Chapter 21

I wasn't sure I was quite awake yet. For all I knew I was still drunk. The half naked person sitting on top of my desk could not be Jake. I was sure that Jake was all the way across the country in La Push probably sitting in his garage working on his Rabbit. Jake couldn't be across my room sitting on top of my desk. He couldn't be. Could he?

"I cannot believe you Bella, out of all the people to make friends with, you pick fucking vampires, AGAIN. Are you on a death wish or something? Do you want those bloodsuckers to drain you dry? To leave you dead like the stupid mother fucking Cullen leaches did before them?"

Yes, Jacob Black was definitely sitting across from me. Jake was in Mystic Falls.

I sat up in my bed and stared at him blankly. Still trying to process his arrival. What the hell was he doing here?

"Seriously Bella, you show up a few weeks ago at Harry's funeral, pretending not to know about these leeches and then all I hear from Charlie when I call is that you're with Elena, and Stefan, and Damon, and I relax because I'm thinking you're not alone, you have company and you've made friends. But now I get here, and the second I set foot in this freakin' vampire infested town I get wind that your friends are actually vampires? Vampires Bella? SERIOUSLY? Have you learned nothing in this past year?"

I sat up from my bed and walked towards Jake. I stood in front of him carelessly. Not even mad by his accusations and his invasion of my privacy. I was really serene. I looked at him.

"Jake, I don't know when you got here, or why you are here. All I know is that I've had a very long day, I'm tired, I'm hung-over, I haven't showered, my head still feels like it's going to explode, and your incessant scolding rant isn't helping. I'm going to take a shower, now please get out of my room," I said calmly as I looked into his warm eyes without blinking.

He opened his mouth to say something but before he could say anything I put my hand over it and signaled with my free hand to the door.

"Out," I told him once more.

He tried to speak, I closed my eyes, turned my head away and shook my hand towards the door again.

He got up obediently and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. I locked it and ran a hand across my messy hair. I sighed and glanced at the window. A very cocky crow was sitting there. He winked at me and flew away. I went into the bathroom, letting the tub fill with warm water as I took my clothes off.

I laid in the tub for a while, letting the warm water soothe me.

All hell was going to break loose with Jake in town. A wolf, in a town that was crawling with vampires.

What would Damon and Stefan say about Jake being here? Once I had explained everything to him, would he understand? Would he befriend the Salvatores? Would he let his hatred towards vampires come over him or would he let it go?

Oh my God… Jake meeting Damon would be such a bad bad bad idea.

I took a deep breath and sunk in the tub.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

I loved being able to listen to my heart beat. In the past few days with Damon gone, I had found myself doing this very thing over and over. Before Stefan arrived for Bella Patrol, I'd fill the tub, and sink in. Everything would go quiet, and I'd listen to the sound of my heart. It soothed me.

After a while I was a little calmer, and holding my breath was proving not be an easy task, so I got out of the tub and put some clean clothes on.

I had felt like a disgusting drunk all day. I had never been out of my house without taking a shower. I could smell alcohol reeking out of me as I moved.

After combing my hair and drying it out a bit I noticed my stomach growling. I hadn't eaten anything since early this morning at the diner with Damon. I went downstairs and found Jake sitting at the bottom of the stairs, this time with a shirt on. I walked past him and went to the door.

"I'm starving, and there's no food in the fridge, you can come if you want to," I said as I opened the door.

"Bella, we need-"

"Are you hungry?" I asked cutting him off, right now I didn't want to have that conversation.

He stared at me, "You know me, I'm always hungry," he answered shrugging.

"Good, now let's go," I said as I walked out of the house.

I made my way to the sidewalk with Jake close behind me.

"Shouldn't we stay in?" he asked.

"No."

He was scared, it was already dark outside, and he probably didn't know what he was up against with this kind of vampire.

"Bella let's order take out," he suggested.

"No."

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To The Grill," I answered coldly.

"Is it far away?" he asked.

"No, it's within walking distance."

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"I don't know, you tell me. That's what you're here for… aren't you?" I asked, wanting him to tell me once and for all the real reason for his sudden appearance in Mystic Falls.

