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,zukie, and ivy Rose for your reviews! Welcome Ivy! Hmm, interesting catch there! It's quite *possible* there are two of them, but we'll just have to find out. As for the surrogate situation with Jenna. You are correct, Jenna was the original surrogate, when things went sideways, the Cullen's returned from Italy. With that, they decided on a new surrogate, Anna. I apologize if there was a bit of confusion. I thought I wrote it out clearly, but I apologize if it wasn't. At that time, even after Elena was killed, the Cullen's still went to Italy as planned not for themselves, but more so for their family. While Elena's loss is devastating, that is not why Jenna lost the Cullen's twin children. The Cullen's have a lot going on, with welcoming a new addition to their growing brood, with Hope, and now that the new surrogate is also having twins, it'll get pretty chaotic before the time is up. Going forward, I'll make sure I highlight those key points more clearly. As for Bella, I don't really want to label her as a slut, but rather, a little unsure of herself. She's got a lot of things going on with her as well. She's been traumatized. Many things tend to play out with assault victims, and I know this from personal experience, is that they either, A.) seclude themselves not reaching out to anyone, and trying to deal with the overwhelming anxiety by avoiding people altogether, or they B.) internalize it, and try to continue pushing through life normal, and try to fill voids with what they would perceive as normal, i.e., still trying to carry on some sort of sexual relationship with the people that they do find closer to them in their lives because they know that they can trust those people. There's a little grey area between the two, and behaviorally, it doesn't have to make sense, but psychologically it does. I hope that some of this does clear up any questions anyone might be having. As always, I appreciate all the support and look forward to reading everyone's reviews. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

Alice and Caroline spent most of the day shopping. Bella and Damon had a quiet time at the apartment, until the duo came in carrying arm loads of bags.

Damon and Bella were sitting on the couch, just laying there together, in the silence, just snuggling. He looked up at the two girls. "Need help?"

"Oh, yes, there is more in my car." Caroline said. "Thanks Damon!" She called as she helped carry the bags to Alice's room.

Damon kissed the top of Bella's head. "I'll go get the bags." He said and got up, and Bella pouted, the warmth of him leaving her. He went to the elevator, and took it down and retrieved the remaining bags from the car, that were from different shops around Mckinney, and brought them upstairs, after checking to make sure Caroline's keys weren't in the car, and he hit the lock on her door.

Alice came into the living room. "Just put them all in my room. I'll sort it later." She said and went to hug Bella tightly.

Damon followed orders, setting the bags in Alice's room and returning to the living room. "Dinner?"

Bella frowned. "Did you guys get any groceries?"

"Uh…" Alice said.

Bella sighed. "Okay, I'll order take out. Mexican?"

"Sounds wonderful." Caroline said, plopping down on the couch, clearly exhausted from keeping up with Alice all day.

"Babe?" Bella asked Damon.

"That's fine." He said with a smile.

Alice giggled. "Babe. That's too cute. You guys are too cute."

"Thanks," Bella said, smiling and took out her phone to place an online order with Doordash. She got everyone's order and submitted it, paying for it. "It'll be here in like 40 minutes." She read the estimated time.

Alice took out her phone and plopped down next to Bella. "Oh my god. You have to see this." She said and showed Bella pictures of some of the Italian men, her and Rosalie were hanging around with by the pool. "That's Marcos. He…was very…."

"Hmm. You don't have to give me all the details Aly, I get it. You had a lot of sex with Italian men while in Italy." Bella said, rolling her eyes.

Alice smiled. "That's Marcos's brother, Mateo. They're twins Bella, twins."

Bella laughed. "My god, you didn't."

"I did." Alice bit her lip and then sighed. "They were truly beautiful."

Damon was laughing. "Hmm. I'm Italian."

Alice looked up at him as he came to stand behind the couch. "Yes, and you are gorgeous." She looked at her sister. "Keep him. Don't let him get too far."

Bella laughed, and Damon leaned down and kissed her. "It's still new, but I don't plan on it," she smiled at Damon, who smiled back.

"Wait…you have a brother." Alice said, twisting to a kneeling position on the couch and looked up at him, her dark eyes trying to look all sad, and inviting. "Do you think- "

"Oh boy, Stefan is his own person. We may be brothers, but we are polar opposites." Damon said. "I mean, you're his type. Dark hair."

Alice beamed. "Perfect!" She looked back at Bella.

"Nope. Don't you start. I'm not getting in on this. You have to approach him."

