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 The Twilight Chronicles. This is Darkest Desire Thanks to all the reviews so far! Thank you Navywife, deliamoonfire, pozemom, Roxhall1, for your reviews! I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this anthology series. I know these chapters come out slower, but I'm trying to write full stories. To answer some questions: Roxhall, each chapter is a different short story. So, each chapter will change for Bella as we progress through this series. As always, I appreciate all the support and look forward to everyone's thoughts and reviews. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review everyone! Hope you enjoy.

[Darkest Desire]

Forks, Washington couldn't be drearier. The constant rain, and the cold. It rained most of the time there. Moving from the sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to live here might have been a mistake, Bella thought as she tried to adjust to the new way of life. Her father was the Chief of Police, the reason why Renee decided to up and leave. His job was far too demanding, and Forks, was…well Forks. It was predictable, and monotonous, and… (dare I say it), boring. Most of that didn't bother Bella. She was used to being invisible. This wasn't the first time she moved. She moved from Virginia when she was a kid. Then it was Kentucky, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and now, at the prime of her youth, she settled on Forks, Washington. She was turning eighteen next month, and she hoped that no one would make a big deal. She had spent, already, five whole months in Forks. Since her arrival, she's made friends. More like, she was nice because they talked to her, but she would be okay without the companions. Jessica Stanley, the over achiever, and super nice, but Bella was almost certain it was superficial. Eric Yorkie, the hyperactive Asian kid, that everyone seemed to love. He was enthusiastic about the school paper, yearbook, and anything that had to do with the arts in general. Bella liked him for the most part. Angela Weber, the girlfriend of Eric, and she was nice, quieter than Jessica, and really helpful. Mike Newton, the jock, but also a dork. He was cute in a brotherly type of way, and upon her arrival, Mike hit on her nearly immediately. It wasn't something that Bella was oblivious to, but she chose to pretend she was, for Jessica's sake, since it was clear that Jessica had a thing for Mike.

Then comes…the Cullen's. They were a mysterious bunch. All of them were adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Rosalie Hale, the oldest daughter. Was captain of the cheerleaders, valedictorian, and Senior Class president. She was the star of the show. Beautifully blonde, and her eyes sparkled like blue violets, and she was stunning. Perfection.

Alice Cullen was the next daughter, and she was bright, and youthful. Her pixie like appearance was elegant, almost elvish, with her slender face, and nose. Her dark hair was cut shorter, spiked, and right below her ears, and her bambi-looking eyes were bright, and full of energy.

Emmett Cullen, the eldest son, was brawny, and large. Quarterback on the varsity team, he was slated to go to college and join the Vikings, and eventually go pro. He was tall and had muscles like a Greek god. His dark blond hair was kept shorter, keeping a neater appearance than his other brothers, and his eyes were a navy blue, and he was nice. He was helpful, and atypical of what you would consider a jock-type.

Jasper Whitlock. He was perfect too. His blonde hair was shaggy, wavy, and brushed his shoulders. His amber eyes were nearly hazel, and the way he looked at you, could send shivers through to your toes. He was quiet, only keeping to his family for the most part. From the couple encounters Jessica had with him, she realized that his accent was southern, Texas. He was the last to be adopted and he was fifteen when he was, so he was not as attached to his adopted family yet.

Edward Cullen. He was the first son of Carlisle and Esme, but he was the youngest. His bronze hair was styled perfectly, sculped on top of his head, and his green eyes were like shining emeralds. When he did speak, it was seductive. His voice melted a room, and he sounded more mature than his age. He was the study bug, always readying a book. Bella had him as a lab partner, and they rarely spoke to each other, because it seemed that both of them were timid about social encounters. Bella thought he could be a nice person, but she didn't really know him that well.

Carlisle Cullen was a doctor, that much Bella knew. She met him one time, when she dropped by the station to bring her dad some dinner. Charlie liked Carlisle, and apparently, they golfed together sometimes. Esme Cullen was an interior designer, and according to Alice, her mom, was extremely talented and had an eye for design. The way Alice and Rosalie dressed, it was clear that they had a great sense of style, and so did Esme.

