Chapter Thirty Nine

Trust

When I woke up the next morning with a hangover and Damon's arm around me, I forgot the current drama building up in my life. I forgot about my ancestors and the prophecy and everything else. When I woke up that morning, I felt human. And I didn't expect to enjoy that feeling as much as I did.

The truth was, I really didn't mind how complex my life had become, and I really didn't. In fact, I may have enjoyed it a bit too much. But there were moments when I wished I could go back to when I was human. It sounded weird, mostly because I hated being human with a burning passion, and near the end of my human life, things were almost as complicated as they are now, just not on such a large scale. But that morning, I missed it. I missed my friends, I missed Damon. I hated that most of my time was spent with the originals, and that I didn't get to spend any real moments with Damon anymore. It sucked.

I would allow myself about five minutes every now and then to bitch about just how much it sucked, and then I'd suck it up and move on with my life. But that morning, I gave myself those five minutes.

"Damon?" I asked, raising my head off of his shoulder and brushing my hair out of my face.

He didn't even bother to open his eyes. "What?" he mumbled, sounding annoyed that I was interrupting his beauty sleep.

"Don't you ever just wish that life was as simple as it used to be? You know, when I was human? Don't you ever miss that?" I asked, propping my elbows on my pillow and resting my chin on my hands.

"You mean when we were being hunted down one by one by the psycho tomb vamps and you and I hated each other one week and were madly in love the next?" he clarified, finally looking at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, that."

"No, not really. You?"

"Yeah, I do. Sometimes I do," I admitted.

"Well, that's kind of sad," Damon muttered, rolling over onto his side. I frowned and hit him.

"Oh, sorry. I meant that's really sad."

"Ass," I muttered, sitting up and moving to get out of our bed. Damon sighed and grabbed my arm to prevent me from leaving. He pulled me towards him and pinned me beneath him on the mattress.

"Look, Hailey. Life isn't so bad right now. Yeah, it sucks I have to share you with the original fairies or whatever the hell they call themselves, but it's not so bad, I guess. At least not yet. I think you like yourself better now than you did when you were human. And I feel better that you're virtually indestructible," Damon said, his fingers entwining themselves in my hair.

"What about you?" I asked softly. "Do you like me better now?"

"I think you've become even a bigger pain in the ass." He smirked at me, and I raised my hand to hit him again. He easily caught my wrist, and grabbed my hand. Our fingers entwined almost automatically. "I still love you either way, Hails. Human or Vampire. You'll always be the same pain in the ass fairy to me."

"Good answer." I kissed him approvingly, and used his distraction to flip us over. I ran my hands through his hair, and Damon wrapped an arm around my waist.

"How about I make you a deal?" Damon mumbled against my neck, and his lips felt like fire against my bare skin.

"Ooh, I like deals," I purred, smirking. I pulled his face gently upward so that his lips could meet mine again.

"When all of this is over, I'm going to take you to a very small island no one's ever heard of, and we'll stay there for fifty years and never be bothered by anyone, meaning your family. Sounds good?"

I grinned against his lips. "Sounds great."

Damon flipped us over again, and brought my leg up to his hip. Just as he was about tear away what little fabric I had on, my phone rang.

We both groaned at the same time. "Do we have to wait before running off to this island?" I muttered, reaching towards my phone, which was residing on the nightstand.

"What?" I said, accepting the call.

"Bad time?"

I frowned a little. "Of course not, Bella. What do you need?"

"I think we need to meet, Hailey. Catch up on things. Let's meet at my siblings' house at, say, around noon or so. Will that work for you?

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Great, see you then."

Bella definitely knew something was up.

~EL~

Halia had never been hung over in her life.

And if the pounding in her head and the sick feeling in her stomach was anything to go by, she wasn't missing much.

Her brown eyes opened slightly, only to meet the bright, burning light. She hissed and hastily shielded her eyes by burying her face in a nearby pillow. Something seemed off to Halia. The bed seemed too familiar. The scent that she inhaled was one she would most likely never forget; Acrylic and whiskey.

Her eyes snapped open, and Halia sat up so fast it unsettled her already queasy stomach even more. Her eyes went instantly to the figure sitting in the chair diagonally across from her. Klaus.

Halia groaned and fell backwards against the bed. He saw her last night. She couldn't remember much of it. Only that she needed to see him. Halia could only imagine what she blurted out to him. Just the possibilities made her want to die.

"You finally awake?"

His voice was cold, hard, stiff. No warmness. No hint of amusement. No term of endearment stuck on at the end. Despite Halia's claims of Klaus being different, this was her first real experience with the different Klaus, with the monster, with the man everyone was terrified of.

Halia nodded slowly, big eyes widening even more than usual. She slowly got out of his bed, walking slowly to remain stable on her feet. She smoothed out her wrinkled-beyond-repair clothes and offered him the kindest smile she could muster when she was as hungover and embarrassed as she was.

"Thank you," Halia murmured, tossing her ruined curls over her shoulders. "For- for taking care of me, I suppose-"

"Spare me, Halia." Klaus was in front of her in the blink of an eye, and she jolted back. "I think it best that you just leave."

