I can practically feel your anticipation for this chapter, along with the excitement that for most of you, we're closer to the chapter you've been waiting on for a while. So... here you go! =D Please read the A.N. at the bottom of the page when you're done reading.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, LJ Smith owns Vampire Diaries, and JezebelWhitlock owns the first Nine chapters. ^_^
Chapter 9
Bella
Stefan and I sat in silence after I finished speaking. I knew my story was almost impossible to believe if anyone else heard it. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.
"The Cullens don't know you're alive?" he asked.
"I don't think so." At least, I hoped not. I didn't need Alice to be looking into my future. It was her fault that Charlie was dead.
Actually, that was a lie. It's Edward's fault that Charlie is dead. If he hadn't left me, none of this would have happened.
"I don't know if Alice saw it or not."
He looked at me in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Alice can see the future." I said. "It's not concrete though. It based on decisions. When someone changed their minds about something, it changes the future."
"What else can the Cullens do?" he asked.
"Well... Edward can read people's minds. Not mine and no one really knows why."
He nodded and motioned for me to continue.
"Jasper is an empath. He can feel emotions and change them when he feels necessary."
"How are these vampires different then me?"
"You look more human than they do. Your skin is warm and soft, you eat human food, your eyes don't shift colors." I shook my head. "The Cullens are like living stone. Their bodies are like marble and they're ice cold. Their hearts don't beat. Their eyes change depending on their feeding habits. When they're hungry, their eyes turn black. For the few vampires who feed from animals, their eyes are a golden color. Human drinkers have red eyes." I shivered, remembering James's red eyes as he tossed me around like a rag doll. "They're also venomous. They don't have fangs but when the drink from humans, venom gets injected into the body and the change begins. It takes about three days for the change to be completed; all the while the human is lying in agonizing pain."
I instinctively rubbed the scar on my wrist where James bit me. Stefan took my hand and studied the bite mark.
I watched as he ran his fingertips over it, and he stiffened in surprise when he noticed the cooler temperature.
"This is the scar you got when the vampire bit you?"
I nodded. "That spot will always be several degrees cooler than anywhere else."
"That's unbelievable." He murmured.
I shrugged. I wanted to run my fingers through his soft hair. Stefan kissed the spot on my wrist and I sighed. It felt so good.
"Shall I tell you my story now, or shall we wait until later?"
"Now," I said. "I don't think I'll be able to handle it any other time."
Stefan nodded and pulled me into his lap. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close to his chest. I relished the heat of his body pressed against me.
"It all started in 1864."
I jerked and looked at him. "Are you serious?"
He chuckled and nodded. "May I continue?" I nodded and looked down at our hands. They had somehow interlaced with Stefan's. His voice pulled me back into the story. "Anyway, my brother had just come back from fighting in the Civil War. We had a houseguest staying with us. Katherine Pierce was a beautiful woman. My father adored her, even though she was a vampire." Uh-oh. "No one knew about it. At the time, Mystic Falls was being overrun with vampires. The Founding Families were working on trying to get rid of them. My father was one of them.
"Damon and I were both vying for Katherine's attention. We were both entranced by her beauty and grace." I flinched. Vampires and their grace. "We never knew that Katherine was with us both."
I looked at him in surprise but didn't say anything. Stefan seemed to have a faraway look on his face. His arms tightened around me.
"She ended up drinking from both of us on occasion. She would feed from us and then offer us her blood in return. It actually happened quite often. But by then, the Founding Families were on a manhunt, trying to get as many vampires as they could. They had a weapon that could locate vampires. Jonathan Gilbert invented it."
"Jonathan Gilbert?"
"Elena's ancestor." He said.
"Oh."
Stefan kissed my temple and continued, "Damon and I were the only ones who knew Katherine was a vampire but my father had his suspicions. He poured vervain in my drink and when Katherine drank my blood, she got sick."
"What's vervain?"
"It's an herb that poisons vampires and keeps them from compelling humans when they've ingested it or wearing it."
"Vampires can compel humans?"
