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 Munzke, Navywife, Kouga, Roxhall, and Sassy for your reviews! Edward is nothing but trouble it seems. Bella withholding from Stefan isn't just her trying to protect Stefan, but Damon as well. On a technicality, she was broken up with Stefan at the time, and she wants the brothers to rekindle a relationship she can see that both of them are yearning for. The question is, what will happen next? As always I appreciate all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite and review!
Damon stood in the church with Stefan. He was surveying the bodies that he discovered. The tomb was empty now and it concerned Damon.
"So, these bodies, are clearly the victims of whoever it is killing patrons of this town." Stefan said.
Damon's brows knitted together. "Well. Maybe." He said and then blew out a breath. "Alright, against my better judgement, I'll tell you something. But promise you won't get mad."
Stefan looked at his brother, knowing that whatever it was, he would instantly likely get mad, but he would try. "Okay."
"So, 1864, the church was set on fire. That much… is true. I didn't… I didn't know that Katherine wasn't inside until much later." Damon said.
"What are you saying Damon?" Stefan asked, appalled from this bombshell.
"Emily Bennett sealed Katherine inside the tombs under the church." Damon blurted the rest of it out.
"So… she's alive?"
Damon sighed. "Well, someone beat me to the tomb first. I don't know how long the tomb has been empty, because I've been taking my time. I had to get a few things in place before I could get a witch to open the tomb to let her out, but it appears, that it's already happened."
"Are you serious right now? How could you not tell me any of this?"
"Did you forget that we went decades without talking to each other? Or the fact that you ripped through the South as a blood thirsty ripper? Oh yeah, and your friend Lexie keeping me from you during the last war you were apart of?"
"Wait what?" Stefan's mind was boggled right now. He didn't understand what Damon meant by Lexie.
Damon looked at his brother, his look serious. "I tried to reach out to you. Remember that? We were brothers again, I was… going to let bygones be bygones. Lexie decided to intervene. Said I was bad for you. So, I didn't show, because she told me that you didn't need me. That us, being brothers again wasn't a good idea. So…" he shrugged.
"She wouldn't do that."
"Ask her yourself one day. Either way, tomb is open, means Katherine is roaming the Earth… and so are other… vampires that were rounded up and placed in the church. Emily couldn't keep Katherine from being burned alive without saving the others." Damon explained.
Stefan was quiet. "I don't remember who all were vampires. I don't remember the faces."
"Me neither. I wasn't privy to the knowledge of other vampires. When Emily told me that, she disappeared and I assume died because the amulet that I have in my possession, was hers."
Stefan shook his head. "I can't believe this right now. What was your hope? Release Katherine and she would come to you because you were her savior?"
"No," Damon said sarcastically.
"Then what?"
"I don't know Stefan. I was just thinking about maybe, I could break her out and have her explain herself, but it appears that she doesn't even care, now does she, if once released, she's just gone." Damon said, his voice slightly elevated to match Stefan's.
Stefan ran a hand over his face. "Okay, so, she's not in the tomb and neither are several other vampires. Which means, they could be the ones killing and draining people in Mystic Falls."
"Yes." Damon said. "The question is… who opened this tomb?"
"Me." A voice called, and it made Damon and Stefan turned to look at them.
Damon's eyes narrowed when he stared at none other, Katherine Pierce. "Katherine."
"Hello boys." Katherine said, her smile turning up wickedly.
"You were never in the tomb." Damon said, closing his eyes, realizing that Katherine did the most Katherine thing.
Stefan just stared at Katherine, the likeness to Bella was too uncanny. He thought maybe there were at least some sort of difference, but it was clear that they were identical. "Why…"
"Why what?" Katherine asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Why did you open the tomb? Why did you disappear after everything that happened in 1864. We died for you!"
Katherine made a pouty face. "Aw, so you did." She said and looked at Damon, who was just glaring. "What's wrong puppy dog?" She asked, mocking Damon.
"Emily said nothing about you not being in the tomb." Damon said.
"She was my witch, what did you expect? Her to tell you everything?" Katherine said with a smile. "But the past is past. What you should be worried about is the future. I hear I have a doppelgänger and she's just what I need to win my freedom."
