Chapter 4: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Back to A Levels has been a bit crazy. Hope you like it.

The front door slammed. Bella winced. Damon took another mouthful of his whiskey, completely at ease. Stefan was back.

"Damon!"

Stake in hand, Stefan appeared in the living room doorway. Even after nearly a week, Stefan was still burning with rage. Lexi had been his best and only friend. She hadn't deserved to die. In Stefan's mind, Damon was uncontrollable. He didn't think at all about what he was doing and who he was affecting.

As Stefan saw Bella stood with Damon, his rage momentarily changed to confusion. He didn't know who she was or what she was doing with Damon, but just assumed the worst. Bella saw Stefan's hesitance and jumped in, hoping to stop a fight breaking out.

"Uh... Hi. I'm Bella. You must be Stefan." Bella thought it was stupid, what she said, but hoped for the best.

"Yes, I am." He replied. "Who are you?" He didn't care if he sounded rude. But Damon did.

"Don't speak to her like that." Damon snapped. Stefan looked a little surprised – not at Damon's shortness, but at his protectiveness. Stefan hadn't heard that from him since ... well, not even Katherine had evoked that kind of response.

"I met Damon in Italy a few days ago." Bella told Stefan. "I know it's not the best time, but Damon said it would be okay if I stayed here for a while. He also has something to say to you." Bella looked at Damon. "Don't you, Damon?"

Damon sighed, "I'm sorry, Stefan."

Stefan was beyond confused, but he knew instantly that Bella wasn't just another one of the college girls Damon used to mess with. She was considerate and made Damon apologise, even if they all knew he didn't really mean it. Just getting Damon to say 'I'm sorry' was a major feat.

Stefan saw the stake in his hand and his anger spiked up again, "So you kill Lexi, leave for a week, and come back like nothing happened? I'm sorry, Bella, but I'm not going to pretend everything is okay just because you're here."

Bella shook her head, "I didn't expect you to. I know what Damon did was unforgivable. You should always think before you take action though." Bella motioned to the stake. "He's your brother. I'm not sure anyone good hearted can kill their sibling."

"You think I'm good hearted?" Stefan asked her.

"As much as you think Damon wants to make your life hell, he's never said a bad word against you to me."

Stefan sighed and put the stake down. "You have a way with words, I'll give you that. I'm not forgiving him though." Stefan gave one last glance at Damon before walking out of the room. Bella turned and looked at Damon.

"You didn't have to do that." He told her.

Bella shrugged, "Maybe not, but violence isn't always the answer and you were just going to get a stake shoved in your stomach. I thought I'd save you the pain."

In that moment, Damon actually questioned if she was real. He didn't believe someone that had been hurt so much could be so kind towards others. It made his heartbreak seem like nothing. It almost felt like nothing. Damon had never really allowed himself to move on from Katherine. He was stubborn and felt like he was owed something, felt like he needed revenge or answers to why she hurt him. He never thought it was possible for him to get over it and move on. He had always hid his pain away, covered it over with lies and whiskey. Now he saw hope in Bella. If she could do it, so could he.

"You're a cold one, aren't you?"

Bella looked up, seeing Stefan standing in the doorway to her room. She nodded in answer to his question and he walked forward into the room, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Damon trusts you. He talks to you. I've never seen him do that with anyone since he's been a vampire."

Bella looked up at him, "You can have that with him if you want. From what he told me, you were a lot closer as humans."

Stefan nodded, "But that was before Katherine arrived."

Bella felt like she was becoming an agony aunt, but she knew certain things needed to be said. "I know I'm not as old as you and I wasn't there to know what really happened with Katherine, but you've still got Damon. He's still here. He's always been around somewhere, watching you. Don't you think that means something? That he still cares?"

He sighed, "Sometimes ... Sometimes I see it, his old self, and I hope that I can bring it out of him, but it goes as soon as it comes. I was never sure if anyone could bring him back, but now..." Stefan looked at her, her eyes meeting his. "You're different. I can't work out why, but you are. He trusts you. If anyone can help him, it's you."