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. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Welcome to Chapter Two of The Twilight Chronicles, as promised, every chapter is a short story. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
[Mystic Falls Virginia]
If there was ever a time for normal, Bella would pick now. She wanted things to be normal. She had to get away from Forks, away from everything that was Edward. He shattered her, and what came next was not only worrisome for her father, but also unhealthy for her. Sitting in a catatonic state, grieving over the loss of a boyfriend. Pathetic. Her father was so worried about her, he was getting ready to send her to a psychiatric facility, so perhaps then, she would get the help she needed. But, she managed, with the help of her best friend Jake, to avoid the looney bin, and decided that after graduation, she would pick up and just move somewhere different. She picked Mystic Falls because she remembered living there as a kid with her mom once. She remembered liking the town. It was sunnier than Forks, and besides the cold winters, it was mild weather, from what she could remember and from the online google search.
Her old red truck would never make the trip here, so her dad helped her buy a Jeep, it was the same color red, and she drove across the country to get here. Her dad was worried about such a long trip, but he also knew that she needed this. She stopped in all sorts of places, taking some pictures, as promised, and texting them to her dad, to let him know she was alive and well, on this road trip.
Now she was in Mystic Falls, Virginia. The place that she would call home, for however long it suited her.
[Mystic Falls Grille]
Bella had been in Mystic Falls for a week now, and fortunately, she got a job at the Grille right away. She was staying at the hotel for now but knew that she had to get an apartment. Her dad sent her some money to help her get one, so she wouldn't struggle too hard. Her mom and Phil sent her some cash as well, just to keep her on her feet, but she didn't want to rely on her parents for too much. She had to do this by herself. She was nineteen, young, and free. She would make the best of it.
"So you drove all the way across the country, just to live here?" Matt Donovan. Blonde, blue eyed, and had that semi-southern charm.
"I did." Bella said with a nod, while she bussed her own table.
"Wicked. What made you pick this tiny town?"
"I lived here when I was younger. It was second grade. I stayed here for two years before my mom decided to try out Phoenix, Arizona." Bella explained.
Matt nodded. "Wait, yeah, I think I do remember you vaguely. I thought your name was familiar. It's been so long."
"Yeah, 10 or 11 years, I'd say. Most of the town is like I remember, sort of. But I also cheated and googled it." Bella said with a small laugh. It felt nice to laugh, she realized, and was happy that she was off to a good start.
It wasn't so busy right now at the Grille, so she was able to keep up with side work that needed to be done and chatting with Matt was fun. He worked there too, so it was nice to have a friendly face.
She looked up at the entrance when movement caught her eye. She smiled her best customer service smile. "Sit anywhere you like." She called to the man who just walked in. Something about him was so intense. His raven hair, and snow blue eyes. It was almost mesmerizing to look at him, his face was perfect, and she was willing to bet, everything about him was just perfect. Even the dark leather jacket he wore, was just somehow, perfect.
The man looked at her, walking towards the bar. His gaze was smoldering, and it made Bella blink a couple times.
"You're a new face." He said, coming to a stop right in front of her.
"Just moved here a week ago." Bella managed to say.
He studied her. "Damon Salvatore." He introduced, holding out a hand.
Bella shook his hand lightly. "Bella Swan."
"Welcome to Mystic Falls, Ms. Swan." Damon said, smiling his signature smile, and winked at her before taking a seat at the bar.
Bella went back to rolling some silverware when Matt sat down with her. She looked up at him.
"So, what's your plans for tomorrow?" Matt asked, as he joined her with silverware rolling.
"Apartment hunting," She wrinkled her nose. "I can't stay at the hotel forever, and well, I have enough for a deposit, and first month's rent. Utilities, all that jazz. I figured I should start working on settling."
Matt nodded. "Yeah, there aren't too many apartments for real around here, but I know of a couple houses that rent."
Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's on my to-do list. I talked to a realtor here. Uh, Jenna Summers?"
"Oh, that's Elena's aunt. She's really nice." Matt said with a smile.
"Oh, Elena is…"
"Girlfriend." Matt said, as he stacked silverware in a tight pile.
Bella knew that, she felt like she did at least. She was sure he told her before. "Right, I'm sorry. I'm not that great with names unfortunately." She laughed a little.
Matt smiled. "No biggy. We're seniors at Mystic Falls High School.
She knew that much about Matt. That he was graduating in May. It was August, and school started back to them. She already graduated, so she was happy about that. "Senior year." She smiled. She didn't have that great of a senior year. She hardly remembered it, but she faked a smile. "Best year of high school."
Matt grinned. "Yeah, I'm hoping I get the scholarship I need to play football at Whitmore."
"I'm sure you'll be great, and every talent scout all over the country will look for you." Bella said with a smile. "Actually, my step-dad is a minor leaguer for baseball."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, The Suns, Florida." Bella said with nod.
"That's actually really cool. Who is he?"
"Phil Dwyer. Short stop." Bella supplied.
Matt smiled. "I don't watch a lot of baseball, but I'll check him out." He said and then noticed the faint, crescent shaped scar on her wrist. "Ah, how'd you get that scar?"
Bella's smiled faltered, the memory of James popping in her head. "Ah, I don't really remember, I've had it so long."
Matt noticed the change in her, so he didn't press it. He just changed the subject. "Well, I'm happy you picked Mystic Falls. It's always nice to make new friends."
"It is and thank you." She said with a real smile. She knew that her decision to move here was scary, but at the same time, she was really glad she did.
The later it got, the busier it got. Some of Matt's friends from school arrived. Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes, Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, and a Stefan Salvatore, which she was sure, the little brother of Damon Salvatore. They were all smiles, and happy, and that made Bella feel a bit happy inside.
"You're not in highschool." Damon's voice sounded from beside her.
It startled her somewhat, but she looked at Damon and smiled. "I graduated last year."
Damon nodded. "I overheard you're looking for a place to live." He took a drink of the bourbon he was drinking.
She nodded. "Yeah. I've staying at the hotel for now, but I really should settle in."
"I own a boarding house." Damon said.
Bella had stayed a couple bed and breakfasts on her way here. She thought they were so nice, but a boarding house was different. "Really? Those things still exist." She said with a little laugh.
"Well, in some places they're fully operational. My brother and I moved back into town not long ago, like six months or so, so we don't have the place…in tip top shape. It's been in the family for a long time though."
"Hmmm. And you're offering me a room?" Bella asked.
Damon shrugged. "The offer is there. It's large, I believe…" he trailed off, counting the rooms in his head. "Seven bedrooms?"
"I don't know. I just met you. How do I know you're not some serial killer?"
Damon raised a brow. "I suppose you would have to take my word that I'm not a serial killer. Stefan lives with me, and we have a constant flow of high school degenerates coming in and out. Caroline and Stefan are dating, and well, she likes to be around a lot." He smiled a tight smile.
Bella chuckled slightly. "Well, it seems to me, that you just need to get out more."
"I try." He said with a smile.
"I'll think about it. If I can't find anything else. You're my last resort."
"Oh, gee, thanks," Damon said with a smile.
Bella looked at the table that hosted the rambunctious teens. They were certainly a bubbly group. She noticed that Caroline had looked up at the mention of her name, but it was probably just pure coincidence.
The next day, Bella was taking the day off as an opportunity to look for a place to rent. She went place to place, but there were no great deals, and the one place she was looking at, just rented that morning to someone else. She felt a little defeated, given the circumstances. She sighed and gave in. She took out her phone, calling Damon. They exchanged numbers the night before.
"Well, hello there. How is the apartment hunt coming along?"
"Not great. Does your offer still stand?"
"Of course. Come take a look at the boarding house." He said and hung up, and a couple seconds later, he shared his google location.
She sighed and clicked the link and her GPS led her towards the Salvatore Boarding House.
[Salvatore Boarding House]
Bella pulled up in the circle driveway and looked at the outside of the boarding house in awe. It was beautiful, the Victorian meets ranch style boarding house was definitely older, but it was in really good shape if she was being honest. She turned her Jeep off, and got out, looking around more. The landscape was perfect too, the greenery, was so refreshing. She walked up to the front door, the massive landing was open, but the roof blocked the sun. The pillars were older wood, but still in really great condition as well. She rang the doorbell. She noticed the fancy new Ring doorbell.