[Forks, High School: September 6th]

The morning was always the hardest, trying to get in the school mind set was difficult when your head was always in the clouds. For Bella, she often went to her daydreams, mainly because she was a writer. Mainly a poet. None of them had ever been seen by others, and she liked to keep it that way. She mainly wrote for herself. By lunch, she felt a bit tired. She didn't sleep much the night before. She wasn't paying attention as she walked into the lunchroom and ran into Emmett Cullen.

"I'm so sorry," Bella immediately apologized, reaching out a hand to steady Emmett, like he needed steadying. His hand was on her upper arm to steady her since she nearly bounced off him like a ping pong ball.

"It's no problem Bella," Emmett said with a smile. He was always charming, Bella knew, and so she smiled back at him. "You grabbing lunch?"

"Yeah, I was before I assaulted you with my clumsiness." She laughed a little.

Emmett laughed too, smiling at her. "No worries. Let's get lunch." He offered and walked with her to buy lunch. It wasn't the first time, he had tagged along with her to get lunch before, but it always drew attention, and Rosalie would cast glares her way.

"Thanks," Bella said, as they sat down to eat.

"Of course. How is my favorite writer?" Emmett said, picking up the apple and taking a bite out of it.

Bella smiled. Because of that one time in English class, where she had to read out loud a short story they wrote, he's called her that. "I'm okay. Just you know, tired."

Emmett nodded. "Are you coming tonight?"

"To what?"

"Football game."

"Oh that. Probably not. I don't do the whole sports thing and large crowds of people." She picked up a fry and popped it in her mouth.

Alice flitted over to the table and sat next to Bella. "Oooh. Emmy, I got that part in the school play."

Emmett smiled at his sister and high fived her. "Awesome job Allie."

Bella smiled. Alice was in drama club, and she was always so charismatic, and typically she talked to everyone, and was nice.

"Oh, and did you see the new kid?" Alice asked.

Emmett raised a brow. "Your excitement over new people coming to this school, amazes me Allie. I haven't. From the way you're bouncing in your seat, you have, and…"

"His name is Kol Mikaelson." Alice said and looked to Bella. "He's in our Homeroom."

Bella nodded. "Yeah. He has a sister too. Sophomore. Her name is Rebekah, and I believe they have older siblings."

Emmett looked at Bella, arched a brow. "You pay attention to the newbies?"

Bella shrugged. "People don't really see me sometimes because I'm quiet. So, I suppose people just talk freer around me."

Jasper joined the table, setting his tray down, followed by Edward. Bella just munched on her lunch, while Alice controlled the table with, the conversation about the upcoming play. Shen the first lunch bell rang, she got up, but Emmett took her tray for her.

"Thanks."

Emmett winked at her and smiled. "No worries. Think about coming to the game tonight. Might be fun, you never know."

Bella nodded. "I'll think about it." She said and then she started off to her next class.

By the end of the school day, she was ready to just go home. She got out to the parking lot and opened the door to her beat up old red, truck. She saw a new Tesla a few spaces down from hers in the parking lot. It made her curious, but she knew it had to belong to one of the new kids. She shrugged it off and got in and closed the door. She turned the key in the ignition, and it sputtered but didn't kick over. "God…damn it!" Bella hit the steering wheel in frustration.

"Having a little bit of car trouble?" A voice called. It was Kol Mikaelson. He was English, and that was also something she forgot to add earlier at the lunch table. It was an interesting fact, and it was even more interesting that they were there in Forks out of all the places.

"Oh, yeah. I've been needing to get a new battery." Bella said.

"I can't jump you off with the Tesla, but I can give you a ride somewhere, and perhaps have it towed?" Kol asked.

Bella sighed. "It's fine. My dad is the chief of police, I can have him pick me up. I don't want to be a bother."

"No bother. Come on." Kol motioned. "I'll take you home, or wherever it is you need to go."

Bella hesitated before she got out of her truck.

Emmett crossed over. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Dead battery." Kol said, motioned to the truck.

"Bells, if you wanna wait, Alice is heading towards the station, dad is needing her to drop off something."

Bella smiled. "It's okay. I'm going home, so it'll be out of her way."

Emmett looked to Kol. "Alright then. I'll have it towed for you then."

Bella waved a hand. "No no. That's too much trouble."

