Lines Start to Blur
Bella arrived at Duke and headed straight for the library where she found who she was looking for.
"You always were a bookworm," Bella teased.
Angela tensed, "What are you doing here?"
"Can't an old friend drop in and say hello?" Bella asked innocently.
"You aren't the Bella who was my friend at one time," Angela hissed, "Do you really want to do this here…in public?"
"I have no problem with it," Bella replied.
"I have a better idea," Angela said before she stood up.
Bella followed her through the halls and into one of the buildings that was being renovated. Bella shut the door and suddenly she was flung across the room and into the concrete wall.
"Damn Ang," Bella said standing up, but again she was thrown against the wall, "Okay, okay I get it, you're pissed."
"Pissed," Angela nearly screeched, "Pissed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. I should kill you right now; no matter what the reasons for killing innocents were. It is still unforgiveable."
"You think I truly wanted to do what I've done?" Bella asked angrily.
"You did the Tree of Life spell with Lucy and then took off the necklace. You knew what the possibilities were." Angela snapped.
"Yeah," Bella said, "I did and I made that decision. It wasn't easy Ang; once my emotions were back on, I felt the weight of what I did and I'm still feeling it." Bella sat there and then looked at Angela, "If I get up will you promise not to throw me into a wall again."
"I don't have to promise you shit." Angela replied.
"Fair enough," Bella said and stood up slowly, "I need your help."
Angela threw her into another wall, "You want my help," Angela said approaching her slowly, "You have the nerve to ask for it after all of this."
"You're the only one that can help," Bella said, "If I didn't have to involve you, I wouldn't. If not for me then for Bonnie,"
"Don't you dare use her as a card against me," Angela growled.
"I'm not," Bella said, "I'm stating plain facts. With Vicki being released it has opened up the door for all the other spirits to come to our world, but no one can see them. I know you felt what happened last night…I did too. Angela it's dangerous for everyone…please help me."
"Fine," Angela said, "But after this you leave; you never come to find me again."
Bella nodded slowly.
"What do you need?" Angela asked.
"I need you to link with Bonnie and help her unveil the spirits." Bella explained.
"Fine," Angela said and headed for the door.
"Ang," Bella said, causing Angela to stop, "I'm sorry; I thought I was doing what was best."
"Just like Edward and Jake did with you," Angela snapped and turned to look at her, "You know you have so much hatred for them and yet you are doing the exact same thing. You can't control everyone's lives and keep everyone safe Bella. We all have the right to make our own decisions and who the hell are you to take that away from any of us."
With that Angela walked out leaving Bella alone in the building.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Two hours later, she received a text from Angela.
It's done. Remember our deal. A
Bella didn't reply; it hurt her knowing that her oldest friend hated her and said such things, but she knew Angela was right. She had no right to be going behind everyone's backs. Harming them even if it was helping them was still wrong, but she was in too deep now to turn back. She needed advice, a voice of reason to help calm her erratic feelings.
Bella got her cellphone out and dialed a number.
Ring, ring, ring.
"Hello," A gruff voice said picking up.
"Dad," Bella said softly.
"Bells?" Charlie said relieved, "Are you okay?"
"As okay as I can be," Bella replied. "You?"
"Much better now," Charlie said, "What's wrong? I know you wouldn't call me unless something was up."
"I just really needed to hear your voice." Bella said.
"Bella," Charlie said dragging out her name. "Please just tell me."
"The lines are beginning to blur," Bella said choking back tears. "I'm starting to feel like I don't know which way is up and which is down. It's changed and I didn't expect it to be like this."
"Like what," Charlie said, "Tell me exactly what you mean."
"I seem to be hurting those I trust the most." Bella replied painfully.
"You're doing it to protect them." Charlie said reassuringly.
"Then that makes me just like Jake and Edward." Bella said, "They ditched me to protect me."
"You haven't left us," Charlie said. "You got lost, we all do and that's okay."
"Dad," Bella said as tears began to roll down her cheek, "I killed innocent people."
"I know," Charlie said solemnly, "I've read the reports and seen it all."
"I'm sorry," Bella said, "I failed."
"No you didn't," Charlie said his tone becoming forceful; "You fought that side off. In every war Bella there are casualties…it's unavoidable. You only fail if you don't make a choice."
