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. I do own the original characters made up for this storyline. Please support the original release. Thank you.

Writer's Notes: Thank you Tish, munzke, Missy, kouga, Roxhall, cheleyk, and Navywife for your reviews! Hope everyone has had a great Monday. I had a checkup on the baby boy, and so far everything is healthy! Yay! Just have 3 and a half more months to go. *smiles* Thanks everyone for so much support. I love writing for you guys. As always, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


[Saturday, day of the Founder's Ball]


Bella didn't want to go to the Founder's ball. She could care less about the party and everything the mayor and his wife were doing. But, Caroline said to forget about Vicki and her issues and come out and enjoy the day. At least it would be daylight some at the beginning of the ball, but the ball itself would go into the night. She worried about Vicki making an appearance then, but then again, would she go to the Founder's ball after being MIA, for so long? Things with Stefan were strained. She was trying to get over the fact that he kept something this big from her. He was a vampire. She woke up to Damon cooking in the kitchen for her and Stefan was still lingering around, in hopes to talk about everything.

She didn't mean to, but when he reached for her, she flinched away. Not that she was afraid of him, she just… wasn't sure what to make of everything going on. She needed time to process everything that was happening and Stefan needed to give her that time. So, Stefan left, to go back to the boarding house, leaving Damon there against his better judgement, but Bella wanted Damon to stay. She felt like she stood a better chance of getting the truth out of Damon, than Stefan, at least for right now.

"Stefan is a lot of things Bella, but he won't hurt you intentionally." Damon actually stuck up for his brother and it surprised him deep down too.

Bella hated painting her nails, but Caroline had texted and said that she better before she got there with the dress, so she was sitting in the kitchen, her foot propped up on the other stool and painting her toenails carefully, while Damon leaned against the counter after cleaning up after breakfast and putting everything away. "I know that. I'm just trying to process what happened last night and that supernatural creatures exist. He likes to hover and right now, I don't need him to. I want answers, direct answers."

"Well, ask me anything and I'll tell you."

"Katherine."

"Died in 1864 when Stefan and I were both turned." Damon said with a nod.

Bella glanced up at him. "You're really brothers?"

"We are."

"So, Stefan is really over Katherine?"

Damon sighed. "I don't think anyone can really be over the woman that seduced them made a bunch of promises, before being killed."

"She didn't kill herself?"

"No. We like that version of the story. The real one just… seems sadder." Damon said, his brows furrowing. "Back in 1864, this town knew about vampires. The Gilbert family are responsible for inventing a device that would lead you straight to a vampire. At the time, when Katherine Pierce moved in, to Mystic Falls, she also brought a whole band of vampires with her. So, when the town and it's founder's figured out about the vampires, because let's face it, not all of them were as creative in covering their tracks, they were locked in a church and set on fire."

Bella shook her head. "That's just awful."

"Well, yeah, it's a terrible way to go out."

"Why weren't you and Stefan in the church then?" She asked, and continued painting her toenails.

Damon blew out a breath. "We weren't vampires yet."

"But Katherine, didn't she-"

"We ingested her blood. We were killed after the church was set on fire."

Bella frowned, looking up at him. "What?"

"When Stefan and I heard about the church and Katherine being locked in, we both went to go save her and the others. On the way there, our father stopped us. Warned us that if we continued to consort with demons, that we would suffer." He paused looking away. "I moved first, to defy him and he shot me with a rifle. Stefan went to help me and he too, was shot."

It was quiet now. Bella was simmering with that information. Damon and Stefan's father had killed his sons, because they fell in love with the dark side.

"When we came to, the church was burned to the ground. When we woke, Stefan was confused. He didn't know that Katherine… that she was a vampire. She always compelled him to forget that she would drink from him and exchange blood."

"But she didn't hide it from you?"

"No. I knew what she was and I loved her anyways. Katherine told Stefan and he got scared. I didn't know that she was having an affair with him. I really didn't… at least not at first. I should have ended it, but… I loved her too much, and she told me she loved me too. But she told me that Stefan was too afraid to know of her dark history, but I took it with stride. Deep down, I was scared. I was scared of the darkness, just as much as Stefan. He was young. Seventeen, so it was expected of him to be afraid, but me… I was 24. I was the older brother, the brave one. I went to war, fought and survived the confederacy, so I could survive the dark love of Katherine Pierce."