"It's not. What are friends for?" Emmett said. "Get home safely. If you need a ride to the football game, let me know, I'll send Edward of Jazz for you."

Bella nodded. "I'll probably miss this one. Thanks though." She said and watched as Emmett hesitated before dashing off to get to the field.

"Boyfriend?"

"Oh, no. He's just a friend. Or he's just friendly with me." Bella said with a smile. "I'm sort of odd I guess," she laughed nervously.

"You're not odd, you're just unique." Kol offered a smile. "Come on, let's get you home."

Bella got in his Tesla, and they drove away from the school, she gave him her address and he plugged it into the navigation system.

They got to her house pretty quick, and Bella smiled at Kol before getting out. "Thanks for this and welcome to Forks!"

Kol smiled. "Of course, couldn't let a lady down when she was in distress."

Bella smiled. "That's an older way of thinking."

"I was raised to help those needing assistance," he said with a smile.

"Well thank you." She said and got out of the car. She waved at him, as he pulled away. She took out her phone and text her dad about the truck, and that Emmett Cullen was having it towed back to the house for her. She went inside to start some chores, like laundry, and to start dinner, so it'll be ready by the time her dad got off work.

A couple hours later, Charlie got home, and with him was Billy Black and Jacob Black. When they moved there, Charlie bought her truck from Billy, and Jacob was really good with cars.

"Hey Bella," Jacob called, when he walked into the house. He was part of the Quileute tribe there in La Push and lived on the reservation. He was sixteen and was taller than she was. His long raven hair was usually kept down, and it was a bit longer than hers. She was jealous that his hair was so shiny, and soft looking.

"Hi Jake." Bella smiled. They were friends at the least. She remembered him when he was younger, from when she visited during the summers. She looked to her dad. "What's going on?"

"Oh, I figured I'd have Jake come over and take a look at the truck. It just got here. Remind me to thank Dr. Cullen."

Bella nodded. "Oh, Emmett got it towed, that's great." She said and looked to Jake. "Yeah, my truck wouldn't start today after school."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I'll take a look," he said and went back outside, Bella following. He popped the hood and was tinkering around with things. She leaned against the side of the truck, watching him, as he studied a few things, before moving to the driver side door, and getting in. He started the truck up, after it resisted a little.

"Oh wow! Thanks so much!" Bella was happy that her truck was running again.

"Yeah, the cables came loose. The clamps are a bit rusty. I'll get some new ones and come back by and replace them. If it happens again," he said, getting out and going back to the front of the truck. He pointed to the battery. "If it happens again, just wiggle these a little. It should start back up."

Bella smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Jake smiled at her, and Bella noted how perfect his smile was. "Anytime." The two went back inside, and fortunately, Bella always made extra food because Charlie would be able to have leftovers for work for a couple days.

[Monday: Forks High]

The weekend came and went, and Bella spent her free time just sorting laundry, and reading on her book. Her dad was pulling doubles at the station, because of some missing hikers, so he was getting home after Bella had already been to bed.

Monday morning, she pulled up in the parking lot, and shut off her truck. She hopped out and slung her bag over her shoulder and walked inside. She opened her locker, pulling out a couple books and then closed it, Mike Newton just walked up, and it startled her at his sudden appearance.

"Morning Bella," He said with a smile and opened his locker.

"Morning Mike."

"You didn't come to the game Friday." Mike said, more as a statement, than a question, his tone was still light and friendly.

Bella nodded. "Too much to do this weekend. I heard we won though, so that's good."

Mike smiled and started to say something, but Emmett walked up just then. "Morning Bella," Emmett called to her.

Bella smiled at Emmett, hugging her books to her. "Morning Emmett."

He smiled at her. "So, my sister is throwing a birthday party for Edward this Thursday, I figured that maybe you would like to come to it?"

Bella thought about it. It's not like she really had a life, so to speak. "Sure. That sounds like fun. Turning 18?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't know about it, so don't mention anything to him."

"My lips are sealed," She said with a smile.

"Good. I'll see you at lunch yeah?"

"Sure," She said and watched him smile back at her before he turned to go to class, since the halls were starting to fill more, and the first bell was about to ring.

The lunch bell rang, and Bella gathered her things, before ducking by her locker and shoving everything in there but her bag, before heading to the lunchroom. She bumped into Kol, and he turned and smiled at her.