He was quiet and grabbing my hand twirled me around to face him, "You know I would never let anything happen to you. I will always have your back Bells."

"Good. Let's hurry up, I'm starving."

My cellphone buzzed. I had received a text. I opened it, it read:

Aww, you're walking the puppy, how cute.

I ignored the text, full aware of who had sent it, I didn't need caller ID to figure that one out. We kept on walking.

"Who was that?" Jake asked.

"My mother," I lied.

He stopped in his steps and grabbed my arm, turning me to face him.

"Bella, cut the crap, we need to talk."

"Not out here," I said in a whisper.

He looked around and nodded. We walked in silence the rest of the way.

We stepped into The Grill and I immediately made out Jeremy and Anna sitting in a booth in the corner of the room. Anna's face changed as soon as we set feet across the door. Jeremy looked at me confused, more than likely wondering who the big tanned guy I was with was. I gave them a small smile as we made our way to a free table.

We sat down as Jake inspected the space.

"Jesus Bella," he hissed in a whisper.

"Shut it Jake, don't start," I said as Matt approached our table.

"Hey Bella," he greeted me.

"Hi Matt, this is Jake, a friend from back home," I said as I pointed to Jake.

"Hey man, welcome to town. How long are you staying here?" Matt asked.

"Yes, Jake, how long are you staying here?" I asked wondering the answer to that question.

"As long as it takes," he said faking a smile.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here," Matt said politely.

"Oh I most certainly will," Jake answered confidently as he looked directly at me.

"I'm going to leave the menu so that you check it out and I'll be back in a minute okay?"

"Sure sure, thanks man," Jake answered.

Matt walked away and I leaned over the table.

"Please Jake, don't cause any trouble," I told him.

"I'm here to clean away your trouble Bells," he said confidently.

"No Jake, don't. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," I told him as he glanced over the menu.

"And you do?" he asked looking over the top of the menu.

"I've got friends who do," I answered.

"What? Your vampire friends?" he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and then looked over at Anna, who's face had practically transformed into one of rage.

"They are not your friends Bella," he said, anger in his eyes.

"We are not talking about this here," I told him as I picked out what I was going to eat.

He sighed in frustration and sank in his seat.

I heard the door open, and by the look on Jake's face I had a pretty good idea of who had walked in.

I turned around, Stefan, Elena and Damon were standing in the doorway. Elena greeted me with a smile, so did Stefan. Damon, being Damon, gave me a small nod. His face, expressionless. They walked past us and sat with Jeremy and Anna.

"That girl… she isn't…"

"No, she's not. Now drop it Jake, I mean it," I said, raising my hand, signaling Matt to come over.

We ordered our food. I kept glancing over towards the booth in the corner of the room, they kept talking among themselves and looking at me. I had a feeling they weren't really talking trash, I knew they were just curious.

"How's Billy?" I asked trying to make new conversation.

"He's… fine," he answered with his mouth full.

"And the boys?"

"They're good too. Not so happy about me being here, but they support my decision."

"Support is good, everyone needs support."

"Exactly. That's why I'm here."

I raised my head from the plate.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You can't be here by yourself Bella. It's not safe. I've come to take you home," he answered.

I almost choked from surprise.

"What?" I asked as I cleaned my mouth with the napkin, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm taking you home, I've spoken with Charlie, everything is set, you're staying with me," he explained.

"What?"

"It's better if you have more people with you, that way the red-"

"You spoke with Charlie about this?" I said as I felt blood pumping quickly through me. Anger was starting to boil inside me.

"He called Sam a few days ago to ask him about something, and Sam offered for us to take care of you considering everything that's going on here," he explained.

"Well, he didn't say anything to me, and I don't want to go Jake," I said as I took the knife and started cutting with all my strength my steak, making the plate screech.

"You're coming with me Bella."

"No. I'm not. It's my life, I decide where I want to be. And guess what Jake? The last thing I want to do is go back to Forks. I'm staying here."

"I can't have you staying by yourself."

I scoffed.

"I'm not alone Jake," I said putting a piece of meat in my mouth

"What? You think those motherfuckers have your back?" he said as he pointed back to where Elena and the others were.

"Yes, Jake, they do."

