Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.

Thanks to my pre-readers, Dark-Supernatural-Angel and TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.

Enjoy.

**Hint** A very fitting song for BellaxDamon's future relationship: Breathe by Breaking Benjamin.

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Elena wakes up to the ringing of her cell phone on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she greets groggily.

"Elena?" Stefan's worried voice rings out on the other end.

"Stefan?" she chokes out, the feeling of dread filling her stomach as she remembers who he was left with the night before.

Elena's mind had been spinning most of the night last night, with incoherent thoughts of Damon and Bella, and the feeling she felt at the pit of her stomach, as well as Damon's parting words. Not once did Stefan and Katherine cross her mind last night. She had fallen into a restless sleep with contorting thoughts of the Salvatore brother who should've never been on her mind in the first place.

She rubs her eyes, feeling guilt set her expression to a frown.

"Are you okay? You don't usually sleep this late. Did Damon do something last night?" Stefan rushes out, letting a low growl loose at the end.

"Yeah, just had some trouble sleeping last night," she replies. "Don't blame Damon," she commands after a post thought.

"Alright," he drawls out slowly.

"So what happened last night?" Elena asks, sitting up straight in her bed, pulling the white comforter over her tank top covered upper body.

"Katherine woke up disorientated."

"Is it possible for vampires to be disorientated?"

"It was odd. She had this wild look in her eyes; something that resembles both a drunk and a psychotic person," he confesses.

Elena furrows her brows. "So what happened?"

"She rambled off lots of facts mostly to herself; many that we can use to our advantage."

"Like?" she questions, grudgingly getting out of her warm bed and making her way to the restroom to brush her teeth.

"She hinted that Lockwood werewolf gene has been around even before 1864. The oldest I know would be George Lockwood, and according to Katherine, she made a deal with him. He would set her free after she was carried to the church while the rest perished in the fire. She didn't know Damon had struck a deal with Emily as well."

Elena pauses from brushing her teeth and mumbles out something incoherent. Stefan goes on.

"What I'm wondering is why she would go through that trouble. She could've easily run away, yet she didn't; instead she gave away something…something important."

"And then?"

"Well, she more or less 'woke up'; as if she was in a daze that cleared and she immediately went on guard, asking what happened and who else is living in the house. She even threw me into a wall and then went through all the rooms in the house." Elena clearly hears the frown in his voice.

Elena's eyes widen. "Wait, Angela!"

"Bella told me to text her to stay at Bonnie's last night, remember?"

"But her stuff…," Elena trails off.

"Still in Bella's car. And Angela took her bag with her yesterday morning and the bed was made, so nothing to point her out."

"And Bella's stuff?"

"Nothing out of place in Damon's room and Katherine didn't see anything to alert her of anything amiss. When I went later to check his room and closet, I found Bella's clothes placed strategically out of eye sight."

"Like?"

"As in her shirts hung on hangers underneath his shirts, and her clothes in the drawers were folded into his, so even if Katherine dug through the clothes, she wouldn't find anything but Damon's possessions unless she was specifically looking for Bella's stuff in his room, like I was."

"Huh."

Stefan hums lightly in response.

"So then what happened? When did she leave? She left, right?"

"She left immediately after that. I didn't bother stopping her," he states, his voice a little low.

Elena frowns. The feeling's back; that one feeling where it seems like the heart has dropped to the stomach, lurching your entire insides down with it, as if weight's severely put on top. That feeling of something being wrong, the feeling of not knowing everything, the feeling that hints that something is being held back.

"That's it?"

He only hums in response.

Making her way back to her room, she glances at the clock. "Shit, it's past noon! I have to help Jenna with preparations for tonight's dinner."

Stefan lets out a small laugh. "Dinner's going to be interesting. I wish I was there to see it."

"Why can't you be here?" She pouts.

"I have to talk to Angela before teaching Caroline how to hunt."

"But weren't you helping Caroline yesterday?"

"I was, until she saw Tyler's party and wanted to talk to Matt. Since it's better for her to have as much connection as possible to humanity in order to retain hers, I thought it would be alright for a few minutes. I let her stay until you called and by the time we hung up, she was nowhere in sight."

"Oh?"

"She left with Matt to go deeper into the woods. And by the time I found her, night was setting. Meaning the wolf was out and about."

"What did happen with you and Bella last night?" Elena asks curiously.

"I found Caroline at the same time the werewolf did. I'm assuming it was Mason. Caroline was able to get Matt away while I distracted it."

Elena winces as the images of a battered and bitten Stefan come to mind...had Bella not come to his rescue, she comforts herself.

"He attacked and I tried my best to keep clear of his mouth, but he was vicious…starved. Bella found me and helped drive the wolf away before screaming at me about the worst time for stupidity."

"Um, was that after you gave her your shirt to wear or…?" she fidgets.

Stefan pauses. "Before. She forgot about having no clothes on and when she did look down at herself, she scrambled for cover," he hastily added.

"Oh." Elena suddenly feels discomfort set upon her.

"I'll let you go get ready and help Jenna," he offers.