"Oh hey, I see your truck is back in the parking lot. Got it fixed?"

Bella nodded. "Loose cables. My friend Jake is a self-taught mechanic so he's gonna fix them permanently, for now I just have to wiggle them if my truck decides to not start again."

"Sounds like a pain," Kol said and pulled out his phone. "I know this is going to be cheesy, but can I have your number, I'll give you mine as well."

Bella smiled. "Not cheesy." She said "480-555-6562." She said, and then her phone dinged with a text from Kol. She took her phone out and saved him. "Thanks."

"In the event, you get stalled and can't get your cables to wiggle right, just text or call me." Kol lifted his phone and snapped a good picture of her.

"What was that?" Bella asked, raising a brow.

"Your picture, to go with your number." Kol said with a smile.

Bella half laughed and then snapped a photo of him. "We're even." She said and saved the picture to his contact info. They got into the lunch line to wait to get their food.

"I miss being able to go off campus for food," Kol said with a sigh.

"Me too actually. When I lived in Phoenix, there was this burger place right around the corner from the school, and I was able to go there when I wanted to get burger and fries."

"Sounds amazing, actually." Kol said, and then looked up to see Emmett coming towards them.

Bella glanced up at Emmett as well. "Oh, hey you."

"Hey Bella," Emmett greeted and looked to Kol. Taking in his appearance. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and he was tall and slender. "You must be…"

"Kol Mikaelson," Kol introduced himself, and stuck out a hand.

Emmett shook it, nodding. Kol was British and that was interesting. "Emmett Cullen." He said, smiling a bit, before looking back to Bella. "So, Alice, because she is crazy, wants to go shopping sometime before Thursday, and wants to drag you with her."

Bella frowned. "Shopping?"

"Yeah, I told her that you're not really the shop type of person, so just a warning in advance, she's going to bug you until you cave and say yes." Emmett said with a little smile.

"Of course. Sure, tell her fine, but not for too long because I really don't like shopping."

Kol laughed. "You don't like shopping?"

"Yeah, I don't see a point in spending that much time, looking at things." Bella shrugged before grabbing her tray and getting her food.

Kol and Emmett followed her to a table and sat down, and soon they were joined by Jessica, Mike, Angela, Eric, and then Alice and Jasper. Alice was bouncing with excitement.

"Spit it out already," Emmett grumbled at his "sister".

"Soooo, there's this new guy transferring in. His name is-"

"Stefan Salvatore," Kol interjected, taking a bite of his food.

Alice turned and looked at Kol, blinking a few times. "You…already know?"

"Sure. He's my best mate, went to boarding school together. I knew him and his brother were planning on moving to Washington. Something for business for the older brother." Kol said, taking another bite of his food.

"He's your best friend."

"Mhm," Kol said and looked around the table. "What?"

Alice shook her head. "So many new arrivals. I wonder what's next!" She was so overly excited about meeting new people.

"I imagine it's not much different than the arrival of others," Jasper said casually, his Texan drawl seemingly hypnotizing the girls at the table.

Kol's phone buzzed on the table, and Elijah's name flashed onto the screen as well as his picture, and Bella looked over as he answered. "Hello, I'm at school-"

"I know you're at 'school'. How is the case going?"

"Je ne peux pas parler maintenant. Je t'appellerai après l'école." Kol responded. (Can't talk right now. I'll call you after school.)

"Okay, you're around classmates. Hurry home then." Elijah said and then he hung up.

Kol hung up and then looked over to see everyone staring at him. "I'm British, I speak multiple languages," he pointed out.

The first lunch bell rang, and everyone started getting up. Kol grabbed Bella's tray, and walked with her away to the trash can. Emmett watched the two, feeling sort of jealous, or protective, he wasn't sure what he felt right now, but seeing Bella walking and smiling at the new guy, just didn't settle with him.

Bella and Kol walked towards her locker. "So, what was it you couldn't talk about?"

"Hmm?"

"You told whoever it was, that you couldn't talk right now."

"You speak French?"

Bella smiled. "I don't speak it very well, but I do understand certain words, and using context clues, you said you couldn't talk right now, and you would call after school."