She frowned at him. "I'm just trying to thank you, Niklaus. You helped me last night, and I appreciate-"

"I took pity on you, Halia," he told her, his voice cold, void of any emotion. "That's all."

She inhaled sharply. "You don't have to be rude, Niklaus."

"Don't I?"

Halia gritted her teeth, feeling anger boil in her blood. He was trying to get under her skin, to get her angry, to hurt her feelings. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to hurt me, to convince me you don't love me anymore. Please stop, Niklaus."

"I'm not trying anything, Halia." He turned away from her, and Halia was suddenly aware of their height difference. She felt so small compared to him, especially at that moment. "You just don't recognize me, now that I've stopped pretending to be something I'm not for you. You said it yourself, Halia. I'm not the man you fell in love with. So why even bother act like he still exists?"

She should have expected this. Klaus always acted out when he was hurt, like a wounded animal. And she hurt him. She hated hurting people, and she hated hurting him even more. But Halia wouldn't let him treat her like this. It wasn't fair of him.

"Contrary to my belief, and yours," She said slowly, trying to contain her anger as she spoke. "You're still quite the same as you were when you were human. I realize that now. You wish to know why?"

"Enlighten me, Halia," he said dryly, looking back down at her.

"When people hurt or disappoint you even once, you lose all patience with them and act like they never meant anything to you in the first place. It's a defense mechanism. But if you think you get to get away with treating me the way you are, you have another thing coming, Niklaus."

You're a coward. She didn't dare say it, but the unspoken words still hit him squarely in the heart. He knew she was thinking it, that the three words were hidden beneath her other ones. You're a coward. And she was right, whether she meant to be or not. He was a coward. Halia represented all his fears- rejection, loneliness, weakness - and, being the coward that he was, he had to keep those fears far away from himself. So he wanted to hurt her and to make her hate him. She was right. It was a defense mechanism.

Halia barely spared him another glance as she brushed past him. He wished she would yell at him, scream at him, hate him. He wished she ran out and slammed the door behind her. But she didn't, of course she didn't.

Of all the people in the world to symbolize all of his fears and all of his hopes, Halia was equally the best person and the worst person to do so.

~EL~

"I know you're keeping secrets from me, Hailey."

Bella didn't even give me time to take my jacket off before getting straight to the point of the meeting. She was sitting on the couch, looking elegant yet completely terrifying at the same time. Gemma had mentioned once that when Bella was human, she was clumsy and goofy and about as unintimidating as it got. But now, Bella was regal and confident and formidable. She always sat straight and held her chin high. She looked you in the eye when she talked to you. Her hair was always in perfect waves, her makeup applied flawlessly. She wore expensive dresses and prowled around in stilettos like it was her job. Bella was the only person I knew who could look at you like you were her own child and yet rip your heart out the next moment. She was a queen in her own right.

Not that I would ever tell her just how much she scared me.

"Of course you do," I muttered, sitting down across from her.

"So, then, do yourself and myself a favor and tell me." Her gaze was steady and she didn't once raise her voice, but I was more afraid of her at that moment than I ever was of my own mother, who yelled and screamed and sometimes even hit me.

I let out a sigh. "So, you know when Halia and I went to Philadelphia to meet with the Prophetess a few days ago?"

Bella nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Well, we went there for a specific reason. My ghost accomplice Ava heard rumors that there was a prophecy about our family and what was to come. So I went there and Halia invited herself on the road trip. I met the Prophetess- Adelina- and she was a whole new kind of crazy."

"Most Prophets are," Bella said not unkindly, her eyes crinkling with light amusement.

"Right, well she was going on and on about how it was me and how this prophecy wasn't even really a prophecy and then she was gunned down."

Bella stiffened visibly. "Are you alright? Is Halia alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's good. I made sure there wasn't a scratch on her when we came back. And I had a few bullets in me but I'm fine."

"That's good." She relaxed before frowning. "Who-?"

"We don't know," I answered her unasked question. "But I intend to find out."

"Did you lose the prophecy?" she asked me, and I smirked at her.

"What do you think, Bella?" before she could answer, I reach across the table and grabbed her hands. Then, like Adelina had given the prophecy to me, I gave it to her.

Bella's breath hitched. She blinked slowly, and the prophecy fell from her lips like a whisper.

"Two families, both the first of their kind, are joined by love and hate, life and death. Both will return to this world and bring light and darkness to it. But a force, the most powerful kind existing, threatens to destroy them and their entire race. One, a mix, descending from both families, will either be their salvation or their destruction, their becoming or their undoing."

Her hands fell from mine slowly, and for the first time since I've known her, Bella looked afraid. She shook her head slowly, as if trying to clear it.

We were both silent for a few minutes, as Bella got her thoughts together. "Why- why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she whispered, eyebrows still furrowed.

I shrugged. "I just- ugh." I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. "This is going to sound really cheesy, but just bear with me. I want you to trust me. And I thought if I came to you with a solution instead of a problem, you'd trust me more. Besides, I thought I could handle it on my own without you. That's why I didn't tell you right away."

Bella sighed and shook her head. "I do trust you, Hailey. Don't you get that? If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't let you within a mile of my brothers and sisters."

