I want to give a HUGE thank-you to everyone who reviewed the last chapters! You guys are freaking awesome and because of that you get another double chapter update! :)

Also I want to say sorry for not replying to reviews, I suck at it, but I do read and love each one I get.

To answer a couple of questions;

I am going to carry on being a bitch to Jake for another few chapters. Sorry but it has to be done. (You'll see why in the long run)

I haven't seen any of supernatural season 8 yet as it's not been on my tv yet :( (so no spoilers please :) )

Anyway as always I own nothing. And ArabellaWhitlock is my fuckawesome beta whom I love and makes my writing pretty :)

Firework

Damon

3rd Person P.O.V.

The crow had followed the group to the High School, he knew they'd split up tonight and he knew they'd be having fun. Too much fun to be taking note of what was happening around them. He felt as though it fell on his shoulders to make sure that nothing happened to Isabe... To any of them. He was nothing if not thoughtful after all, the crow thought sarcastically to himself.

This week had been another eventful week for them, all thanks to Isabella once more. He hadn't had this much fun in centuries.

First of all there had been her training sessions which the crow had watched. They alone were hilarious. Bella was good when it came to fighting, and her weapons skills were pretty good too. But watching her jog... Well the crow had almost fallen off a tree from laughing. She tripped over nothing constantly, a completely flat surface was apparently deadly to the pretty brunette.

Then there was the afternoon that Damon had to babysit her. She made him laugh with her quick wit and total ease around him. That afternoon had been relaxing, or it would have been if it weren't for the dark bruise that had formed on Bella's pale cheek. Stefan though had promised that the guy responsible had paid. Not as much as Damon would have made him, but still, some revenge was better than none right?

The crow was glad that he'd decided to tag along and watch tonight because look, there was Elena, queen of naivety, leaving Bella alone with stinky guy.

With a sigh the crow flew to the main door of the building and took his human form.

Quietly Damon moved down the corridor that led to Ric's classroom. Ric had a good job, if Damon had to work he'd be a teacher too. Watching hot cheerleaders all day with complete control over them... Yeah that was Damon's idea of almost perfect. Add some blood and alcohol you had a damn good party.

Damon stopped and listened to the conversation that was going on in the classroom, hearing Tyler relay every word to no doubt Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie who were stood in the classroom opposite.

"Bella... This is ridiculous, I don't even know what to say." The guy said softly. Something about him made Damon angry. Really angry, murderously so.

"You could start by telling me what you are?" Bella's voice was hard and cold in a way Damon hadn't heard it before, it made him smirk. Go Wildcat, give him hell.

"What does it matter Bells, really? Would it change what you think of me? Or are bloodsuckers the only supernatural things that you'll give the time of the day too." His voice came out angry again, Damon tensed ready, if this dick got any closer to Bella he'd rush in. After all she was going out drinking with him tomorrow and he didn't want to go alone again. Plus she wasn't so down on him as Ric was.

"Bella... I'm sorry." She'd gone to walk out the room.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, you keep having to say that Jake. But you know what, if you keep repeating what made you apologise then you aren't really sorry. So save it and tell me the truth, or save you breath and leave." Damn she was good, her voice holding just enough coldness in it to be vaguely threatening but not so much so that she was cutting the guy off altogether. Exactly what Damon would have done if he couldn't torture the information out of the kid.

"Can you remember the legends I told you about our tribe?" Jacob asked Bella softly once more.

"Yeah sure. Er..." It sounded to Damon's ears as though she was straining to remember. "The third wife right? Hang on... You guys changed... Into wolves... You're a werewolf?" Bella asked. That's all we need, another one of those, Damon thought with an angry sigh. Why couldn't dog boy have been something that they could use, rather than something that could kill them all? Another something that could kill them.

"Yeah Bells, I'm a werewolf." The boy confirmed, and started launching into a history of how he was a werewolf, something to do with the sparkly fuckers that were after Bella, and how he could protect the girl.