"Ah, you're perceptive." Kol said, smiling. "That was my older brother. He likes to be a bit overbearing sometimes."

"I get that." Bella smiled. "My dad is a bit protective as well."

"Most parents are." Kol said with a nod, and they started towards English Lit, since they had that same class together.

"He's more so lately since those hikers went missing. "She sighed. "I used to love to hike to this one spot and sit and read. Now he doesn't want me in the woods. They don't think its animal attacks. That someone took these hikers? Which makes no sense, but you know, stranger things have happened."

Kol nodded. "When did the hikers go missing?"

"Friday evening." Bella recalled. "Dad got the call right after dinner, and Jake and Billy left to go back home. Jake is a friend, and Billy is his dad, and my dad's best friend." She explained.

"Friday evening?" Kol took on a serious look, but it vanished when she looked over at him. "I'm sure they'll show up."

Bella nodded. "I hope so." The rest of the day went smoothly and after the final bell she left, praying her truck would start when she got to it. She turned the key over, and her truck roared to life, and she smiled, leaving the school parking lot and getting home to start dinner for herself and for her dad.

[December: Forks High]

Time seemed to be flying by for Bella, lately, she was caught up in Alice Cullen, who chose Bella to be her new best friend or something, and she spent a lot of time with her. Alice was eccentric, and that made Bella smile. Kol was a great friend, and he had missed a few days in between, and so did Stefan, the new kid on the block. He was nice too. She met Stefan on his first day of school, and he was in her class with Kol. English Literature. The two were pretty inseparable.

December had moved in some snow, and the cold. It was way too cold for Bella, and she complained frequently about there being too much snow on the ground. The missing hikers were never found, and that bothered Bella, but what bothered her the most, is that more people were missing. She didn't know any of them personally, but she knew that something had to be wrong. Why would so many people be going missing? They arrested a guy in relation to the missing people, his name was James Duncan Mills, and he was not a nice guy. A rap sheet longer than Charlie had ever seen, and he was quiet. He wasn't talking about anything, and the only thing they had on the guy was the fact they found a partial print on some equipment the hikers had used.

Charlie was getting home later, and later, and so Bella was used to just making dinners ahead of time, and labeling them in the fridge, so Charlie could just heat it up in the microwave whenever he got home. This meant that Bella was just alone a lot, which she didn't mind so much.

With that aside, she still hated the snow, and the ice. She pulled up in the school parking lot, shutting her truck off. She got out, and the ice under her feet, made her slide until her ass met the pavement. "Shit." She cursed, the bruise on her butt already forming.

Kol was there, helping her up. "Hey, you okay?" He asked as he reached down to help her to her feet.

"Yeah, just. You know, stupid ice." She grabbed his hands, and she got up.

Kol reached down and picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Missing Phoenix right, now aren't you?" he asked with a smile, and she smiled back.

"You know it." She said as they walked inside the school.

When the school day was over, she dreaded going back outside into the cold, but she sucked it up and walked towards her truck. She got in and tried starting it, and nothing. She sighed. She got the cables replaced, and Jake had fixed it. She got out of her truck and popped the hood.

Stefan walked over. "Truck giving you issues?"

"Yeah," She said and sighed. "I got the cables replaced, so I'm not sure what's wrong now."

Stefan looked under the hood, and then frowned. "Hmm." He pulled out his phone and shot Kol a text.

[Stefan]: Call your brother. Bella's truck is rigged to explode.

He looked at Bella. "Okay, I'm not going to alarm you, but we need to just step away from the truck, and carefully."

"What?"

Kol came sprinting over towards them, careful not to slide across the parking lot. "I called him, Salvatore, get her to the safe house, now."

Stefan nodded. "Come with me."

"What's going on?"

"I'll explain it later." Stefan said as he walked with her over to his car, opening the passenger side, and making sure she got in okay, and then got in the driver's side and drove away from the school. He drove quickly away from the school, and soon they were somewhere unfamiliar.

"What's going on?" She asked again as they pulled up outside a house. Which looked more like a cabin.

Stefan got out, pulling his phone out. "Chief Swan, I have Bella with me. We're at a safe house. Sir, they've targeted you and your family. I'll make contact again in the morning." He said and hung up.