"Hmm, and Stefan can be sensitive, so be careful with that," Damon said with a laugh. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Alice said and then she bounced off the couch. "Okay, I have bags to sort, yell at me when the food arrives." She said and she skipped down the hallway to her room.

Caroline whined. "She's such high energy. Bella, I thought I had a lot of energy, but Alice surpasses even my abilities. How do you deal?"

"I just let her be Alice. Did she buy you ten pairs of shoes?" Bella asked, already knowing that her sister had a shoe fetish.

"Twelve, and like ten outfits. I mean I love shoes and clothes, but she is so much more extreme than me." Caroline said with a laugh. "Which means, I should go help her. Love you Bells." She said and walked off towards Alice's bedroom.

Damon smiled coming back to sit with Bella on the couch. "Your sister, and friend are really energetic. How is it, you are so vastly different from them?"

"Alice has always been high-strung. Care, she's been through some stuff. We went to high school together. She lost her father. He walked out on her and her mom, married a man, and doesn't talk to Caroline anymore. She was a daddy's girl and everything. Then there's the heartbreak that was Tyler Lockwood, and then her mom is a cop."

"Oh really?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. Caroline worried every night about her mom. One time, there was a robbery in progress, and her mom was there on the scene. Because Liz had a radio at the house, Caroline knew what was happening, and she was petrified of losing her. Fortunately, Liz was okay, no one was hurt, and she came home at the end of the night."

Damon nodded. "The uncertainty is real. I don't know what's going to happen when I walk out that door, that's why…I've never carried on a relationship with anyone until now. You're…special to me, and I don't want to regret it later, and I want to build something with you. I'm taking the leap, and I hope that my job doesn't get to daunting for you later."

Bella nodded. "Did you know that my biological father, he was a cop."

"I didn't know that. What happened?"

"He was shot and killed in the line of duty; I was nine at the time. My biological mother abandoned me and him when I was born. So, she never came back. Charlie didn't have any other relatives, so I went into foster care, and ended up with the Cullen's."

Damon frowned. "I'm so sorry."

Bella nodded. "I can barely remember that day when I was at school and the principal came to get me. Came to bring me to the station, where Charlie's partner was there, Billy Black. He was a Quileutte native. I haver perfect recall, but that day…that day I don't remember a lot. I remember the sadness that engulfed me. But. I knew that he died protecting the town he swore to protect. He was proud to be a cop. He wasn't just a cop; he was the police chief. He was proud to be who he was, and I was proud of him. Of course, I worried, but I never…I never regretted him being a cop. I never hated that he was a cop. It was an honorable job, and I was so proud of him. I have his flag. They gave me the flag. He didn't have a wife. I still have it, and it's back in my room in Mystic Falls. When the Cullen's adopted me, I never talked about Charlie again. I fell in love with a family that was so kind to me, so understanding and so amazing. They're my mom and dad, and even though I'm sad that Charlie did die, and I didn't get to know him as I am now, I'm still happy that I have my parents. That I am where I am today."

"You're beautiful…" he murmured. "You've been through a lot, and still, you're just, a beautiful soul…"

Bella smiled and leaned in and kissed him. "I'm proud that you are a cop, Damon. I'm proud that you protect me, and the people of this town. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll worry, yes, but that won't stop me from being who I am with you. I don't want anything to happen to you, but I'm not petrified with fear of something happening. I'm living for this moment, living for you. Living with you. I'll take you as you are because I'm not a selfish person. I want you to be who you are, without restraints. Don't change that." She murmured.

"I…I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just be here with me." She said, and leaned in and kissed him again before resting her forehead to his.

Damon felt his heartstrings tugging. He was falling madly in love with her, and he wouldn't stop it. He would do anything for her, and that scared him. It scared him with all the possibilities out there. It scared him, that she could get hurt again in this fucked up world. She was the one that endured the most, losing part of herself, but she was here, so very strong, so courageous.

They stayed like that for a while until her phone dinged with a message from the Doordash driver.

"Food is here." Bella smiled. She sent a text, telling him to take the elevator to the second floor.

[Three Months later]

Klaus took Bella's offer of staying in the apartment for the time being. He was going to go back to his own, but the building was getting fumigated, so all the tenants had to relocate for the next 72 hours. So, he crashed there. Caroline was very endearing. She helped him with almost anything. He was still in a sling, having to do rehabilitation longer for his shoulder, and he was still healing.