The door swung open, and Bella realized the door was beautifully adorned with wrought iron and dark wood, perhaps oak. Damon stood there, his black V-neck shirt on, and simple jeans. He was holding a glass of bourbon. "Ah, you made it."
Bella smiled and took a step across the threshold. "It's beautiful Damon," She said, looking around in awe.
Damon shut the door behind them and walked into the foyer. "Well, thank you. It's a little too rustic for my taste, but that's what redecorating is for." He said, lifting his glass to his mouth. "Mmm. Through here is the sitting room, or I call it the parlor slash library. The bar is in here too. I keep many different types of bourbon…whisky, wine, and whatever. This over here is just a closet that you hang coats and stuff in, a bathroom over here, and this room is a study. Has a desk in it. Some more bookcases. This is the kitchen," he was giving her the tour, and talking as they moved through the bottom part of the house slowly. Bella was taking in everything, and how beautiful everything was. The kitchen was more modern, with updated appliances in stainless steel. "Through here is the informal dining room slash breakfast area. Then this is the formal dining room," he said as they walked into the dining room, that was large enough to host a very large gathering.
"There are couple of rooms down here that I guess were gathering rooms? I haven't done anything with them."
Bella looked inside one of the rooms, the furniture in there had white cloth draped over them. "You should turn it into something."
"I've had no desire to do anything with it. Maybe I'll figure out something," He said as they walked out. "This door leads to the basement slash storage. It's old and dark down there. Creepy." He said with a smile. Then walked around to the large staircase that led to the second floor. It was grand, and Bella liked the look of the older banister's and the dark wood. "There are seven bedrooms up here." He said as they got to the landing, the open and vaulted ceilings made the house look really huge. "This is my room," he pointed to the door. "There are nine bathrooms up here. Each room has their own bathroom, and is an entire suite," they continued walking. There was another study or library up here, another room with blanketed furniture, and then stairs that led to the attic. "The attic is where Stefan stays. Or it's his room I should say." He explained.
"This is really amazing. The house is beautiful." Bella said with a nod. She knew that the rent would be outrageous.
"So, you can stay as long as you like. Or until you find something. So you don't have to pay for a hotel stay." Damon said.
Bella looked at him. "How much is rent?"
Damon laughed. "Nothing. I don't need money," he smirked at her. "I'm doing this to help you. You seem like a nice girl."
Bella wasn't sure what to say. She looked around again. She would feel bad about just staying here free. "I can't stay here."
"Why?"
"Because…it's too much. I can't live anywhere for free. I appreciate the offer-"
"Okay. What if you just…" He was trying to think of something. "I don't know, how much do you pay at the hotel?"
"Sixty-three dollars a day."
Damon raised a brow. "Okay. So, what about a hundred bucks a month or something."
"That's way too low."
"You're negotiating to pay higher rent. You do realize that is a bit insane."
"It's not insane. I just don't want to freeload off anyone."
Damon laughed again. "Just take the offer Bella. Don't worry about it. Seriously."
Bella sighed. "A hundred a week, or I stay at the hotel."
"Fine," Damon threw up a hand. "Whatever. Welcome to the Boarding house, or whatever."
Bella smiled, happy that she won.
Damon found her interesting. He noticed from the start, that she was bitten by a cold one, and yet, she was not one. It made him curious of the girl, Bella Swan was.
[Two weeks later]
"You don't have anything frilly," Caroline said, while laying on Bella's bed, texting someone on her phone.
"Yeah, dressing up isn't my style." Bella said.
It had been a great two weeks. Staying at the boarding house was never boring, she had to admit. Caroline was so nice, and she really liked her, and could see them being friends, even if Caroline was the polar opposite of Bella. Elena was nice too, and so was Bonnie. Despite them all being cheerleaders at Mystic Falls High School, they were really nice.
Stefan paused in the doorway. "Ah, I figured you were down here bothering Bella."
"I'm not bothering Bella." Caroline said, and looked to Bella. "Am I bothering you?"
Bella smiled. "She's not bothering me. Thanks for your chivalry though. I appreciate it," Bella joked.
Stefan smiled. "Well, it is time for us to go on our date night to the movies."
"Oh yeah!" Caroline sprung up from the bed. "I nearly forgot. How's my hair." She said turning to Bella.
"Perfect as always. Have fun you two." Bella called and watched Stefan and Caroline leave and she finished getting dressed for work. She grabbed her keys, phone, and wallet and headed downstairs, running, quite literally, into Damon.
His hands steadied her. "Whoa. Where's the fire?"
"Sorry, just rushing to work." Bella felt embarrassed.
Damon nodded, brushing the hair out of her face, and didn't realize what he was doing before her eyes cut back up to his. "Hmm. Well, be careful. Have a good day." He said and then he released her and left her standing on the bottom stair.
Bella blinked a few times, recovering, and then she shook off the intensity of Damon Salvatore, and out the door she went.
The Grille was packed for a Thursday, and so she went right on to work.
By eight, Damon was at the bar, drinking with a friend it seemed. A man she had seen with Damon over the past couple weeks. She learned that his name was Alaric Saltzman, and he taught eleventh grade history at the school. He was friendly, and his eyes were blue. Bella was starting to like blue eyes it seemed.
Bella was in the back when Matt came to get her. "Hey Bells, there a girl here to see you."
"Is it Caroline? I told her she could borrow the leather jacket I had in my armoire." She turned to look at Matt.
"It's not Care. It's a girl I've never seen before. She said you went to school together." Matt said with a shrug.
Bella smiled. "Okay, thank you Matt." She said and she went out to see who this girl was, and she stopped, her mouth dropping. Her heart stuttered in her chest, as her eyes landed on Alice Cullen. She hadn't seen Alice since Edward left her in the woods. Why was she here now? How did she find her? Was Edward back.
Alice moved towards her, and Bella stood, statue like, as she stared at her friend. "Bella, it's really me. Come on, let's talk outside."
Bella was in shock as she let Alice's cool hand take hers and they walked out. She looked at Alice, tears blurring her vision now. Her chest hurt so much, and she felt like she would pass out.
Alice's arms came around her and hugged her. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm sorry." Her voice was still the light, musical tone, that always sounded so beautiful, so alluring.
"A-a-lice." She broke, her sobs pulling from her. Then she felt the odd calm rush over her, and she realized that Jasper was here. She managed to look up, seeing Jasper standing there, his face tight like normal, but his eyes held a certain level of sorrow. "Jasper," she murmured, and she went to him, her legs feeling numb, but she hugged him. His body was hard and cold, and stiff, but he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her.
"I'll be damned." Damon's voice was clear in the night. Bella turned and looked at him.
"Oh, Damon." She wiped her face. "This is Jasper Hale, and Alice Cullen."
"Hello Salvatore," Jasper said, his Texan accent shining through.
Bella frowned, confused. "You two know each other?" She felt lightheaded now, a little woozy and her vision faded. She blacked out.
[Salvatore Boarding House]
Bella woke up in her bed at the boarding house. She was confused, and her head was hurting. She got out of bed, testing her equilibrium, and when she didn't sway, she walked to the door, and opened it, walking down the stairs. She heard talking in the parlor, and she went in there to find Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Jasper and Alice all standing there.
"I passed out."
Everyone turned and looked at her, and Alice flitted over to her in her normal vampire speed, which caught Bella off guard. "You're awake. I'm sorry."
"I'm okay. What…Alice, you're showing your secret." She lowered her voice.
Damon snorted. "It's not a secret. Vampires are real. Very real."
Bella looked at Damon. "You know about vampires."
"I do."
Jasper sighed. "Salvatore, do you always have to be so theatrical."
"I do Major, I really do. It's been about sixty or so years, but I'm still me. You, however, are the one that has changed." Damon said and then looked back to Bella. "It's because I'm a vampire. I just don't…well sparkle."
Bella looked to Alice and then to Caroline. "Care…"
"I'm afraid it's true. I'm sorry Bella. We didn't tell you."
"You're a vampire too."
"I am." Caroline said, nodding.
Bella wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't afraid of them, she knew that. She really liked Caroline. "Okay, so my best friend is a vampire, and my new best friend is a vampire. I must be a vampire magnet." She said with a half laugh. She looked to Alice. "Why did you and Jasper come here?"
"When I couldn't see you in my visions anymore, I got worried and went to see you in Forks, but Charlie said you moved here." Alice said.
"I'm fine. I just wanted to get away from Forks, and everything that reminded me of him." Bella said, and sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "Oh shit. I missed work."
