Chapter 27

Bella was happy with how Kol’s demeanor had changed over the course of only a month. Sure, he still had his bad days of not wanting to do anything, and Isaac usually gave him a few hours before scraping him away from the bar, because if there was one thing that Kol could do like no other was to drink and, on a very bad day, he drank all the liquor the bar held.

Isaac made things fun for Kol, and even took him on days out with Jeremy. Or the three of them would play video games together. In turn, Bella spent more time with Caroline and Myriam, and Rebekah once came over too, only for a swift visit because she had a run in with Matt and those two had a complicated history. Of course, that sparked Matt to come by for a sheriff’s visit while Isaac and Kol had been out to get supplies.

It was a beautiful sunny day and Bella was sitting outside on the porch drinking a nice glass of cold lemonade when a cab stopped in front of the entrance and two people nearly jumped out of it and made a run for the entrance of the Bed and Breakfast. “Excuse me,” Bella called out to them. “We’re fully booked! Did you make a reservation?”

“Ah, no… we’re looking for Bella Swan?” the very attractive dark haired man asked. His blue eyes were amazing and his face had this gorgeous bone structure. He could very well be a GQ model for all Bella knew.

Bella got to her feet and nodded as she took her glass of lemonade. “Follow me,” she smiled as she lead the man and woman to her office. Peter had gotten into the habit of having his contacts referring people who needed help to Bella. Sometimes Isaac, just to make sure that they wouldn’t get caught by the hunters.

Still, it was a risk that Bella reluctantly took, because these people could very well be hunters and always had their protectees walk through a barrier of protective spells of the witches to see if her new guests were genuine. If they weren’t, one of the barriers would hold them.

She was once again relieved that she didn’t have to fight or call for the resident vampires to help out. Bella showed them to a little seating area in her office and sat down in her chair as she observed them for a moment. “I’m Bella Swan and I can get you the help you need. Are you in need of medical assistance?”

“No, thank you,” the woman spoke. She had brown hair cut in a very high bob and it kinda looked ridiculous. “It’s strange to see this place, when this was still the Mystic Grill we often went there for something to eat.”

“Oh, so you’re from Mystic Falls then?”

“We used to be. We still have friends here but we moved away after my brother died and started a new life,” the man explained. “My name is Damon Salvatore, this is my wife Elena.”

Bella was surprised then. “Elena as in Jeremy’s sister and Salvatore as in the school? Does Jeremy know you’re in trouble?”

“He was the one who told us to come here, actually,” Elena replied. “We’ve been running from hunters for a few weeks now. We’ve tried reasoning with them, especially since we’re humans now but they won’t listen. We just need a place to stay until they stop following us.”

Bella had heard the tale of the vampire cure and on who was involved, she had never expected to ever meet these two as Jeremy had made it clear that they had no intention of returning. “Well, sorry to tell you but unless all hunters are dead, you won’t be safe on your own. They will keep coming for you so yeah, Jeremy sending you here was a good call on his part.”

“But why? We’re no longer vampires and-” Elena said panicked. “I kinda loved our new life!”

Bella smiled then. “Well, it started in Beacon Hills but it spread out to the entire world when a bunch of seers and banshees catalogued every supernatural being in about 2013, 2014. And every city with supernatural beings in it thought it was just limited to them, but it wasn’t. With the rise of the hunters taking revenge on the supernatural and didn’t discriminate while doing so, all the pages were collected and now they have this huge repository of names to hunt down.”

“That doesn’t make sense. I took the cure in 2013 and was in a medically induced coma by some lunatic for years,” Elena scowled. “How am I on that list?”

Damon gently caressed Elena’s arm. “Because you were a vampire in 2013, babe,” he smiled at her. “I don’t like this knowledge any more than you do, but it makes sense. Their information is outdated. So, now what? Are you going to teach us how to shoot guns and whatnot?”

Bella let out a chuckle and shook her head. “Your case is pretty special, really, because we’re helping other supernaturals but you’re human. Will you be comfortable living with other supernaturals and build a community somewhere?”

“We went away from Mystic Falls to avoid all the supernatural. We still have our friends here, but…”

“It’ll be in the next state,” Bella smiled at them. “Or, I know that someone’s working on creating a human sanctuary here in Mystic Falls. A gated community, protected with witches spells. The mayor has signed off on the project, supporting it. Especially since myself and Isaac will keep an eye on the proceedings. You won’t be safe elsewhere as long as you’re being hunted.”

