Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and L.J. Smith. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Thank you Guest for your review! The thing with this version of Bella is, she's trying to hold on to herself. She's endured a lot, and she's experiencing trauma in many ways. One of the things that is hard for women after processing a trauma like this, is that they lose part of themselves. They don't know what's normal anymore, and for Bella, she's trying to figure that out. I hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far, let me know your thoughts by leaving reviews! As always I appreciate all the support, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!
[Two months later: Winter Break]
The cold was bitter, and it was Bella's least favorite thing about winter. She liked the look of snow without all the cold, but it had yet to snow. They were released for Winter break. The Campus rapist was still at large. In the past two months, he had not struck again, so the curfew lifted. They were exhausting resources. Despite it being break, Bella was not going back home. She was staying in Mckinney because she was looking at apartments for the new semester. She wanted to move off campus, mostly because she was tired of the fear. He hadn't attacked in two months, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't, and she would feel safer in her own apartment. It was supposed to be the other way around, but unfortunately it wasn't.
The past two months, Bella was doing some real self-searching. Her and Alaric had gotten back to a normal, to where they could look at each other now, which was important to her.
She saw Emmett from time to time, but they were never alone together. That was Emmett's doing. She apologized for acting crazy the night of the fundraiser. She wasn't sure why she's so addicted to sex it seemed. She hadn't had sex since that night in the hotel. She was trying not to implicate anyone if she could help it. She realized that Damon's career could be jeopardized, and Klaus' too. She wanted to apologize, but every time she saw them, she was around others.
The week before, her dad drove up with Rosalie, bringing Bella a car, so she could use.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to Italy with all of us?" Carlisle had asked his daughter. The plan was to spend Christmas in Italy, and then travel on to Paris.
"Nah, you know I don't really like to fly. You guys go, take lots of pictures." Bella hugged her dad, taking the keys to the luxury blue Mercedes that he brought to her.
Carlisle smiled at his daughter, kissing her forehead. "Okay, love you."
Rosalie smiled at her sister. "Miss you. Let's go shopping when I get back, okay?"
"Sure thing." Bella smiled and watched her sister and father leave.
Bella pulled her coat tighter around her as she stepped outside the dorm. It hadn't started snowing yet, but she knew that it was close. She could practically feel the snow. She went out to her parked car, and glanced up, seeing Damon, walking over towards her. "Hmm?" He had a worried look on his face.
"Are you okay?" He called to her.
Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
Damon stopped in front of her and sighed. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"We just found her."
"Found who?" Bella wasn't sure what he was talking about.
"Your roommate. Elena." Damon said.
Bella shook her head. "No, I just talked to her Thursday. She was going back to Mystic Falls, where is she?"
Damon frowned. "Bella…"
"No, Damon, where is she? What happened to her?" Bella felt her chest tightening.
"She's dead." Damon nearly whispered.
Bella shook her head; she couldn't believe it. "Oh god." She sucked in a breath.
Damon's arms came around her and he held her tight. "I'm so sorry."
Bella's head was reeling, she didn't understand how this happened. "What happened?"
"He…he's back." Damon murmured.
Bella's eyes were blurry with tears. "I should have reported it. Maybe…maybe you-"
"Reported what? Bella, did something happen to you?" Damon was staring at her face now, searching her eyes.
"That night…after you left. The fundraiser...I woke up to being bound. He used something to make me pass out. When I woke up, there were several condom rappers and he had…had his way with me while I was unconscious. I wasn't bound anymore when I woke. I showered, cleaned up the room and left."
Damon shook his head. "Why didn't you report it?"
"Because…evidence of you was in that room. I-I didn't-"
"That doesn't matter Bella, you are a victim of an assault.
Bella shook her head. "Why did he kill her?"
"I don't know…" Damon murmured.
Kol walked out of the Frat house and started walking towards the student parking lot to his car when he saw all the police presence, he frowned, seeing his brother. "Klaus," he said, still frowning.