Bella and Damon spent most nights together. It was rare that he didn't sleep over. Bella had him bring clothes over to her apartment so he didn't have to wake up so early and leave to go to his house, which she found was just inconvenient and told him he should just move in permanently. The house was a rental, and his lease was up next month, so he agreed that he would make the move permanent when that happened. The search for the shooter went cold, and they exhausted all the leads that they had. It wasn't surprising that they got stonewalled for the collection of medical records and backgrounds on other students. The six that Bella supplied, had alibis and were cleared. So, they were stuck at square one again. In the past three months, four girls were assaulted. Ones that reported it that was.

The Dean was limiting classes now, having schedule changes, making classes end during daylight hours, so that students had ample time to return to their dorms before curfew went into effect. The coffee shop on campus, was only open during the morning hours, and was closed right after lunch. Police presence was everywhere on campus now. This guy was crafty, and smart. Always a step ahead. They figured since he was shot by Klaus, that he would slow down, and compared to three months ago, that much was true. After Elena's death, they uncovered that there were more girls being assaulted, but not all of them were assaulted on campus, they were assaulted off campus, and they didn't report it to campus security because it wasn't a campus situation. Somme of the girls were just humiliated by the fact that someone took something from them, and others did report it to the precinct, but it wasn't put on their radar, because it didn't quite match the same MO as what was happening with the girls on campus, or they didn't match the typical preference.

Damon didn't like it when Bella was on campus and he was off rotation at the school. He wanted to be beside her all the time, just to be sure she was okay, but she started carrying mace, and a taser, so that made him feel better. Caroline and Alice always were with her leaving the campus, so that made it harder for whoever it was, to get to Bella. Especially since she was a target.

Carlisle and Esme lost the twins their surrogate was carrying, and they tried again, with another surrogate because the surrogate was responding badly to the pregnancy and even though she promised she could try again, Carlisle and Esme didn't want to put her in danger. Jenna was too much like family, so they didn't want to put that on her. They had another success with the new surrogate, and so far, it was another twin pregnancy, which they were ecstatic about. The paperwork on Hope's adoption went through, and Hope was officially a Cullen, and she was loving every moment of being a little sister in a family of three older brothers and three older sisters. She also enjoyed the fact of becoming a big sister, something she never had before. She was a sweet girl, and Bella had been able to facetime with her every other day, since Hope latched on to Bella pretty immediately.

Spring break just started, and so Esme and Carlisle were there in Mckinney visiting their children, with Hope.

"I love the apartment honey." Esme said, looking around. She had seen it on Facetime, but it was much better in person. Carlisle was sitting on the chair, and Esme was just wandering through the apartment, while Hope followed. Alice and Caroline weren't home yet, and Damon hadn't made it home yet either. Bella hadn't spoke much about having a boyfriend, and she chose this moment to introduce him to her parents. She forced Alice to stay quiet about it. Klaus, on the other hand, was staying in the extra room, and was home.

"So, Klaus, how long have you been on the police force?" Carlisle asked. He knew before they came that Klaus was staying here for a few days. Bella explained that he was shot while on campus, and that he was the detective that helped her with her assault case, and they became really good friends, and his apartment was being fumigated. He suspected that perhaps he was more than a friend, but he didn't want to corner his daughter, she was grown, and was a woman. So, he didn't try to pry too much.

"Joined when I was twenty-two. I moved here from London, taking a position on the force. I was part of MI6 from the time I was 18, until I moved here. I originally was going to join the FBI, but double downed with the police force here since my older brother teaches as the University, and my younger brother attends the University. I lost both my parents recently, so I just wanted to stay closer to family. So, five years now." Klaus explained.

Carlisle nodded, impressed. "Ah, so you're 27?"

Klaus nodded. "Yes, my birthday was last month." He smiled.

Bella smiled over at Klaus. "Yeah, and you waited until last minute to tell anyone."

"Well, I didn't want anyone to go through the trouble. It's just a birthday."

"I get that," Bella said with a nod, and then the beeping of the door had everyone looking up. Alice and Caroline moved through the door.

"Oh! You guys are already here." Alice said, setting bags down and going to Esme and hugging her.

Esme smiled, hugging Alice. "We are. Hi Caroline, how are you sweetheart?" She said, going and hugging Caroline as well.

"Good, thank you Mrs. Cullen." Caroline smiled, hugging Esme.

Carlisle smiled at his wife. She had such an amazing, huge heart, and he couldn't ask for better.

Hope sat down on the couch. "This place is pretty amazing Bells. You have a really good view of the city."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad Alice forced me into coming and looking at this one last." She smiled, looking over at her sister. She was sitting in the large barrel chair that she favored a lot because it was so comfortable. The door beeped, and swung open.

