Harmless, but she did sell all the herbs that Bella needed for her plan to help Kol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things were getting out of hand. One of the Originals had died – she was glad to see it wasn\u2019t Kol, Klaus\u2019 sireling was now this beast who could kill everyone even the Mikaelsons and Kol\u2026 she could feel him slipping. He\u2019d already killed a handful of people and nearly his little witch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She found it curious that Davina looked like her. Not just in the face, but also stature. In fact, if Bella hadn\u2019t known any better she\u2019d say that Davina was a better version of herself; saner. Power hungry, yes, but balanced. There was no doubt that Davina had any trouble with satisfying her man. Kol. And there was no doubt that Davina actually enjoyed the act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella was the complete opposite of that. Even when Kol found Edward for her to be her husband, she couldn\u2019t turn the switch in her head that she was supposed to enjoy being touched, being impaled on Edward\u2019s manhood. When Bella learned that she had fallen pregnant, she lived in a constant state of anxiety and Kol was nowhere to be found to tell her that everything was going to be alright. No, he had dumped her with Edward to find a stronger witch to help him with his plight, one that wouldn\u2019t stand up to him as she had done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Bella understood Kol\u2019s rage against his family, against his brother, but who would want to hurt their family? She couldn\u2019t imagine hurting her family, despite the fact that she had none left by the time Kol shoved her at Edward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But perhaps Kol had a type. Maybe he had felt something for Bella, and she had merely been unable to see that, to return the feeling. Perhaps his feelings had been the reason for him to want her back in the land of the living as well. She didn\u2019t want to be here, but she was here out of friendship, loyalty, towards her friend. And to prevent him from slaughtering everyone he held near and dear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love was a beautiful thing, people always told her that, but she couldn\u2019t see it. All she could see was a burden, an obligation to spend time with someone and she never liked that. She\u2019d rather spend her days alone, doing what she liked to do without having to have to take another person into account. She\u2019d been fortunate that Edward had a huge mansion, she only saw him at night in the bed she was forced to share with him, but during the day she\u2019d been left on her own and she had loved that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She could understand that people had this basic need, this desire, to reproduce. Or at least enjoy the fruits of trying to replicate, but it wasn\u2019t for Bella. Too much fuss, too much worrying about if she was doing things right, too much effort in creating conversation. Had she been different – normal – then maybe she would have seen the appeal, but no. Not for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella followed Davina and a hesitant and nearly anxious Kol to St. James Infirmary. She knew about the neutral zone. She\u2019d given some of her magic for the spell the then-regent had cast to ban harmful magic from the place. It had been a great idea, really, to bring Kol there. The Ancestors wouldn\u2019t be able to control him inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It appeared that they had found out that the Ancestors were messing with him, which was good, that meant that Davina would at least try to cure him, but Bella knew that there was more to it. It wasn\u2019t just the increased blood lust, the fact that Kol was about to lose control. There was more, and she needed to make sure at least that was gone because she knew that he didn\u2019t want to die. Again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was actually the closest she\u2019d been to Kol since the Ancestral Plane. She didn\u2019t want him to know that she was there, and fortunately, he was too busy with Davina and too busy freaking out about his current state, although she loved to see the physical relief on him the moment he stepped into the bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was too preoccupied to notice her, and it was beautiful. He was truly happy with Davina, something she\u2019d never really believed or seen with him. If he liked a person it was usually only until they proved not to be useful anymore. He only liked himself. He only cared for himself and, when necessary; he cared for his family, but he\u2019d rather see them dead. Bella knew better, though; he loved his family despite what they\u2019d put him through. They\u2019d been the constant in his 1000-year-old life and without them, he\u2019d be lonely and alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, for the time being, he and Davina were beautiful together, and he deserved that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t like the band that was playing very much, it was an assault on her senses, but she needed to ignore it. She needed to keep an eye on Kol to make sure he was alright. To find the right time to offer him the cure for everything that ailed him – or at least that\u2019s what she had hoped. She had put a lot of time in this. A lot of effort and calculating. A lot of gathering the things she needed. And now she was done. Complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she was going to save him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella saw the panic in his eyes when the spell was taking hold. The Ancestors were meddling again, the safety of St. James Infirmary was at stake. She was about to move in to cast a spell to soothe him when Marcel Gerard snapped his neck. That was going to complicate things. Now she had to find a knife to cut herself and feed herself to Kol as he was recuperating from a snapped neck. Ugh. She hated to get messy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She made herself scarce as Marcel cleared out the bar, hiding in the kitchen for the sharp knife before returning once it was just Marcel and Kol in the area. \u201cI told everyone to clear out,\u201d Marcel remarked as he looked at her, sharply. \u201cI somehow missed you. Uh, he\u2019s drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, he\u2019s not,\u201d Bella replied as she used her magic to launch Marcel across the space. \u201cI know you\u2019re a vampire, and I know he\u2019s an Original. I\u2019m also glad you don\u2019t remember me, Marcel Gerard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a witch!