"Matt is covering for you." Caroline said.
Bella sighed. "I can't believe I passed out."
"To be fair, you were in shock, so." Damon pointed out.
"Did you and Jasper come by yourself?" Bella asked, afraid of what the answer was.
"No." Jasper said.
"He's back." Bella murmured.
"He's back." Alice said with a nod.
Bella closed her eyes, feeling her chest constrict, but her heart leapt at the same time. Jasper calmed her and she thanked him for that. She appreciated his presence. "What are you…all going to do? When are you leaving?" She looked at Alice, fear in her eyes.
"We're…not going anywhere. Carlisle is taking a position at Mystic Falls General." Alice relayed. "We're staying this time, and Edward doesn't get to decide that again for us."
Bella nodded, and Jasper could feel how anxious she felt. "Darlin', I won't let him hurt you, if you're worried about it."
"I'm fine. I'm not worried." She lied, and he knew it, but he just nodded. "I think I'm just going…to head to bed, or shower or something."
Alice nodded. "You should get rest." She said and then she hugged Bella, and Bella hugged her back. "I'm sorry to drop in like this unannounced. I really was worried."
"I know, and it's okay."
"I love you." Alice said softly.
"I love you too Alice," Bella said, and tears sprung to her eyes. She did love the Cullen's. Every one of them.
When Jasper and Alice left, she stood there a moment, thinking about how she left Forks to get away from everything that reminded her of Edward, and now, he was back. This was going to be torture for her, but she couldn't just walk away. Alice was back, Jasper was back. Those were two important people in her life, and when Edward walked away and they went with him, she lost an entire family.
"Are you okay?" Damon was in front of her now, his eyes staring at her, and she could see the concern in them.
"Yeah. I'm just…"
Caroline patted Stefan's leg and they slipped upstairs to give Bella privacy.
"It's okay, if you're not okay." Damon said. "A bombshell was dropped on you tonight."
Bella sighed. "Yeah."
"You're not afraid of me though."
Bella frowned. "Why would I be afraid of you?"
"Because of what I am."
"Vampires don't…scare me." She sighed. "Even though they should, but no, I'm not afraid."
Damon took a step closer. "Not even nervous?"
Bella shook her head. She looked up into his eyes. "Somehow, I ran away from memories of my past, only for them to catch up to me. I know that the supernatural exists Damon. If I were afraid, I would have ran screaming from the house, the moment you admitted to being one."
"Your wrist. You were bit by one of them."
"No, I was bit by a vampire named James."
"You didn't turn."
"Ed…Edward sucked the venom out before it could do it's harm." Bella swallowed, remembering the ballet studio in Arizona.
Damon made a hmm sound. "Well, I should let you know, I'm not the same kind of vampire they are."
"I know. "
"You do?"
"I've seen you walk around in the sun. You don't glitter. Your eyes are different, your skin isn't cold." Bella explained.
Damon nodded. That would be the major differences between his kind and theirs. "I drink human blood too. The Cullen's don't."
Bella nodded. "They wouldn't be able to feed on humans without them dying or turning." She frowned. "This town gets way more sun; how will they go unnoticed."
"Relax. Bonnie will fix it for them, "Damon said.
"Bonnie?"
"The witch." Damon said flashing his ring. "I don't just walk in the day without help. The Cullen's will be fine.
There was a lot of the unknown that Bella just didn't know. She wasn't sure she wanted to know everything out there, but right now, she felt exhausted, even after just waking up from passing out. The emotional drain was tiring, and she just needed to sleep this all off. She would be better in the morning, but still she looked at Damon, saw how kind he was to her. He was snarky sometimes, but something about him, just made her feel something. Her heartrate picked up, as she looked up at him, into his icy blue eyes.
"Bella." Damon said. "Your heart is beating really fast. Are you okay?"
Bella swallowed, the heat rushing to her face, causing her to blush. "Uh, yeah."
Damon raised a brow, and then he took another step closer, his hand snaking out to her waist. When she didn't struggle against him, or make a move to hit him, he leaned down, his mouth brushing hers.
Bella gasped as his lips met hers, the warmth was shocking, considering what he was, but she enjoyed it. Her lips parted slightly, and his tongue brushed against her lips, and she parted them more, allowing his tongue to meet hers. Her heart was pounding in her chest, nearly leaping from her as all her senses were lit on fire and were alive.
Damon's mouth was gentle, nothing urgent, but he was taking his time with her, letting her taste him as he tasted her. The kiss was sensual, not just for her, but for him as well. His suspicion that she was special, was correct. She was special, and for some reason she was pushing her way inside his mind. Two weeks and she had him thinking more about her since the last time he was with a woman he cared for and that woman had been Katherine Pierce.
As she pressed against him, her breast again his chest, her hands wound their way up, grazing his chest as she looped them around his neck, one hand in his hair. Her core was on fire, and she felt the familiar feeling of arousal between her legs. She would get like this whenever her and Edward kissed, but was left with frustration because he always pushed her away. He never got the opportunity to kiss like this, and so this was a different experience for her.
Sensing her arousal, Damon picked her up, her legs circling his waist, and he walked up the stairs with her, going to his bedroom with her. There was no protest, and he didn't think she would.
He closed the door, and then pinned her against it, pressed against her as his hands wandered up her thighs that were locked around him, to her sides, brushing the side of her breast before he pinned her hands above her head. A moan slipped from her lips, when his head moved from her lips, to her throat. He moved with her then, to the bed, where he lay her, before taking his own shirt off.
Bella looked at his muscles, how strong he looked. Her eyes dilated at the sight. She was so turned on, that she couldn't even think straight right now, so she lifted her own shirt, pulling it over her head, and then he moved to her, leaning her back to the mattress after unsnapping her bra with ease.
Damon took a moment to look at her body. How perfect the swells of her breast were, so plump as his hand stroked over them, his thumb rubbing over her nipple, getting a pleasured reaction from her. He kissed her again, this time, it was a hungered kiss, his free hand went down to her pants, unsnapping the button on her jeans, and he tugged at them to get them free. She let him slip them away, and then she was just in her panties. His hand rubbed over her heated center, and she moaned again. She had never been touched there by anyone but herself, and it excited her more.
She couldn't believe that she was doing this, that she was going to lose her virginity to him. His mouth left hers and went to her right breast, his tongue lapping over her nipple as he toyed with her clit, now, her panties suddenly gone, and she hadn't realized that she was completely naked now. She didn't have time to feel self-conscious. Damon moved down, his mouth and tongue, lapping at her hot, wet center.
"Oh god," She gasped, as the new sensation flooded through her. He was pushing her towards her climax, and it was starting to peak. The tightness pooled in her belly and then she felt her orgasm ripple through her, and she moaned, her hands twisting in the sheets beneath her.
Damon was naked, as he slid up her body, his mouth back at hers. His hard cock was just at her entrance, and the excitement made her a little nervous. He brushed the tip against her entrance, and she arched up to him, pressing against him, and then he slid into her.
The pain was barely there, but it was, and it faded. He paused, the scent of blood hitting him, and he looked down at her. "Bella…"
"Don't stop," Bella urged.
"I don't want to hurt you," He murmured.
"I'm not in pain, promise." Bella said, looking up at him.
Damon closed his eyes, and leaned down, kissing her slowly as he shifted, thrusting in slowly, the tightness squeezing around him on all sides. He groaned, trying to hold on to what little control he had. His slow strides were agonizing to him, but the pleasure rolling over her face, was worth it to him. Soon she was spilling out around him, the orgasm hitting against his tip, and then he was spilling out, thrusting his hips in tight, layering her insides.
He came to a stop, and then he gently pulled out of her. He rolled her to lay on him, and heard her sigh, and the settling of her heartrate. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke. "I didn't know you were a virgin or- "
"Or you wouldn't have done all that?"
"No. I would have stopped at just getting you off."
"That wouldn't be fair."
"It's not about fair," Damon grinned. "Go to sleep. I can tell you're exhausted."
She really did feel exhausted. Her eyes fluttered closed and soon she was asleep.
The morning seemed to come quick, and Bella stirred a little, bumping against Damon, who was spooning her from behind now, his arm draped over her, and his breathing was even, and slow, like he was sleeping. She found it odd that he slept because the Cullen's didn't sleep at all. His legs were entwined with hers, and she tried not to move too much.