Klaus looked up at his little brother walking towards him and sighed. He walked over. "Hey, we're doing an investigation. It's restricted past this point. You can head towards the coffee shop."
"What happened?"
"I can't say right now Kol, you know that."
"But…there's so many cops…is Bella, okay?" Kol had worried about Bella from that night when April died. He had seen her in passing a couple times, and she was friendly with him, but they weren't close. Klaus had told him to just keep an eye on her for him, and to tell him if he noticed anything strange. Since Bella was an assault victim on campus, Kol agreed, and just kept a watch from the distance.
"She's fine. Damon went to her." Klaus said. "Are you going back to Mystic Falls?"
"No, I was going to…see my boyfriend. Klaus please, tell me what's happened. You know me, I'm not going to tell another soul."
Klaus sighed. "It's Elena Gilbert. She was found dead this morning."
"Gilbert…Jeremy's sister." Kol frowned. Jeremy was a Senior this year at Mystic Falls High. He was a good bass player from what he remembered. Him and Jeremy weren't close in school.
"Yes, it seems they were raised by their Aunt, who graduated from Whitmore two years ago," Klaus looked at his notepad. "Do you know Jeremy?"
"Yeah, from band, but that was it." Kol shook his head. "Elena, she wasn't a bad girl. She was helpful. We had Maxfield together. She let me borrow her notes a lot…" He murmured. "Is this related to all the other assaults on campus?"
Klaus sighed. "It's too early to know. We're still processing the scene. Go ahead, and head off campus. The Dean is shutting down the entire campus during the break. We're going to install some update security and the Frat Houses, and the Sororities are going to be affected, as well as the dormitories."
Kol nodded. "Okay…" He said and looked off towards the coffee shop. "I parked in the student lot. It's not blocked off?"
"No, shouldn't be. Be careful," Klaus warned and watched Kol walk off towards his car.
Kol came upon Damon and Bella, and he walked over towards them. "Bella," he called to her.
Bella turned and looked at Kol. "Kol…"
"I heard. Are you okay?"
Damon looked at Kol. Kol was Klaus' little brother, and he remembered him to be a quiet, nice guy.
"Um. Not really. My sister, and brothers have left campus already last night to go on vacation to Italy. I think…I'll get a hotel and stay there while everything is happening. I'll call Caroline and tell her. She should hear it from me." She sniffed.
Kol nodded. "Edward left out this morning, he was supposed to be meeting, I guess, Em at the airport this morning."
"Oh right, that's right. Eddie had last minute edits on his film." Bella sighed.
Damon looked at Kol. "Are you heading off campus?"
"Yeah, to meet up with Quil. I'm staying at his apartment while on break." Kol said and looked at Bella. "Do you want to stay with Quil and me?"
"Oh, no, that's fine. I'll get a hotel. Go spend time with your boyfriend." Bella offered a smile. One the few times she had talked with Kol, he mentioned Quil. Kol was a nice guy, and while they weren't particularly close, they were trauma bonded from the incident with April.
Kol hesitated. "Okay. Well, you have my number. Call me if you need something." He said and then left to go to his car.
"You shouldn't be alone." Damon said to her.
"I don't have anywhere else to go."
Damon pursed his lips. "Come stay at my house."
"I couldn't do that, Damon, the implication of- "
"I don't care." Damon said, his blue eyes focusing only on her.
Bella shook her head. "What if whoever is doing this, comes after you? Why is he attacking girls, that look like me?" She cried. It was true. The girls assaulted on campus so far had all been brunettes. The dark eyes were a hit or miss in some cases. But Elena was closer to favoring Bella than the others.
That was a question that Damon had asked. Bella was the first of the assaults, and during this whole ordeal, she was assaulted again. He had the chance to kill her and he didn't. It made sense to him, or Klaus, and it was eating at him. He didn't get close to cases, especially ones like this. But Bella was different, for him. "Stay at my house. I have extra rooms. It's okay."