"Okay. Bye, Stefan. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Did Bella know Katherine would look around the house or was she just prepared for it in any case? Or was it just laziness stopping her from carrying Angela's stuff into the house? What is it that Stefan's not telling me? Damo-No, no thoughts of Damon, she commands.

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"Why did I host this dinner again?" Jenna asks Elena, exasperated.

"You wanted to see if Alaric was lying," Elena replies.

"I still don't believe Damon's dating anyone," Jenna mutters to Elena, stirring the pasta sauce on the stove.

Elena bites her lip. "Why not?"

"Well, because it's Damon. And he'd never treat a girl right for her to even stick around."

Elena resists a comment to defend Damon. Why would I defend him? Jenna's right…Damon's killed so many innocent people, played with them to the point of destruction for them, wreaks havoc where he goes, made Stefan's life miserable…but then he's loyal, he's supportive, and he cares deep down. Every time he does something bad, he makes up for it in an off-handed manner. It's just how he is.

Elena shakes her head free of thoughts and makes a promise to herself to not think about Damon all night. Shouldn't be hard…he's only here for dinner, and who knows how long after that after all.

She smiles politely to Alaric and Mason, who are each holding a bottle of beer, as they step inside. "Enjoyed the garden?"

"Definitely. I love what you've done with the place," Mason compliments.

"Oh, it was all Jenna."

"Hmm?" Jenna looks up.

"So now you're a garden designer? Long shot from the party-Jenna I know from high school," Mason teases.

"Hey, it's a good way to keep mind off of things. I no longer have you to hit to get out my stress."

Alaric inclines his head towards the back door to Elena.

They both step out into the cool, fresh air, leaving the bickering buddies to catch up. Elena glances at the twinkling blue lights adorned above the patio net roof and a hint of a real smile touches briefly on her face.

"Damon wants to prove Mason's a werewolf," Alaric whispers to her without turning his frame towards her.

"How?"

"Vanessa gave me wolfsbane," he replies, holding up a ziplock bag with something resembling woodchips.

"That's wolfsbane?" Elena asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. It's pristine'd and dried up to the point that the poison won't be harmful to those who touch it, unless the person is a wolf. Sort of like vervain for vampires."

"And Damon's going to what? Put it in his food?"

Alaric shrugs. He's about to answer when the doorbell rings. "He can tell you himself."

They both go back to the kitchen and the two new occupants.

"Hi, Elena, Alaric," Bella greets them warmly.

Damon just nods at them both. Elena frowns momentarily when she notices his arm around Bella, his fingers alternating between drumming on her hipbone and playing with the loose sequined brown belt hanging just below her waist. Elena feels underdressed in her jeans and shirt next to Jenna's black dress and Bella's beige sleeveless evening dress.

"So, I'm making pasta, but so far, it's a bit of a fail. There's something missing." Jenna sulks next to her, downing a shot of tequila.

Bella puts down a bottle of wine on the ground table before beaming up at Damon. "Did you know, Jenna, that Damon makes amazing pasta? He can go tend to it while we talk. Come sit."

Mason snickers quietly into his beer but pulls out a chair beside him for Bella nonetheless. Alaric follows with the same action for Elena and Jenna. Damon hangs his head a bit; he leans in close to whisper to Bella before moving obediently to the stove. Elena turns back to the conversation around the table.

"How do you know Bella?" Jenna asks Mason.

"We met in Alaska," he grins.

Jenna raises her eyebrows. "You, and in Alaska? Did you abandon finding the perfect wave with a surfboard to find a perfect wave with a snowboard?"

"No, I was just…running." Mason shares a small, secretive smile with Bella.

"How long ago?"

"Three, four years."

"How old were you then, Bella?" Jenna asks innocently.

"I was 18."

"So you're 22 now?"

"21," Bella replies.

"You shouldn't ask a lady her age, Jenna," Damon quips up.

"I don't mind," Bella assures.

"What were you doing in Alaska?"

She's relentless, Elena thinks.

"I—"

"Jenna, you never formally introduced us," Damon interrupts.

"Damon Salvatore," Jenna points to Damon, and then to Mason, "Mason Lockwood."

"How long have you two been together, Bella? You never mentioned seeing anyone," Mason comments slyly.

"You didn't keep in contact for me to inform you," she quips.

"You didn't answer."

"We've been dating for two weeks," Damon answers.

"Two weeks? That's it?" Mason questions.

"Yes, that's it," Damon finalizes.

"Where are you staying, Bella?" Jenna asks.

Alaric slaps his hand to his forehead before mimicking hanging himself from his seat behind Jenna. Bella stifles a giggle.

"I'm staying at the Salvatore house."

Jenna gapes at her.

"You're with him two weeks and you're staying at his house?"

"In my room, too," Damon smirks at Bella.

"What?" Mason asks, a frown evident in his expression, disapproval clear in his voice.

Bella shrugs. "He had me move here from London. I wasn't going to buy a house."

"London?" Alaric and Jenna repeat simultaneously.

"I was in London for the past two years," she adds innocently.

"You don't have an accent," Jenna nearly accuses.

Bella clears her throat and then replies in a clear, heavy British accent. "I try to keep the accent out, as it attracts too much unwanted attention."

