I just want to say a huge thank you dear readers for voting for this story. I just received confirmation that it has won the Crossover Awards category for best TVD Crossover. I am immensely awed that my story has brought so much enjoyment to you. And almost 500 reviews, too. Amazing!
This chapter may seem short but I had to end it where I did or else it would have been way too long (you will see why). Also I had a bit of fun with this chapter too so is is lighter than the rest. A reprieve, if you will from what has gone before and what will come.
On the way back to the Cullen house, Damon and Edward took turns at reading Bella the proverbial riot act. She only listened with half an ear as she stared out the window at the racing greenery passing by as her head rested on the window. She didn't know if she should be happy that Edward and Damon had reached a common ground since at the moment it seemed they were teaming up against her.
She couldn't be sorry, though, for what she did or even promise that she wouldn't attempt such a thing again. She would not choose her life above the life of someone she loved. Watching Edward and Jacob go at it had scared her to the core. She had meant it when she said to Damon that he didn't understand. Edward would not go in for the kill...she knew that...she saw that. But Jacob was another story. He was too angry, too prideful to back down. He would have killed Edward without a second thought. That was why she tried so desperately to get away from Damon.
Even now she heard Damon grumbling under his breath. Something about a hard head and even thicker skull made her grin ever so slightly. Bella had no doubt he was referring to her.
"I'm sorry I head butted you. I didn't think it would hurt that much, you being a vampire and all." She said softly. It was probably the only thing she was sorry for.
Damon opened and closed his mouth several times in incredulity. She threw herself into danger, could have been killed and she is apologizing to me for giving me a head butt? Incredible, he thought and not in a good way. "It didn't hurt." He said sounding disgruntled. "You just took me by surprise."
"Oh." Bella said feeling oddly deflated. Not that she wanted to hurt him, but she felt a sort of inner strength at the thought that she could.
But Damon wasn't finished yet. He leaned forward towards the back of Bella's shoulder from his seat in the back of the Volvo and gripped the back of her leather seat.
"Let's get one thing straight, Piccola." His tone was dangerous and angry. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again and I mean…ever, I will not hesitate to resort to any means necessary to keep you safe. And I do mean any means necessary."
Bella felt a shiver at the menacing tenor of Damon's warning and kept the retort that sprung to her lips to herself. She had no illusions that he wasn't telling the absolute truth.
While Edward could not fault the Salvatore brother for his words and even agreed with him, he could not abide by the tone in which it was given. A low growl formed deep in his chest as he narrowed his eyes at the older vampire.
"Oh relax, Sparkle Boy." Damon said leaning back once again. "You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same…and if you wouldn't than you don't deserve her."
Edward glared at a smirking Damon through the rearview mirror. "Never doubt the lengths I would go to in order to protect her…ever!"
Jacob was being reprimanded as well. Sam had been pacing anxiously back at the reservation waiting for Jacob to show up. He heard and saw everything in the young wolf's mind and couldn't believe that he would risk everything in a moment of jealous rage.
"What were you thinking?" Sam said getting right into Jake's face. "You almost broke the treaty…and for what? Some idiotic testosterone fueled pissing contest?"
Jake did not back down though. His unwavering glare met Sam's own. "The bloodsucker attacked first."
"Not without provocation from you! Or did you forget that I can see very clearly what goes on in your head. You could have killed the human girl had he not stopped you. He could have so easily killed you…but he didn't."
"So what? I'm supposed to let him take off with her when I don't know if she's coming back or even how she'll come back?"
"Yes! They have not broken the treaty. Until they do, we are bound to do nothing."
"And watch Bella become a casualty" Jake muttered.
Sam lost some of his initial ire and his face softened. He felt for his pack brother, he truly did but more than Jake's love life was at stake. He put his hand on Jake's shoulder.
"Bella Swan has made her choice, Jacob and it's not you. For that I am truly sorry. But even in the chance that she did choose you, what happens when you imprint, huh?"
Jake shrugged him off and turned away. "That's not going to happen."
"You don't know that. It may not happen tomorrow or even next week or next month but it will happen. What comes of Bella then? Do you really want her to become another Leah? Believe me, I know what that's like."
A look of pain crossed Jake's features. He knew what it was like to. All of the pack's minds were open to him and he had watched every agonizing moment in the Sam, Emily, Leah triangle. But he was not about to give up on Bella and Sam knew that.
"Jacob, I'm telling you not only as your friend but also as the Alpha, you need to stand down."