"You've known them for what five minutes? And you believe they actually give a damn about you?" he said in disbelief.

"I know they do," I said as I tried to swallow. Rage was starting to form inside me.

"Bella you are so naïve."

I let out a loud sigh.

"You don't know shit Jacob," I answered irritated.

"I don't know shit? I know that the minute things start getting uncomfortable for them, when people start asking questions they will leave. And they will leave you behind. They don't care if you're okay, they won't care if you're alive. And you know it. And the last thing I want to do again is pick up the sorry pieces they leave behind once they're gone."

I clenched my jaw together and shook my head. I was fighting back the tears that I knew were coming. This was a low blow, bringing them up like this.

"They are soulless abominations and they don't care Bella."

I dropped my fists loudly on the table. I glared at him and stood up, took him by his hands and dragged him to the back of the room where the bathrooms were.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he noticed we were going into the girls' bathroom.

There were to freshmen in there, "Get out," I said menacingly to them. They quickly made their way out and left Jake and I alone.

"Bella-"

"You see this Jake? This is where Victoria found and cornered me a week ago," I said as I pointed to the spot where she had appeared. Surprise came across Jake's face instantly, and it went white in a split second.

I pulled him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, walking to the back door and heading out to the alley.

"This is where she brought me, and insisted I stay quiet," I pointed to the ground. Then I went over to the alley's wall and touched it with my left hand, "This is where she pushed me, and hit my head. Then she threw me there, and kicked me until my ribs were broken. She stepped on my leg, and my arm, breaking them both, and then she hit my head on the asphalt so hard I blacked out."

"Bella I-"

"I'm pretty sure that if you kneel down and put your nose to the ground you could still smell the blood."

Jake's eyes widened.

"Oh yes Jake, there was blood. So much blood I almost died. But you know why I'm alive Jake? I'm alive, because of those soulless motherfucking abominations of bloodsuckers, as you have insisted on calling them since you got here. I'm alive, because they came to my rescue, and took care of me in ways no one, no one, has ever taken care of me. Those monsters as you call them, have had my back since the day that happened. They haven't taken their eyes off me. They've sacrificed everything they've got going here so that I stay safe. They've been my support in more ways than you can possibly imagine, and I've known them for what? Five minutes? So yes Jake, I do believe they actually give a damn about me."

"Where were you Jake when it happened? Weren't you supposed to have Victoria cornered? 'Things are fine Bella', that's what you said the last time we talked. 'We have her under control', you said that too. But you didn't have her cornered, you had no clue what her plan was, did you? Excuse me if I'd rather stay here with people who actually know what they're doing."

"Now, if you're going to stay here, I expect some respect towards my friends. Because, unlike the Cullens, they've proven to me that they are not going to bail when things get rough. I expect you to stop speaking in a derogatory manner about them when you don't even know them."

"Bella I had no idea, I didn't-" he tried to say.

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. I'm staying Jake, I'm not going back to Forks," I said shaking my head.

We stayed quiet for a while. He stood there looking around the alley, I think he was picturing everything that happened. I hoped my words were sinking in, and that he reconsidered his attitude towards the guys.

I stared at my feet thinking that I never would have guessed that I would walk back into this alley willingly. My breath had returned to normal and my stomach surprisingly started growling again.

"Let's get back inside," I said as I walked to the door. Jake nodded and followed behind me.

We sat back down in our table and started eating again in silence. Since my little explosive rant Jacob hadn't said a word. He was quiet.

I slowly raised my head from the table and glanced towards the booth. Stefan and Elena smiled at me warmly, Anna nodded in approval, and Damon raised his beer, saluting me, and then he winked. The little flame of anger that was still dancing around inside me ceased and it was replaced by a feeling of peace and support.

"I want to meet them," Jake said out of nowhere, breaking my little line of thought.

I looked up, "What?"

"I want to meet them, your… friends. I'd like to meet them."

I quickly looked towards the booth, where Damon rolled his eyes and started shaking his hand to his the neck, as if saying "Kill that idea, don't". Stefan pushed Damon and shrugged, saying it was okay.

"Are you sure?" I asked to confirm Jake's sudden request.

