Chapter 30

A YEAR LATER

It had taken Derek a couple of months to get Jeri under control, but eventually he managed to work with her shortcomings and she was actually doing a lot of good now with Derek and his pack. He had accepted everyone from Scott’s pack into his own and even according to Argent, Derek was doing great with them, and their mission.

Unfortunately, Peter Hale had died after he sacrificed himself for Derek and Malia, Peter’s daughter and the group of people he was saving. Bella thought that was surprisingly courageous of him, in the end, Peter Hale did have a heart. Luckily for Derek, he no longer had to worry about his deranged uncle and his relationship with Bella.

Bella received every credentials of her management courses so now she was legally allowed to run a Bed and Breakfast by herself, just in case the human authorities would come for a check. She wanted to have everything above board and not have the vampires compel everyone who said a bad word about their establishment.

The Mystic Night Owl was doing great. The only quiet days were during the winter, but they were always completely booked otherwise. Peter suggested buying the motel, knock it down and build a dependance of the Owl there, even though it would require more staff that Bella and Isaac had to vet and train. It was something Bella and Isaac still had to discuss, but both not really wanting to expand their success, as more and more supernaturals came to them for their aid.

The school was properly cloaked and hidden from humans. If there would be a supernatural child with human parents, the parents could access the school through the tunnels, one having been extended out of Mystic Falls in a different direction for safety. Myriam spent more time at the school again and even Isaac went over more often to play with the kids and teach them Lacrosse – mainly because Jeremy really sucked at it.

Bella was so happy that Isaac had finally become the confident and happy cook she had imagined him to be. The food was extraordinary now. It had been good, perfect before, but it was now rustic, authentic and extraordinary. Even their regular diners agreed with that fact. Bella couldn’t take the credit for that. It had been Kol’s presence in the kitchen, mostly, and Isaac’s friendship with Kol and Jeremy that had helped him alot.

Isaac was happy. Bella was happy. And even Kol was doing so much better. He enjoyed the single life very much, liking the fact that he didn’t have to share his time and space with someone and could do whatever he wanted to – within reason, because sometimes he did step out of bounds and he got scolded at by Bella, whom he sometimes called ‘mum’ just to tease her.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Charlotte and Peter were still running the farm in Mason Neck. They had bought more land to expand their territory and Emmett and Rosalie were ready for their own little project in the middle of the country. Between Derek in California and Bella in Virginia, Oklahoma was a great place to have another pocket of safety for those who were hunted by the hunters. Freya had been so kind to gift all five Cold Ones a permanent glamour for Christmas, one that made sure they’d never sparkle again, and they had been very thankful to her. In return, the Cold Ones gifted the Mikaelsons some of their special booze, and even sent some bottles to Derek in California.

Matt had basically ghosted the hunters, telling them that he was tired of being hurt all the time or being used as a pawn – thanks to Myriam’s influence – but that he would keep an eye out if anything supernatural was going to come his way to Mystic Falls. He still wanted the town to be free of as much of the supernatural as possible. To him; Bella and Isaac were still human and their business was just that and nothing more. Kol was invisible to him because Kol didn’t like it that Matt came over more often and he had to compel Matt to a) forget that he was yet again kidnapped to make sure he wasn’t on vervain and b) never saw Kol in a room.

Myriam’s project with Freya and Rebekah had been a big hit with the mayor of Mystic Falls, and she gladly parted with a part of the city so that a gated community could be built for the survivors of supernatural abuse. Even the sheriff was impressed and gladly helped out with the project. It had taken some months to make the plan work and get all the details right, but the community was now a work in process and the estimated completion date would be a few months from now.

But first, Bella and Isaac were in need of a well deserved vacation. Emmett and Rosalie were going to look after the inn while Alaric took over the cooking for a week and they went home with Myriam to New Orleans. Kol decided to go to the French Riviera, not fancying spending time in New Orleans.

For the first few days, they slept in the hotel that Rebekah and Myriam had put them in the first time they were in New Orleans, this time using all of the things the hotel had; room service. Room massages. The pool. The jacuzzi. And mostly the bed. The Mikaelsons always spoiled them whenever they came to town.

The rest of the days Bella and Isaac stayed at the compound, enjoying the company of the rest of the Mikaelsons and they usually spent their days sitting outside a restaurant and people watching. Maybe they could find Kol a girlfriend? By the time they had to go home, they hadn’t settled for anyone but had spoken to a few candidates, but none were worthy of Kol. Not even one of the local witches. Selene had started out to be promising, but she was a big fan of Marcel and Vincent and they both hated Kol, so she did too. Myriam took a bite out of her.