Jake nodded dejectedly but wondered inwardly if he would be able to follow the order.
XXXXX
Edward briefly albeit curtly gave a run down of the events to the family once they arrived back at the house. Stefan who had already arrived looked worriedly at Damon.
"Oh dear." Esme said covering her mouth with a gasp when Edward got to the part where Bella jumped in the middle of the fight hoping to stop it. "Bella you could have been killed."
Rosalie looked at Bella appreciatively. "I gotta admit Bella, You've got balls of steel."
Bella blushed knowing it was in no way an act of courage that drove her to do what she did but pure undiluted fear…fear of a life without Edward.
"Er…thanks?" she responded confused.
Emmett guffawed. "Hey…Bella's got herself a new nickname…Bells of Steel."
"Not funny Emmett." Edward chastised his brother with a death glare. He was still trying to force the image out of his mind of Bella…his sweet, beautiful, fragile Bella, running to an almost certain death…to save him…him. The very idea was so preposterous, he would have laughed if he hadn't been so terrified…terrified still. If he had just been one millisecond off… Edward let the thought trail off with a shake of his head. He wasn't. She was here…safe.
"Bells of Steel" Bella repeated with a genuine grin. "You know what, Emmett, I think I kinda like it. I'd high five you if I didn't think you would break my hand."
Emmett's smile grew even broader and he ruffled her hair.
"She's going to make one helluva newborn, that's for sure." Jasper drawled to no one in particular.
Newborn? Stefan mouthed to Damon.
"Um, guys…we really should get going. We don't' want to miss our flight." Alice interrupted, shaking her head at Jasper.
XXXXX
"I, for one, am extremely pleased that we have first class all to ourselves." Alice said reclining in the leather chair right after the "no recline" lights went off.
"That's because you made Esme buy every seat out, darlin'" Jasper said with an affectionate smile.
Alice caressed his cheek with her fingertips. "You can thank me properly later." She cooed. "But now I have some research to do." She said as she opened up her Ipad and brought up the pages she saved from Modern Bride.
Edward as he heard his sister's thoughts, shook his head and chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Bella asked as she looked up from her resting place on his chest when she felt the vibrations of his laughter.
"Alice…she's…well…she's being Alice. I'm sure she'll fill you in."
"Why does that scare me for some reason?" She joked.
"I heard that!" Alice called out to her as she tossed a pillow in her direction.
Edward's arm shot up and caught the pillow before it landed. He turned around and gave her an evil grin about to throw it back at her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Alice said in a sing song voice. "Not unless you're willing for the plane to go down once you make a hole in it."
Edward backed down and handed the pillow over to Bella. "Here's another one for you, love."
Bella took it but had other ideas than to use it for herself. With a mischievous grin, she gripped the pillow and aimed it back towards Alice. Unfortunately, it missed and landed right on Emmett's game controller causing him to lose the game to Rosalie.
"Damn it! Hey!" Emmett looked up. "Who did that?"
No one said a word. Their faces proclaiming innocence until Bella started to laugh unable to hold her guiltless expression.
"Thanks Bella" Rosalie said with a smirk to Emmett. "I just won my bet."
"That's not fair." Emmett grumbled. "I call interference. Best two out of three"
"You're on Monkey Man."
With a disgusted expression, Damon watched the easy exchange between all of them. He noticed the enraptured expression on Stefan's face though. It seemed sad and almost jealous. Did he miss that type of playful interaction with him? Not possible, Damon shook off the thought. Even though they were brothers, blame and animosity ran deep for so many things on both sides.
Ah, just what I was waiting for, Damon thought as he spotted the buxom blonde flight attendant making her way down the aisle with her cart full of goodies. He beckoned her towards him with a motion of his index finger and a suggestive look in his eyes. Glancing at the name tag, he could have sworn was in a much less conspicuous place when they boarded, he noted her name was Gretchen and chuckled blithely to himself.
"What can I do for you sir?" She asked him breathily as she leaned forward giving him a glimpse of her Frederick's of Hollywood Hot Pink bra.
Oh this was going to be so easy, he mused. "I'll take a bourbon…neat." He said the last word as a caress.
She bent down and pulled out an airplane sized bottle of Kentucky Bourbon. Before she could open the bottle and pour it into a glass, he stayed her hand with his own.
"Gretchen, is it?" He looked directly at the name tag causing her to flush.
She nodded.