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, and I\u2019m going to save our friend here, so stay back or I\u2019ll give you a headache you won\u2019t believe,\u201d she said as she turned to Kol and gingerly ran her hand through his hair as she looked at him. He wasn\u2019t going to like the solution to all his problems, but he was just going to have to man up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not my friend,\u201d Marcel used his speed to come back towards Bella, and she stuck true to her word and gave him the world\u2019s worst headache. \u201cAh!\u201d He cried out as he stumbled back, causing Bella to smile. \u201cLook, lady,\u201d he groaned from where he had stumbled back to. \u201cI don\u2019t know you, I don\u2019t particularly like him, but my friend does, you\u2019re not going to do anything that could harm him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRelax,\u201d Bella huffed as she took a deep breath and sliced open her hand, wincing because of the pain that it caused. She let out a breath and sucked one back in as quickly. She had not expected it to hurt that much. \u201cFiddlesticks,\u201d she muttered as she watched the blood accumulate in her hand. Fascinated for a moment, she shook her head to shake herself out of her head and brought her hand to Kol. \u201cWake up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you insane? He\u2019ll kill you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Bella replied absentmindedly as she used her other hand to open Kol\u2019s mouth to pour in the blood. \u201cKinda counting on it seeing as my blood is his cure, I\u2019ve been working on it for quite some time now. Ever since we came back, really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait, what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShh, vampire. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll hear the entire story,\u201d she said as she poured the blood into Kol\u2019s mouth and raised a barrier around them so that he didn\u2019t have anywhere to go. His face changed, his neck snapped back, and his eyes shot wide open. \u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBella, what— No, you need to go away!\u201d Kol said as he looked at her. She was back! She had no idea how happy that made him, but right now all he wanted to do was to kill her. Drain her of all her blood and kill her. Oh, he wanted to kill her so badly, it was hurting him. And she was so close. So. Close. He moved to get away from her, getting up from the chair and using his speed to get away from her but got knocked flat on his ass when he collided with a barrier of some sort. No, this wasn\u2019t good. \u201cBella, let me go. I can\u2019t control myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Ancestors are assholes,\u201d she said calmly as she watched him. \u201cThey cursed and hexed you when Davina pulled you out. I heard them, and I followed you out. To save you. My blood will be your salvation, Kol. I hope it will cure everything they\u2019ve done to you so that you can live a normal life. Help your family. Be with your witch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I\u2019d have to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella pulled out the spell from her back pocket and handed it to him. \u201cI\u2019ve picked up a thing or two from my time with the Ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He snarled as he looked at the spell. It was genius. It was intricate and very, very clever. And it broke his heart. Was she really willing to give up a new life for him? \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I said before, dead is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, no, I don\u2019t believe that. You can\u2019t do this. We\u2019ll find another way,\u201d he said, almost pleadingly. He couldn\u2019t take her life again. The first time was because she was suffering so much, but now that she voluntarily offered herself to him\u2026 no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She walked towards him, knowing that he couldn\u2019t move away from her, holding her bleeding hand up to his face. \u201cThe first time I died because I couldn\u2019t handle the world. I asked you to kill me because I lost the stupid baby, and then I killed Edward and I had an overload,\u201d she smiled at him. \u201cAnd you killed me. I\u2019m forever grateful for that. Now I can do something for you. My death can truly mean something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you deserve to live!\u201d Was she stupid? There was so much to live for, didn\u2019t she know the opportunities that lay ahead? \u201cBella, don\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too late,\u201d she sighed as he averted his face from her. \u201cI turned myself into your cure, if you don\u2019t kill me, it will kill me in a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at the spell again and frustratingly bunched the paper into a ball and pinched the bridge of his nose. She was right. \u201cWhy, darling? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been over this. I\u2019m not going to repeat myself. However, I do have a favor to ask of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If he was able to do something for her – again – then yes. He\u2019d do anything. Nodding he calmed down again. He wasn\u2019t used to people doing things for him, to show kindness. He had seen it in Davina, and of course, Bella before she died, but to have her repeat that kindness? Kol felt the luckiest man in the world, even if it meant losing a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want you to burn my body and take it as far away from New Orleans as possible. I do not want to be consecrated again; you hear me? The Ancestors are assholes, and they need to be taken care of. Promise me. Promise you\u2019ll do both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd be good to Davina and your siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d She was going to die anyway, according to all the herbs she\u2019d used but he wanted to be sure. It was him about to kill his friend. The most loyal friend he\u2019d ever had, apart from Davina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sighed deeply before putting his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. \u201cThank you, Bella,\u201d he really was grateful. She was giving her life for him. \u201cI hope you\u2019ll be oblivious for the rest of your afterlife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe too, so stick to what I told you. Burn me,\u201d she smiled at him. She wasn\u2019t scared. She was welcoming the abyss. Again. \u201cDon\u2019t feel bad about this, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me what to do,\u201d Kol muttered before he sank his teeth into her neck and held her tightly as he drank from her. Right at that moment, Davina rushed back in. Of course she did. She had the worst timing, but he had already felt that the magical barrier had gone up again and Bella\u2019s barrier down. Kol would have preferred to have some more privacy with his old friend, but now it was up to Marcel to explain what his girlfriend was seeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cD, it\u2019s not what you think,\u201d Marcel said as he stopped her from casting a spell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Ancestors, they—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWere controlling him,\u201d Marcel nodded. \u201cBut thanks to his friend Bella, they won\u2019t be able to much longer. All he needs to do is drain her completely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol winced as he drank, greedily. Her blood tasted familiar, as he\u2019d done this before, but he could feel the magic take hold in his body. Oh, she\u2019d been so clever in hiding it inside of her and fly underneath the Ancestor\u2019s radar since their return, and he regretted that hers was yet another life he\u2019d destroyed. He was not going to waste his in honor of her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hadn\u2019t done right by her; he knew that. He had brought her to Edward without fully vetting him, without compelling him to speak the truth or reveal hidden skeletons, without compelling him that Bella didn\u2019t like to be touched. That she was pure and innocent. Mainly because Kol had grown bored with her, as he tended to do most of the time. She had started out as having so much potential, but when she refused to do his bidding, she became an obstacle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had broken her out of the asylum, yes, because she didn\u2019t belong in there. Kol then had given her \u2018a new life\u2019 with Edward and thinking that she was comfortable, he had forgotten about her until that fateful night that she appeared in his playhouse, all bloody and pale as a sheet. She had snapped, and it was all his fault. He didn\u2019t care, at the time, but now he did. The year that he lived as a human witch had opened his mind to what kind of bastard he\u2019d been and that there was a shot at redemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was going to do right by Bella. He was going to honor her memory and do better. Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something was wrong. Her heart had slowed, but it hadn\u2019t stopped – and he was pretty sure he had drained her, he\u2019d even squeezed the hell out of her body and heard some bones crack, but her heart was still beating. He was feeling fine, but, she should have died. Marcel was already rushing over to offer his blood, but after pulling his teeth out of Bella\u2019s neck and shoving the other vampire away, he sank to the floor with Bella in his arms. \u201cNo vampire blood. She wanted to die, and I intend to honor that request, as much as it pains me,\u201d he said as he tucked a strand of Bella\u2019s hair behind her ear as he cradled her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is she?\u201d Davina asked as she squatted down next to her boyfriend holding this strange girl in his arms. Sure, Marcel had told her what the girl was doing for Kol, but who was she? To him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBella and I knew each other a lifetime ago,\u201d Kol said as he pulled her closer to him, he found it odd that she was still warm too. \u201cShe was an Ancestor; she had my back when I was on the Ancestral Plane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally? She was around?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe told me you were there,\u201d he smiled at his girlfriend. \u201cShe liked it how your influence has mellowed me out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davina turned to Marcel and raised an eyebrow. \u201cDid I really make that much of a difference?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcel snorted and shook his head as he poured himself a bourbon. \u201cI think the fact that he was human again for a while had something to do with it too. But if she\u2019s an Ancestor, we should be worried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Kol countered angrily. \u201cShe\u2019s the one who alerted me to their behavior when we were there. She\u2019s one of the good guys.\u201d He let out a frustrated sigh. \u201cWhy isn\u2019t she dying?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019ve lost your touch,\u201d Marcel quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up, Marcel,\u201d Davina scolded him as she shifted a little and cast a minor spell to see if she could sense anything. \u201cUhm,\u201d she cocked her head as she redid the spell. \u201cShe\u2019s not dead. In fact, it seems like she\u2019s slowly getting back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol blinked as he looked at the unconscious form of his friend in his arms. \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davina shrugged. \u201cMy best guess is that when she came back with you, she used my spell as a stepping stone. She might be connected to your life force; I\u2019d have to do a stronger spell when she wakes up, which is probably soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have an immortal witch on our hands?