A noise from near the stove startles them and they turn to see a wide-eyed Damon looking intently at Bella. There is lingering traces of sauce on his shirt as he absent mindedly rubs at it with the towel in his hand. He clears his throat before turning to lift the sauce covered spatula out of the deep pan to wash the handle and then re-use.

"So you two met in London?" Alaric asks, amused.

"Yes."

"When were you in London?" Jenna turns to Damon.

"Remember I left for a few days before the Founder's Day parade? I was in London, settling some business," he states nonchalantly.

"We met in a Tango class actually," Bella says, grinning wide at Damon.

Jenna chokes on her Tequila. Elena pats her on the back lightly and tries to get her to slow down on the alcohol intake.

"Tango class? And Damon?" Alaric asks with his eyebrows raised.

"He's quite good, actually," Bella sings. Damon gives her a look.

"Yes, Tango class," he relents with a sarcastic smile.

"You moved to America for someone you just met?" Jenna asks Bella incredulously.

"Well, when you know, you just know," Bella says, winking at Damon.

Mason chokes on his sip of beer. Bella pats him on the back, keeping her lips tightly pressed to keep her amusement at bay.

"When's the wedding?" Elena finds her tongue, and prompts a reply from them sarcastically.

"No wedding. I don't believe in them," Damon declares, coming around to the table with a small bowl and a spoon.

"You don't believe in marriage?" Alaric repeats.

"No," Damon states, stepping close to Bella. He lifts the spoon with the dark reddish marinara sauce on it, blowing quickly to cool it down a bit before prompting Bella to open her mouth by putting the edge of the spoon on her lips. "I've lost hope in it after the amount of failed marriages or marriages of conveniences I've seen." Bella raises an eyebrow but opens her mouth nonetheless as Damon continues, "I no longer see marriage as something holy, something sacred. People use it as a symbol of love, which is fine if they understood love." He tips the spoon back and as Bella closes her lips around the end of the curve, he pulls the solid silver back slowly, keeping his eyes trained on hers. "Divorces happen, people re-marry. I'm not the type to show others who I love nor will I want a marriage just to prove it. Marriage is just a symbol to show others. As long as the one I love knows it, I'm content." He swipes his thumb to catch the small amount of sauce on the side of Bella's lips, before sucking the sauce from his thumb, moving back.

Bella gives him a gentle smile as he moves back to the stove, before turning back to the astonished audience. Jenna's mouth is open, Alaric's eyes are wide, and Mason is gaping at Bella. Jenna downs another shot of tequila.

And Elena…Elena's heart is racing and her breathing is slightly labored. The way Damon looked at Bella and the words he said meant he loves her? No, no, that can't be it. He doesn't love people just like that…besides, Bella's too nice for him. They're the same yet the exact opposite. He wouldn't fall in love with her within just a week or so. No, it's an act they're putting up for Jenna to save Alaric.

Bella clears her throat. "So…shall we break open the wine bottle? It's Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru."

Damon groans. "Goddammit, Isabella! No more accents or French. Please."

She smirks at him. He rolls his eyes before turning to Jenna.

"Sauce is done. Just pour it on the pasta," he commands, setting up five shot glasses.

"I'm not going to drink," Elena tells him softly.

"Please. Jenna already knows what high school parties are like. She won't mind. Besides, she's still tipsy from all that alcohol she's had."

Elena rolls her eyes but gets the lemon wedges and salt anyway, standing next to Bella instead of Jenna.

Damon slips in between the two, his arm immediately going around Bella's waist to pull her closer to him. He leans down a bit to brush his lips across her cheek lightly before his lips make way to her ear, whispering something softly.

Elena bites the inside of her cheek and concentrates instead on the five glasses making a circle on the table. She twindles her thumbs to keep her thoughts away from the two people next to her. She shouldn't feel this way; there's no reason for her to feel this way. I have Stefan. I love Stefan. Only Stefan. Stefan, Stefan, Stefan, she chants in her mind.

They all grab a shot and a lemon wedge but before they can raise a toast, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it," Elena states, puting down the shot and scuffling out of the suddenly uncomfortable kitchen.

She opens the door and glances at the visitor in contempt. "What're you doing here?"

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Thank you for reading.

Important; please read: I don't mind criticism. I don't mind if people hate my story. I recently received three PMs from the same person screaming at me, in short that this story sucks, I suck, and I have no business on FanfictionNet. I don't mind those PMs as long as you tell me what I'm doing wrong or how I can improve. The messenger also screamed at me for giving them a preview because they did not want one. I'm not sure what to do about that. Should I send it to those who request it or cease sending previews all the same?

Would you like an outtake? Perhaps Stefan's and Bella's encounter with wolf-Mason. Or Caroline's and Stefan's day. Or Angela's and Bonnie's time together. OR Damon's take on this dinner. What's going through his mind as he does these little actions and acts so tenderly, the way no on expects? Majority votes in reviews will tell.

On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [Corrupt Subduction] or click on the link on my profile. I loved chatting with those who already added me!

Reviewers will get something special! Can we make it to 200 reviews?