He nodded. "My father took Katherine away and put her inside the old church, along with the other vampires. They burned it down. Damon blamed me for her death and in a way, I suppose I was. I talked to my father about the vampires and he seemed to think I knew something." Stefan shook his head. "Damon and I killed each other after Katherine died."
He paused, letting me adjust to the news. "When we woke up, Emily Bennett was there."
"Emily Bennett?" I looked at Stefan. "Bonnie's ancestor?"
"Yes."
"What does Bonnie's ancestor have anything to do with this?" I wondered.
"Bonnie comes from a long line of witches."
"Holy hell," I shook my head in disbelief. "Are you telling me that every supernatural being is real?" I didn't wait for him to answer. "Next you're going to tell me that Harry Potter is a real person."
Stefan chuckled. "I doubt it," He said. "I'm pretty sure he's still a fictional character."
I peeked up at him. He was smiling but his eyes were guarded. "Will you continue?"
"Do you want me to?"
I nodded.
"Okay." He paused and leaned his head back on the couch. "In order to truly transform into a vampire upon waking up, you have to feed from a human." I flinched. "I know, but it's how it's meant to be. I was the first to feed from a human. Damon and I went separate ways after we were a full vampire and we would see each other every few years.
"I came back to Mystic Falls and met Elena." He said. "This was much more recently and Elena... she was like a carbon copy of Katherine. Despite that, they were nothing alike. We got together, Damon showed up and in the end, Elena chose Damon."
I knew there were things he was leaving out but I didn't bother him for details. What he gave me was enough for me.
"Do you still see Elena?"
"No. Not since she left." He said. "It wasn't that long ago anyway."
"How can you go out in the sunlight?" I wondered. He wasn't like the Cullens and he didn't appear to be like the traditional vampires.
Stefan held out his right hand and showed me the ring he always wore. "This is what allows me to go out in the sunlight."
"What happens if you aren't wearing it when you go outside?"
"I'll burn in the sun."
I looked at him in astonishment. "Seriously?"
He nodded and I took his hand again, looking at the ring. "Is this your family's crest?" I asked.
"Yes. The stone is a lapis lazuli stone." Stefan explained.
The words "pro infinito" were barely readable.
"I take it the Cullens didn't burn?"
"No." I said absent minded. "They sparkle."
Stefan was shocked. "They—"
"Sparkle. Like a diamond." I said. "Emmett used to complain that it was a huge blow to his masculinity." I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Actually, the Cullens are exactly like a diamond. Cold, sparkly, and hard,"
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I blew a casket. The news sort of surprised me."
"I understand." He murmured, holding me close.
"How did I get so lucky to find you?"
"No, Bella. I'm the lucky one."
Stefan
Bella and I lay on the bed, simply relaxing. It was nice to finally have everything off my chest. Now that Bella knew the truth about me, I didn't have to hide anymore. The only thing she didn't ask about was Katherine and for a moment, I was happy about it. Katherine was not someone I liked talking about unless it was necessary.
Every once in a while, she would ask a random question.
"Would you ever go to Forks with me?" she asked.
"Is that what you want?"
She thought about it. "Yes." She looked at me with those chocolate brown eyes. "Well, not yet. But one day, I want to go back to Forks. I want to say a proper goodbye to Charlie."
"You did what you had to in order to protect yourself." I murmured.
"Charlie would have been thrilled to see me so happy again." She said. "He never got to see me happy."
"I'm sure he can see you now, Bella."
She looked at me. "Do you believe in the afterlife?"
"I believe in redemption."
"What's your redemption?"
"What makes you think I need one?"
She paused and bit her lip. "You try so hard to ignore what you are. You don't feed from humans, even though you know that you wouldn't kill them if you did. You took care of me when I first got here when you didn't have to." she ran her fingers across my cheekbone. "You let me stay here, let me sleep in the same bed as you since I got here. If you didn't want redemption, you wouldn't do any of that stuff."
I was surprised she was so perceptive. "I've seen innocent people die because of Damon. And I don't... I don't want to be like that. I don't want to hurt people. Not again." She looked at me curiously but didn't question it.
"It's because you're so good that makes you different from Damon."
"I'm exactly like Damon underneath."