\u201d Marcel said pained. \u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot to worry, Marcel, she\u2019s as cute as a button and won\u2019t hurt a fly,\u201d Kol smirked. Success. Well, not because she wanted to, but she was going to live again, and she was simply going to have to enjoy it. It made him happy that he was going to be able to see her flourish in a new age where it was alright to be a little peculiar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had seemed to be quite together when she told him to kill her for him to be cured, but she could be like that when she was focussed. It was curious to see how she\u2019d live in this new world with her new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAm I dead?\u201d Bella muttered as her eyes fluttered open and looked at Kol. \u201cYou need to drink all of me for it to work, Kol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did,\u201d Kol smirked at her as he helped her sit up, still holding on to her as her head rolled around. \u201cYou just don\u2019t want to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her jaw dropped in surprise. \u201cI do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTough. According to Davina, it\u2019s entirely possible that you\u2019re linked to me now, and I\u2019m an Original, sorry darling; you\u2019re just going to have to keep on living.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella scowled. \u201cI want a second opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kol got to his feet and pulled Bella to hers. She was still a little wobbly, but she seemed to be recovering at a fast rate. This was going to be amazing; he had his best friend back, and she was an everlasting blood bag! \u201cAfter we save my brother from a lunatic, yeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid I save you, though?\u201d she held on to him. \u201cAt least tell me that I managed to cure you. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s find out,\u201d Kol smirked as he put his other arm around his girlfriend and headed to the exit. It felt good to be between the two girls he liked the most. One was his girlfriend, and the other was his friend who he had a lot to make up to. \u201cMarcel, are you coming?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 01 Bella always liked watching the newcomers arrive at the cemetery. She usually sat perched on one of the tombs as the newly consecrated witch appeared on the Ancestral Plane, usually with a confused look on their face and unsure what to do next. Bella wasn\u2019t a people person,…<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":501,"parent":502,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-520","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nChapter 01 - MeekoBuggy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chapter 01 - MeekoBuggy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chapter 01 Bella always liked watching the newcomers arrive at the cemetery. She usually sat perched on one of the tombs as the newly consecrated witch appeared on the Ancestral Plane, usually with a confused look on their face and unsure what to do next. Bella wasn\u2019t a people person,... Continue reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MeekoBuggy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-17T00:42:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"54 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520\",\"name\":\"Chapter 01 - MeekoBuggy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-17T00:41:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-17T00:42:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1\",\"width\":1150,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Buggy\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=14\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Intermission\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=502\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Chapter 01\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/\",\"name\":\"Meekobuggy's stories\",\"description\":\"fanfiction, blogs, and random thoughts\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chapter 01 - MeekoBuggy","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chapter 01 - MeekoBuggy","og_description":"Chapter 01 Bella always liked watching the newcomers arrive at the cemetery. She usually sat perched on one of the tombs as the newly consecrated witch appeared on the Ancestral Plane, usually with a confused look on their face and unsure what to do next. Bella wasn\u2019t a people person,... Continue reading","og_url":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520","og_site_name":"MeekoBuggy","article_modified_time":"2024-08-17T00:42:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1150,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"54 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520","url":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520","name":"Chapter 01 - MeekoBuggy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1","datePublished":"2024-08-17T00:41:18+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-17T00:42:39+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/meekobuggy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/intermission.png?fit=1150%2C400&ssl=1","width":1150,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=520#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Buggy","item":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=14"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Intermission","item":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=502"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Chapter 01"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/","name":"Meekobuggy's stories","description":"fanfiction, blogs, and random thoughts","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":531,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/520\/revisions\/531"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}