“This is not what I imagined…” Elena said as she looked at Damon with tears in her eyes. “They’re making us move back!”

“I know of another group of people who helps the supernatural only, but that’s in a town in California where I just know you won’t be safe,” Bella said kindly. “And I’m not making you do anything. You came to us for help, I’m merely giving you the options that I have for you. But you know what? You don’t have to decide now. I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying and you two can talk things out. And if you’d like, I can send Jer or one of your friends over to help you decide?”

Bella decided to give the two a suite downstairs meant for families instead of having to sleep in the dormitory and showed them the shared kitchen downstairs too. She then left them alone and sighed as she sat back down on the porch with her lemonade before shooting Jeremy a message that his sister and her husband had arrived safely and that a head’s up would be nice next time. Jeremy responded that she’d better warn Kol and tell him to stay away from the now fragile former vampires.

Sighing, Bella got to her feet again and made her way to the kitchen where Isaac and Kol were making some people in the restaurant. “Hey, Kol, got a moment?”

“Of course, darling,” Kol smiled widely.

“Jeremy told me to inform you about two guests that have arrived for our protection,” she said hesitantly. “Since their… transformation is something of recent years, their former supernatural status ended up on the list that the hunters are working with.”

Kol blinked then and Bella could almost see the cogs working in his head. “I don’t have a clue who you’re talking about.”

“Damon and Elena Salvatore.”

“Excellent!” Kol grinned as he rubbed his hands together in glee. “With him now being human, it means he’s food now!”

“No, they came to us for help, and we’re going to do just that. Whatever you have against Damon, you need to put it to rest.”

“Oh, like I did with young Gilbert? Who, by the way, killed me?”

“Yes,” Bella said easily as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re an ancient vampire, stop holding onto grudges. What did that guy do to you anyway?”

“I’ve encountered him and his brother numerous times over the last two centuries and they always can’t leave well enough alone,” Kol sneered. “Always sticking his nose in things that are none of his business, same with his brother. Look where it got them both. One dead, who left Caroline a widow and one a stupid human. Because of the cure.” He then sighed as he tried to find another reason. “I don’t know, darling, maybe because I’m petty?”

“Grudge. You don’t know what he’s been up to since he’s became a human again. He’s under our protection, so no beating him up or snacking on him.”

“And what if he beats me?”

“You laugh and walk away. Then hit something in the garden or something, but not him.”

“But… it’s going to be so easy now!”

Bella smiled then as she ruffled his hair. “Exactly, where’s the challenge in that?”

Kol turned to Isaac and sighed. “You do know that your missus is a big party pooper, right?”

Isaac shrugged. “I’m with Bella on this. Whatever your history with Damon and Elena may be, they’re now breakable and they’re in need of help from the hunters. We wouldn’t be any better if we’d allow you to kill him or something.”

Kol narrowed his eyes on Isaac before doing the same on Bella. “Fine. I’ll try to be civil when I go downstairs for a blood bag.”

Isaac had a thought then. “You know… another reason for not biting either of them… Their blood is the cure to vampirism, right? You’d turn into a human yourself!”

“Which might also be the reason why the hunters want them. To spread the cure around and make sure that the vampires die out,” Bella nodded. Why hadn’t she thought about this?

“You’re right! We need to move the blood bags somewhere else! And they need to stay away from the food! And me!”

“Relax,” Bella laughed. “Everything will be fine.”

“Not if Damon finds out I’m here! He’ll poison the blood, I swear to you! Human or not, he still hates me! I’m going to move the blood bags now.” Kol then sped out of the kitchen and headed straight downstairs to get his and Myriam’s bags and put them in one of the empty fridges in the kitchen.

“No. Absolutely not, get those bags out of my kitchen!” Isaac said angrily.

“No! At least they’ll be safe here until those annoying gits get out of here!”

Isaac sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, but you’re going to put a lock on it. Go get the hardware and install that lock, and keep the fridge clean.” This wasn’t just anxiety or unprovoked paranoia, in this case, the two Salvatores could very well be the end of Kol’s, and Myriam’s, vampirism. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to keep those two inside the B&B. “We need to inform Myriam about those two and perhaps talk to Peter about this because I doubt it’d be a good thing for them to go to the farm.”