"No." She disagreed, pressing a gentle kiss against my lips. "You aren't. I may have never actually met Damon but I know you're different from him. With everything that you told me, I know you're different."
I held Bella close to me and buried my nose in her hair. She smelled like strawberries, freesia and honey. "I have something for you." I moved away and pulled out a small box.
"Stefan,"
"Open it." I insisted.
Bella opened the box and pulled out the necklace. "It's beautiful." It was a locket with the Salvatore crest on the front.
"There's vervain in there. It should keep vampires from compelling you against your will."
She turned around. "Will you put it on?"
I took the necklace and watched as she pulled her long hair out of the way, exposing her creamy white neck. I pressed a kiss against the back of her neck and fastened the necklace. Her hair dropped and she turned back to face me.
"How does it look?"
"Beautiful."
She smiled and moved closer, pressing her body close to mine.
We stayed that way for the rest of the night, simply enjoying each other's comfort.
xXx
I was in the shower when it happened.
I don't know what they were doing here or even why but I was worried about Bella.
"Stefan?" Bella called.
I chuckled and made my way downstairs, dressed and my hands in my pockets.
Bella was standing at the front door, upset. "What's wrong, Bella?"
She pointed to the door and I followed her gaze. To my surprise and then horror, I realized Elena was standing there. I haven't seen her in months and now here she is. Which means Damon can't be far behind.
"Elena, what are you doing here?"
"I came to visit."
I walked to Bella and pulled her close to me. Elena watched with interest and a little... jealousy?
"Where's Damon?"
Damon strolled inside, looking every inch as cocky and arrogant as I remembered. "Well, hello, brother."
"Damon." I said. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to see you, of course. Is that any way to treat your older brother?" he looked at Bella with a smirk I wasn't at all comfortable with. "Who is the lovely lady you're holding there, Stefan?"
"This is Isabella Swan." I said. "Bella, this is Damon and Elena."
She shuddered and pressed herself into my side.
"What are you really doing here, Damon?" I asked.
"I came to see you, Stefan. Though I never expected you to have company,"
"Yes, well..."
"She knows doesn't she?" Elena interrupted.
"Yes."
"How did she find out?" Damon wondered.
"Jeremy told her."
Elena looked at her with interest before turning back to Stefan. "Jeremy?" she asked. "How is he?"
"Fine." I said.
"I think I'll go see him later."
Bella watched from behind me as Elena and Damon walked into the living room and got comfortable. I knew she was nervous about them, despite the calm appearance.
"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked.
She nodded. She held onto my arm, her nails digging into my flesh. Damon noticed as well and a smile stretched across his face.
"Are you afraid, Isabella?" he asked. "Because you should be,"
Her hands tightened. "That's enough Damon." I snapped.
"Vampires are not someone you want to be around."
"I've been around plenty of vampires." She snapped.
Surprise flitted across both their faces. "Of course you have." Damon said dryly. "Stefan's a vampire, in case you haven't noticed."
"I've noticed." She snapped, coming out from behind me. "I mean other vampires. An entire coven of vampires,"
Elena looked at me in shock.
"I don't believe you." Damon hissed.
I didn't understand why Damon was acting like this.
"Of course you don't." Bella said. She walked towards him. "My father was brutally murdered by a vampire. I nearly died in a vampire attack. Do not tell me that I'm lying."
Damon looked at Bella. She didn't flinch and I was glad she was standing up for herself. Finally he broke eye contact and looked at me.
"I like her."
I rolled my eyes. Bella smiled a little and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my side. "Now, what are you really doing here?"
And now Bella has met Damon and Elena. I have yet to decide whether I want any sort of friendship whatsoever to come between any of them, but thats not really important yet. =)
The reason why I wanted you guys to read this is that I've been considering making a facebook page for the story. There I'll try and update you guys and give you little snippets of chapters. Its what I'll use as a distraction when there isn't much else to do. But I need your opinions, cause it wouldn't be that awesome if it only had four people that 'like' it. So if you have a facebook, and you'd 'like' the page, let me know. ^_^
Please remember to Review!
~Cori