Bella wiped at her face. "I can't do that to you. I won't. I already screwed up by throwing myself at you, and at Klaus, and I'm just so messed up. I'm not worth all this trouble and-"
"You're more than worth it." Damon said, and then reached up and wiped her tears with his hand. "Bella, you have to start looking at how much you are worth. You don't deserve any of this that is happening. The best bet is to get on a plane and meet you family in Italy, or to stay at my home. You shouldn't be alone, can't be alone."
Bella closed her eyes, and finally, she gave in. "Okay."
"Good." Damon said and then pulled his phone out, calling Klaus.
"Mikaelson."
"I'm leaving campus with Bella. Keep the area blocked off. Call in St. John, and Lockwood." Damon relayed.
"Rodger that." Klaus said and hung up.
Damon put his phone back in his pocket. "Do you have a vehicle?"
"Yeah, Blue Mercedes," she said and motioned to the parking lot.
"Okay, I'll drive." Damon said, and the two of them walked over to her car. He looked at it. It was literally brand new. The Mercedes was the C 63, and was only two door. He looked at her. "It's really shiny."
"Yeah, my dad and sister picked it out and drove it up last week." Bella wiped her face. She unlocked the door by grabbing the handle on the side, her key was in her pocket, and Damon got into the driver's seat. He looked at everything, frowning. It was really hi-tech for a car. He wasn't sure how to even start it.
"Hit the brake, and hit this button." Bella said, pointing at the ignition button.
"Ah," he murmured, and started the car, and it came alive smoothly. He looked for the gear shift.
"Right here," Bella murmured, and poked the handle on the right side on the steering wheel.
Damon raised a brow, and looked at her. "I'm used to old cars."
"I know." Bella offered a small smile.
Damon put it in reverse and the screen on the dash and the back up camera came on. "That's convenient." He said and left the parking lot, and headed towards his house.
His house wasn't but fifteen minutes from the campus. He pulled up in his driveway. His house was nice, Bella mused. It wasn't overly large, but it was nice.
"I dare to ask. How much was the car?" Damon asked as he opened the door.
"I think 79k or so," Bella said as the walked inside.
Damon looked at her, a little stunned. "That's an insane amount to pay for a car."
Bella raised a brow. "Is it? I don't buy things, my parents buy everything, regardless of what I want. I told them not to buy anything brand new, and that's what they went with. My dad is a doctor, and my mom is a Psychiatrist, also a doctor."
"That explains that." Damon said, and then he took his gear off and hung it on the spot he had designated for it by the door. "Kitchen is through here, bathroom, living room, den, and my office. Upstairs there are three rooms. My room is on the far left. Two guest rooms, and two bathrooms. Master suite, and then one in the hall." He explained as he walked through the house.
Bella looked around. It was neat, organized. She realized that he was a detective so it was probable that he would keep a very organized house. She was the same way. She hated that Alice wasn't as organized as she was. Her and Jasper were neat individuals, and Edward could be as well. "It's nice."
"Small compared to your home in Mystic Falls I imagine." Damon said with a smile.
"Well…there are six of us." Bella said smiling.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Rosalie and Jasper are the oldest. They're twins, and then Emmett, me, then Alice and then Edward. Edward and Alice were adopted at the same time. Then my mom is pregnant, or well, the surrogate is pregnant. Twins, should be here by June next year." Bella explained. "Oh, and they're fostering a young girl right now, her name is Hope. She's 10, and she's going to Italy with them. Both her parents died. They got special permission to take her out of the country. They'll try and adopt her. I don't think she has any other family." Bella explained.
Damon thought that was all impressive. The Cullen's were great people. He hadn't looked into them much because there wasn't a reason, but it seemed that Bella had a great family. "Why not go to Italy?"
"I don't like flying. I get really nervous. I've been to Italy, a couple times, and I just…I really just wanted to get some alone time. Find an apartment." Bella explained, then tears came to her eyes again. "Elena, me, and Alice were going to be rooming together. Caroline rushed a sorority, and got in."