He looked at his fingers intently for a while and then locked his eyes with mine, "Yes. I want to meet them."

I nodded and after swallowing the piece of meat that I was still chewing said, "No name calling Jake. No hot headed comments. You will remain calm. Most importantly, you will listen to whatever they have to say. Is that clear?"

He nodded.

"Okay then, let's introduce you."

We stood up and walked to the corner of the room.

"You clean up well," Jeremy said as we approached them. Jacob glanced at me and I opened my eyes widely at Jeremy, who was clearly making fun of my hangover. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You guys, I'd like for you to meet my very good friend, Jacob Black. Jacob, these are Jeremy, Anna, Elena, Stefan and Damon."

They all nodded and gave him a small smile, except for Damon who remained serious, never blinking, or taking his eyes off of Jake.

I could tell Jacob was uncomfortable, that this "fraternizing with the enemy" went against every cell in his body. But even though his insides were turning, I could tell he was in control.

"Hello," he said soberly.

I looked from Jake to the guys, and then back to Jake. This was a very awkward situation.

"Why don't we go somewhere else, I'm quite sure you might have questions," Stefan said quietly to Jake.

"I think that's a good idea," I said as I looked around, the place was practically full, we couldn't have a conversation here without the risk of being over heard.

"Sure," Jake answered.

We paid for our food, and walked out to the parking lot. Elena, Stefan, Jeremy and Anna, got into Elena's car.

"There's room for one more," Jeremy said before closing the door.

Jacob glanced back at me.

"Get in the car Fido," Damon said holding the door open for Jake, I rolled my eyes at him, this thing wasn't going to be easy. He quickly added, "Isabella will come with me."

Jake's jaw clasped and I put my hand quickly on his chest.

"Go with Elena, I'll ride with Damon," I told him.

He glared at Damon, who was just standing there blithely opening the door.

"I'd rather go with you," Jake told me.

"Not a chance. Be a good boy and get in the car," Damon told him. Jake clenched his fists tightly.

"Jake, please, you promised," I said quietly.

He unhappily got in the car and closed the door behind him, pulling the window down as soon as he got the chance.

"Signorina," Damon said handing me the helmet to the bike, I took it and looked back to Elena's car, where Jake had his eyes on me.

Damon pulled out his bike and I couldn't help but bite my lower lip and shrug at Jake once he saw the bike. If he wasn't clenching his jaw so tightly I'm pretty sure it would have dropped to the ground in a second.

Damon helped me get on the bike, and the next second we were already out on the main road that led to the boarding house. We rode behind Elena, but in the first chance he got, he quickly sped and passed Elena's car. We got to the house first.

"Explain to me how he knows what you are? Did he see one of you guys?" I asked as Damon put me down and was taking my helmet off.

He sighed, "That would be my fault. I went to your father's office this afternoon to talk about some council things, as I was going out of his office, Jacob was arriving. Charlie actually introduced us. He whiffed me out immediately. It's a natural response. They smell disgusting to us, we smell nauseating to them."

"Damon please don't pick on him, don't start a fight."

"I can take him."

"Promise me, promise me you wont fight with him," I begged.

He rolled his eyes, "I wont physically hurt him..."

There he went, twisting my words to get his way.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Fine, I'll take what can."

Elena pulled up the drive way, and Jake quickly got out of the car. I walked up to him.

"You okay?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, and walked to the furthest corner of the porch, where he took a deep breath before turning around to us again.

Apparently Damon, Stefan and Anna really did smell bad.

"Come on in guys," Stefan said while holding the door to the house open.

We walked in and made our way into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Jake sat next to me, his hand to his nose, covering it.

Stefan examined him and stood up. He walked to one of the large windows and after clearing the drapes, opened it, letting the cold night breeze in. He looked compassionately at Jake and nodded.

I think this made Jake relax a little.

How bad could the smell be? I took a deep breath, trying to get some air in, and smell something. But I didn't smell anything, other than the classic smell of wood this house had.

Damon was standing by the bar, mixing his usual bloody scotch. Jake looked at his disgusted, while Damon took a sip and pleasingly smirked as he did so.

"You have questions, I imagine," Stefan said as he sat down again.