Bella blinked in confusion. "What is going on. Please tell me what is going on?"

"Let's wait for Elijah. Come inside, it's cold." Stefan said and went to the front door, using a key from his pocket and opened the door. He went over to the fireplace and immediately started a fire.

Bella looked around at things. It was kept tidy. There were two rooms in the cabin it looked like, and the living room was open, with the kitchen area, and there was a dining table.

The door opened about fifteen minutes later, and a man walked in, tall, dark hair, and dark eyes. He was dressed nicely, in a suit. Like he was FBI or something.

"Bella." The man spoke. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson." He introduced. He was British like his brother Kol.

"What is going on?"

"Your father is being targeted. The hiker story is just a cover for a man called James Duncan Mills. There are larger things at play, and now your father has become a part of it. We sent undercover agents to watch you at school, to make sure you were always safe. Kol was one of them, the other, Stefan." Elijah explained.

"You're FBI?"

Elijah nodded. "We are."

Bella blew out a breath. "And my truck? It's going to explode?"

"No, Kol is the best bomb tech. He'll get it resolved and towed to headquarters in Portland." Elijah said. "For now, you'll be riding in with Kol for school. You aren't to be alone at any point. Not until we have this under control."

Stefan's phone dinged and he looked at it. "Okay. I'm going to report back to Damon. He's sending a team to the station to meet with Charlie, I'm going to assist. Make sure to report back to Klaus."

Elijah nodded and watched Stefan leave.

"You have this man in custody, right?"

"We do."

"So why am I in such danger?"

"Because he's issued a hit on your dad, and on you. James knows your Charlie's weakness, being his daughter and all, so your life is in immediate danger because of it. We will get this figured out. If we don't…then you and your father will be put in witness protection, and you'll be given new identities, and moved to a completely new location."

Bella sat down on the couch, just in shock of everything. "I just…I just want to make sure my dad is okay."

"I know, and we'll try our best to keep him safe."

Kol strode in about thirty minutes later. "Bomb is diffused. I had the truck towed back to headquarters." He said and looked to Bella. "How are you feeling? I'm so sorry." He went towards her, and she looked up at him.

"You're okay?"

"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I be?" Kol asked, confused.

"I just. Bombs are serious, and I was afraid that it would blow up and you would get hurt."

"You were worried?"

Bella nodded. "Of course, I was. It's not everyday someone puts a bomb in my truck."

Elijah's phone rang and he answered. "Mikaelson." He said quickly.

"Sir, we've lost Swan. The shooter took him out at his desk."

"Wait what? When did this happen?"

"When we were busy with the truck. We had three agents inside the station at the time of the shooting. Whoever shot Swan, did so through the window in his office. The blinds were shut. There were no visual angles in. The bullet was dead on. They're using heat signatures."

"Lock it down. I want a team in place to find where the shooter went. Where they shot from, and how far away. Get Mills sent to Portland."

There was silence on the other end. "That's not all sir."

"What the fuck else is there?"

"Renee and Phil Dwyer, were killed in a car accident this morning."

"Fuck." Elijah closed his eyes. "Call Klaus. Update him. Pull the back up agents at the school. I want this locked down, and I want it done now." He hung up and looked at Kol. "Il est mort."

"Who?"

Bella paled. "My dad. He's dead, isn't he?" She stood on wobbly legs.

Elijah looked over at her, saw how pale she was, and then he moved faster than his brother, scoping her up before she hit the ground. "Damnit." He cursed and moved her back to the couch and lay her down gently.

"You're pulling Whitlock and Cullen aren't you." Kol said more as a statement.

"Emmett and Jasper will not be needed at the highschool anymore. They knew that this was going to happen the moment they were placed in this program. We knew that the activity was going on the West coast, in this area. The human trafficking was happening far longer than Swan picked up on. We're fortunate that Carlisle was able to introduce the guys into the family when he did." Elijah said with a sigh.

Emmett Cullen was an agent with the FBI, and was really the adopted son of Carlisle, he was just older than what they initially stated when enrolling him at the school, and Jasper was the same. They were adopted brothers, only they moved on to join the FBI, to follow in Carlisle's footsteps, who had been a doctor, who worked with the FBI. He retired, trying to focus on family. He didn't know that Emmett and Jasper would take up that role. Edward was talking about wanting to join, but Carlisle was hoping he wouldn't.