"What about what I'm doing now?" Bella challenged, "I'm saying and still doing things to hurt the others."
"Not Elena," Charlie countered, "Lucy told me you told her. I'm sure if you ask Elena she'd disagree with your thinking."
"No she wouldn't," Bella said, shaking her head, "She isn't the one who is having second thoughts about Klaus."
"Lucy told me about that too," Charlie said softly, "It's okay to care about him."
"Then that makes me as sick and twisted as he is." Bella snapped.
"No it doesn't," Charlie said, "It makes you human. He is your biological father and you know what I'm thankful for him."
"Why?" Bella asked.
"Because without him, I wouldn't have you." Charlie replied, "There's good and bad to every situation Bells; we have to take both. One without the other wouldn't make sense. Klaus gave you to me, he gave you the ability to protect yourself, but it's up to you on how you use it. The one good deed he has done in this world is you, but one good deed doesn't change years of evil."
"I know," Bella said, "I'm just…" She trailed.
"Confused," Charlie said, "It's okay to be; we all get that way sometimes. But I know you Bella and at the end you will make the right decision."
"What does it even mean to make the right decision?" Bella asked.
"The right decision is the one that gives you peace. It doesn't matter about anyone else. In the end Bella, it will come down to what's good for you, what will help you heal from all of it." Charlie said.
"How can you be so sure?" Bella said.
"Because I know my daughter," Charlie said, "You have always made your path and the end decision will be yours and yours alone."
"Thanks dad," Bella said and hung up.
.*.*.*.*.*.
It was nightfall when she arrived back in Mystic Falls and surprised Elena in her room.
"Eventful day?" Bella asked.
"You have no idea." Elena said, "You?"
"Well seeing as you are alive and I can't sense Anna, Vicki, Mason, Lexi, Sheila or any other dead ghosts with unfinished business then my job was done perfectly." Bella replied.
"You knew?" Elena asked.
"I sensed them Elena," Bella explained, "I couldn't see them. Once you die, you get a sixth sense for ghost and since technically Klaus killed me, I got it."
"Who did you go see?" Elena asked.
"Angela," Bella replied, "She helped Bonnie."
"So she was in on this too?" Elena asked surprised.
"No," Bella said looked at Elena's books, "In fact after today I am never to go near her again."
"Why would she act like that towards you?" Elena asked angrily, "You did what you did to help us."
"Yes," Bella said, "But I did the exact same thing Edward and Jake did to me. The same thing Stefan and Damon did to you. She has every right to hate me; not to mention I have tortured and murdered people."
"You couldn't help it." Elena defended.
"I knew the consequences of the spell Lucy did. I was aware of what could happen. I chose to still do it; their blood will forever be on my hands. At the time I wasn't myself, but I had prior knowledge to what the future could hold." Bella said sadly.
"Bella you aren't him," Elena said.
"I am Elena," Bella said, "Not fully, but in a way I am. I made all these decisions not just to protect you, but for my own selfish revenge. He did the same to his family. Did Mason show Damon the caves?"
Elena let Bella change the subject, "Yeah, lots of old drawings. Do you know what they are?"
"I have an idea," Bella said, "Take Alaric and make sure you photograph those pictures. You'll need proof."
"Where are you going?" Elena asked as Bella headed for the window.
"Out," Bella said.
"Let me come with you," Elena said. "Please."
"No," Bella said, "I need to be alone Elena."
.*.*.*.*.*.
Bella headed to the Grill and ordered a bottle of tequila.
Two hours later Damon walked in while she was shooting pool. He headed straight for her.
"You know someone once told me never to drink alone." Damon said.
"Not in the mood Damon," Bella said, ignoring him.
"Touchy are we?" Damon continued ignoring Bella's obvious irritation, "You know I can help pull that stick out of your ass."
Bella looked him squarely and said, "Damon fuck off."
Damon stood there, shocked, while Bella continued her game.
After a few minutes he removed his jacket and grabbed a pool stick.
"Let's play," Damon said as he racked the balls.
"What's in it for you?" Bella asked.
"Nothing," Damon replied calmly. "Break."
Bella broke and got one in; "Come on Damon, what's your angle here?"
"I make one in, you answer my question and vice versa," Damon said smiling, "Like the first time we played and that was your first question."