"Hmm." Damon snuggled closer to her, his mouth kissing the back of her neck. "You're awake."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I woke you up," She said and turned in his arms, to face him. They were both, still very naked.
Damon smiled, his blue eyes opening and looking at her. His gaze was so intense, erotic. He leaned in to kiss her, his lips brushing hers softly. "How are you feeling this morning?"
Bella had to admit, she did feel a little sore, but nothing that was too uncomfortable. "I feel perfect." She smiled. She thought she would feel, wrong, after last night, but she honestly just felt freer.
"Hmm. Well, if you're feeling good…" he kissed her again, and then his hands moved over her body, caressing her at the hip, her side.
Bella smiled, and rolled over, straddling him, and sliding over him with ease. He was large, very large, and she squeezed him tight. She danced her hips against his, gathering a response from him. His moans excited her and so she picked up her pace, pushing herself, and him towards a final release. She was hoping that she was doing it correctly from the start of this, but this reaction was enough to tell her that she was. He leaned up, his mouth capturing hers, his hand tangling in her hair as she rode him.
"God…Bella," Damon moaned as he grew closer, his mouth hungry over hers. He felt the burn in his gums, and he had to force his mouth away from hers, burying his face in her hair.
Bella shuttered around him as she ground her hips to his, throwing her head back, exposing her throat completely. Her orgasm ripped through her, lighting her up from her head to her toes.
Damon groaned, forcing himself to control his impulse to bit into her throat. When his orgasm finally peaked, he felt the intensity of the moment roll through him.
Bella was panting, out of breath. She leaned her forehead against his, while she regained her control.
He kissed her softly, a few times, and then he lifted her off him, and lay her on the bed, on her back. He lay beside her, propping himself with his elbow, and looked at her. "You…make me lose my control. It's dangerous to push me that far."
"Why?"
Damon stared at her, reaching out and brushing her hair behind her ear. "You don't know how badly…I wanted to just…"
"Bite me?" Bella asked, finishing his sentence.
He looked away, feeling ashamed.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I would never hurt you Bella. I don't want to ever mark you like that without you wanting it." Damon said.
Bella nodded, smiling. "Well, thank you for thinking of me, but I threw my head back for a reason. It was an invitation."
Damon frowned. "Bella, that's still dangerous. You've known me…two weeks. What if I- "
"You just said you would never harm me."
"Yeah but- "
"Damon. I'm okay. Surprisingly, I trust you. You've given me no reason not to trust you."
"I'm not the good guy. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of."
"We all have."
Damon sighed. "I've killed people."
Bella nodded. She knew that was the territory with vampires. "I know."
"That doesn't bother you?"
Bella sighed. "Honestly? It doesn't bother me as much as I believe it should, but I know the person I see before me. I don't want to dredge up the past. It doesn't matter."
Damon was in awe of her. It stunned him for once. "Hmm. Well, I don't want to start making it a habit to bite you. It's not healthy for either of us." He said and leaned in and kissed her. "I believe you have work today."
Bella looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "Yeah, a few hours." She snuggled closer to Damon, and his arms went around her. They lay like that together, lazily, just the sheets draped over them.
The door swung open, and Damon pulled the sheets up more to cover Bella. Stefan froze. "Oh, my bad." He averted his gaze.
"Knocking on a door is customary before entering." Damon said, raising a brow. "What do you need?"
"Uh, there's an issue." Stefan said.
Damon frowned. "What sort of issue?"
"A Katherine issue."
"Fuck." Damon cursed, and sighed. "Okay. I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs.
Stefan nodded. "Morning Bella." He said and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
"What's a Katherine issue?" Bella asked, curious. She watched Damon get out of bed, naked, and she admired the view as he pulled on clothes.
"She is an ex-girlfriend of both mine and Stefan. She turned us." Damon muttered.
Bella sat up in the bed, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. "Wait. What is she up to?"
"It's a lot to explain, and not enough time to explain it, but I promise to explain it later." He said and leaned in and kissed her. "Have a good day at work." He said before leaving.
Bella sighed, and got out of bed and pulled on her clothes before disappearing to her own room, to shower and get ready for work.
[Mystic Falls Grille]
Bella was worried about Damon for the first few hours she was at work, because it was slower at that point. When Emmett walked in, she was happy to see him, and welcomed that distraction. He went to her immediately and hugged her. She actually laughed, and made him sit, and order something.
"So, how's high school this time around?" Bella teased.
"Not the same without you there." Emmett said with a smirk.
"I'm sure you'll manage." She said and took a moment to look over his appearance. He had blue eyes, and it was shocking to see them normal, after how long of seeing him with the topaz eyes. "Where's Rose?"
"Hanging out with Caroline Forbes." Emmett shrugged. "They hit it off."
"Really? I figured they wouldn't like each other."
"Well, shopping is involved."
Bella laughed. Caroline did like to shop a lot she realized. She glanced up, seeing Edward. He walked in, and his green eyes cut over to her, and she felt paralyzed. Emmett's hand reached up and squeezed hers, and it broke her out of her trance. She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'm sorry." Emmett said, apologizing for Edward's appearance.
Edward walked over to the booth where Emmett was and slid in. He looked at Bella, his eyes trying to hide the pain. "Bella."
Bella wanted to run away, but she stood there and nodded. "Edward." She said his name simply. "What can I get for you?"
"Just…fries. A soda." Edward said, looking at Emmett's plate.
Bella nodded and wrote it down and spun and walked away quickly to put the order in. She took that moment to take a few deep breaths in private before going back out to the rest of the restaurant. She went to another table, and cleaned it, not looking over at Edward. When his food came up, she brought it to the table and set it down.
"Thank you," he murmured.
Bella nodded, and then she looked up at the entrance when Damon entered, looking tired, but he was there. Stefan was with him and so was Alaric. They made their way to the bar. She went to them immediately. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just not a fight I wanted to have." Damon said, and then leaned in and kissed her gently a couple times. She let him kiss her, and she kissed him back.
"That bad?"
"Let's just say, I just want to go home, take you with me and do many naughty things with you in the shower to just wash this away." Damon murmured lowly.
Bella smiled, and even giggled a little. "Well, I help close the Grille tonight. You might be waiting for a while."
"Hmm. I am very patient." Damon said, his smile curling at his lips, and then he leaned in and kissed her again, just briefly, because she was at work.
Alaric snorted. "Don't let him lie to you. He is not a patient person at all."
Damon rolled his eyes, and that had Stefan laughing. "I'm only impatient about certain things. But for Bella, I am very patient."
Bella smiled. "Well, then I'll see you later. Don't drink too much. It's bad for you."
That had Alaric choking on his drink and howling with laughter.
Damon smacked his arm in a brotherly way. "Yes, laugh it up." He said and looked to Bella. "Baby, there's not much of anything that is bad for me. Go back to work." He said with a nod when she got sat. "I won't bother you too much until you get off."
Bella smiled, shaking her head, and started to turn, and Damon reached out and grabbed her hand and spun her back to him, and kissed her again.
"Okay, now go work." Damon winked at her, grinning.
Bella smiled back at him and then she went to the new table and got their drink order.
Edward bore witness to Bella being cozy with another man, and it drove something into his dead heart. He didn't want her to be in the arms of anyone else. He wanted her. He loved her. She was his.
"Dude." Emmett waved a hand in front of his face. "She's moved on. That's good. Let it be."
Edward blinked a couple times, and his green eyes moved to Emmett's blue ones. "I know." He wasn't happy. His vampire hearing was a curse sometimes, and so was the ability to read minds. Hearing what Damon had planned for Bella after work was making him want to kill something, and then seeing the images in Damon's head. It just flared the anger even more.
Jasper's appearance in the grille, sent calming waves at Edward, but he didn't walk to their table, he went to the bar, to greet Damon, and he was smiling, something that bothered Edward. Jasper was supposed to be his brother. Bella smiled and greeted Jasper and hugged him. "Hey darlin', I hope Salvatore isn't bothering you too much." He teased his friend.
Bella smiled. "Not too much right now. Where's Alice?"
"With Care and Rose." Jasper said and looked to Stefan. "So, we talking about strategy for later?"
Damon frowned. "Can't we just do that shit tomorrow Major?"
"I would say yes, but we can't be caught with our pants to our feet fellas. We have to be prepared." Jasper was serious, but he understood why Damon wanted to break from this.
Bella frowned. "What's going on?"