When morning broke, Bella woke up, looking around. She was laying on the couch in the cabin, the fire going in the fireplace, and there was a blanket draped over her. It wasn't a dream. She sat up, her head feeling light, but she was sure it was from all the sleep. She passed out, just slept the whole night.

Kol was there. He looked over when he heard her stirring. He was sitting at the dining table, drinking come coffee, and reading the report from what happened at the station. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Um. Weak," she admitted. "It wasn't a dream." She murmured.

Kol stood, grabbing a mug, and poured some coffee into it. He doctored it with some sugar, and heavy whipping cream, and walked to her. He handed her the mug. "I am sorry. I know this is a lot to take in and I'm terribly sorry about your father. He was a great man."

Bella accepted the coffee, blowing on it slightly before taking a sip. It was perfect. Her father was dead. "Someone should call me mom."

Kol shifted, looking towards the door. "Um. Bella."

"Did they get killed too?" She sounded defeated.

Kol took the coffee mug from her and set it on the coffee table before kneeling before her. He took her hands, looking up at her. "I am so sorry. Your mother and stepfather were killed in a car crash early yesterday morning."

She closed her eyes. It wasn't like her and her mom had a bad relationship or anything, she cared for her mother, but she felt more lost without her dad. "So someone is trying to kill me?"

"Well, we're still trying to work everything out. It seems that James has targeted Charlie's whole family because of him being jailed. This is a large case, human trafficking, and Charlie was caught in it. We knew that there was someone on the West coast, trafficking, we just didn't know who. Charlie helped with that. That is why we sent agents ahead of time, imbedded them deep undercover, to help be the eyes and ears. We're certain that there is more than one player in this game, and until we figure that out, and shut down the whole operation, we're going to have to move you to witness protection." Kol explained.

"So, what does that mean?"

Elijah walked in then, startling Bella. "I apologize. You're awake."

Bella nodded, looking at Elijah's arrival, and the man that walked in after him.

"This is Alaric Saltzman. He's a Marshall, that is going to relocate you to a different location. Jasper and Emmett will be on bodyguard duty and will blend in with you at your new location. Stefan will follow shortly after. We're keeping Kol here on the west coast to help continue our operations here. Klaus is heading up this task, and I will follow you to the new location. I apologize that all of this is sudden, but we have two hours to get going." Elijah explained.

Alaric reached into his back pocket, pulling out a passport. He handed it to Bella. "This is your new identity."

Bella took the blue passport, and opened it, looking at her own face. "Noelle Saltzman." She looked up at Alaric. "I'm posing as your daughter?"

"That's the story." Alaric said. "We'll have time to go over the details on the plane."

Bella nodded and looked to Kol. "Be careful?"

Kol nodded. "Always. You be careful as well." His phone rang and he answered. "Oh hey babe." He turned, walking towards the kitchen.

Bella looked at Elijah. "So, what are you to me?"

"No one, I'm a friend of Ric's." Elijah said and then looked to Alaric. "Take her to the airport. When you land, call me." He said and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a phone and handed it to Bella. "Your old phone toss it. This is your new phone and it's programmed with all the numbers you need."

"What about my dad…I can't just leave without- "

"I'm afraid we don't have time for all of that."

"How are we going to explain my disappearance?"

Elijah looked at Alaric. "The media believes you are dead Bella. Bella Swan does not exist right now. Noelle Saltzman is who you are."

Bella teared up and looked at her passport and phone. She didn't know what to say. Ho would she survive all this? So many thoughts ran through her head, but she had to stay strong, she couldn't collapse now, or she would disappoint her father. He lost his life trying to help locate people that were being violated worse than she was right now. She would suck it up and do what she had to do.

[1 week later: Mystic Falls, Virginia]

Bella looked at her reflection. The blonde strands that framed her face was foreign to her now. She wasn't completely blonde, her dark roots were evident, but it faded into a bright blonde ombre, and it was cut to her shoulders, and was straight. Her eyes were getting used to the blue-green contacts, she wore, but she had to for identity purposes. She was in Mystic Falls, Virginia, and it was beautiful here. Still cold and snowy, but it was beautiful. She was starting school at Mystic Falls High School, home of the Timberwolves.