Damon walked in, and everyone turned and looked at him. "Uh, hello everyone." He said with a smile. He shrugged his suit jacket off.

"Hmm. How was court mate?" Klaus asked.

"Meh, it was drawn out. It hit another recess for Thursday." Damon relayed, and then walked down and over into the living room towards Bella.

Bella smiled up at Damon, and tilted her face up, and he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Go put your gear up. We're going to go out and have some dinner. We're meeting Eddie, Jazz, and Em."

"Will do, I will return everyone." He said and headed off towards the back bedroom that belonged to Bella.

Esme stared at her daughter. "Oh my. How did I not know you were dating?"

"Because I kept it private until it was a sure thing." Bella said with a smile. "We've been dating three months. His name is Damon Salvatore, and he's Klaus' partner."

Klaus nodded. "That he is."

"He's hot." Hope said, and Carlisle nearly choked.

Esme smiled. "He is very handsome Bella. Are you happy?"

Bella nodded. "Very." She smiled and looked over at Carlisle, who looked like he was going to cry. "Dad? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just. You girls are growing up so fast, and I just…you have a boyfriend." Carlisle shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry daddy." Bella got up and went to Carlisle and sat beside him and hugged him. "Are you mad?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No, no." He laughed a little. "I honestly thought it may have been Klaus, because I suspected maybe you were seeing someone, and…"

Klaus laughed a little. "Oh, Bella and I are purely friends Mr. Cullen. I was the detective on her case, and we just got close. Damon is a real good lad. I promise you; he'll take good care of her."

Carlisle nodded. "Thank you, Klaus."

Damon returned, surveying the room. Esme's eyes were studying him, and Alice and Caroline were just grinning. He walked over to Esme first. "Mrs. Cullen. I'm happy to finally meet you. Bella talks about you and Mr. Cullen all the time. I'm Damon, Damon Salvatore." He reached a hand out to her.

Esme smiled and then leaned in and hugged him. "Call me Esme, and it's nice to meet you."

Damon was a little stunned about the hug, but he nodded to her and smiled. "Esme."

Carlisle stood, straightening. He walked over to Damon. "It's really good to meet you, Damon. You can call me Carlisle," he said with a smile and then he shook his hand firmly.

"Okay, let's go have dinner." Esme clasped her hands together.

Klaus smiled. "Have fun- "

"No no, you're coming too," Bella said, grabbing his good hand and pulling him up. "You don't get to skip out on family dinners." She smiled.

Klaus smiled back at her. "Hmm. Well thank you Bella. I'm honored."

They loaded up and drove towards Blue Plate, an upscale restaurant, that wasn't completely formal, but they had some great food.

[Couple hours later]

They all got back to the apartment, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward coming with. Everyone was in a great, light mood. Carlisle was really liking Damon, and could see how happy his daughter was when around him. He had worried about her after the assault, but she seemed to be handling things really well.

Emmett watched how Bella was so comfortable around Damon, how happy she looked, and that warmed his heart as a big brother, but at the same time, he didn't want Damon to hurt her.

"So, what was it like being in the Navy?" Jasper asked Damon.

Damon smiled. "Intense. I was special forces. Seal team 7." He responded. "And that's honestly, just about all that I can tell you."

Jasper nodded. "I understand. What made you decide on Mckinney police department?"

"My brother. He graduated from Mystic Falls. I actually grew up in Mystic Falls. My mom died when I was a boy, and then my father died a few years ago." Damon relayed.

Carlisle nodded. "I remember Giseuppe. He kept to himself. The Salvatores are a founding family in Mystic Falls right?"

Damon nodded. "Yes. When I joined the military, my father disowned me. I was disinherited from the Salvatores." He looked at Bella, and it suddenly made sense to her why he was worried initially.

Bella smiled at him though, she was proud of who he was. Her phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket, and answered. The number was blocked, so she thought that was weird. "Hello?" She was met with some silence and then some heavy breathing. "Hellooo?" She said again. The breathing continued. She frowned, and then there was a click, and they hung up. A few seconds later, she got a text from the blocked number. It was a picture of her, retrained on the bed, passed out. Another picture came through, and it was a picture of whoever it was…assaulting her. Then there was another picture of the most disturbing thing. He pulled her IUD out. She stood abruptly, paling.

Damon noticed instantly that something was wrong. "Babe?"