They sat talking for almost an hour, Bella becoming more like herself with every minute that passed, not phased at all that her friend was a mutt. But then again she hadn't been bothered that Damon was a vampire, or Stefan and Caroline either. The girl was too nice for her own good. Nice, innocent and hot. A combination that had Damon both wanting to run away, yet stay and look out for her at the same time. And of course get her naked and between his sheets.

"I'm glad you told me Jake. I missed you." Bella said and Damon could hear the sincerity in her words. Sincerity and that was it.

"I missed you too Bells." The guy said with a sigh of contentment. "I love you, you know that and I hated fighting. I really did."

"I love you too Jake." Bella said with a smile in her voice. Damon's anger boiled beneath the surface, he could her in her voice that she meant as a friend rather than a lover. But... He didn't know what the but was, it just pissed him off.

"You know I'll always look out for you Bells." Something in his voice put Damon on edge again, tense, ready.

"I know Jake, but you don't need to. Really." Bella said, her voice on edge, also hearing or seeing something in the guy.

"I want to Bells." The room went silent but Damon could hear something, something that sounded like struggling.

Damon rounded the corner and looked into the room, his stomach dropping, the void filling with red burning hot anger.

The guy was kissing Bella and she in turn was trying to push him away without any success. After a second she stopped struggling and instead became limp.

The guy carried on kissing Bella and Damon just stood watching, fuming but not knowing why.

Boy wolf stopped kissing Bella, a blissful smile on his face as he pulled away.

Bella, her face a blank, closed mask looked at the kid. "Are you finished now?" She asked her voice deadly. Jake nodded; bad move.

Bella pulled her fist back and snapped it forward with as much force as she could. She hit the kid in the face with strength that should have knocked him on his ass. Instead she let out a scream.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" She was clutching her injured hand, her face creased with pain which finally made Damon move from his spot in the doorway.

He blurred over to her. "Here let me see." Damon said taking Bella's hand from her and examining it, she'd cracked the knuckle, it must have hurt like a bitch but there'd be no permanent damage. "You'll be okay." Damon reassured Bella before turning to face boy wolf.

Damon glanced at Bella who nodded her head at him, she knew what he was going to do and she wanted it.

Damon pulled his fist back and hit the werewolf. His fist actually did hurt the dog though. It dropped him just like Bella's should have done. As the mutt lay at his feet Damon spoke with all the anger that he was feeling. "I see you near her again, you won't be running with your pack ever again." With that he guided Bella out of the room towards her group of friends that were waiting with frowns and concerned faces. All of them witnessing the last part of the confrontation.

~0~

Bella's P.O.V.

Jake had told me everything, he told me how he was a werewolf and how he had a pack back in La Push, some of whom I actually knew. I started to relax back around Jake, he was my best friend once more and I'd missed him.

"I love you, you know that and I hated fighting. I really did." Jake told me with sincerity.

"I love you too Jake." I replied with feeling. I loved Jacob like a brother, I hated being without him and I'd missed him more than I'd realised.

"You know I'll always look out for you Bells." Jacob told me, something in his eyes put me slightly on edge. I stood up and faced him rather than staying sitting next to him, I didn't want to give him the wrong signals after all.

"I know Jake, but you don't need to. Really." I didn't need him to protect me, I had a whole group of people doing that for me and making me happy while they were doing it. Jacob, I knew he would look out for me but he would also look at things differently than I did. He would think there was hope, there was a chance. And I wasn't nearly ready to date again, even if I was it wouldn't be with Jake, he was like family to me, it would be incest in my eyes.

"I want to Bells." Jacob said standing up and approaching me, his eyes scared me, they were soft and forceful at the same time, full of something...

My heart beat faster as Jacob gathered me in his arms. I couldn't protest before Jake's fiery hot lips were crashing onto mine.

Shock, shock, anger and hurt stunned me for a second before I tried pushing Jacob off me. He couldn't be moved, he was a mountain and I couldn't push him away. His hand tangled into my hair and the other one pulled me closer to him by my waist.

