•|•
"Ric?" Isabel called out once she reached the basement door of the Salvatore Boarding House.
She looked through the barred windows to see the history teacher sitting on a cot in the room. "Yep. Still me."
Maybe his alter ego was good at acting but she didn't feel threatened so she unlocked the door and entered the cell.
"You know, you shouldn't be in here. It defeats the point of the whole being locked in a cellar thing," Ric said as he watched Izzy drop the bag she had been carrying on the ground.
"Well, I figured you might still need some of the basics. Toothbrush, clothes, some boring books to help you sleep. Always does it for me."
Alaric picked up one of the books and handed it to the teen wolf. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"
"What? No, I grabbed.... god dammit Damon." She dropped the book on the floor with an annoyed eyeroll. "He thinks he's so damn hilarious."
"At least one of us still has a sense of humor," he said glumly.
"Are you sure that you are comfortable here?" She asked knowing it must not be very comfortable for him to be cooped up in a cellar. "I mean you don't have to be kept in here."
"Ah, no, this is...this is the right place for me to be. At least until you guys can convince my highly uncooperative alter ego to fess up to where I or he hid the white oak stake."
"We have all looked everywhere. The other you, hid it to well. To bad he didn't take any tricks from Damon. It would have been much faster." She smiled slightly at her joke though it wavers. She sighed.
"What's Klaus gonna do if you can't find it?" He asked, clasping his hands together.
"Truthfully?" She asked while pulling up a chair to sit down in front of him. "I don't know. He always seems to surprise me. But it's the only thing that will kill him so I'm thinking it's not gonna be anything good."
"Thanks for the stuff Izzy. I appreciate it."
"I'm sorry Ric," was all she said.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Caroline and Isabel catch sight of Matt and walk over to him. "What is this?" His sister asked gesturing around to the people who are decorating for the 'Roaring 20s' decade dance.
"It's the decade dance." He told them. "Remember, you guys made us sign up to help?"
"No." Caroline picked up a boa while Isabel picked up a plum colored cloche wool hat with a plum and black colored flower and black ban. She slolwy put it on. It fell just above her eyes and over her ears. "This. Is the 20s. We're doing the 70s."
"Too flashy, people. It's supposed to be speakeasy, not the World Fair." Rebekah told everyone who was getting ready for the dance. Rebekah spotted Caroline, Matt, and Isabel and decided to head over. "Ah, good, you're here. I need help setting up the tables so, get to it."
"What do you think you're doing?" Caroline asked with furrowed brows and fury in her eyes while Isabel forgot she was wearing the pretty hat.
"Somebody has to be in charge." Rebekah answered.
"Yeah, me and Izzy. She and I are the chair and co-chair of the Dance Committee. The theme of the decade dance is the 1970's."
"So, you both would rather dress in tacky colors with bad hair than be a classic flapper from the jazz age?" She looked Isabel in the eyes which almost made her shrink back but having Matt and Caroline around made her feel stronger around the Original. She knew Rebekah had a crush on her brother and Caroline would help her if needed. "Honestly, I don't know what my brother sees in you."
"Maybe he sees a challenge." She smiled falsely. "See, unlike some other people I know, I don't sleep with everyone I make eye contact with." She shrugged watching as Rebekah scowled at her.
Matt tried to difuse the tension by saying, "maybe we can do both decades?"
In unison the three girls said, "no."
"Go on, Matt, don't be a coward." Rebekah urged him. "You know you loved my 20's idea when I presented it to the group."
Caroline and Isabel turn around to look at Matt with incredulous looks.
"Traitor!"
"Matty!" Isabel whined.
"Bell bottoms and disco? I don't know..." He trailed off avoiding his sisters eyes. "This just seemed cooler."
"See?" Rebekah smirked. "It's just cooler."
"Whatever. Have fun at your stupid dance." Caroline gave in angrily as she turned around. "The hat!" She yelled before walking away. Isabel quickly remembered the hat she wore and flung it away from her with a nervous smile.
Isabel noticed the look on her brothers face as Rebekah walked away with a huff. "It's okay to still love her," she said referring to Caroline. "Now go talk to her." Isabel smiled at her brother.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel went back to her house and heard her child's giggling with her wolf hearing. "Carol?" She walked up slowly to the nursery. She gasped when she saw who was making her child laugh. "Tyler!"
Tyler stood up from where he was crouched with Rose and brought Isabel into a hug. "I missed you, Iz."
She took a big whiff of him and almost cried but not for the reasons Tyler was probably thinking. After a moment of silence and sadness on Isabel's part she said, "we missed you too..."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
"You feel different?" The blonde girl asked from the rocking chair she sat in.
"I feel freer." He explained deeper. "Way more myself. All I know is I just turned about a hundred times in the Appalachian Mountains. If I can get through that, I can get through anything."
"Good. Because Klaus might not be your only problem."
"Why?" He asked as his brows furrow. "What else did I miss?"
"Matt killed an Original and then every vampire that Original had ever turned mysteriously died shortly after. Right now, Damon is desperate to figure out which Original created their vampire bloodline and if he finds out it wasn't Klaus, they're all gonna kill him." She admitted with a frown. She had to help Klaus and Tyler but they seemed set on killing the Original hybrid.
"But Klaus turned me." Tyler told her as if he was reminding her. "So if he dies, I die."
"I know that," she said looking down at the adorable unaware baby. "They know that. The difference is Damon doesn't care." She looked back up to him.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
"Hey Isabel!" Tyler called from her room. He had left Roses nursery when she started to drift to sleep and wondered into Isabel's room.
She took the last bite of her pickle and headed to her room to see what Tyler wanted. "Hmm?" She stopped at her doorway to see Tyler holding the beautiful picture of her and the horse that Klaus had drawn. "Hey. Why are you snooping?" She asked moving to take it out of his hands but he yanked it back, his eyes narrowing at the name.
"Klaus drew this for you?" He asked looking at her face. "That's pretty creepy."
"He was just trying to be charming." She found herself defending him while trying to get the picture back. "Albeit failing to do so."
"Charming?" He asked jealousy taking over him. "Does Klaus have a thing for you or something?"
"No- Just give it back and forget it Tyler." She made grabby hands while trying to reach around him but he wouldn't let her grab it until he was done with her.
"I'm serious. What the hell happened while I was gone?" He asked, his voice sharp.
"Nothing Ty. Nothing happened. I promise." Isabel muttered feeling hurt.
He had the nerve to jump to conclusions while he-
She didn't want to think about what she had found out. It only hurt more each time. She just couldn't find it in herself to bring it up.
"Then why'd you keep this?" The dark brown-haired boy asked accusingly.
"Because it's pretty. Just because he drew it doesn't mean I'm gonna throw it away." She answered, glaring at him.
"I think I'm gonna go and find somewhere to stay now," he said dropping the picture to the floor and walking past her then speeding out.
"Tyler!"
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
"What a pleasure to hear your voice."
"I just wanted to talk Kol. I don't want to hear that stupid smirk on your face." On the other side of the phone Kols eyebrows furrow as he turned serious at the sound of her voice.
"What's wrong, Bella?"
"It's Ty. He did something. And I knew you'd pick up. So I thought..."
"Call me?" He asked. "Of course. I'm always going to be here for you, darling. Remember that."
Pretty short. I know.
I just wanted to say I'm deep into the episodes of her second book and boy is it getting spicy for Isabel.