"Um." She just clicked the button on the side of her phone to make the screen go asleep, and she forced a smile. "I'm just getting a bit tired." She murmured.

Esme nodded, looking at the time. "Yes, we should get back to Mystic Falls. Let you guys rest." She smiled.

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. The apartment looks amazing sweetie." He said going to Bella, and hugging her, kissing her forehead. "If you need anything, you only have to ask."

"I know, thank you." Bella said, still forcing the smile.

Carlisle turned and looked over at Damon. "Take care of her. I understand you're moving in together next month permanently?"

"Yes sir," Damon said with a nod. "I…hope that-"

"Not a problem Damon, just look out for her. She's my little girl still." Carlisle said with a smile.

After everyone left, it was just Damon, Klaus, Caroline, and Alice. Bella excused herself for the night and went to her bedroom.

Damon followed her, shutting the door. "What's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm okay. I think." Bella breathed out.

"No, no you're not. You're about to pass out. What's going on?"

Bella closed her eyes, fighting the tears. "Um." She handed Damon her phone.

He looked at it confused, and then he unlocked the screen, looking at the pictures sent from the blocked number. He put a hand over his mouth. Seeing Bella like this clenched his heart, and provoked anger in him. "Is that what the phone call was?"

"I think it was the same person. Why would they do this?" Bella murmured.

"Because they're a degenerate." Damon said, his tone icy.

"Damon…"

Damon looked up at her. "I'm so sorry baby." He murmured.

"He took my IUD out. That last picture. That's what it is."

"IUD?"

"Birth control." Bella murmured.

Damon blinked a few times, then realizing. "Oh, oh." He went to her, his hands slowly going up and down her arms. "You should go to the doctor. See what-"

"I haven't been paying that much attention. I've had the IUD for two years now, and my cycles are all over the place anyways. I-"

"Breathe." Damon said. "Do you want to test?"

Bella wiped at the few tears that managed to escape. "I think I should."

"Okay, I'll go get you a test. You just calm down, sit here, and just stay calm." He said, his voice soothing. She nodded and he kissed her forehead, before turning and walking out.

Klaus and Caroline were sitting on the couch now, the TV on, watching a movie. Klaus looked up at Damon. "Hey, where you going?"

"To the store really quick." Damon said with a smile. "I'll be back." He said and then he was gone.

Klaus looked at Caroline. "Probably out of condoms." He joked, and Caroline laughed, and they focused back on the movie. He was starting to get close to Caroline, she was so nice, and caring.

Damon went to the pharmacy and back, which only took about twenty minutes. He only waved at Klaus and Caroline briefly before going back to the bedroom.

Bella was sitting on the bed, just staring at her hands.

"Babe." He murmured.

Bella looked up at him. "Oh, you're back. I really actually have to pee."

Damon nodded, and handed her the bag with the pregnancy test in it. "It's going to be okay." He assured her, and she just nodded, disappearing into the bathroom. He blew out a breath, and ran a hand through his hair.

Bella read the instructions, making sure that she was doing it right, and then took the test. She opened the door after sitting the test on the counter. She wasn't sure if she could look at it or not.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked gently.

"I have to wait three minutes to read it. The directions…said so." Bella murmured, closing her eyes.

Three minutes seemed like an eternity, and then Bella walked back in the bathroom. Damon leaned against the door frame, watching her. She picked up the test, taking a deep breath, and then looked at the test. She swallowed, staring down at the words. Pregnant. How could she be? She felt normal.

"Baby…"Damon said softly.

Bella nodded. "I'm pregnant." She let the breath she was holding. "I'm pregnant." The words felt weird. She didn't know how Damon was feeling, and she was scared that he would leave.

Damon walked into the bathroom, his arms going around her, and pulling her into him. He kissed the top of her head.

"You're not leaving…"

Damon frowned. "Why would I leave?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Okay. I'm okay. I'm okay that you are, and I know you're scared. This was not part of the plan, and-"

"Do you want kids?" Bella asked suddenly, pulling back and looking at him.

His blue eyes studied her. "Of course, I want kids Bella. I've always wanted children. Do you?"

Bella nodded. "I've always wanted a family. Like my parents. I just…thought that it would happen much later in life." She looked down at the test.

Damon lifted her hand, taking the test and looking at it. "So, you're pregnant. What do you want to do? I'm with you, one hundred percent. I'm not going anywhere Bella."

Bella looked up at him, his blue eyes always seemed to just draw her in. He was accepting of her, and she needed him. "So, we go to the doctor's we get checked out. I feel normal. No symptoms," she frowned. "What if something is wrong?"