I went dead in his arms. Hopefully being unresponsive would stop him.

It didn't. He carried on kissing me for a minute, one that felt like hours.

Eventually he pulled away from me, gently, completely at odds to his actions a second ago.

"Are you finished now?" I asked in fury, loving how deadly my voice sounded.

Jake nodded with a stupid looking smile across his face.

I pulled my fist back and snapped it forward, putting all the anger and force I could into it. His head didn't move, it was a solid mass of what felt like granite. As my fist connected with it I let out a shriek of pain.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I howled cradling my hand which was agonisingly painful.

I saw a brief blur across the room before Damon was stood next to me. "Here let me see." He said taking my hand softly in his own and looking over my hand. I was pretty sure that I'd broken a bone or two, the pain was familiar. "You'll be okay." Damon declared to me, his voice as soft as his touch. Having him stood next to me instantly made me feel safer, protected. As though he wouldn't let anything else happen to me. A stupid, and wrong thought I was sure.

He turned from me to face Jacob, his face frightening, anger burning around him almost visibly. Again I felt nothing but safe. I wasn't so sure I'd feel that if his anger was directed at me though. He truly was terrifying.

Damon glanced at me, his brilliant blue eyes asking me for permission. I knew, without a word spoken what Damon wanted to do and I nodded. Jake deserved some pay back and as I couldn't give it to the shit...

Damon's fist flew forward exactly as mine had but when his fist connected Jacob slumped to the floor. I heard the thud of flesh on flesh and winced, that must have hurt, the throbbing in my hand though reminded me that he deserved it. In fact he probably deserved more. The dick. I was still angry, but watching Damon deck Jacob had helped a small amount.

"I see you near her again, you won't be running with your pack ever again." Damon's voice while light carried the weight of his threat, leaving no doubt that he'd make good on his promise.

With that Damon faced me, his eyes softening minutely, he walked to me and placed a hand on my lower back, making electric shocks run through my body, before guiding me out of the classroom to where my friends were waiting for me, all of whom were looking both worried and angry.

"What the hell just happened!?" Matt asked, his eyes not leaving Jake who was still slumped on the floor. I think he may have even been whimpering, but then again that might have just been wishful thinking.

"Boy wolf attacked Bella, she hit him, cracked her knuckle, yada yada. I'm taking her to the hospital." Damon said as he swept me passed the group.

"Damn." I heard Jeremy mutter before announcing that he'd ring Alaric. Great, that was all I needed.

As we were out of the hearing range of my supernatural friends I spoke. "Thank you." I said quietly.

"I told you. It's fun." Damon said with a smirk. "And you, are welcome, Rocky."

"I'm not going to escape that nickname now am I?" I groaned out.

"Nope." Damon popped the 'p' making me giggle slightly.

"Are you really taking me to the hospital?" I asked.

"Well you've hurt yourself and I don't have a medical degree. So yeah Rocky I am." Damon said his voice light and carefree, punching Jake seemed to have made him happy. It made me happy too.

I groaned again. "Can't we just go home? If I've only cracked my knuckle I've got a brace there. I hate hospitals." I told him as we arrived at his now familiar dark blue car.

Damon looked at me out of the corners of his eyes, his mouth lifting into a quirky side smile. "Hmmm..." He said with a calculating look in his eyes. I swallowed, that look wasn't a good omen I was sure.

"What...?" I asked hesitantly.

"I can fix you up good as new you know?" The smirk hadn't left his face.

"How?" What was he playing now?

"My blood." He said matter of factly.

"Yeah... Say that one again?" I asked, surely he hadn't said what I thought, right?

"Vampires blood, it heals humans. Quickly." Damon told me his eyes shining.

"I'll take my chances at the hospital thanks." I said with a wrinkle of my forehead. The thought was making me feel a little sick.

"Your choice." Damon shrugged before getting into his car, I followed.