"Come closer Gretchen." When she bent towards him, he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her closer not noticing Stefan, Bella and the Cullens stiffen in anxiousness. With his other hand, he took the small bottle of liquor from her and lightly traced it from her neck down towards the valley of her breasts. He could smell her arousal and fought back a smile. "Well Gretchen, seeing as how we are in first class, I would imagine that you have a much bigger bottle of this stuff in the back."
"We're really not supposed to..." She stammered.
"But sometimes it's fun to go against the rules, isn't it? Don't you like to feel a little bit naughty sometimes, Gretchen? I know I do."
"Well…I suppose I could make an exception just this once."
"Good girl. Remember Gretchen. The whole bottle." Damon said as he let go of her and sat back with a satisfied smirk.
When Gretchen scurried to satisfy Damon's request, he noticed Stefan shaking his head at him with an appalled look on his face.
"Really, Damon?"
"Oh relax would you. If it'll make you feel better, I'll even share."
If possible, Stefan's face looked even more aghast. "You're disgusting, you know that?"
Damon rolled his eyes. "The bottle…gutter brain. Not the girl. Trust me, I have no intention of renewing my membership to the mile high club today." Or ever, he thought…unless it was with a certain brunette by the name of Elena.
Gretchen quickly came back with the bottle and placed it proudly on his tray with a glass. He noticed a few buttons on her uniform were undone and she must have doused herself with cheap perfume. He felt nauseated and very claustrophobic. Now Stefan was grinning at him and he really wanted to punch the smug look right off his face. Compelling the flight attendant to forget all about their exchange, he opened the bottle and took a big swig and smacked his lips.
"Ahh!"
"Alcohol helps control certain cravings." Stefan said quietly turning to Carlisle and Esme. While Carlisle looked thoroughly fascinated, Esme looked completely mortified, as if some beast had just sat in the middle of her living room floor and she didn't know what to do with it.
Damon held out the bottle to Bella, shaking it a little. "Want some? It may go down better the second time around."
"Ugh, no." Bella scrunched her face and turned away from the pungent aroma.
"You gave her alcohol?" Edward hissed angrily.
"Go Bella!" Emmett shouted from the back as he fist pumped the air…which earned him a punch from Jasper.
"Oh, please" Damon jeered at Edward. "What are you…Mormon? Go ahead...give me the speech that I am the older brother…I should be responsible…blah, blah, blah…c'mon" He taunted with a smile showing all his teeth. "…you know you want to."
"It wasn't much and it was gross." Bella told Edward giving Damon a dirty look.
"Damon, that's enough." Stefan told him forcefully. The last thing he needed or wanted was to provoke these vampires who looked like they wanted to rush his brother right out the cabin door.
Damon smiled into the lip of the bottle as he drank.
Things quieted down significantly in first class as each were left to their own devices; for Carlisle it was doing research on reincarnation and witchcraft and anything that could help with Bella's situation, Esme read the latest issue of Country Living Cottage Style magazine, Jasper was winning his laptop in a game WarCraft III Battle Chess, Alice had gone from looking at wedding gowns to sketching them, Emmett and Rosalie were battling it out in Grand Theft Auto, Bella and Edward lay quietly holding each other and exchanging brief kisses and significant touches, Damon continued to empty his bottle as he stared out the window and Stefan quietly contemplated how he could reveal the truth of Elena to Bella.
How would she react? Would it spark more memories from long ago and may be best forgotten?
Would seeing Elena's face cause the pain they all had been trying so fervently to avoid?
Bella felt Edward's hand stop it's delicious caress on her arm as his body stilled and tensed beneath hers. Looking up, she saw that he was watching Stefan with a peculiar look on his face.
"Edward…what is it?"
"In a moment, my love." He kissed the top of her head. "The flight attendant is coming."
Gretchen walked up the aisle taking orders for their in-flight meal. Predictably none of the Cullens ordered any food. All had feigned sleep when they heard her approach so they wouldn't have to be asked. Bella ordered a Caesar salad and lobster bisque. Edward ordered a filet mignon. When Bella questioned him on it, he merely said it was for her; that her body needed the iron of red meat. She made a face at him. Also as expected, at least to Bella, the Salvatores also ordered food; the same as Edward's meal.
After the flight attendant, with one last lustful look at Damon, left to place their order, Edward sat up and watched Stefan.
"Why would seeing your girlfriend upset Bella?" Edward asked.