“You know,” Kol said as he was making the lock on the fridge. “We could simply kill them. It would take a lot of anxiety away from vampires who love their life. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a witch and would gladly be one again, but who’s to say that this cure won’t cure me from that, either? Killing them is easier.”

“We don’t kill people!” Bella exclaimed. “But I see your point. Those two needs to be kept far away from vampires… and hunters. Maybe we should send them to Derek because he doesn’t have vampires around to worry about because even if Damon and Bella should settle here in Mystic Falls as part of Myriam’s project with Rebekah and Freya… I don’t see that end well.”

Kol sighed. “Another solution that’s… humane, is to put them under a sleeping spell. Permanently. Put them in coffins, hide them for eternity. On the farm where no one can find them.”

“Is that even possible?” Isaac asked surprised by the fact that Kol thought of something non-violent.

The vampire nodded then as he finished the lock and cleaned up the mess he made. “My sister Freya is strong enough to do such a spell,” he then turned to see the surprised looks on the faces of his friends. “What? It’s the best solution, isn’t it? I’m not allowed to kill them, but they are a danger to my kind. But you should have remembered their condition, Bella Swan, and turned them away.”

“If we’d turn people away who need our help based on their condition or difficulties, nobody would be getting saving and that’s including yourself,” she countered as she stole a piece of bell pepper from Isaac’s chopping board. “We need to discuss this with Jeremy, Caroline and Alaric. Maybe even Myriam, too.”

“Speaking of Myriam…” Kol smirked as he looked at Isaac. “Can I please be excused for perhaps five minutes? I want to show her our new guests in the basement.”

“Oh, this is not going to end well, is it?” Isaac shook his head laughing. “Go.”

Kol found Myriam in the laundry room and he knocked on the doorpost with a big smile on his face. “Do you have a minute, darling?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Come,” Kol looped his arm through hers and pulled her towards the downstairs stairs. “I moved our blood, by the way,” he said as he held up a key. “It’s in the kitchen.”

“Idiot. It was fine here.”

“No, it was not,” Kol shook his head. “Too close to our new guests.”

“What, they have aids or something? That won’t hurt us nor does it automatically travel through air into our blood bags, you know.”

“Oh no, darling, don’t you worry about that…” he smiled with a big grin on his face before knocking on the door of one of the suites. Kol smirked when the door opened and revealed Damon. “Hello darling.”

“Oh hell no!” Damon exclaimed, which caused Elena to join him at the door. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Cochon!” Myriam blurted angrily at Kol. “Êtes-vous stupides! Comment osez-vous m’amener près de ces deux-là! Ils transportent le remède! Vampire Aids!” She let go of Kol and hit him over the head before narrowing her eyes on Damon and Elena. “You stay away from me!” She then rushed upstairs to find Bella, who was with Isaac still in the kitchen. “Incroyable! Vous avez deux vampires qui travaillent pour vous et vous décidez de prendre ces deux-là? Êtes-vous rendu fou?!”

Bella blinked at her friend. Whatever language the vampire was speaking, it sounded like word vomit to her. “Myriam, English!”

Allez vous faire foutre! Je peux parler français comme bon me semble!”

Calme toi, Myriam,” Isaac spoke calmly and in fluent French but a slight American accent. “Nous essayons déjà de trouver des moyens pour les garder en sécurité et vous deux hors de danger. Imaginez seulement que les chasseurs leur mettent la main dessus ? Ils attaqueraient probablement toute la population de vampires.”

Très bien, mais d’ici là je vais rester chez Caroline.”

“What was that all about?” Bella asked him, as she was still trying to process her friend’s behaviour.

“Uh, she thinks it’s a very bad idea that Damon and Elena are in the same building as she is, and I told her that we’re already talking about ways to make sure that she and Kol wouldn’t get hurt,” Isaac replied as he ran a hand through his hair. “She is very pissed, though.”

“Alright, call Jeremy so we can talk to him about that solution Kol came up with, and then, if he agrees, we’ll have to call Freya. I’d rather do this sooner than later because anxious vampires are shitty.”

“Well, they have a right to be anxious, don’t they? One drop of Damon or Elena’s blood and they turn human.”

“Yeah,” Bella nodded as she let out a breath.

Isaac pulled Bella into his arms and hugged her tightly as he kissed the top of her head. “We’ll never refuse anyone who needs our help, you did great. It just sucks that we now are housing the two people hunters would love to get their blood from and vampires want to stay clear off. Kol will remain anxious around them until we fix this.”