Damon shook his head. "Later. Not here. We'll meet at the boarding house, go over some stuff. Bring Emmett," He said and looked over at Emmett, and Edward. Emmett looked up at his name and nodded to Damon.
Bella looked at her watch she wore just for work. "Well, I have a couple hours. I'll meet you guys back at the boarding house then. Explain everything, and don't hold back. Remember what I told you this morning," She warned Damon, and then she walked off to take care of a table.
Damon and the others went back to the boarding house, and when Bella got off, she was trying to get back fast, but when she got outside, Edward was waiting for her.
"Edward." Bella said, startled by him waiting outside the Grille.
"Bella, I just wanted to talk with you."
Bella crossed her arms across her chest, taking a more defensive stance. "I have to get back home."
"I miss you…" Edward murmured, his green eyes staring at her with a pleading look.
"Edward. You left me. You went away and took everything. You took the pictures from my scrapbook, my birthday presents, everything. You left me in the woods, scared and afraid, and I almost caught hypothermia." Bella couldn't believe he would have the gall to stand there and look at her, telling her that he missed her.
"I'm sorry. I was trying to do what was right. It was dangerous for you to be with me, and I couldn't stand it if you got hurt again because of me. I want another chance to prove that I love you. That I won't do that ever again."
Bella looked at him, appalled. "Six months."
"Six months?" He looked confused.
"That is how long I was in a catatonic, psychotic state. It took six months for me to finally snap out of it. My dad almost sent me to a mental hospital." She was emotional now, her voice wavering with frustration.
"I'm sorry. I never meant-"
"I don't care what you meant Edward. I was so in love with you. I would have done anything for you. My heartbeat for only you." Bella shook her head.
Edward nodded. "I know, and I'm really sorry. Bella, I love you. I just want to show you that." He took a step towards her, his hand reaching out, and taking her hand in his." He squeezed it lightly.
Bella gasped at the warmth of his touch, staring at their hands. "You're warm…" she murmured.
"The rings that Bonnie made us…it makes it easier. The blood lust, and thirst isn't that bad. It's really helped a lot. I promise Bella that I won't hurt you again. Give me the chance to prove that to you." Edward said, and leaned in closer, his mouth a fraction away from hers.
Bella was stunned that the change was more than just their appearance. She didn't understand how magic worked, but she was witnessing it, right in front of her. When Edward's lips touched hers, they weren't cold or stiff, like in the past.
He kissed her softly, slow. His arms circled her, pulling her closer to him.
Bella's brain took a moment to catch up, and then she pulled away from him, the kiss ending. "I can't do this with you Edward."
"But…"
She sighed, closing her eyes. "I can't trust you."
"I'll do anything to gain that back. Please Bella…"
"No. I can't."
"Bella," Edward reached out and grabbed her wrist when she tried to turn away.
"Edward, please."
"She said no." Damon's voice sounded into the night.
Edward turned his steely look on Damon. "This doesn't concern you."
"Hmm. But your hands are on Bella, and she doesn't want them on her. It does concern me." If looks could kill, then the look Damon was giving Edward right now would have killed him.
"We're just talking." Edward said, and looked at Bella, his grip tightening on her wrist.
Bella looked at Edward, the pain from his grip biting her wrist. "I'm fine Damon. Just talking." She felt the tightness in her chest, the anxiety building up.
Damon knew better. "Bella, you don't have to pretend. I can handle myself. I'm far older, and stronger."
Edward snorted. "Right."
Bella tried to pull away from Edward again, but his grip was stronger.
Damon growled, seeing the pain flash across Bella's face. "Let her go. It won't be pretty for you unless you do."
"You're not better than me." Edward growled back. "I love her, she's mine."
"She belongs to no one but herself," Damon shot back. "You can't own a person. Let her go. This is my last warning, or I will rip your arm from your body."
Edward could see in Damon's head, that he was serious. He looked back at Bella, releasing her before looking back at Damon. "You need to back off."
Bella rubbed her wrist and she moved towards Damon, her heart racing. Damon reached for her, his hand grabbing hers gently, and pulling her behind him.
"You see, I would do that, but honestly, I just don't want to, and I don't like you. Leave her alone. Approach her again like this, I will end you." Damon said, and that was not a threat.
Jasper appeared then, strolling up. "Ah, Edward. Carlisle is looking for you."
Edward glared at Jasper. "Whose side are you on?"
"Bella's," Jasper answered immediately. "Go home brother."
Edward looked between Damon and Jasper and shook his head. "What brother are you to me?" He said before turning and disappearing into the night.
Damon turned to Bella instantly, his hands framing her face. "Are you okay?"
Bella nodded, tears stinging her eyes. Damon pulled her into his arms, hugging her to him firmly.
"Shh. I'm sorry I didn't get here faster. I was coming to ride back with you. Katherine is prowling around, and I didn't want you coming home by yourself. I didn't think that he would be prowling around too." He said and kissed the top of her head.
Bella sighed and leaned against him. "I'm okay. It was just startling is all. He seems so angry, and I don't understand why he's the angry one?"
Jasper watched at how Damon calmed Bella down without the use of a power. He was happy that Bella was happy. "Let's get back." He said, and they got into Bella's Jeep, and headed back to the boarding house.
[Salvatore Boarding House]
"Katherine Pierce is a nuisance." Caroline was upset, and that word didn't even begin to describe how much she was really upset. Katherine wanted Stefan, and that would happen over her dead body.
"Yeah, and unfortunately, she's got a group of followers it seems." Stefan said.
Damon was trying to figure things out without calling a Mikaelson. "Alice's visions have stopped since coming to Mystic Falls, which means that there's some interference with them. We don't know why."
Alice frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on with them. Honestly, from what we gathered from the stray that was left behind earlier today, it seems that she's trying to get to something here in Mystic Falls."
"The tomb." Damon spoke and then sighed, crossing his arms. "The tomb has a coven of vamps trapped inside, but the Ascendant is trapped there too. I can only guess that's what she's after, but honestly, I don't know a way around stopping her when she has this much force."
Elena sighed. "Then we call Klaus."
Caroline frowned. "Elena, you're a vampire because of him."
"I know. But we can't just wait for her to take us all out. Having Klaus nearby is a benefit." Elena pointed out.
Damon sighed. He was afraid of having to come to that conclusion. "I'll call him."
Stefan looked at his brother. "Are you sure you want to dance with Klaus again, last time, you were nearly killed."
"It would have been worth it. Elena wouldn't be a vampire right now if I had been stronger."
Elena looked at Damon, and unspoken sadness between the two of them. "It's not your fault." She said and then sighed. "Well, Klaus is the only option. Call him."
Damon took his phone out of his pocket, sending a text, rather than a call.
Within a few minutes Klaus was at the boarding house, Elijah with him.
"Ah, my favorite bunch of people." Klaus said with a devious smile. "And a few new faces." He said, and his eyes landed on Bella. He tilted his head to the side. "You're not Emilia."
Damon frowned. "What?"
Bella looked around the room. "I'm not. I'm Bella Swan." She looked at Klaus, his hair was dark blonde and curly, and his eyes were like pools of ocean water. He was charming, and his accent made Bella think that he was English.
Klaus smiled at her. "Indeed. I'm sure you are. Emilia Amante was a woman I came across in 1854, in Italy. Bella could be her twin. Which I'm sure you all know what that means."
"That I'm a decendent of an Italian woman named Emilia?" Bella asked, looking at Damon.
Damon face was dark, as he stared at Klaus. "Not again. We're not-"
"Calm down Damon, I'm not going to hurt her. Though I am rather curious how you managed to fall in love with not one doppelganger, but two." Klaus smirked.
Bella looked at Damon. "What is he talking about?"
"Oh, Damon here didn't tell you? Elena here is the doppelganger of Katherine Pierce. Spitting image of each other." Klaus supplied.
"Well, you were in love with Katherine when she turned you. I already knew about that." Bella said.
"Oh no. You sweet thing."
Elena cut her eyes back to Klaus. "Let's talk about how we're going to get rid of Katherine. She wants the ascendant."
"I know what she wants. She won't be able to get it. It requires a Bennett witch to break the spell on the tomb, and I don't believe Bonnie will help her considering she's the reason I found Elena." Klaus said.
Jasper had been quiet until now. "We can sit on our thumbs all night and talk about things that don't matter, or we can talk about plans. Klaus, it's been a while, and I see you've broke your curse, and kudos on all that, but I'm more interested in figuring out how to stop the army she's managed to resurrect with the help of Victoria."