Damon reached up, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm sorry…I know you're hurting."
Bella shook her head. "I just want it to stop…" she murmured. She didn't want to live in fear all the time. She wanted whoever this guy was, to either stop, or just kill her already. It felt like that's what it was leading up to. She took a step back. "Um. Thank you. I won't stay here the whole break, but maybe tonight, um, and tomorrow night. I just want to get an apartment, off campus, and just start trying to get back to normal." She wiped at her face again. "Did you tell Stefan?"
"Why would I tell Stefan?" Damon's brows furrowed.
"Because. They were involved. They hooked up the night of the fundraiser, and I know on at least three other occasions as well." Bella's phone rang, and she looked at it. Mom. Bella looked at Damon. "It's my mom." She said and then answered. "Hello."
"I just heard about Elena. Why don't you get on a plane and come to Italy. Edward is at the house in Mystic Falls, you can meet up with him, and come together? I don't want you being by yourself." Esme's voice sounded worried.
"Oh, I'm fine mom. Um, I just found out about Elena too. I'm not on campus, I'm apartment shopping during break remember."
"Where are you staying?" Esme asked, still worried.
"A friend who lives off campus." Bella relayed.
Esme paused. "Which friend?"
Bella sighed. "Mom, why twenty questions?"
"I'm just worried. I don't want you to get hurt. You were already assaulted on the campus. Maybe we should think about swapping schools." Esme suggested.
"The police are working on it mom. Just let them do their jobs. I'm not going to run away again. I'm fine. I promise you that I am fine, and the moment I'm not fine, I will call you."
"I should have let Edward stay. He didn't want to go either, but I talked him into it." Esme sighed, and then paused again. "Okay. Well, find an apartment, I don't care how much it cost. Get what you want sweetie, okay? Just remember that Alice is living with you, so keep that in mind. I love you."
"Love you too mom. Have fun, take pictures, and tell Hope I can't wait to meet her." Bella said with a smile, and then hung up.
Damon looked at her expression, she was sad. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just. I don't like for others to worry about me, and now my mom is worried, and I just…I hate all of this." Bella sighed.
Damon nodded. "I understand. Why don't you take a shower, and a nap. I'll order Chinese."
"That sounds good. Thank you." She said and she let Damon help her upstairs with her bag, and showed her how to work the shower.
[Wednesday; 5 days after Elena's murder]
"Alice, I have looked at 17 apartments." Bella whined. She was on facetime with her sister. "Pick one."
"They're so tiny! Why don't you just go up on the price?"
"Because that's unnecessary." Bella explained.
"I like this one," Alice said, and sent Bella a link.
Bella sighed, and opened the link, and looked at the pictures. It was very large and open. Four bedrooms. "Why do we need Four bedrooms?"
Alice smiled at Bella. "So, we have room for someone who needs to crash, like what if Caroline changes her mind, or Em, Eddie, or Jazz need to crash?"
It was a good point. "Okay okay, I'll go look at this one next. I'll call you when I get there." She said, and then hung up. She got back into her car, and plugged the address in the GPS.
She walked to the front office, and got an agent to come show her around the available unit. The building looked rustic, and she thought that was pretty cool. There were only four floors, and the unit available was on the second floor, which Bella didn't mind. "How much square feet is it?"
The agent, a pretty blonde in her twenties smiled at Bella. "4500 square feet. It's large, but there are 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and then there's a half bath. The kitchen and dining room are separate, but there is a breakfast bar. The living room and kitchen is completely open, and the bar separated the room sort of. There's a fireplace that does work. There's also an office that has built in bookshelves." The agent rambled on, and they took the elevator to the second floor, and there was only one door on the floor for the unit and then a second door that led to a storage area and that was that way for each of the units. 201 was on the door. There was a keypad on the door, and the agent typed in a code, and swung the door open. Bella walked in and looked around. The ceiling was vaulted, and the floors were all a hickory hardwood, and the living room was sunk in, which was clever. It added volume to the room. The window facing out on the street was large, and open.