Bella was sad for DDamo and for Stefan. It was a lot to take in. She stayed quiet as Damon continued.

"But I really didn't survive Katherine Pierce. I was killed for loving her and it left a hole in my figuratively and literally." Damon said and then reached over and poured bourbon and took a drink."

"Vicki had to drink human blood to transition."

Damon nodded. "Yeah. That's the rule. If you don't feed to complete the transition, you will die."

"So, you and Stefan…"

"Stefan relished in it. He slaughtered our entire family, starting with our uncles and left our father for last." Damon explained. "I was waiting for the sunrise. I was going to die that day."

Bella was shocked. "What?"

"I never intended on being a vampire. Not without Katherine there in my life. I didn't see it as a life worth living. So, I stayed by the lake. Waiting for day to break, so I could die. But Stefan, he turned up. He… convinced me." Damon said, lying about the last part. For some reason, telling Bella that Stefan forced him to feed and complete the transition, just didn't seem right. And that bothered him again. He should be ruining all Stefan's chances right now, but he wasn't.

"But you two have rings. Were those made before?"

"Yes. Katherine always intended to turn both of us and live out eternity together. I guess, I'm not sure why she thought both him and I would go along for that ride, but…" Damon shrugged, taking another drink.

Bella shook her head. "She doesn't sound… so great."

"Well, she was the love of our life or at least one of them." Damon said. "But, here we are and here she isn't."

"It's still sad."

Damon made a hmph sound. "Well, I've had 158 years to get past Katherine Pierce and I have. A century and a half of living through so many decades and watching people make the same mistakes over and over again."

"So, you and Stefan don't get along because of Katherine?"

"Mostly." Damon said. "But, it's not like I haven't tried before, it's just… hard I suppose."

Bella finished the last toenail, but she kept it propped up to dry. "Stefan is probably hurting a lot right now… isn't he?"

"Well, yes. Stefan is a bleeding heart. He loves so quickly and when he does fall in love. He falls really hard and that was before him being a vampire. Like I said, being a vampire amplifies everything." Damon said and finished the rest of his bourbon. "Any other questions?"

Bella thought about the night of rough sex. "Do all vampires have a hard time with control?"

"No. Just Stefan. I'm surprised he even pursued you. Honestly, I thought he was still having a hard time after his last blood bender."

"What do you mean?"

"Some vampires, can't control blood lust. It gets the better of them."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, that human blood can trigger them. Excitement too. Control for us… is something we all try very hard to keep, unless we intend to rip someone's head off or kill them, then control is a very thin line to dance across."

Bella swallowed. "And Stefan?"

Damon nodded. "He can't drink human blood. It does something to him and he can't control himself. Once he starts feeding, he will literally, rip someone's head off."

Bella put a hand over her mouth, obviously surprised to hear this.

"That wasn't mean to scare you." Damon said but he was only half lying. She should know how dangerous it was. "He hasn't hurt you has he?"

"Well."

Damon frowned. "Bella…"

"Just… one time, but it wasn't too bad." Bella said. "He didn't mean to."

Damon pushed away from the counter and walked over to her, his icy eyes locked on to hers. "Bella… has he hurt you?"

"He hasn't."

"If he's hurting you then-"

"He's not. Damon… I promise." Bella said, her dark eyes seemed to be swallowed up in Damon's stare.

Damon reached up, a hand brushing her hair back away from her face as he studied her. He could so easily fall back into a pattern. It wouldn't take much to take Bella away from Stefan. He heard the uptick in Bella's heartrate and that intrigued him enough to inch closer, his mouth closer to hers now.

"What…"

"Shh." Damon murmured, and then he brushed his lips across hers.

Caroline opened the front door, closing it to. "Bella, I got your dress, we have to do something about-" She paused in the doorway. "What?"

Damon leaned back, hating that blondie had to show up and ruin a perfect moment. "Yes, barge into the house, that's exactly what people should do. Nevermind there's a door." He grumbled, taking a step back.

Bella sucked in a breath, obviously embarrassed her, cheeks tinted pink. "Care, I thought you weren't coming until later."