“His solution is the best.”

“Yes, and now all we need to do is convince Jeremy,” he sighed as he didn’t let go of Bella but used his free arm to call Jeremy. “Hey, could you come over?”

Has my sister arrived yet?”

“Yes, and that’s what we need to talk about first before you can go and see them. Come over. Now.”

It was quiet for a moment before Isaac heard Jeremy sigh. “On my way.”

Isaac put his phone away and kissed Bella’s lips. “You’d better find Kol and hope he hasn’t done anything stupid while I continue with this. Send him my way if you find him?”

“Yep,” Bella nodded as she briefly returned Isaac’s kiss before leaving the kitchen.

Kol came back to help him in the kitchen and used his speed to make up for lost time and for more time so that they could talk to Jeremy in peace without having to worry about the food prepping.

“So… Myriam’s unhappy,” Jeremy said as he sat down at the table with Bella, Isaac and Kol. “What about you, Kol?”

“I’m not allowed to kill them,” he pouted.

“Jer, we understand that Damon and Elena need our help,” Bella said carefully. “And that she’s your sister. However, she and Damon are very dangerous to the vampire community so we can’t really send them off to Peter and Jasper. We can’t have them here and wait for Myriam’s project to get off the ground in Mystic Falls, either, because of the obvious reasons.”

“Damon and Kol never liked each other, always bickering and fighting,” Jeremy said with a nod. “And I understand they won’t be able to live peacefully here in Mystic Falls either, seeing as their blood may be valuable to the hunters and they could draw them back here.”

“Or taint the food supply,” Kol muttered.

“We could send them to Beacon Hills, but, then my brother likely has to deal with an increase of hunter activity and things could get messy and Damon and Elena could be taken or killed,” Bella added. “She’s your family, Jeremy, so we are thinking of ways to help her and Damon but… there’s no other way than what Kol suggested.”

“Oh, this oughta be good,” Jeremy said as he looked at his friend. “Please, do tell.”

“I’m not allowed to kill them, we can’t put them anywhere safe while they’re alive… but my sister Freya is a powerful witch and she could put Elena and Damon under a sleeping spell and we’d…”

“Put them in coffins and bring them somewhere safe?” Jeremy blinked. “Are you insane? That’s what your family did to you!”

“No, I was daggered. I dessicated and was daggered so I couldn’t move, but I was aware all the bloody time. Every bump in the road. Every drop of water dripping on my coffin. Every shake wiggled the dagger just a bit, causing me even more agony,” Kol was clearly still hurt by the actions of his family. “No, what I’m proposing for your insufferable sister and her even more insufferable husband is to put them under completely. Humanely. Preferably without their knowledge because they’ll refuse. And then put them in a box or whatever and bring them to the farm to be protected. That way, your sister is still here, and safe, but out of harm’s way for herself, and for the vampires.”

Jeremy was quiet for a moment as he tried to process the information before letting out a deep breath. “Okay. Elena and I haven’t been close lately anyway, she doesn’t like it that I’m still busying myself with the supernatural community, but like you said, she’s my sister and I don’t want her dead. So… yeah. Go ahead and do that. How many days will I be able to spend with her until Freya comes?”

“Freya and I will have to work on the spell together, to make sure she doesn’t miss anything. Would be inconvenient if they’d age or decomposed while under, wouldn’t it? A couple of days, maybe. But they need to stay away from everything food or drink related here in this building because otherwise I will kill at least one of them.”

“Are you sure about this, Jer?” Bella asked worried. “Because if not, we could always try to find-”

“Their blood can cure vampires. The hunters would want their hands on their blood and wipe out the entire population. As it so happens, some of my best friends are vampires. No, this plan is good, then at least I know she’s safe,” Jeremy then let out a snort. “It’s not like she usually gave me a choice when it came to my safety.”

“Great, I’ll shoot Freya a message while we walk back to the kitchen to cook our butts off,” Kol grinned as he got to his feet and took his phone. “Isaac, are you coming?”

One Comment:

  1. Oh my I stopped watching VD cuz Elena (and Bonnie)had me wanting to throw things at my tv so I had no clue her and Damon turned human or that they ended up together. I find it beyond bizarre Damon would be human again. I find putting them away to be safe good idea because you know hunters would just use them before killing them.

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