"All the windows are privacy windows, meaning you can see out, but no one can see in."
"Oh, that's really cool actually." Bella looked around, seeing the kitchen. It wasn't closed in, and there was plenty of cabinets, and the island was large, the sink was part of the island.
"All the appliances are brand new in this unit. All black stainless steel, with the fridge being smart capable. There is a minifridge under the bar." The agent pointed out. "A wine cooler on this side, and there's a build in ice machine." The agent showed Bella were everything was. "The laundry unit is over here," She showed Bella the black stainless washer and dryer, and the laundry sink in the small sized laundry room, which was more than what they had on campus.
"No carpet?"
"None. Same floor throughout. All the rooms have trey ceilings." The agent continued down the hall, the click of her heels echoed. She showed her the office. "Here is the office. It's a 14x14, and the bookshelves are all built in and so is that desk. It was handcrafted by our handy guy actually; his name is Bill. He does a lot of carpentry work." She explained.
Bella looked around the massive office. There was a closet, too, nothing too fancy like a walk-in closet, but it was to store some stuff in it. There was a bay window that Bella liked. It had a storage bench that you could put blankets in. Outside the office was another closet, that was walk in, that you could put like a swifter or store other random things. There was a coat closet when you walked in that was a walk-in closet as well. So many closets.
"All the suites are 16x18 and has a large walk-in closet about 10x8." She explained, and showed her the walk-in closet that had built in closet organizers. "This is the bathroom. All are modeled the same way exactly, except the toilets are reversed on the rooms on across the hall."
Bella stepped into the bathroom, taking in the beauty of it. There was a glass walk-in shower that had slate tile, and the jacuzzi tub was large enough to fit at least three people comfortably. There was a linen closet to store towels and such, and there was a vanity sink. All the tones were modern in the bathrooms, which was what she liked about it. "This is wonderful." Her phone buzzed. Alice. Bella held up her phone, starting the facetime.
"So? What do you think?" Alice's voice came through the speaker.
"It's certainly very large." Bella said with a smile.
"Can we puh-lease, get this one." Alice asked, giving Bella the puppy dog eyes.
Bella looked at the agent. "What's the rent on this?"
"So, the rent each month if you sign a 12-month lease is going to be 2900 each month. You're a student at Whitmore, so the price goes to 2600, saving you 300 each month. The deposit is going to be 2000. To sign the lease and move in now, you need the first and last months rent, plus the deposit. There are pets allowed, no weight limit, but with a maximum of 3, and the one-time deposit for a pet is 500, with the second pet being 400, and the third being 300." She explained. "Oh, the utilities are included as well, as the internet, which is Fiber."
Bella gave Alice a look, and Alice kept giving her the eyes. She sighed. "Okay. Can we take this, and do the paper work. My sister is in Italy right now, can she do an esign?"
"Of course. That'll work. And if you add someone to the lease, we just have to do the background check, which cost the normal 50." The agent smiled.
Bella nodded. "Sounds good. Okay Alice, you win. Check your email for your signatures." And then she hung up, and followed the agent to the leasing office.
Within a couple hours, Bella and Alice were now officially renting the perfect apartment. "You know that we have no furniture."
"I know. Go buy some." Alice said with a shrug, and then Esme appeared in view. "Honey, use the credit card I gave you. Get what you want sweetie. I can't wait to see it."
Bella sighed. Her parents spoiled them way too much, but she smiled at her mom and nodded. "Will do, thanks mom. Love you," she said and ended the facetime and sighed. She started her car and drove back towards Damon's house. The apartment was only around the corner from where he lived, she realized.
She pulled up in his driveway, next to his car, and got out. When she went in the house, she found him in the kitchen, eating a sandwich. "Found an apartment. Signed the lease, and everything, got the key code, and backup keys, and now I just must go shopping for furniture. So, I need hire those mover guys I suppose. Do you think they'll come to IKEA?"
Damon raised a brow. "IKEA?"