Bella looked at Jasper, shocked. "V-victoria is alive?"
"My apologies darlin', I didn't have time to explain all that prior to now. But yes, she's alive, and she's helping Katherine, and her army is drawing attention of the Volturi. With the knowledge you have about our kind, and the fact that Bonnie has created these handy daylight rings, we don't want secrets getting' out. So, we need to figure this out, and figure it out fast before Aro sends his gang of misfit vampires after us." Jasper explained.
"Ah yes, Major, it has been quite a while, you are much different now. I hope we can see the God of War during this war. He was a fun fellow." Klaus smiled and looked to Damon. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Katherine. It won't be much of a war, considering I am the first hybrid, and an original."
Caroline cleared her throat. "If that's all. I'm going to bed." She said and squeezed Stefan's arm gently, before leaving. She couldn't stand to be in the same room as Klaus.
Klaus watched Caroline leave, and he arched a brow at Stefan. A lot did change since their little altercation with Elena and breaking the curse. He turned his attention back to Bella, and he walked towards her. Damon stiffened, taking on a more defensive, protection position in front of her. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt her. I just want to look at her."
Bella looked at Klaus, confused by everything that was happening, and why everyone feared him.
"You're not afraid of me?"
"No."
"That's a first. It seems your companions don't trust me, do you?"
"Trust is earned." She quipped.
Klaus smiled. "Well, I look forward to gaining your trust. You just became one of the most important people in this game. I hope you realize that."
"Why am I so important? What makes me special."
"Your blood." Klaus said, and Damon growled. "You're a doppelganger love, your blood will always be important. That is what's used to create my hybrids. Luckily, I was able to get a couple bags of blood from Elena before I broke my curse, or I wouldn't have been able to create my hybrids." He looked over at Elena. "Things certainly have changed." He murmured and looked to Damon. "I'm intrigued, but that will wait for another time."
"Klaus, you've monologued long enough brother," Elijah spoke. "I've sent Kol and Finn to track Katherine. Rebekah is anxious at the manor."
Klaus nodded. "Of course." He said and looked to Damon again. "We'll be in touch." He said and then he was gone.
Bella turned to Damon. "What is he talking about?"
"He's talking about me," Elena spoke, and Bella looked at her. "Before I became…a vampire. Damon was in love with me."
Damon looked away and Bella looked back at him. "So, you're not in love anymore?"
"It wasn't working. I couldn't…"
"And you're with Matt now?"
"Yes." Elena answered.
Bella nodded. "Well none of that concerns me. It's not like Damon and I are dating, or serious or anything." She said and sighed. "Klaus won't hurt me. That much I do know, but this is for sure. Victoria is after me."
Jasper shook his head. "You can't be sure of that."
"I am sure of that. James is dead because of me."
"No. James is dead because of James." Emmett spoke, his words a little harsh. "He made that decision to come after you. Edward and I took care of him because he attacked you."
"But Victoria is coming after me because I loved Edward. Because she loved James, and that was her mate. We killed her love, and that's why she's hunting me. I just thought that she was dead because Jake said…they were hunting one." Bella murmured.
"It's not important why she's doing this darlin', the fact that she's building up an army to come after you is. We'll stop her." Jasper interjected.
Bella shook her head. "At what cost? Jasper, I can't let you get hurt, or Emmett, Rose, or Alice. Hell, not even Edward. I can't allow that to happen. I'm not important. I'm just Bella."
"You're so much more than that." Emmett sounded angry. "Damnit, can't you see how important you are to me? To all of us?"
Bella looked at Emmett, the frustration clear on his face, the worry, the love. "Em…" she shook her head. "I know. I know how much you care. Believe me. I know how much."
"I don't think you do." Emmett said, shaking his head. "You talk like you're going to do a self-sacrifice. Do you know the pain that would cause?"
"He's right darlin', you can't sacrifice yourself for us. Many of us here have already lived. I'm 189 years old. You're 19. I have seen a lifetime, and more. We won't let you get hurt, and we won't let you have a short life." Jasper spoke, and sent calming waves through to Emmett, feeling his anguish.
Damon spoke now. "It's late."
Bella nodded, swiping a tear from her face. "It is. I'll see you all later." She murmured and she left, going up the stairs to her room. Emmett followed her.
"Bella…"
Bella turned and looked at him. The teddy bear of a man, that she loved so dearly. He was part of her family. She didn't want to see him hurt. "Em." She choked. "I understand. I really do. Just imagine how I feel."
Emmett went to her and drew her into his strong arms. "I do imagine. You don't want any of us to get hurt. Nothing will happen to us."
"You can't promise that."
"I can. I won't let any of them get hurt. I'm strong Bella, you know that."
"Em…"
Emmett shook his head. "Just trust me. Please?"
Bella sighed and just leaned against him. It was odd that he was warm, and not cold. She didn't know if she would ever get used to that. "I love you; you know that?"
"I know. Right back at you." Emmett said softly. "You're important, don't forget that." He said and then he kissed the top of her head. "Go get rest." He said and released her from the hug.
Bella smiled at Emmett. He was so soft hearted. He cared, and that is why it hurt her so much. If something did happen to her, it would hurt all of them, and if any of them got hurt, then she wouldn't be able to live with herself. It was an internal war, and she wasn't sure what side would win.
Emmett left her to go back downstairs, hoping that what he said helped her.
Bella went inside her room and closed the door behind her. She wasn't sure what do or think. The most shocking thing tonight was the fact that she was a doppelganger, and that Damon was in love with Elena. She was a placeholder for her. It didn't make her angry, just…sad. She was starting to fall for Damon, and she knew now, that she couldn't do that. Not to herself, and not to Elena. There was too much history there, and she didn't want to ruin it. Even if they were pretending to move on. She went to her armoire and took out backpack that she had settled on the bottom and threw some clothes in it and then set it in the armoire, hiding it. She had to wait until everyone was sleeping or distracted. She went to the bathroom, washed her face, and brushed her teeth, so that way the vampires downstairs would hear her getting ready for bed. She paused, writing a note.
Dear Damon,
I know that a lot of this won't make sense. I know that we haven't known each other long, but I…I can't stay and put you in danger. I can't do that because I'm falling for you, regardless of what you say, or how much 'bad', you believe you have done. You've changed something in me, and I will always be thankful for that. I know you love Elena, and I'm not going to inject myself in the middle. I don't want you to pretend anymore, and so I'm not only leaving to keep you safe, but also so you can get a shot at happiness. Please don't follow me, or look for me. I will run as far and as long as I can before she catches up to me. Thank you for everything.
-Bella
She got into her bed and lay there, after turning off the lights, and just lay there in the darkness. She took in deeper breaths, calming her heartrate, and her nerves. After about twenty minutes she heard the door crack open, and then pause, then it shut again. She had to assume that was one of them checking on her to make sure she was okay. She waited in the darkness, what felt like forever. She looked at her phone and saw that time had passed by a lot faster than she thought, and it was already two in the morning. She took the opportunity to grab her bag, and she quietly left, going down the stairs, and out the front door to the Jeep. She turned it on, and pulled away from the boarding house, driving off.
Her hands were tight on the wheel as she drove out of Mystic Falls. The fog was heavy and so she tried to take it slower, because she was afraid of hitting a deer. When she found a rest stop, she pulled over. It was five in the morning now, and she had been driving for three hours. The last sign she saw, said she was nearing West Virginia. Her scent would draw Victoria away from Mystic Falls. She was there not even a month before she had to move again. This would be her life. She would run as far as she could, for as long as she could, so everyone she cared about would be safe.
A tap at her window startled her. She looked up at Klaus.
"Little swan, you have caused what appears to be a panic back in Mystic Falls." He spoke when she rolled down her window.
"I can't go back. Everyone will be in danger."
Klaus walked around to her passenger side and pulled the handle and got in. "I get that."
"How did you find me?"
"I followed you."
"How?"
"I have hybrids on patrol everywhere. They alerted me when you left." Klaus said simply.
Bella sighed. "Of course."
"You want to protect Damon?" Klaus guessed.
"I want to protect everyone. Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rose…Caroline, Elena…Damon and Stefan. I don't want any of them to get hurt because of me." Bella said.