Jake stared at Stefan, probably deciding what question to ask first, I could only imagine the amount of questions he had.

After asking the basics, the differences between them and the Cullens, the whole walking on sunshine thing, I thought he was going to be more pissed than ever.

Instead he stood up and extended his hand to Stefan, who took it and shook it strongly.

"Thank you," he said.

Stefan nodded, and then Jake sat down again.

Damon scoffed.

"You're shaking the wrong hands," he said as he took another sip.

I glanced back at him.

"It was a team effort," Elena said cutting in.

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't forget whose blood she's got running through her veins," Damon said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jake asked looking at me.

"Damon gave me his blood to save me when Victoria attacked me," I explained.

"He gave you his blood, like a transfusion?" Jake asked.

"Our blood has healing abilities," Stefan explained.

"So you gave her your blood for her to heal?" Jake asked confirming the information that was just given to him.

"I fed her my blood," Damon said with mischief.

"What?" Jake asked confused.

"She drank my blood," Damon spoke again.

Jake glared at me, "For God's sake Bella."

"I was unconscious, I can't even believe I did that," I explained to him.

"It was the fastest way to get her to heal, we know Bella doesn't like blood," Stefan explained.

"There was no other way? You couldn't take her to a hospital?" Jake asked, clearly disgusted by the idea of me drinking blood.

"There was no time, she was bleeding out quickly and, by the time we got her to the hospital she would have been dead already," Elena answered.

"Besides, what were they supposed to say at the hospital? A crazy vampire attacked her?" Jeremy cut in.

"Charlie doesn't know does he?" Jake asked me.

I shook my head.

Jacob looked down to his feet.

"Does it have any side effects?" he asked.

"Charlie not knowing?" I asked confused.

"The blood, does the blood have any side effects?" he asked, trying to clear up the question.

We all looked at each other and stayed quiet.

He glanced around, and confusion, anger and fear appeared on his face.

"Are, are you… are you becoming one of them?" he asked and moved closer to me, taking a whiff at my neck, "you smell sweeter, Bella, are you becoming one of them? Did this asshole infect you?" he asked pointing at Damon.

"I'm not infected. He saved my life. No, I'm not becoming like them… unless I die and his blood is still in my system and I feed on a human," I explained.

"What?"

"In order to become like us, a human has to die with our blood in their system, and for the transition to be complete, he or she, has to drink human blood," Stefan explained.

"How long until the blood is out of her system?" Jake asked desperately.

"We don't know," Stefan answered.

"What do you mean you don't know? How much did you give her?"

"She sucked me dry," Damon answered as he slumped next to me and patted my lap.

"What does that mean?" Jake spat.

"It means, it will take a while, do the math Pup," Damon answered putting his feet up on the table and taking a sip from his glass.

"How long?" Jacob asked again.

"A couple of weeks, maybe more," Anna answered, "She was pretty banged up. Normally, it takes twenty four hours when it's a sip, or a glass, but she needed a lot of it, so we don't really know how long."

"Jesus Bella!" Jake said standing up and walking towards the window.

"I'm alive Jake, I'm still me," I told him.

"You're still you?" he scoffed, "I don't see you in there anymore. The Bella I know, doesn't show up drunk to school, the Bella I know, is honest, the Bella I know doesn't go and color her hair some crazy color just to fit in."

"The Bella you knew Jake, was scared, and alone. She didn't know who she was, or what she wanted to be. I'm still me, just a little braver, and my priorities are straight. My priority right now is to stay alive, and if I die, then I would like to have lived my life."

He stared out the window. Elena sat next to me and grabbed my hand.

"I like your hair," Jeremy pointed out out of nowhere. I smiled at him, he winked at me.

"You must know Jacob, that the only thing we wanted at the time was to get Bella to safety and make her better. Our intention has never been to cause her any harm," Stefan said diplomatically.

"Let's just find the bitch who did this and take her down," Anna said.

"Damon, this little trip of yours, what did you find out?" Jeremy asked.

Damon looked around. Jake was now facing the group.

"She's tricky, she's a master at escaping. Quite the strategist. She's the last remaining vampire of her coven, Eddie destroyed her mate, Bingo over there finished the other French guy. She's fueled by heartbreak and revenge. So this isn't going to be easy," Damon explained.