Bella missed the next shot and Damon made one in.
"Where have you been all day?" Damon asked.
"Out," Bella replied vaguely.
Damon made another, "Out being daddy's favorite, helping him make our lives miserable?"
"If I wanted your day to be hell it would have been whether he ordered me to or not." Bella replied crisply. "I don't take all his orders."
Bella immediately knew she had slipped up, but fortunately her slip up also made Damon slip up and miss.
Bella couldn't help but smile, "Game over Salvatore," she said. Within ten minutes the table was clear and she had won.
As Bella reached for her coat Damon grabbed her arm.
"Bella," he said looking into her eyes, "I know you're in there."
"You're wrong," Bella said, shaking him off and putting on her coat.
As she was walking by the alley to her car, someone grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.
"Don't lie to me Bella," Damon growled.
"I'm not," Bella snapped back and pushed him into the other wall, "That Bella you knew is gone."
"No she isn't," Damon said and pushed her back against the wall, "You know you've played your part really well; the little backhanded comments, the open PDA with my brother, but you know what has been giving you away…your eyes. They can't lie to me; I've stared into them too long."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Bella said and threw Damon into the wall, "Keep your hands off of me; there's only one Salvatore who gets to touch me and it sure as hell isn't you."
Damon got up and saw that Bella had disappeared.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Bella arrived back at the boarding house to see Rebecca sitting in the living room drinking.
"You've been gone awhile." She said flipping through a magazine.
"I don't have to check in with you," Bella said, hanging up her coat.
"Nik called earlier asking for you." Rebecca continued, "He was very concerned when we couldn't find you."
"I'm sure you looked really hard," Bella replied, grabbing her glass from her.
"I don't trust you," Rebecca sneered, throwing her magazine down and getting eye to eye with Bella.
"I am father's daughter," Bella said, "I wouldn't trust me either."
"You act as though this is a game." Rebecca said.
"It is Aunt Becky," Bella said innocently, "All of life is a game; the ones that survive are the ones that are best at it."
Bella's phone rang and Rebecca smirked.
"Looks like daddy is calling to check in on his little girl." Rebecca said condescendingly.
"Hello," Bella said through gritted teeth.
"Isabella are you alright?" Klaus asked.
"I'm fine," Bella said. "Though I can't promise your sister is going to be for much longer."
"Where were you today?" Klaus asked.
"I went out of town," Bella said, "This place is suffocating; Rebecca's constant complaining, Stefan is getting annoying, and I just had to get out for a day; not all of us have the luxury of going off doing something like you are."
"I see," Klaus said, "I'm sorry you can't be here with me."
"How much longer are you going to be gone?" Bella asked.
"Not too much longer," Klaus said, "Once I have enough hybrids to go against Michael I will return, but until then please don't stray too far."
"I won't," Bella said and hung up the phone.
"I'm going out to see Tyler for a bit," Rebecca said, "Don't wait up."
Bella waited until she heard the car pull away and then dialed a number.
"Lucy," Bella said. "I think it's time Michael makes an appearance."
"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked.
"Klaus isn't going to come back until he has enough hybrids to go against Michael. There's no telling how many people he's sired already and we can't risk him siring anymore. We're gonna have to go to plan B." Bella said.
"Alright," Lucy said, "I'll start on lifting Abby's spell."
Bella hung up and then dialed Elena.
"Hey change of plans Elena, it's time you know more."
A/N: Hey everyone sorry for the long wait for this, but I hope you enjoyed it. Now if you're following this season then you know that what was supposed to happen in this chapter is the appearance of the ghost…well I couldn't figure out how to write them in so this is more of a filler chapter. Good news though writing it this way speeds things up and we are about to get into some action.
More good news…my grandfather's tests came back and he does not have to have surgery. He has been taking medication and is so much better and I am so thankful. Thank you to everyone that sent kind words of encouragement; I really appreciated them.
Now I have some news…thanks to Dark~Supernatural~Angel and AllyDLV they have convinced me to publish a little story I've been tinkering around with and it has turned into something I didn't expect. The title is still being worked on, but it will be published Wednesday and I hope you all read it.
Please review you guys. I love hearing your input and opinions.
P.S. the story will either be called:
The Devil You Know
Two-Sided Devil
Mask of a Devil