Damon leaned in, kissing her softly. "One step at a time." He kissed her again. "Firstly, I'm going to have to track…whoever sent those photos to you. We have to pass this off to Mason."

Bella nodded. "Okay."

"Secondly, I'm installing security cameras out in the hallway, and putting in a security system. I can't always be here, and I don't want you to be alone."

"There are cameras on the bottom floor."

Damon nodded. "None on this floor, and there's not system."

"Oh."

"We're going to catch whoever this is. I'm not going to let him hurt you again." Damon kissed her again.

Bella leaned into him, relaxing in his arms. Her heart was beating fast. She was going to be a mother, and Damon a father. Life was throwing more at her than what she bargained for, but she would make it work. She was violated in more than one way, and now, a baby. Somehow, even with the fear, she was happy that it was Damon.

[Two days later]

Bella and Damon sat at the doctor's office, waiting. Bella wasn't even sure how far along she was. From that night, it had been 5 months, but she wasn't with anyone until Damon a few months ago.

"Isabella Cullen." The nurse called Bella's name and she stood, Damon with her. The nurse smiled. "Right this way." She said, and directed Bella and Damon to an examine room. "I'm Janie. I'm nurse for the day." She said and sat on a stool. "So, you took a pregnancy test, and it said you were pregnant?"

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"And when was your last cycle?" The nurse asked.

"Um. I don't know. I had the IUD, and it…dislodged and fell out I guess, and so I…I'm not sure."

The nurse nodded. "No problem. I'm going to have Chelsea come and check you out with an ultrasound today, see if we can get an accurate gestation. Is that okay?"

Bella swallowed and nodded.

Janie smiled. "Okay, sit tight." She said and left the room.

"I'm nervous." Bella murmured.

"Why?"

"What if something is wrong. I don't feel pregnant." Bella sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Damon leaned in, kissing her cheek. "It's going to be okay. Just take a few deep breaths okay? Stay calm." His voice was soothing.

A few moments later there was a brief knock on the door, and another woman walked in. She was short, and petite, her hair was cut above her shoulders and was a bright blonde. "I'm Chelsea. We're going to check on baby?" She said and Bella nodded. "Okay, go ahead and lay back, lift your shirt up for me." She said and flipped the switch on the machine that was sitting to the side. The screen came to life, and Bella and Damon watched it as Chelsea rolled the cool jelly on Bella's stomach with a wand.

Chelsea smiled. "There it is." She said while taking some measurements.

"So big?" Bella murmured.

"Hmm, approximately 12 weeks." Chelsea replied. The baby looked like a baby on the ultrasound. It's knees were drawn up it looked like, and you could see a little nose.

Damon was in awe, and so was Bella, as they watched Chelsea do a few more angles. She took plenty of pictures.

"It's still a little early to tell the gender. Some techs can tell, I'm not that confident. I recommend doing the blood test and then in a few weeks come back and do another ultrasound to confirm." She said with a smile. She handed Bella the bundle of printed images of the baby. "Janie will take some blood before you leave, and schedule a follow up appointment."

"Does…the baby is fine right?"

Chelsea nodded. "Everything looked completely healthy and normal. Great placement, and strong heart."

"I'm not showing…or I don't have any symptoms?"

"It's not always that women experience a lot of the symptoms. As for showing, you're a small girl, you'll start showing soon. You already have a tiny pouch." She said with a wink. "Congrats you two." She said and left.

Bella stared down at the picture of their baby. She already was so in love. She looked at Damon, his eyes were so gentle, the way he looked at her. "I love you."

Damon blinked, sucking in a breath, as his heart leapt at the words. "I love you too…Bella I've been wanting to say those words…I just didn't know you were ready."

"I love you Damon. I love you." Bella said it again, and he leaned in and kissed her passionately. His hand went to her belly, laying his palm here and gently stroked her with his thumb. "We're pregnant."

Damon smiled. "We are, and I can't wait to start that journey. I'm sorry it happened like this, but regardless, it's happening, and I love you, and I already love her so much."

"Her?"

"Just a feeling," Damon said with a smile and kissed her.

Bella smiled, kissing him back. She wasn't going to let the sick bastard who was playing games with her now win. She would turn this into a happy thing. This wasn't going to ruin her, and her and Damon were stronger together. She would continue to rise above, and not let fear, or anger get to her. She would be strong, and she would stay strong. She knew she could because now she had Damon, and now she had a tiny life, that she knew already, that she would do anything for.