It clicked with Damon first before Stefan and he disappeared, leaving Stefan there as he rushed to Bella first.
Damon burst into Bella's house, hearing her cries upstairs. He dashed up the stairs and found Edward on the bed with Bella, restraining her with his own body, her robe open wide. Edward was groaning and Damon new was he was doing. He ripped Edward away from her, throwing him back into the wall. It took Edward a moment to recover, as he got to his feet pulling his pants to his hips now.
Edward growled at Damon. "You won't win." He said, his fangs out, the dark veins popping under his eyes.
Bella was curling up into herself, pulling her blankets over her. She was bleeding from Edward's fangs piercing her neck roughly over and over again. She was thankful for Damon's arrival more than anything right now.
Edward flew at Damon, but Edward's speed was matched with Damon's own. Damon's hand pushed through Edward's chest as he got a good shot in on Edward which caused Edward to stop short, gasping as his fangs retreated, his green eyes staring at Damon, shocked that Damon was able to outmatch him. "How…"
"I'm smarter you moron." Damon growled and then ripped his hand from Edward's chest, pulling his heart out as he did and Edward started greying as he slumped to the floor. Damon didn't waste time, he went to Bella, gathering her up in his arms and she went to him, sobbing. He cradled her in his arms as he rocked her a little. "Shhh… hey, it's okay. I'm here." He murmured. "You need blood." He said and brought his wrist up to his mouth, piercing his wrist with his own fangs and then put it to her mouth. She didn't hesitate, knowing that the weakness she was feeling was due to blood loss. She drank from Damon, his blood revitalizing her now.
Damon shut his eyes as she drank from his wrist. It wasn't something vampires normally did, letting someone drink from them. It was a certain level of intimacy and Damon knew that, but Bella didn't. He just let her feed on him now, to replenish her strength. She needed it more than ever, to heal her wounds and also the blood lost to Edward.
Bella pulled her mouth away, when she felt better and Damon's wrist healed up quickly. "Damon…"she croaked.
"Hey, I know… it's okay." Damon whispered.
Stefan ran into the room now, his brain catching up with him after Katherine laid it out for him. "Bella!" He called out, and then saw a dead Edward on the floor, and Damon, holding Bella in his arms, blood on her and the blankets around her. She looked naked. "Oh my god…"
Bella couldn't look at Stefan right now. She didn't think about him when Edward was… brutalizing her. She though about Damon and how she wished for him to be there, to come save her and she was feeling guilty for it now. "Damon…"She croaked again.
"Do you want me to go?" Damon asked softly.
Stefan was confused. How was it Damon knew exactly what Katherine meant? Why was Bella so comfortable being naked in someone else's arms? What had happened? "Bella, what happened?"
"I… don't want to talk about it." Bella managed and then she pulled the blankets closer around her and pulled out of Damon's arms. "Can… I get a moment alone. I need… I need to get dressed."
Damon got up from the bed, looking at his brother. "Come on brother." He said gently and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait… Bella…" Stefan murmured, feeling tears wanting to threaten for once. It was clear something terrible happened and Damon knew, but she didn't want to talk about it with him. Why was that?
"Stefan please…"Bella said, closing her eyes to fight back more tears.
Stefan swallowed and then just nodded, leaving with Damon to go downstairs. Once they were alone downstairs, Stefan turned on his brother. "What the fuck happened?"
"Edward… was… trying to kill her." Damon said, leaving out other vile acts.
"Why? When did he become a vampire?"
Damon sighed. "I suspect he was in the tomb. He was older than me."
"And you managed to kill him?"
"He was enraged and distracted with blood lust. He wasn't acting very smart." Damon said.
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That Bella would be in danger like that?" Stefan asked bluntly.
Damon shook his head. "Katherine said doppelgänger. It made sense Stefan. Bella is the only one I know that looks like her. Katherine is devious and I figured, she would try to use Bella somehow, so I came to check on her. I heard her cries and I took care of Edward."