I raised an eyebrow. "I know Adora was saying stuff to you about how you couldn't trust me. You can honestly say you don't believe her."

Bella snorted. "Please, I trust you a hundred times more than I trust Adora. The bloody woman ran off to New York yesterday and didn't even bother to tell me."

"That's not what I asked."

Bella sighed. "Hailey, I trust you. Believe me, I do. And Adora is trying to get to me. She wants revenge, because I killed her. And she knows how powerful you are and sees you on my side as a threat, so she's trying to get one of us to turn on the other. That's all."

I nodded slowly. "Okay, I believe you." I paused for a second and took a deep breath. "And, just so you know, I trust you too."

She smiled slightly and I cleared my throat. "If we're done with the warm and fuzzy moment, we should discuss this prophecy and what it means," I said, leaning into the couch I was sitting on.

"Well, it's fairly easy to dissect, if you think about it," Bella said, straightening herself. "The two families would be the Eriksons and the Mikaelsons- both the originals, both connected by many different things. The force- what is the most powerful thing on this earth?"

"If you say love I may shoot myself," I muttered.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Please Hailey. This isn't a Disney movie. The most powerful force on this earth is magic. It's what's threatening us."

"That's great, really narrows the source of the threat down," I muttered, looking up at Bella. "Then who's either the savior or the great enemy?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, isn't it obvious, Hailey? As the prophetess said, many times, it's you."

~EL~

"The witch called back, she said she knows no way of finding out what is inside the coffin without opening it."

Klaus didn't bother to look up when Elijah walked into the living room. "It doesn't really matter though, does it? We both know exactly who is in that coffin, Elijah. Do you really think I would drag a coffin around with me for nine hundred years and not know who is inside of it?"

"I think you thought you knew who it was, and you'd rather be safe than sorry," Elijah answered. He leaned against the doorway as he regarded his brother.

Elijah had known for centuries about the mystery coffin Klaus hid in the deepest parts of their home, hoping it would never be discovered. He never paid much attention to it or paid it much thought, but now, with everything going on and the mystery of the fairies being raised from the dead, the identity of the coffin became more crucial. The brothers had petitioned a witch to try to figure out just exactly what they were dealing with, to confirm their worst fears.

Opening the coffin was not an option. Niklaus definitely did not want her getting out, not with all the secrets she held. And Elijah didn't want her running around with the grudge she held against his Bella. So the brothers allied themselves to get to the bottom of the mysterious coffin.

Klaus finally looked up at Elijah. "Does it really matter then, whoever is actually in that damned coffin? Even if there is a chance it isn't her, we can't risk someone opening the coffin and awaking a thousand year old ghost. We should just dispose of it and move on. Like you said brother, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Klaus was in a foul mood, Elijah could tell. He had been ever since Halia left him. Niklaus raised an eyebrow at his older brother. "Does your wife know exactly what we're up to? I'm surprised she hasn't weighed in yet."

Elijah frowned. "Bella has more than her fair share of complications to deal with at this moment." He knew he'd get an earful when he did eventually tell her- Bella hated being kept out of the loop- but it would be worth the lecture on honesty and communication. "Besides, we both know where she would stand on the issue."

Klaus smirked. "Yes, she'd want to set the thing on fire and then bury its ashes in concrete. She did loathe the woman, after all."

And she loathed Bella back just as much. That's why Elijah couldn't risk the coffin being opened and the demons within setting their sights on his wife. "She did despise fairies," Elijah agreed. That's another reason they couldn't risk her getting out. She would instantly go for the Eriksons.

Klaus raised his eyebrows. "And you want to protect the Eriksons from her?" It was more of an observation than a question.

"Yes, I do." Elijah nodded once.

"You choose them over her?" Klaus didn't sound judgmental, just curious.

"I do. They're my family, brother. And they're yours as well," Elijah told him calmly, watching him stiffen and straighten himself.

Klaus smirked humorlessly. "If you want to talk about Halia, brother, just say your piece and move on."

"What do you want me to say about her, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing at all. I do not want to talk about her." Klaus sat up and went to walk out of the room, but Elijah didn't move out of his way.

"What did you honestly expect, Niklaus? You know Halia and what she values. Did you expect her to be grateful that you've murdered and sacrificed over hundreds of vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, and humans alike all to get her back?"

Klaus gritted his teeth. "Yes, I imagine that both you and Bella are glad that Halia wants nothing to do with a monster like me."

"On the contrary brother, all Bella wants is for Halia to be safe and happy. And since Halia is quite miserable right now, Bella is hoping for a reconciliation. And I've always supported you and Halia, brother. You may not be the best thing for her, but she is definitely the best for you. So you cannot blame your mistakes and your stubbornness on anyone but yourself, Niklaus. Not this time."

I pity you. Klaus knew Elijah didn't say it, but he could hear the phrase echoing in his ears.

Elijah gave Klaus a look that matched the unsaid thought before he walked away from his brother.

I pity you, Niklaus.

~EL~

A/N: so I suck, I haven't updated in two months. But I'm currently working on outlining the rest of this story, so I promise to update more this summer.

Thanks for reviewing!

~Abby :)