Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

Out of the Dark & Into the Light

A/N: This story is written as a collaboration by Katara Melody Cullen and both XoBellaItalianaoX . If you have any questions, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter. We hope that you enjoy the story and look forward to reading your reviews. – Bella'Xo

Reminder: For anyone who is interested in PICTURES, I have this story posted on my Wattpad page under the same Penname. There is a picture posted with each chapter of a scene from within said chapter. This is the same for each of my stories! Check em' out and let me know what you think! ;-)

Chapter 24
(Damien's POV)

I had just gotten off of the phone with Crystal, my little sister, from here in Texas. It's been a couple of days since I had last heard from her, which was back when her mother, Esme, had come to ask Crystal to come back home with her to help their family destroy the army of newborn vampires who were made with the intent to take out not only her family, but Crystal's brother's very human mate.

Ever since their departure, I have been beside myself with worry for her, and even though he doesn't show it, I know that Jackson was worried about her, as well. Crystal has been like a daughter to him. Nowadays, he has been focusing his concentration on other things in order to keep his mind off of Crystal and her lack of phone calls – and by this, I mean that he has been keeping company with a new girlfriend with a two-faced personality. Whenever he's not around, it's like someone flips a switch and she turns into a glorified mega-bitch from hell rather than the sweet and doting woman she tries to play herself off as. Regardless of my misgivings about the girl, I didn't want to say anything to him about her second persona, especially since she seems to make him happy - at least that's what it seems like from where I'm standing.

After sitting alone in the living room lost in deep thought, I finally made the spontaneous decision to head to Forks and quickly hopped on the phone with the airport to reserve my ticket. I had immediately headed up the stairs to my bedroom to pack a duffle bag and headed out the front door towards the airport after jotting down a quick note to Jackson regarding my trip to Forks. I fully expected a phone call later on.

Once I finished checking in and picking up my ticket, I headed through the security check point, thankful that I wasn't subjected to a random search. I made a quick stop at the nearest barista for a large coffee and waited in the seating area until I was called to board the plane.

Standing in line, I began to think about Crystal and the excitement I felt at being able to see my little sister and her so called 'mate', Jasper Whitlock, also known as 'The Major', who was known as one of the most fearsome vampires in existence. I was curious about their relationship and made it my business to do my research the second I found out about the connection he shared with Crystal via Carlisle when I called last week after not hearing from anyone since her departure.

"Sir, may I please see your boarding pass?" The flight attendant asked, breaking me out of my internal monologue. I pulled my ticket and boarding pass out of my back pocket and handed it to her. She took it with a flirty smile, and glanced down at it before giving it back to me with a smile. "Thank you, sir, and enjoy your flight," She said with a wink.

I nodded and took the ticket, holding it up with a courteous nod. "Thank you, Ma'am." I replied and then proceeded to walk down the long enclosed gang plank to board the plane.

I glanced down at my ticket to see what seat I was assigned and established that I was in the second row, seat B - first class, of course. I then proceeded to stuff the paperwork into the side pocket of my carry-on before stepping onto the plane, nodding 'hello' to another flight attendant who was greeting the passengers.

Coming to a stop in front of the second row, I reached up to open the overhead compartment and placed my carry-on inside it above my seat before getting settled. I looked across the aisle next to me, taking note of a cute older couple who were holding hands and speaking quietly. From what I could tell, the old man seemed to be comforting his wife.

I pulled out my cell phone as I waited and entered my contacts, scrolling down until I saw Crystal's name and picture before hitting 'send' and holding the receiver up to my ear.

"Why, hello Damien," she answered with mock-innocence.

I scoffed at this as I replied, "Don't 'hello' me, little miss! I haven't receive one single, itty-bitty phone call from you since you've left here God only knows how long ago. You are most definitely in hot water with me! There is no excuse you could possibly give me that would make up for not calling to check in with me even ONE time." I playful snarked into the phone, though, if I were being honest with myself, I was only half joking. The other part of me was dead serious in my berating of her and her lack of communication.

I could imagine the wide, yet guilty, grin that was no doubt appearing on her face. "I'm sorry, Damien. It's just that I've been so busy… especially with my mate, and getting to know my new family members, not to mention the fight that I had assisted them with, which included training. I totally spaced out and forgot about calling you. But I swear that I was going to as soon as I had a chance! I could never forget my favorite brother of all time, forever and ever no matter what!" She quickly amended.

I gave a quiet 'humph' and began to run my fingertips over my brow. "Well, I guess that does help ease my pain just a little bit." I mumbled into the receiver, a smile tugging at my lips.

"So, how are you and my favorite watcher, Jackson?" She asked, obviously trying to direct the conversation to safer topics.