"Mhm. And if I had, then would you and Damon be doing the nasty on the kitchen bar?"

"Care!"

Damon smirked. "The world may never know now." He said going to pour more bourbon.

Caroline raised a brow. "Day drinking?"

"Yeah, I just knew I would have to hear your voice today, so I was preparing myself.

Bella sighed. "Don't start you two." She grumbled. "I was going to wear my hair like it is. I don't really want to go to this thing in the first place."

"Well, we have to. You can't sulk about Vicki all day." Caroline said. "Where's Stefan?"

"We uh… are taking some time." Bella said, swallowing. "He went back home."

"I see, so Damon is here because?" Caroline asked. She knew that Stefan and Damon had some issues with each other, because Bella told her. Something about an ex girlfriend in the past and it looked like the cycle was repeating itself.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'm the one taking her to this thing since Stefan, isn't going."

"What?" Caroline squeaked. "Bella, you can't-"

"Care, not today please. I haven't slept much and I just want to get this day over with. Despite you telling me not to worry about Vicki, I'm still worried about her and Matt. So, let's just get me dressed and I'll suffer through the makeup and hairspray, just for you."

Caroline smiled a little. She could be overbearing at times, so she decided to drop the Damon issue. "Alright. So, hair first, then makeup." She said and got to work.


[Founder's Ball: Lockwood Estate]


Bella did look beautiful. Blue was her favorite color and the dress fit perfectly. Caroline made her look and feel like Cinderella. Damon cleaned up nicely. He was wearing all black, black button up shirt, black blazer, dress pants, and black shoes. It made him look intoxicatingly sexy. Stefan was out looking for Vicki. He wanted to fix things and also give Bella the space she had asked for.

It seemed like the entire town was there at the ball. Bella really hated a crowd, so she wanted it to end as soon as possible, so she could go out and help look for Vicki.

"Damon, you look nice." Liz Forbes, Caroline's mother and sheriff, approached Bella and Damon.

Damon smiled at Liz. "As do you sheriff. I don't think I've ever seen you out of uniform."

"Well, it's for the event." Liz said and looked at Bella. "Bella, you look beautiful honey."

"Thanks Liz." Bella said with a polite smile. "Oh, Elena is here with Matt and Bonnie. I'll be right back." She said and disappeared to greet Elena, Bonnie, and Matt.

Liz raised a brow. "Isn't she a little young for you?"

"She's 18." Damon said with a smile. "My brother couldn't make it, so I thought I would accompany her, so she wasn't alone."

"That was thoughtful." Liz said and looked around. "Carol said that the watch was missing from the artifacts Elena brought over."

"That poses a problem." Damon said. "Is there no other way to track the… you know what?"

Liz shook her head. "I'm afraid not. For now, I want to make sure we all keep vervain on us. It'll protect us from at least their hypnosis."

Damon nodded his agreement. "Yes, we definitely don't want that." He said and looked around the room. He saw the youngest Gilbert, Jeremy, slip out carrying a flask. He narrowed his eyes. According to some gossip he had picked up, Vicki was involved with the little Gilbert and he wondered why he was slipping out so quickly. "Well, tonight, we just enjoy ourselves and keep our heads on a swivel." He said with a smile, looking back at Liz.

"Yes, don't let Bella be by herself. We never know when the… you know what, makes an appearance."

"I won't." Damon said and went to Bella, who was standing next to Elena, Bonnie and Caroline. "Bella, can I have a moment?" He asked, looping his arm through hers. "I'll bring her back, promise." He said with his signature cat-like smile.

Bella just smiled and nodded, leaving with Damon. They walked outside. "What's wrong?"

"Jeremy Gilbert."

"What about him?"

"He was hanging out with Vicki and supplying her with drugs. He just quickly left this shindig, with a flask and he looked a bit nervous."

"You don't think Vicki is trying to lure him away?"

Damon kept walking with her by her side, his arm looped with hers. "Maybe." He said and kept following Jeremy's scent.

Back at the ball, Caroline got called away for some Founder's Ball duties and Elena found it odd that Damon and Bella were hanging around each other, especially after Bella and Stefan being an item. She slipped out of the ball and followed them, curious to where they went, while Bonnie was distracted with her dad.

"He's heading to the cemetery." Damon said and stopped. "Maybe it's safer for you to stay at the estate."