"It's commendable, it really is, but Katherine has already set her sights on what she wants, and she's joined with Victoria. It doesn't matter how far you run. Victoria will catch up to you, but before she wreaks havoc on everyone else because that's what Katherine wants."
Bella hadn't thought about that. Of course, Katherine was a problem. "So how do I draw Katherine away from Mystic Falls?"
"You can't and she won't step foot inside unless she has a clear plan. I imagine Elena is the one at big risk with her so close."
Bella's phone rang. It had been ringing for the past thirty minutes now. She sighed and answered. "Damon-"
"Damnit Bella, did you not hear anything we said last night? Where are you?"
"I'm okay. I'm not telling you. Did you see me note?"
Damon was quiet. "You're an idiot. I don't love Elena. Come home, please."
"I'm not an idiot. I'm- "
"Damnit Bella, come home. Tell Klaus to bring you home." He hung up, too angry to say more.
Klaus chuckled. "You've hurt his feelings, love." He looked at her. "Do you want to know a secret?"
"What?"
"Damon did love Elena. Elena doesn't love him back. Katherine didn't love him either. He's been consistently rejected by all the women in his life. You make the third one."
Bella frowned. "I didn't reject him; I just want him to be safe and happy."
"Ah, but his love for Elena has dwindled over the last year. While I would love to sit here with you and keep you from him, I do have some pressing matters to get to. I may be a lot of things Bella, and perhaps one day you'll see that, but for right now, you are important. I need your blood, and I'm not going to be shy about it. I need more hybrids, and if you're out here, in danger, then that presents a problem."
"Were you planning on letting me know about using me?"
"I would have asked first." Klaus said, feigning shock.
Bella sighed. "Klaus don't bring me back. I want to- "
"No. Not how this works. Trust is earned, you said it. I'm trying to regain the trust of the Mystic Falls merry band of misfits, and I need to be able to gain your trust as well. You will regret running away, and if you listen to me, you'll know that running does no different when it comes to Katherine and Victoria. The best thing is to fight together." Klaus was brilliant from time to time, and besides his motives being mostly for her blood, he did want to make peace with the others. He terrorized them for long enough, and what could he say, Elijah was rubbing off on him. "Let me drive." He said it, his voice firm.
Bella teared up. Maybe she was an idiot, but she had to trust Klaus, the hybrid that she just met the night before. Most importantly, she did trust Damon. Her and Klaus swapped seats, and then she fell asleep, the exhaustion finally hitting her.
[Salvatore Boarding House, two hours later]
Klaus woke Bella when they arrived at the boarding house. He drove way faster than she did, and so he made it back in record speed.
Bella opened her eyes, looking out the window. She was back at the boarding house and Damon was walking towards her door. He looked worried, and then relieved at the same time to see her.
He opened the car door and helped her out, and then he was kissing her madly, his arms around her. "Bella, I don't love Elena. I fell in love with you the moment I met you. You…" his voice was shaky. "When I'm with you, I want to be the good guy all the time. You are more than just Bella to me. You are more than that. When I saw your letter and you were gone this morning, I…I just felt lost, I didn't know what to do, where to even begin to look. When you weren't answering, I- "
"I'm sorry," she murmured, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry."
Damon kissed her again, hugging her tight. "I need you here. Where I can see you. You can't…you can't disappear again."
Bella nodded, and buried her face in his chest.
Damon looked at Klaus. "Thank you."
"Hmm. Don't mention it. I have a few things to tend to. You have hybrids all over the place here. You're well protected." Klaus said and then he was gone.
Two weeks is all it took for Damon to fall completely in love with Bella. She was perfect to him, and he just wanted her always.
[Two weeks later]
With the protection of Klaus' hybrids, Bella felt a little better. The scouts were going out and following Katherine's trail, and if they caught up with her, it would be the end of her.
Bella still worked at the Grille, because that was her only thing that she had for distraction. She couldn't just sit around and do absolutely nothing, but Damon was there to drive home with her every day.
It was Friday, and the week before her birthday, where she was turning twenty. She didn't want to make a big deal about her birthday. She didn't have good memories of her birthdays.
She was feeling a bit under the weather today, and she was off work, so she was going to just rest. She was sitting in the parlor on the couch, reading a book. It was an older book, one that held a bunch of short stories about King Arthur. It was something intriguing to her, and she liked medieval history for the most part, but really she liked the adventure knights went on. Her head was hurting some and so she took Tylenol to help relieve the tension that was building, but it wasn't really helping much.
Stefan walked into the parlor, looking her over. She was pale, and he could sense something off with her. "Hey, you feeling okay?"
"Hmm. Not really. Headache/migraine." Bella said, looking up at him.
"Do you want some medicine?" Stefan started towards the kitchen.
"No, I took some already. My stomach doesn't feel great either. I've just been stressing out a lot lately and haven't had an appetite." Bella sighed, and closed the book.
Stefan frowned. "You should go see Dr. Cullen then. Maybe he could give you something that could help."
Bella shook her head, getting to her feet. She wobbled, her vision blurring, and she frowned. Stefan was beside her, steadying her.
"Bella you should definitely call Carlisle, if you're dizzy like this."
"I'm sure it's nothing," She said, her voice sounding funny, and then she looked at Stefan, who was looking at her worried. That was the last thing she saw before she passed out.
[Mystic Falls General]
Bella woke up, looking around and seeing that she was in a hospital. She frowned, feeling her head swim a little.
Damon was sitting there, and he stood when she woke up. "Hey. There you are."
Bella blinked a few times. "What happened?"
"You passed out. Stefan called me, and I agreed that you needed to come to the hospital." Damon said gently.
"Oh. I just don't feel good. It's probably the flu." Bella said, trying to sit up. "How long have I been down?"
"Just a few hours." Damon said, and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry."
Bella shook her head. "It's not your fault. You can't get sick, so you didn't give me the flu."
"Bella…it is my fault."
Bella looked at him strange and then Carlisle walked in.
"It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked as he rubbed hand sanitizer over his hands. He sat down on a stool and rolled over to her side, flipping on a machine.
"My head feels a bit swimmy, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I feel just really fatigued."
Carlisle nodded. "Well, you're anemic. We did a blood panel, and ran some labs. Your HCG is elevated, so we're just going to do an ultrasound. I don't want you to stress, or jump to any conclusions. Let's just see what's going on inside, okay?"
Bella nodded, and lifted her shirt when Carlisle took the ultrasound probe and he rolled some warmed jelly on her abdomen. "My mom gets ulcers sometimes. I don't know if that matters much. I have been stressed a lot lately."
Carlisle looked up at Damon, who was standing there, his arms crossed as he looked at the screen. Him and Carlisle already heard the heartbeat. There was no mistaking it. He watched the screen as Carlisle rolled the wand over her belly, angling it different ways and then he was taking pictures, and he did so quietly.
"What is it?" Bella asked, looking from Damon to Carlisle, who were studying the monitor closely.
Carlisle hit a button and a whooshing noise was heard. "Bella." He started and turned the monitor so she could see it more. "You're 9 weeks pregnant."
Bella frowned. "That's not possible Carlisle."
"I know it's not possible, but you are."
Bella was staring at the screen, the movement of a small baby was fluttering there on screen, the blinking of the heartbeat. She couldn't take her eyes away from it. "Is she okay?"
"She?" Carlisle asked.
"Uh. I don't know." Bella frowned. "Is it okay?"
"Everything looks good. Really healthy. Strong heart, everything looks perfect." Carlisle said, looking at the monitor.
Damon was just staring at the monitor too, not sure how to wrap his head around this. This was impossible. He knew that Bella was a virgin when they first were together. He knew that without a doubt, but there she was 9 weeks pregnant. The only plausible answer was that he was the father, but that didn't make sense either. Vampires couldn't procreate.
Carlisle hit print and printed out a few pictures for her. "I want to monitor you closely. Weekly scans. Vitamins. That's if- "
"I need to process this. I…I need to talk to Damon." Bella looked at Damon.
Carlisle nodded. "Of course. Hit the call button if you need anything." He said and left the room, giving them privacy.
"Damon, I haven't been- "
"I know Bella." Damon said, his voice tight. "I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Because…this wasn't supposed to happen. Vampires aren't supposed to be able to procreate."
"But it's happening. I don't…I don't want you to regret anything, but…I…I want to keep it. I- "
"Anything you want." Damon said, and reached a hand out, smoothing her hair down. "Anything you want. I love you." He was choking up. Thinking about being a father was something he gave up a long time ago. When he became a vampire, that option was out of the cards for him.