"Oh, I'm great. So is Jackson. Apparently, he found a girlfriend. She's friendly and all, but there's something about her that just irks my nerves. It's like she's a totally different person when Jackson's not around. Fuckin' EVIL! She's like a wacky-chicked out version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from hell. - don't even get me started on the bitch." I grumbled as I felt my blood-pressure rise at the thought of the mega-bitch.

My ranting had enticed a laugh from Crystal through the receiver at my obvious displeasure. "Well, how's everyone else?" She inquired, once again steering me away from another dangerous topic.

I let out a long sigh. "Your friends are fine, but miss you very much."

Just then, the blond flight attendant who had checked my boarding pass before getting onto the plane stopped in front of me and bent over, purposefully giving me an excellent view of her cleavage. "I'm sorry, sir, but we are about to take off. I'm going to have to ask you to end your call and turn off your phone."

I began looking around, it seemed that everyone had finally boarded the plane and had taken their seats. Some of the flight attendants were standing at the front of the plane as they reviewed the safety rules as the plane made its way around the tarmac, getting ready to take off.

I nodded and covered the mouth piece to keep Crystal from hearing, "I'll just be a minute. This is important."

"Alright," the stewardess winked, "Can I get you something to drink in the mean time before we take off?" She asked.

I nodded, "Can I have a bottle of water please," I whispered to her, still covering the mouth piece. She smiled and handed me a bottle of water from the cart she had been pushing around. "Thank you," I mouthed and nodded. She smiled and turned to speak to the old couple across the aisle, bending over to speak to them.

Bringing my attention back to my conversation with Crystal, I lifted my fingers from the mouth piece. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I've got to go. We're getting ready for takeoff. I'm actually on a flight to come see you right now." I informed her as one of the stewardesses began telling everyone to shut off all electronic devices over the loud speaker.

"Wait, you're on a flight right now? To Washington…Forks… to see me? Are you out of your mind?" I could hear the shock in her voice as she spoke, stressing certain words.

I grinned to myself as I answered, "Yup, I'm out of my mind. And yes, to come there and see you." I tried to sound nonchalant as I confirmed her questions.

She sighed loudly in exasperation. "Fine, fine… when does your damn flight get in?" She asked.

I peaked at my watch as I spoke, "I'm not sure, but can you ask either Mamma Bear or Pappa Bear to come and pick me up? It's not like you vampires need sleep."

I could hear the huff loudly through the receiver as she answered, "Um, excuse me! As a matter of fact, I do need sleep. And I really think it's a bad time for you to come up here and visit. We have a newborn vampire that I saved from being killed here living with us. And she's…well…she's still not use to being around humans yet."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her insinuation, "Whatever, I'm still coming. I can take care of myself -"

I was cut off mid-sentence, but this time by a middle-aged flight attendant with bright red hair that was pulled tightly into a bun on the back of her head, "Sir, you need to end your call and turn off your phone. We are getting ready to take off."

By this time, I was nearing my limit and couldn't help the responses that flew out of my mouth, "Give me a minute!"

She squared her shoulders, narrowing her eyes, "No, sir, you need to turn it off now."

"But I just –"

"Now!" She interrupted me once again.

I gritted my teeth and did my best not to pummel the bitch as she stood there waiting for me to hang up with Crystal.

"Fine, damnit!" I hissed and turned my attention back to Crystal, "Sweet-Ums, I have to go. I'm getting yelled at by this bitch of a trolley dolly. Love you, baby girl." I grumbled, but loud enough for the flight attendant to hear what I thought of her.

"Love you too, moron." She replied before hanging up.

It was about 3 hours and 33 minutes until we had finally landed in Seattle, Washington.

"Ladies and gentlemen we have finally arrived at our destination in Seattle, Washington. I hope you all have enjoyed the flight, and wish you all safe future travels." The pilot announced over the loud speaker.

I stood up, stretching before stepping into the aisle to reach up and grab my carry-on from the overhead bin, and exiting the plane.

After making my way through the large airport, I made my way over to the conveyor belt where my luggage would soon be coming off of the plane. Finally, after several minutes, a loud siren began blaring several times as the light began to blink. This continued for a couple seconds before they silenced and the conveyer belt began to run as the luggage from out flight began to fall onto it.

It wasn't long before I saw my black duffle bag that had one of Tally's red ribbons on the handle. I quickly grabbed it and walked outside to where I saw Esme and Carlisle waiting for me.

I grinned to myself at this; I could spot Carlisle and Esme from a mile away because no human had the equivalent beauty of a deadly vampire, let alone a couple this attractive.

"Carlisle, Esme, I'm so glad to see you both again." I greeted them with excitement.

"Damon it's so good to see you again, I've see you haven't changed much." Carlisle grinned as he grasped my hand in his in a good firm handshake.

"Yup, that's me! I'm aging very slowly, but it still hasn't caught up to me." I winked at his mate, "Regardless, you two don't look a day over twenty-seven." They both laughed good-naturedly at this.