"What? No Damon, I'm not going to let her hurt anyone. We have to help her handle this and if we just leave her alone, she's going to spiral. Plus, Jeremy is Elena's little brother, I couldn't live with him getting hurt at all."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her, but he sighed, giving in. "Fine. Stay close to me." He said and they continued on towards the cemetery.


Something about being in a cemetery at night, was just creepier than being in one during the day. Damon stopped, when he heard voices.

"Vicki, I don't understand why you left for so long. I thought you loved me." Jeremy's voice whined.

"Jeremy, you don't understand. I can't be like this with you. You're Elena's little brother." Vicki's voice was a little agitated and it was likely because she hadn't fed. Since she was an addict, it made the blood lust a little worse for her.

Elena stayed a little bit away, but she heard Jeremy's voice too and that made her worried. When did him and Vicki ever hook up?

Damon came out of the shadows then, Bella with him. "Hey Vicki, it seems you have a couple people worried and looking for you."

Vicki snapped her attention to Damon. "Why are you here?"

"Vicki, please, come back with us to my house. We can help you." Bella pleaded.

Jeremy was confused. "What is this? Some sort of intervention?" He scoffed.

"Jeremy, right now, Vicki needs a lot of help. She is dangerous right now." Bella said calmly.

"Dangerous?!" Vicki said, squeaking a little. "You think I would hurt him? Why would I hurt him?"

"You know why." Damon said. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

Vicki growled a little. "I guess it'll be the hard way." She said and then moved to Jeremy suddenly, pulling him against her and tried to leave with him, but Damon went to stop her. In the mix up, Jeremy cut himself, his blood hitting the air and Vicki's eyes widened as she looked at him, mesmerized by the blood now.

"Vicki… no. Don't do this." Damon said. Vicki tried to attack Jeremy now and Damon moved to try and help stop it.

Elena rushed forward, scared for her brother and couldn't stay hidden no longer. "Jeremy!" She called out.

It distracted Damon enough for Vicki to slip his grip and flash over to Elena, sinking her fangs into Elena's shoulder. Elena cried out in pain and then Bella picked up a large branch, snapping it over her leg then she ran towards Vicki, shoving the branch in through Vicki's back, piercing her heart and making her stop. Bella was shaking after she did it and Vicki slunk to the ground, her body greying as she died a final death.

Elena was wide-eyed and so was Jeremy, as they looked at her crumpled, grey body on the ground.

Damon moved to Bella, framing her face with his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Are you okay?"

Bella looked at Damon, tears welling up in her eyes. "No. No I'm not okay." She said, sucking in a breath and forced her face away to look at Vicki's body. She shook as she lowered to the ground to her knees.

Jeremy was sobbing now. "Vicki!" He shook her corpse, but Vicki was gone.

Elena was still bleeding from her shoulder, tears streaming down her face as she tried to process what was happening. "Bella… what's going on… why did she do that…."

Bella looked up at Elena, realizing that Elena was thrust into this life. "Elena… she bit you." She said, stumbling up to her feet, her hands going to help stop the bleeding at her shoulder. "It's going to be okay." She sniffed through the tears.

Elena shook her head. "It's not. What was she?"

"A vampire." Damon said, looking at Jeremy crying over Vicki's body now.

"Vampires are real?" Elena said, her dark eyes focusing on Bella.

"Elena…" Bella murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"I can make them forget Bella."

Elena snapped out of it a little to look at Damon. "What?"

"I can make you forget this happened."

Elena wasn't sure that's what she wanted right now. "I don't know." She was shaking now, her shoulder's pain was starting to numb.

"Damon, maybe we should just get them home and get them fixed up. Then we can talk about… this."

Damon nodded, taking his phone out and sending Stefan a message and where to come find Vicki. "I'll put her in a spot then Stefan will come and take care of this." He said.

Bella nodded. It was the only thing they could do now. She would have to come to terms that she killed a person tonight, but she was afraid that Vicki would kill Elena and then that would be another human life loss. She hoped that somehow, they could explain this. She didn't even know what to do. What could they do? Tell everyone Vicki just left on a drug binge again? Her head was starting to pound now, from the stress of it all. She just wanted things to be normal again.