"Yes, isn't that where you go buy furniture?" She said moving to the fridge and grabbing some water.
"I mean. There's other furniture stores."
"Really?"
Damon nodded. "There's a rooms for less literally like ten minutes from here. Probably save some money. They have everything for every room."
"Never heard of them."
"Okay, come on. We're going." He finished the last bite of his sandwich.
"Don't you work?"
Damon shook his head. "Off duty right now." He said and then he drug her out to her car.
Bella sighed. "You're driving. I'm tired of driving today."
"Fine, but trust me. You're going to love the place." He said, and got into the driver's seat, and started the car. It was the third time driving her car, and he still wasn't used to it.
[Bella's Apartment: 5 hours later]
The movers they hired were glad to come and pick up all the furniture that Bella purchased. It was a big job, so they sent six movers, which Bella was thankful for. They even helped load the TVs from the Best Buy they stopped by because Alice insisted. Then there was Target, where Alice had Bella buy all the essentials for the kitchen, including an espresso machine that Bella actually did want. They even helped place everything in the apartment, and Bella was pretty sure that Alice would move around later if she didn't like it. The only thing she Facetimed Alice for was when she was buying a bed or her. The need for King-sized beds in every room was only slightly more than the Queen, so Alice made her case.
Damon looked around the apartment. It was at least twice the size of his own house. "All this for two college girls."
Bella sat on the newly purchased couch that was a large sectional. It was comfortable, and it even had a pull-out queen bed, which she thought was pretty cool. "This would be Alice's doing. She's more spoiled than me."
"Says the girl that bought a king-sized bed." Damon teased.
"Well, Alice made a solid point. The king wasn't that much more than the Queen." Bella's stomach growled. "The only thing I didn't do was do groceries." She looked at her phone. It was eight pm now. "So, dinner?"
Damon nodded. "Sure. What are you thinking?"
"There's Pachouli's." Bella suggested.
"The pizza place?" Damon raised a brow.
"Yes pizza. Do you not like pizza?" Bella asked frowned.
Damon shook his head. "No that's fine. It's sort of upscale though. They serve more than pizza."
"That should be fine. Unless you have a better idea. Though pizza sounds good."
"No, it's fine. If that's what you want to eat."
Bella stood. "Okay, let me change and then we can be off." She said and disappeared to her new room. She changed into some nicer clothes, which wasn't super fancy, but it wasn't blue jeans, and a shirt. She returned, her black leggings were Sherpa lined, which kept her warm, and she had a tunic shirt on, that was a deep sapphire blue. She fixed her cuff on the shirt, and looked up at Damon was staring at her. "What?"
"You're incredible." Damon said, just looking at the sight of her.
Bella blushed a little. "I'm really not."
Damon moved over to her. "Can I touch you?" He murmured.
Bella nodded, staring up into his eyes. His movements were slow, and his hands came to her waist, drawing her in towards him. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips brushed hers. It was slow, sensual. He made her feel so alive. She moaned slightly against his lips.
Damon drank her in, his heart was hammering in his chest as he contemplated what he was doing. He managed to bring the kiss to a close. "You need food." He murmured.
Bella blinked, opening her eyes and looked up at him. "Oh. Right."
After dinner, they walked back out to Bella's car. "That was delicious," Damon complimented.
Bella nodded. "It really was. Thank you for spending most of the day with me. I'm sure you had other plans."
"Nah, no plans." Damon turned to her, smiling. His hand came up, rubbing down her arm.
"Come home with me," she murmured.
Damon studied her. "I don't think that's a good idea."
Bella leaned into him then. Her arms winding up around him. "Are you sure?"
Damon studied her, her doe brown eyes were alluring, and knowing what it felt like to be with her already, it was hard to walk away from her. "No, no I'm not." He leaned in, his lips brushing hers gently. "Oh, you're doing things to me…things I don't know if I want to stop…" he murmured between soft kisses.