Stefan looked up, hearing the shower. "She was covered in blood… she needs-"
"I fixed her." Damon said. "She's… not hurt anymore. He was draining her, or at least… that was part of it." He said. "Listen, talk to her. Listen to her. When she's ready, she'll talk."
"She trusts you… why?"
"Stefan…" Damon said, his eyes genuine when he looked at his brother this time. Maybe it was the fact that Bella forced him to care more, to let up on his vengeance for something that didn't matter anymore. Either way, he was sympathetic to Stefan right now. "I'm just… I haven't lied to her when she's asked me questions." He said part of the truth.
"I don't get it. I've… been honest with her since she found out about me being a vampire."
"It's not just that. Stefan, really, just talk to her. She'll let you know when she's ready." Damon said and the shower cut off. "I'll let you two-"
"No… she… didn't tell you to leave. What if… she needs you?" Stefan hated to even say those words.
Damon just nodded and stayed, but went to the kitchen and found the liquor again and poured himself a glass.
A little while later, Bella walked down the stairs. She was cleaned up, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jogging pants. She looked at a worried Stefan. "Stefan…"
"I just want you to be okay." Stefan softly.
Bella swallowed. "I'm not okay. Edward… he's dead in my room, and and… I'm not sure how I should feel."
"I'll take care of it." Damon said, setting his glass down and he brushed past Bella, his hand briefly touching her shoulder in a 'it's going to be okay' sort of way. Before he went up the stairs to take care of Edward.
Stefan looked at Bella, as she hugged her arms around herself. "You can talk to me. Bella, whatever it is, I'm here for you."
Damon came back down the stairs a little while later, carrying Edward in a wrapped-up sheet. He didn't say a word as he went out the door.
"Bella…" Stefan said her name again, going towards her and he brought a hand up to stroke her face. She flinched a little under his hand and it made him stop. "What did he do to you…"
"Stefan… I'm sorry."
Stefan shook his head. "No… no… don't be sorry, I'm sorry. I should have known. Edward was strange, I suspected he was supernatural, but vampires… we don't know each other. I should have seen it though. I should have been able to save you from him." He said and swallowed. "I love you… Bella."
"Stefan…." Bella murmured and looked up into his green eyes. Eyes that reminded her of the color of Edward's and she wasn't sure she could look at him long. "I slept with Damon." She said, her voice shaking a little.
Stefan took a step back, confusion washing over him. "W-what?"
"When we broke up. I… I slept with Damon. I…" Tears flooded down her cheeks, as she sobbed now. Telling Stefan was something she dreaded because she didn't want to upset progress made between the two brothers.
Stefan was wide-eyed now, tears breaching the surface as he stared at her in disbelief. It happened again, his brother swooping in and stealing everything from him. First with Katherine and then with Bella. Why was this happening to him?
"Stefan… I told Damon we couldn't be together… I couldn't do it again, and he understood. He wants to fix things with you. I want him to fix things with you. IT was just one time Stefan and it won't happen again. I promise you." Bella said, panicking now, not for Stefan, but for Damon and that crushed something in her chest.
Stefan shook his head. "I…" he didn't know what to do or how to feel, but he knew that he felt pain, like his heart was breaking again. He lost Katherine how many years ago, to find out that she was never lost to begin with. And now she was back, and a threat to Bella.
"Please say something…" Bella murmured.
"You don't love me…" Stefan said, his voice wavering.
"Stefan… I don't know."
"You want to be with him." Stefan said, his voice elevated again.
Bella cried more, shaking her head. "Stefan, it's not that. I just don't know how to love right now. Stefan, please… we can… we can work this out."
Stefan looked at her. "You want to be with me?"
"Yes, I want to try. Stefan, I told you I would give you a second chance… please… please give me one." Bella said, swallowing, hoping that he would.
Stefan studied her, reaching up and wiping his face as a few tears ran down his face. He went to her then, his arms going around her. "Um. I can try…" He murmured. He kissed the top of her head. "I can try."
Bella closed her eyes and she leaned against him. She would have to talk herself up to this too. She would have to get over what happened with Edward and one way to do that, was to keep moving forward.