The week in New Orleans had been too short, but it was nice to relax and not to think about their lives for a while because they had left their businesses in good hands. Isaac did, however, found a New Orleanian cook or two that he liked and Myriam compelled that guy to quit his job and move to Mystic Falls to apply for a job at the Mystic Night Owl. And Bella couldn’t be happier; it meant that she would get to spend more time with her boyfriend during the day!

Bella and Isaac were watching Netflix on the couch with a nice glass of Peter and Jasper’s moonshine when Bella’s phone rang. She snatched it from the table and put it on speaker. “Hello brother,” she smiled.

“Hey.”

“Need more of the booze?”

“You keep that shit away from me!” Derek blurted, causing both Bella and Isaac to sit up and look at the phone with a dumbfounded look on their faces. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Look, I can work with that bitch of a witch you sent to me to take care of. I can work with her shortcomings and she’s actually done a lot of good, but…” Derek sighed, frustration evident in that one sigh. “In combination with the alcohol… that great tasting crap, it’s disastrous.”

“Derek, get to the point, you’re scaring us here.”

“I got the bitch pregnant!” He exclaimed dramatically. “I don’t even like her! But what does a drunk wolf do?”

“I’m going to be an aunt!” Bella exclaimed happily. “That is so great!”

“Bella!”

“Well, okay, it sucks that it has to be with her, especially knowing what I know, but Derek, you’re going to be a dad! And you’re going to be amazing! Who cares if you don’t love that bitch? You’re the only one left of us who can continue the Hale line. You’re going to be amazing, I just know it.”

“You’re being too blasé about this. I don’t like it.”

“Wait, what? Why can’t you continue the Hale line, Bella?” Isaac said confused. “You’re a Hale yourself!”

“Yes, but babies get their daddy’s last name,” she winked at Isaac.

“Not in the modern day they don’t.”

“Well then it’s going to be Swan, because that’s what it says on my passport!”

“Guys!”

“We haven’t forgotten you Derek, but congratulations! I need to make a phone call. If you need anything, just call!” Bella quickly disconnected her phone, all excited, before calling Myriam. “Myr!”

“Yes?”

“I have some great news for you! I mean… GREAT news.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“My brother got drunk and guess what the bitch did? She seduced him and got pregnant!”

“That means I can get to kill her once she poops out the little baby Hale!” Myriam squealed in excitement. “This is great news!” Myriam was then quiet for a moment and sighed deeply. “Aw man, I wanted to keep that line completely human so I could use them as my toys… now the baby has a 50% chance to be a fucking puppy!”

Isaac just blinked at what Myriam had just said. Was she going to kill Jeri? Why?

“Two puppies here who are taking offense to that!”

“Sorry! But you know what I mean, right?”

“Yeah…” Bella sighed as Isaac now looked at her weirdly. “Hey, Isaac is giving me weird looks and he might scold me for being so enthusiastic about killing someone… can I fill him later?”

Myriam was quiet for a moment and Bella could hear the vampire hitting her own forehead. “Only the bare minimum to get the job done.”

“Gotcha.”

Myriam then squealed in joy again. “This was indeed great news, thank you so much, Bella!”

“You’re very welcome, enjoy the rest of your evening!” Bella hung up and snuggled back into Isaac’s arms before she filled Isaac in on the relationship between Jeri and Myriam. How Myriam thought it would be fun to keep the ‘proper’ line going from the man who impregnated Myriam’s mother and kill the parent when the child turned 15, as Myriam lost her mother at that age.

“That’s fucked up,” Isaac replied. “So Kol wasn’t allowed to continue his casual sex with Jeri because of Myriam?”

“No, because Jeri is a manipulative bitch and she didn’t want Kol to get hurt.”

“It’s still fucked up.”

Bella shrugged as she relaxed into his arms. “It’s our life now. We have vampire friends and vampires are a bit… strange. And Jeri won’t fall under our rules to protect, either. She’s a witch. Supernatural on supernatural violence is not our thing. Besides, it’ll make our Myriam really happy.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Are you happy?”

“Very,” she smiled at him. “I’m so very happy. With you. With our lives and even our friends.”

“Good, because everyone deserves a happy ending.”

“I think we found ours.”

“Yeah, so do I,” he smiled goofily at her. “I love you, Bella Hale.”

“I love you too, Isaac Lahey.”