Bella smiled, lacing her fingers with his and walked to her car and got in. He drove back to her new apartment. Once inside, Bella started taking her clothes off while Damon watched, smiling. He followed her into her bedroom, before he unhooked his weapon and set it on her dresser, and his badge. His shirt came off, and then quickly they were naked together, collapsing onto the silk sheets of her new king-sized bed.
His mouth moved over her body, while his hands caressed her gently. She moaned, arching her body up as his mouth found her wet, swollen clit. She couldn't control herself as the floodgates opened and she orgasmed hard. Damon moved to her mouth then, kissing her deeply, his tongue moving over hers, and she could taste her fresh orgasm there as he entered her, his hard throbbing cock, reaching far with his tip. They moaned together, as he thrust, his hips powerful against hers. They laced their hands together as he moved her arms up above her head.
"Damon…" she breathed as she reached her second peak, "God….yes." She gasped, as his mouth went to her throat, and he nibbled there, sending vibrations through, his pace quickened as he drove her farther, and himself. He swelled tight inside her and he moaned as he erupted, his hips driving into her deep as he released himself. He moved a few more times before he pulled away, laying on his back, breathing heavy.
"Damn." Damon said, his heart thundering in his chest.
Bella smiled and rolled on to her side, curling into him. His arms held her to him, as she lay her head on his chest, hearing the roar of his heartbeat. "It doesn't get better than this. I'm convinced."
Damon chuckled. "Oh, the things I want to do to you…all the time."
Bella smiled. "Oh? Maybe we'll try them all."
Damon kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath, calming his heartrate. "You are my undoing. You know that?"
"Hmm?"
"I lose control with you. I've never…lost control before with a woman, and you do that to me."
"So, I'm special." Bella kissed his chest gently.
Damon looked at her. "You are very special." He tilted her chin up so he could kiss her softly. He could tell she was getting sleepy. She yawned softly, and closed her eyes, just listening to the beat of his heart until she fell asleep.
Damon felt her relax fully, and he knew she was sleeping now. He pulled the blankets up over them so the chill of the air wouldn't stir them, and he fell asleep with her.
[The Next Morning]
Bella's phone was vibrating wildly on the nightstand, and that caused her to wake up. She rolled over away from Damon, who was still sleeping and picked up the phone. Alice. "Alice it's super early in the morning," Bella whined softly after glancing at the time and it was six.
Alice raised a brow, looking at her sister on Facetime. "Are you naked?"
Bella looked down, the sheet covered her breast, but her shoulder was completely bare. "Yes."
"Do you have a man there in bed with you?" Alice asked, lowering her voice, after glancing around quickly.
"Alice, what do you need so early?" Bella asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, Caroline is coming by to see the apartment. She's thinking about giving up on the sorority and coming to stay with us if that's okay of course. She said, she didn't think…. she could stay on campus after, you know." Alice's eyes showed a sadness.
"Of course, it's fine." Bella whispered.
"Why are you whispering? You do have a man there."
Bella sighed. "Yes, and he's asleep, so I'll talk to you later. Tell Caroline the code. Love you, bye." She said and hung up. She sighed, setting her phone on the nightstand.
"I'm not sleeping anymore," Damon murmured, his eyes were still closed, but he reached out to her and pulled her into his arms, her back to his chest. He kissed her shoulder. "I do have to leave in a bit to go home and change. Go into the station." He said, and kissed her shoulder again.
Bella smiled and turned in his arms, and snuggled against him. "You know you can come back tonight."
"Tempting." Damon said with a smile, opening his eyes, his beautiful ice blue eyes and looked at her. "You are a seductress."
Bella kissed him softly. "Want to test the shower before leaving?"
"That sounds really nice." He said, and the two of them went into the bathroom, turning on the shower, and stepping in as the hot water cascaded around them. He hoisted her, pinning her to the cool slate wall, and thrust up into her. Bella clung to him, moaning as they rode each other, into bliss. When they were finished, she was feeling high on the drug that was Damon Salvatore.