Bella looked at him. "You're crying."
"I'm just…I'm scared, but I'm happy, and I just…I can't believe this is happening," Damon nearly whispered.
"I'm scared too..." She reached out for him, and he sat on the bed with her, and she leaned against him. His hand went to her belly, laying against it flat. There was a tiny life in there, one that he helped create. He had to figure out how this happened. He would have Bonnie look into it and hopefully come up with a reason why this occurred.
[Salvatore Boarding House: A month later]
"Things have been too quiet." Caroline said. She wasn't wrong. Katherine and Victoria were suspiciously quiet. Klaus had his hybrids tracking her in circles, but nothing major had happened. Now that Bella was pregnant, and with the first vampire/human hybrid, that they knew of, they wanted to protect her even more now. She was progressing fast. Carlisle predicted that the baby would come in about two and a half more weeks. Bella was holding up pretty good. She was showing to be about 27 weeks pregnant right now, and she was having a girl. Her initial guess had been right.
"They have." Stefan agreed with her.
Jasper stood by the fireplace. October was next week, and a chill had already started filling the air. "I don't know what her strategy is. There haven't been anymore missing persons. I've checked with Liz, and she's checked neighboring towns. It's like they're sitting and waiting. I don't know what for."
Bella leaned up, fixing the pillow behind her back. She was insisted to be apart of the discussions. She didn't want to be left out just because she was pregnant and was pretty useless for the time being. "Could she be waiting on someone? You said that it was drawing the attention of the Volturi right?"
Damon sighed. "That was my thought too. Klaus was supposed to be checking with Italy and seeing if he could get information out of Marcus. He's one of the few of that coven that you can trust."
Caroline sighed heavily. "So, we're waiting on Klaus to do his part. Great."
"He'll do his part," Bella spoke. "I trust Klaus, and he'll come through."
Caroline just looked at her stunned. "You can't possibly think that Klaus, is trustworthy."
"I do trust him. I wasn't here for whatever happened previously. He hasn't given me a reason not to trust him. I know that it will be different for all of you, so I'm not telling you to trust him. He'll come through, I trust that, so trust me." Bella said simply and then rubbed her belly when her daughter stuck her foot out. She winced a little.
Damon moved to her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, she's just hooked her foot in my side weirdly." She blew out a breath.
Klaus was there now, he looked a bit concerned. "We're moving now. Jasper, grab Emmett and Edward. We need to move fast."
"What's happening?" Bella asked.
"They're already underneath us in the tomb. I didn't fucking see this coming," Klaus was angry.
Damon helped Bella to her feet. "Come on, let's get you downstairs in the safe room." He said and helped her to the stairs. They designed a special room under the house to situate Bella in the event Katherine and Victoria showed. "As planned, Alice will be here with you, as will Rose and Esme. Rebekah will be upstairs guarding the front, and Bonnie will spell the basement, making entry impossible."
Bella nodded, panic starting to fill her, but she tried to stamp it out and keep her cool.
Within fifteen minutes, everyone was in place. Damon had kissed Bella hard, before disappearing upstairs to fight the war that had been brewing.
Esme was calm and sweet, keeping Bella calm. "Everything will be okay. Klaus alone will be able to handle them all and his hybrids."
Bella nodded. She knew that Klaus was strong, and with the help of his family, and his hybrids, this was already a won war. She felt weary, tired. It was late already, midnight. She felt her eyelids get heavy, and before she knew it, she fell asleep laying on the bed that they placed down there, and Esme was sitting there, holding her head in her lap. Esme stroked Bella's hair gently, as Bella slept.
Rose looked at Esme. "She's holding on so strong." She murmured. She had hated Bella before. Coming into her family and stirring up things. She was a human girl, that was told family secrets, and she was angry about that for a long time, but after what happened with Edward, her heart softened for Bella. Edward was out of line for pulling the stunt he did, but she was happy now that Bella was happy.
[Mystic Falls Tomb]
"You're finished." Klaus said, looking at Katherine. The tomb was full of vampires that were trapped there back in 1864. "Victoria is dead, your army is dead and so is your witch you got to attempt to break into the tomb. You should have known only a Bennet witch could break the spell."
Katherine was scared in this moment. She had outrun Klaus for so long. Her only chance to stop running was to use the ascendant and send him to the prison world. It wasn't hard to con another vampire into fighting for her cause. She just had to find a very unhappy one, one that wanted revenge. She found Victoria and knew that she could use her to her advantage, but her plan was ruined.
Elijah grabbed Katherine from behind. She struggled against Elijah, shrieking at him to let her go. Damon and Stefan appeared, clothes a little torn and bloody, but they were alive. "Brother, what do you want to do with her?"
"Kill her. Keeping her alive would be ill-advised." Klaus said and looked to Damon. "Do you want the honors?"
Damon looked at Stefan, who nodded to Damon, giving him the go ahead. It was Damon that was the angriest at her. "You tore my heart out, breaking it into a million pieces. When I became a vampire, I was able to kill that love, that heartbreak. You are the reason Elena is a vampire. You're the reason that Bella is in danger and my child."
Katherine looked at Damon confused. "What child?"
"Oh yeah, you're not part of the newsletter. Bella is pregnant with my child, and you put her and my daughter in danger with bringing Victoria and her army here to Mystic Falls." Damon said, then his hand struck out, lightning fast into her chest. Katherine's eyes widened and she looked at Damon, a pleading look. "Goodbye Katherine." He said and tore her heart out.
Her body slumped to the ground after Elijah released her.
The war was over, and it felt great. To finally be rid of the nuisance that was Katherine Pierce.
[The next morning]
Bella felt better when Damon made it home. She worried about him, but she also worried about everyone else. From what they told her, there were just some minor injuries that were recoverable. Which made her feel better.
"Bella," Alice poked her head in the parlor. Things were settling down after the war the day before. So far, according to Klaus' source Marcus, the Volturi were not coming to Mystic Falls, so they could relax on that end.
"Yes?" I was just checking on you before I headed to school.
Bella smiled at her friend. "I'm okay. Thank you. Go get to school and work towards graduation for the hundredth time."
Alice smiled and then she flitted away, out the front door to get in her little yellow Porsche.
Damon came down the stairs, after taking another shower. He had taken two already, but he took another one. He went to the parlor where Bella was at and walked in. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. A little tired, but that's about it. I'm ready for our daughter to get here." She said with a smile, rubbing her hand over her belly.
Damon leaned in and kissed her gently. "Well, she'll be here in about two weeks."
"It's crazy. I would never have imagined myself where I am now, if you would have asked me if I thought I would be pregnant and in love just what three or four months ago," she said with a half laugh.
"I think we can say the same. I wasn't thinking about a family or love for that matter. You changed all that for me when you walked into town." Damon said and sat, pulling her feet into his lap, and he rubbed her feet gently. Things were quiet right now, but he knew that in a couple weeks, their daughter would be here, and it won't be so quiet.
"Ava."
"Hmm?"
"Ava Lillian Salvatore."
"That's the name you want to name her?" Damon asked, raising a brow. "Why Lillian?"
Bella smiled. "Because that was your mom's name."
"What about your mom?"
"My mom is alive." Bella pointed out."
"Ah. I see. Well, it's beautiful." Damon said and leaned over and kissed her again. He moved a hand over her belly. It was a miracle that he was here like this with her. He felt the thud against his hand, and he smiled. "Hello Ava…daddy loves you very much already."
Bella smiled. She was so in love with this man, even if it hadn't been that long. "I love you."
"I love you too." Damon murmured back and stared at her with his intensely blue eyes. The same eyes that drew her in, in the first place.
After Ava would be born, the decision that Bella made, is that she wanted to be with Damon for eternity. The plan would be to turn her after Ava's birth. Damon was apprehensive at first, but Bella insisted on it. It wasn't something he looked forward to because her changing meant that she had to die first. They were still trying to figure out how Ava could even be possible, but there was no luck in the grimoires from Bonnie's research. But for now, they wanted to keep this a secret. They didn't know what would happen if word got out that there was a vampire/human hybrid. It was likely that their daughter would grow at an accelerated rate before not aging altogether. Or that was the hypothesis so far. Bella figured she would take each day at a time, and not give up on discovering how the miracle came to be, but she would focus on family first. She loved Damon, and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of eternity with him.