~0~

Damon had been right, I'd cracked my knuckle and had to wear a stupid brace on my hand once more, at least it was only for a couple of weeks.

When I left my room I wasn't too surprised to see Jenna, Alaric, Elena, Jeremy and Stefan waiting for me. I was however surprised to see that Damon was waiting with them.

"Uh, you should have taken my option Rocky. That's going to ruin you're outfit tomorrow." Damon winked at me, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling at me and making my stomach leap. Must be because I was thinking about his blood I told myself.

"Are you okay Bella?" Jenna asked me with concern while shooting a glare at Damon.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse." I smiled at everyone who was looking at me with slight worry.

"C'mon, let's get you home where we can talk." Alaric said, his tone serious in a way I hadn't heard it before, his eyes creased with tension.

"Um... Okay?" I replied nervously, I was pretty sure that I was in some kind of trouble but I wasn't entirely sure why. I mean sure I'd hit a werewolf, but then he'd deserved it, and I'd used what Alaric had taught me so the punch shouldn't have done any damage to anything but Jacob. Oh well guess I'd find out what my slight was when we got home.

I followed my family and the vampires out, thinking about my use of that word; 'home'. I'd never really had a home before. No-where that I felt safe and protected. No place where behind closed doors I could just relax and be myself with no worries just like other people my age. Rene and I moved house every other year in Phoenix, no-where permanent, and even when we were settled I always took care of her, took care of the house, the bills, everything. I was the parent in our relationship. When I moved in with Charlie, Forks never felt like home to me and again I took care of him; making sure he ate well, making sure that the house was clean, the cupboards full, laundry done. Again I was the carer.

I'd never belonged anywhere before, I'd never had a home before, never had anyone take care of me before. Then I'd met them, met the Cullen's and although I'd never felt at home or at ease with them, I'd been taken care of. Maybe a little bit too much care of but still. Esme had taken care of me like a mother was suppose to, Carlisle looked upon me like a father, Emmett was forever a big brother, a prankster, a protector.

But here, here in sleepy, quite Mystic Falls I'd finally found my place, my home. These people, people I was considering my family, they took care of me while still letting me live my own life. They were there but not stifling, they never judged me, never laughed at me. They'd only shown me love and encouragement. I'd never be able to thank them enough. Even now, as my past caught up with me they were still standing strong by my side so that I wasn't alone.

"Hey, Bella, you okay?" Jeremy asked me snapping me out of my thoughts. The car had stopped and everyone was piling into the house except for me, I was still sat in Jenna's car lost in my own world.

"Yeah, sorry." I said with a wan smile before climbing out.

"You were doing so well!" Jer said with a teasing smile. I frowned at him not knowing where he was going with that one. "With the whole not apologising thing."

"I guess I'll just have to start again then." I rolled my eyes but smiled despite that. Jeremy was the little brother slash friend that I wasn't so sure I'd wanted, but I defiantly needed.

I followed him into the house, curious as to what was going to be said in the next few minutes. Curious what my guardian would be scalding me for. I held back a smile at the thought; no-one had ever bothered to scold me before.

~0~

3rd Person P.O.V.

As the family all took places in the living room, sat on couches or on arms of chairs, the two vampires both leaned against the fireplace, one either side like decorative statues. Each brother was focused on one person, wanting to know their reactions to what was going to be said and discussed.

Stefan was watching Elena carefully, monitoring her for any signs of distress. She'd clearly come to love Bella as fiercely as she loved Caroline and Bonnie, as though they were sisters. Her worry and pain for Bella warmed Stefan, his girl truly was the best of all of them.

Damon however was watching the other brunette; Bella. He was proud of her tonight, she was extremely beautiful when angry and almost scary. She'd taken on what she thought was a werewolf with no hesitation, her anger flared up like his own did when rialled. That and she'd relaxed the instant he was next to her, he'd felt it in her posture, in her breathing and in her heart rate. Somethings you just couldn't hide behind a mask, no matter how much you wanted to. Damon was starting to realise that. He was also starting to realise that for some unknown and completely stupid reason Isabella trusted him. She felt safe around him. Damon hoped her trust wasn't misplaced, but he knew himself well enough not to place any bets.