"What about the vampire guy that hurt Caroline? Where does he come in?" Elena asked.

"He's new. Not exactly a newborn, but he's new." Stefan answered.

"Is she forming a new coven?" I asked as my heartbeat picked up.

"Not exactly," Damon answered and locked his eyes with Stefan's.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jake asked.

"She probably just wants some backup, we have to start looking at things the way she does," Stefan said,

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We keep it unpredictable. Let's not fall into routines. That means, not taking the same route to school, not doing the same activities afterwards, the time you go to bed at night, where you eat, what you eat, the things you do for fun," Damon said as he looked at me.

"Unpredictable," I repeated. Damon nodded.

"What was your approach with your pack Jacob?" Stefan asked him.

After thinking about it for a moment he finally spoke.

"We kept a patrol, once she crossed us, we went after her."

"How many of you are there again?" Damon asked.

"A few," Jake answered.

"And you never once caught her?" Damon asked with malice.

"Like you said, she's a master at escaping," Jake answered, clenching his jaw, trying to compose himself.

"No, maybe you just stink pup," Damon said.

"Damon," I warned him.

"What? He's harmless, he's not going to do anything, are you Bingo?" Damon kid.

Jake took deep breaths, "My name, is Jacob, leech."

"Did I make the doggy mad?"

"Damon, stop it," I said again. I looked at Jake who had his hands and jaw clenched tightly. I noticed how he started shaking, and then I got scared.

"He's not going to do anything Bella, he knows better," Damon told me confidently.

The next thing I knew, Jake was shaking uncontrollably and in a split second he went from human Jake to Jake the big brown wolf, growling and baring his teeth at Damon.

Damon didn't flinch; he stood there calmly studying Jake in wolf form.

"Good. You're bigger than I thought. You might actually be of some use to us," he said as he walked around Jake in circles, studying him.

I walked up to Jake, and put my hands on his face. I looked into his brown chocolate eyes, trying to calm him down, he was irritated. I know he'd been holding in all the anger he felt. He has been fighting his natural instincts for the past two hours and I guess that's not an easy thing to do.

"Now, let me see those teeth again," Damon ordered.

Jake was pissed again, and the growling started once more.

"Yes, those babies are going to help us, cold ones are hard to beat, much more kill, but not impossible," Damon said, a spark of something I did not recognize in his eyes.

He… he was excited. He liked this, this, planning and being in control, hunting.

"Now, let's take a walk Droopy," he said as he pointed outside.

Jacob studied him.

"We're on the same side here, remember?" Stefan told him, as he tried to mediate between the two.

Jake walked out of the house, Damon and Stefan followed behind him. Through the open window I could see them walk to the backyard. Damon was giving instructions, and Stefan was doing so as well. Every now and again Jake would growl or bare his teeth and Stefan tried to calm him down.

Then, Jake turned around and ran to the window where I was standing. He jumped up and ran his head across my chest. I patted him and then before I knew it he was running out the yard.

"Where is he going?" I asked confused to Damon who was just walking inside again.

"I sent him on a mission," he answered carelessly.

"What kind of a mission?" I asked again.

"Surveillance, tracking, you know, dog duty," he answered and raised his shoulders as if saying, no big deal, and I don't care.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked Stefan.

He nodded.

"I hate to say it, but the pup can take care of himself," Damon answered and picked up his already empty glass from the table. He studied it for a while and then walked out of the living room to get a refill.

I slumped on the couch next to Jeremy.

"That was one big dog," he said quietly.

"Yeah, he's big," I replied.

"You don't get scared easily do you?" he asked.

"I get scared with red headed vampires," I answered.

"You're weird Swan," Jeremy stated.

"Why thank you," I answered. I'd rather be weird than common.

Elena sat beside me and leaned her head on my shoulder. There we were, the three humans, sitting quietly on the couch. I guess no one could understand us more than the three of us in this particular moment. We all had dated or were dating vampires. Elena had had her share of crazy persecutions these past few months, and Jeremy, Jeremy had dealt with more death and heartbreak than any kid his age.

