Chapter 13

The week passed in frosted silence.

Damon was sullen and withdrawn. He spent his days drinking and smoking. He spent his night alone in the big bed. He hadn't drunk a single drop of blood since that night.

Every time he stepped out to the deck he'd see three partially hidden large wolves. The beasts were observing him with their cold eyes. They were waiting for him to make one single wrong move.

So he drank. He smoked. He spent night after night cuddling the pillow Bella slept on until her scent faded.

Bella was quiet. As the bruises on her arms changed color from a bluish purple to dark red she withdrew to herself. She spent her days reading, barely eating anything. Most nights she stayed out at the deck. Under the moon she felt safe enough to close her eyes.

She would wake up every two hours as if she had a baby to feed. Unknown to her, she would toss and move on the deck recliner at the same time Damon did in their bed.

The show's producers couldn't be happier. The ratings were marvelous as the couple fell slowly and securely in love but their sudden breakup and the roommate's sulking had their crowd rooting for them. At talk shows people began breaking up in teams supporting either Damon or Bella.

It didn't matter that no one knew exactly 'why' the couple broke up. No one cared for it. Except one person that drove to them that Friday.

Bella was reading the final page of her book when the doorbell rang. She looked up at it. With a detached frown she finished her page, closed the book, placed it on the coffee table and moved to answer the door.

On the other side was tall man with spiky light brown hair, striking yet friendly green eyes and Damon's ring on his left hand. Bella's stomach tightened.

"I'm Stefan"

He said

"Good for you"

Bella deadpanned. The teenage girl next to Stefan rolled her brown eyes and stuck one hand out to Bella

"Hi, I'm Elena. Ignore my boyfriend; he forgot his manners in the car"

An amused smile appeared on Bella's face and she shook Elena's hand

"I'm Bella."

"Can we come in?"

Elena asked moving the planted pot in her arms from one hand to another. Bella nodded and took a step back. Only Elena stepped in. Bella frowned at Stefan while Elena let an exasperated sigh

"You can come inside too Stefan"

She told her boyfriend who gave her a mock glare and stepped inside. The glare was so identical to Damon's that Bella sighed and wrapped one arm around her torso.

"Where's my brother?"

Stefan asked seeing her pained expression. Bella shrugged one shoulder. With a heavy sigh and a brooding frown Stefan walked straight to the bedroom.

"We brought this for you"

Elena said passing the pot to Bella. The two girls carried the large pot to the coffee table and put it next to it on the floor. Bella passed her fingers through the bright green branches of the plant and smelled them.

"What is it?"

"It's vervain, local to our town. Stefan's uncle grows it; I didn't think he'd miss one pot"

The girl said with a smile that could be viewed as coy. Bella felt a non forced smile grow on her lips as she smelt the hand she passed through the plant. It smelt woodsy and fresh, like mint. With another whiff she detected the warmth that flooded through the Pack.

"Would you like some coffee?"

She asked Elena who smiled broadly and friendly

"I'd love some"

Stefan winced as he stepped in his parents' old bedroom. Everything was the same as the last time he stepped in. when their mother was still alive and happy.

He shook his head to chase the ghosts away. His green eyes locked on the barely surviving vampire on the bed. Damon was curled to a ball, on the bed's right side, clutching a pillow and pressing it tight to his nose.

It was the same position his big brother had stayed in for weeks when their mother died. Stefan moved before his brain registered the movement. With a blink of an eye he crossed the room, sat on the bed and pulled his brother close.

Lucky for him Damon was numb otherwise he'd make a snaky comment about them acting as teenage girls. That would start argument.

Instead Damon stayed quiet with his broken, melted water eyes gaze on his brother. His skin was ashen from hunger but he couldn't move. He had found the exact spot Bella had slept in. with a soft sigh Stefan pushed back the unruly mop of black hair from demon's forehead and pulled a flash from his pocket.

Carefully he lifted the flask over Damon's lips and tipped it. With the first few drops of blood touching Damon's lip, the vampire remained unmoving. It wasn't until he swallowed, that he shuddered in disgust.

Stefan narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to bring his brother human blood. Damon would have to deal with golden retriever blood from the animal shelter. Damon tried to get away from him foul smelling and tasting liquid.

Stefan wasn't having any of it and forced his brother to drink up until the flash was empty and then held him down until Damon gave up on the idea of spitting it out.

"You could have just called"

Damon attempted a snarky croak as Stefan chuckled and hugged his brother. Bella's pillow was squished between them.

"Then I couldn't tell you to get your sorry behind in the shower and then to apologize to Bella. Unless you want Zach to get here"

Stefan delivered their nephew's-who-acted-like-their-uncle message. Damon winced and gave a brooding frown that matched Stefan's to a T.

"What happened?"

Stefan asked him softly. Feelings were his specialty. Damon looked at the cameras around them. Stefan nodded skeptical. Then he pulled his brother to the bathroom, tossed him under the shower still clothed and spoke too low for any human to hear

"What did you do Damon?"

"For once I did nothing"

Damon said before tossing his dirty clothes out. Stefan sighed and sat on the closed toilet lid. He knew Damon would open up sooner or later.

Bella and Elena were sitting at the deck having the exact same conversation. Minus the blood bags and fangs issues. Had Elena been her vampire look-a-like Katherine, he would have heard the snorts Jake, Embry and Seth were giving each other as Bella skirted around the real issue, pointing her bruised arms as the excuse.

Elena pursed her full lips. She didn't doubt Bella only she could see what the older girl refused to acknowledge. Bella's racer back violet top cut off denim shorts and blue converse told her true intentions. She was ready to bolt.

The bathroom door opened as the two girls set the table. Both Elena and Bella raised their left eyebrow at the brother's similarly disheveled hair and clothes that made the vampires take a step back.

"This looks amazing Bella. You didn't have to cook for us"

Stefan said. His smile and easy going personality was back. Damon offered a hesitant smile that made Elena think of a little boy. Bella's eyes met Damon's.

Stefan decided he'd be the role model and took a bit bite of the meat on his plate. Immediately he spat it out. Not fast enough though. Damon had taken an even bigger bite

Both brothers were glaring at Bella as the were coughing up like crazy. Bella was alarmed while Elena had a pleased expression on her pretty face.

"What the hell did you put in it?"

Stefan screamed. Damon was on his knees trying with all his might to cough the extra big bite up

"vervain. The plant you guys brought. It's so fresh"

"Zach made me do it"

Elena said and took a bite of her own meat with a pleased smile. Bella tried it and didn't find anything wrong with it.

"Always make him eat some vervain when he's annoying you. Zach said so"

Elena told Bella with a secret smile and a wink. Bella understood the meaning and smiled.

"Ill keeps that in mind"

Finally spitting up their food Stefan and Damon were on their knees.

"What will it take for you to forgive me?"

Damon asked honestly as Stefan eyed his girlfriend with distrusting eyes.

"Nothing as long as you don't lie to me again. Your pain was enough"

Bella smirked at the black haired vampire. Locking eyes with her, Damon took another bite of the vervained meat.