Jenna was frowning at the two vampires, her thoughts scattered with anger and worry. There was nothing more she wanted than to protect her family, which as far as she was concerned now included Bella as well. She wanted to shield this fragile girl from everything, but Jenna knew she couldn't. She wanted to chase the vampires from her house and make sure they never returned. She wanted Damon's soulful glare directed at anything but her two nieces, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to protect them without him. More was the pity.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Bella asked, her voice hesitant and unsure as she looked directly at Alaric.

"That boy, Jacob Black." Alaric started, his temper at an all time high and wishing almost desperately that he could have a drink.

"What about him?" Bella asked with wide eyes, she almost looked fearful. "Look I'm really sorry he came here, and I'll leave if..."

Damon cut over her before she could finish, he was loving the sweet, innocent, hesitant voice she was displaying, and his dick was twitching every time she spoke using it, but he was also slightly pissed, he'd thought he'd broken her really annoying habit. "What have we said about apologising Isabella? Hmmm...?" He asked her sharply but with a twinkle in his eye that he didn't know how to prevent.

"Whatever..." She rolled her eyes at him, using her sharp, I take no shit voice that she only used when she was round him. And he loved it, almost as much as the shy girl thing. She turned from him and faced Alaric once again. "I can leave, I didn't mean to bring this with me." Bella carried on, her voice holding heart ache and remorse that touched everyone in the room.

"Of course we don't want you to leave Bella. Don't be thick." Jeremy said, his voice holding a twinge of anger. He wished desperately that she could see herself clearly, but she had no self worth, no confidence.

"Jeremy's right. Said badly." Jenna sent her nephew a stern look. "But he's right, of course we don't want you to leave."

Bella looked down at her hands, tears making her dark brown eyes glisten. Elena moved closer and took one of her hands before whispering gently to her newest friend, the one person in the world who could relate to her. "You're not going anywhere."

"What I wanted to say, was that he lied to you. He's not a werewolf." Alaric said, his anger all but gone now as he saw how it was affecting his broken niece.

"What!? But he said... And the pack from La Push... And he's not human!" Bella said, her words confused and frantic before she stared down at her braced hand. "He's not human." She repeated.

"No, he isn't. His face, almost hurt my hand." Damon backed up Bella's words, that guy had not been human, otherwise he would have broken dog boys skull with the force of his punch. "I said almost." Damon said with wide eyes as Bella smirked at him.

"So if he's not a werewolf then what is he?" Elena asked.

"Shapeshifter." Stefan supplied quickly and easily. "He changes into a wolf I'm assuming, and I'm guessing that he doesn't know that he's not a werewolf."

"Okay, so he's not quite a werewolf... What's that matter?" Jeremy asked confused, why was everyone freaking so much?

"Bella has just pissed off wolf boy that can change at will and kill us all." Damon explained with a frown.

"Jacob wouldn't, he won't..." Bella started stuttering, all confused and hesitant again. Damon moved uncomfortably as his jeans seemed to shrink around his dick. If his problem got any worse his zipper would soon be cutting off little-big Damon.

"Did you think that he'd ever hurt you? Or that he'd ever force himself on you?" Jenna asked softly, but feeling her anger rising once more. "We don't know what he's capable of."

"So what does this mean? We've got something else on our plates?" Jeremy asked with a sigh. Could his life get any stranger?

"Yup. And it also means that Rocky there needs a body guard at all times." Damon said seriously. Hmmm... But what a body to guard.

"I'm already being babysat round the clock." Bella huffed out.

"And look how well that went." Damon replied with a pointed look at the brace on her hand.

"We just have to be more vigilant." Stefan said with a small grimace that was attempting to be a smile at Bella. He knew that all of her friends, himself included, would do anything to make sure that she stayed safe and carried on healing visibly in front of their eyes.