"Isabella," Damon called me, breaking my train of thought.

I sat up straight and turned my head to look at him leaning on the banister next to the stairs.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's go," he said motioning his head to the door.

I turned to Elena and Jeremy and patted their legs before standing up.

"Bye guys, thanks for everything," I said as I accommodated my jeans.

"No problem, just another night in Mystic Falls, nothing odd about that," Jeremy answered carelessly.

I kicked his leg playfully and then walked up the stairs where Damon was waiting.

He put his arm around my shoulders and walked me outside. I stopped dead in my steps when I realized we were walking in the direction of the woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm taking you home," he answered calmly, like it was the most normal route in the world to take in the middle of the night, with a crazy vampire with a vendetta running around.

"You're taking me home, through the woods?" I asked in disbelief.

"They've seen then bike, they've seen the cars, they've never seen us walking through the woods. Keep it unpredictable remember?"

I sighed, he was right.

"Besides, Balto just ran through here, they wouldn't take this route even if their lives depended on it."

We started walking again, slowly making our way through the tall grass and tree roots that were sticking out everywhere. Damon would grab my hand to keep me steady.

"You know, I don't remember there being this many roots the last time we came through here," I said as I pulled my hear behind my ears as I tried to see where I was putting my feet.

"The last time we took this route you were drunk, of course you don't remember, you were too busy blabbing on about how much trouble you'd be in if Charlie found you at the cemetery."

"Yeah, I talked a lot that night didn't I?" I said, trying to be carefull where I put my feet.

"Oh yeah," Damon said chuckling.

"So you've made it your purpose to help me get those things I said done?" I asked.

He shrugged, "I've got time, and nothing better to do," he answered.

I nudged his ribs.

"You enjoy my company, admit it," I said.

He stayed quiet.

"Come on, admit," I said playfully.

"You enjoy my company, and I enjoy my company, I'm a blast to be around," he answered humorously.

I shook my head, "One of these days Damon Salvatore, you'll stop messing around with my words and just answer directly. One of these days I'm going to get inside that locked up head of yours."

"Keep on dreaming honey, keep on dreaming."

We walked in silence for a few minutes, and then I finally asked him the question that was burning up inside me since he told us what he had found out about Victoria. That couldn't be it. There had to be more.

"Damon, that wasn't the only thing you found out about Victoria, was it? You know more," I said and stopped walking.

He turned around.

"That's all you need to know for now."

"So there is more," I concluded.

"Yes, there's more."

"How much more?"

"Enough for me to claim something after we're done with her," he answered and started walking again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I was confused. What was he claiming? Like a bounty? I started walking again after him, and grabbed his arm, making him come to a stop.

"Wait, Damon. Are you talking about the Volturi?" I asked, whispering their name.

He was quiet.

"Do they want her?" I asked him.

He just stood there.

"If they want her, wont she talk? Wont she say something about the Cullens and get them into trouble? I'm not supposed to know, I'm not supposed to be alive to speak about them. I don't want them to get killed because of me. Will they come after me then? Because I know? Say something dammit!"

He sighed.

"Yes they want her. No, you wont get into trouble. The Cullens will get what they get. Now get it together and calm the fuck down."

"Why wont I get into trouble? Don't they kill humans that know?" I asked confused.

"I've vouched on your behalf. They trust me. Don't make me regret it," he answered, and just like that he started walking again, and I followed him quietly.

I felt my stomach clench in happiness. A warm feeling invaded me. Without saying the exact words, I knew, once again, that Damon trusted me. He trusted me so much, that he gave the Volturi his word about me. He claimed responsibility for whatever happened.

If this ended badly, badly as in, I die in the next few weeks, I was sure he'd take me in, give me his hand, and that he wouldn't leave me alone.

Damon trusted me, and that in some way or another he was starting to care, and I was somehow okay with it.

A/N:

I hope the chapter makes up for my long and absurd absence from FF. As some of you know, I'm back in school and juggling both school and work is having it's toll on me. I found the time to finish this chapter. Count on the chapters to be more frequent from now on.

Don't forget to review! Reviews are better than... umm... the Delena kiss from the season finale? Yes.

XOXO