"It's good to see you again, Damien. How is Jackson, by the way?" Esme asked me with a soft smile.

"He's doing okay, but he has the mother of all bitchy girlfriends." I answered sourly while walking with them towards their black Mercedes.

Carlisle popped the trunk of the car, allowing me to place my duffle bag inside before I opened the backseat of the car and climbed inside, allowing Esme to sit shotgun with her husband and mate. I buckled myself in tightly as I know how all vampires seem to love driving exceedingly past the speed limits.

It took about forty minutes before arriving at their house.

I continued glancing out the window as I saw us pulling into the exceedingly long driveway before stopping in front of a very large, beautiful glass house.

Carlisle parked the car and I opened the door, and got out.

"Welcome to our home Damien, Crystal and the rest of her brothers and sisters should be inside." Esme smiled at me happily.

I nodded, approaching the now open trunk to pick up my duffle and slung it over my shoulder.

"You borh have a lovely home." I tell them as I began walking up the nine steps to the front porch.

"Thank you, Damien." She smiled softly, though anyone could see the delight in her expression at the compliment. It was obvious that she had a large part in designing the property and took pride in the finished product.

Carlisle opened the front door, and went inside. I was just about to follow after him when I was taken back, by someone throwing themselves into me, wrapping their arms around my waist in a hug.

"Damien, you're here! I've missed you so much!" It was none other than my little sister, Crystal.

I unceremoniously dropped my luggage at my side and wrapped my arms tightly around her. I didn't realize until this moment how very much I missed her.

Pulling back I grinned down at her, happy to see that she hadn't changed that much in her time here. "I missed you too, little one."

"Crystal, darlin', let the poor man get through the front door." A tall blonde man grinned adoringly at her.

She shot him with a playful glare and let me go, rushing over to his side. He opened his arms and she tucked herself within them and stared up at him adoringly. "Jazz, I only wanted to hug him. Besides, I haven't seen in what seems like forever! I've missed him."

It was this that made me aware of the fact that this was Crystal's mate, Jasper Whitlock. I couldn't help but to let my eyes roam over him, knowing that he was off the charts in regards to danger and had quite the reputation, especially in the south.

"Hello Damien, my name is Jasper. Crystal is my mate," He greeted me, taking my hand in his to shake, "She's told me so much about you." He said as he released my hand.

"Ditto, I've heard about you too." I tell him and I knew that he picked up on my double meaning.

"Easy tiger," Tally chastised before motioning for me to follow them, "Come on, Damon, let me introduce you to the rest of my family."

I followed them into the living room where the whole family seemed to be.

Crystal glanced up at me and then to the rest of the family. "Guys, this is my brother, Damien. He's here to visit with me." She announced before she began pointing out each of her new siblings. "Damon, the beautiful blonde is Rosalie. Standing next to her is her husband and mate, Emmett." She gestured to a stunning blonde who looked like a supermodel, and then to a big burly vampire who looked like he could be a football player.

Next, she gestured towards a penny-haired boy and a human girl who was practically clinging to him. "This is Edward Cullen and his human mate, Bella Swan. And finally, the short one jumping up and down just inhaled ten cups of espresso is none other than Miss Alice Cullen." Crystal giggled as she pointed to was a beautiful petite female vampire with short spiky black hair. Her eyes seemed to capture me with their beautiful honey gold color, leaving me momentarily stunned. I had no idea what it was, but I felt like I knew her, causing me to become immediately attached.

I cleared my throat upon realizing that I was being watched with the expectancy of introducing myself. "Hello everyone, I'm Damon. I've heard a lot of about all of you from Crystal here over the years before she met y'all." I managed to mutter out.

For some reason, I felt a little bit off, which stunned me. I'm usually pretty put together, even if I'm a bit of a jokester. It seemed as though being surrounded by a whole bunch of vampires who I wasn't out to kill was a little weird for me.

I watched with a stunned expression as I was brought into an excited hug by Alice.

"I've been waiting forever for you. I'm so glad you're finally here!" She smiled up at me excitedly.

My brows furrowed in confusion at this, "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, but might I ask why?"

She looked down in what seemed to be an adorable type of embarrassment. "Well, you see… you're my mate." She divulged and looked up at me with a small smile. "I've been having visions of you for a long time and finally when you made your decision to come here to visit with Tally, I saw us finally meeting." She answered.

My brows shot up towards my forehead in shock.

Oh, wow.

A/N: Cliff Hanger! So, what did everyone think? Any ideas on what Damien's reaction will be to this news? Will he be accepting of this knowledge or will he push her away? He is a Watcher, after all. Vampires aren't usually 'friends' rather than 'foes'. Review!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them at the bottom of the next chapter in my Author's Note!

To see more, go to either mine or Katara's FF page: Xo BellaItalia oX or Katara Melody Cullen

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- Bella'Xo
Xo BellaItalia oX