Jasper Whitlock was Jasper Hale and Emmett was his older brother, Emmett Hale. Emmett was the guardian, while Jasper still went to highschool, senior year with Bella. The house that they were living in was beautiful, and Bella was thankful that Alaric was so nice. He was really trying to take care of her the best he could. He was going to be taking on a "teaching" position at the high school. Where he would be teaching World history.

Over the week, she practiced calling him dad, and even if there was no one around she referred to him as dad, because she knew the moment that she didn't, she would lose her focus. It had to become habit. The car that she got was a 2020 Toyota Highlander hybrid, and it was a slate blue color. It was fancy, everything digital on the inside. Her wardrobe was dressed up a little more than she was used to, but she would also, acclimate to that as well. It took her a moment, to answer to Noelle, so Alaric repeated it over and over until she got it.

"What's your name?" Alaric asked her that morning.

"Noelle Alexandria Saltzman. I'm 18, born June 13th, I'm a Gemini. My mother was Anastasia Morgana Saltzman, she died when I was three, cancer. My brother, Stefan Antonio Saltzman is 17, born August 6th, and he likes motorcycles, and we're like best friends." She smiled. "Am I missing something?"

Alaric raised a brow.

"Oh, you are my dad, Alaric Kenneth Saltzman, high school History teacher." She smiled.

Alaric nodded and Stefan came down the stairs. They decided to bring Stefan at the same time, so that it wouldn't look odd sister, and brother going to school at separate times. "Alright, watch after your sister. I'll see you both at school."

"Sure thing, dad." Stefan said and grabbed his bag and out the door him and Bella went. They got into her highlander and they drove to the high school.

They pulled up at the school and she parked. She looked over at him. "Do you ever get tired of being pegged for a 17-year-old all the time?"

"Nope. The younger I am, the longer I can stay in one area."

"You're 24."

"Nope. I'm 17, sis." He winked to her and got out, closing his door.

Bella sighed and grabbed her bag from the back seat before getting out and following Stefan to the school. They stopped off in the office first.

"Noelle and Stefan Saltzman, it's nice to meet you. Your father said to expect you two to pick up your schedules." The front office clerk said, her name was Marylou, and she was nice enough. She handed them their schedules, and they had at least two classes together. Jasper would make up the other half, and all bases were covered.

When lunch came, Bella sat at a table by herself, before Jasper came to join her. She smiled. "Hello."

"Howdy." Jasper greeted.

A perky blonde zeroed in on Bella, and walked over, smiling big. Her eyes were a pretty sky blue. "Hi! I'm Caroline Forbes." She introduced. "Welcome to Mystic Falls High!"

Bella smiled. "Noelle Saltzman. Nice to meet you."

"Jasper Hale." Jasper introduced himself.

Stefan walked over, his tray of food in hand. He sat down and looked up at Caroline.

"Hi! I'm Caroline Forbes."

"Stefan Saltzman." He said and took a drink of his drink.

"Oh, are you brother and sister?"

Bella nodded. "We are. I'm the big sister." She said with a smile.

"I just had pre-cal with her, so I'm new too, so I figured we'd stick together," Jasper said, smiling at Caroline, showing off his Texan charm.

Caroline smiled at him. He was charming, and hot. His long hair brushed his shoulders and his doe brown eyes made him seem so friendly and nice. "If you need any help with anything, or need a tour, I can show you guys around. I'm Senior class president." She explained, the perkiness never leaving, and her smile was so bright, and generous.

Bella nodded. "Thank you, Caroline, we really appreciate it."

Another girl walked over towards them, her long dark hair and dark brown eyes made her look exotic somehow. "Hey Care, Tyler is looking for you." She looked to Jasper, Stefan, and Bella. "Oh hi, I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Noelle Saltzman." Bella introduced herself.

"Stefan Saltzman." Stefan said with a casual nod.

"Jasper Hale. Nice to make your acquaintance." Jasper said with a lazy smile.

Alaric walked into the lunchroom, spying Bella and the others. He walked over towards them. "Hey kids."

"Hey dad." Bella and Stefan responded at the same time.

Caroline looked at Alaric. She had him the next class. "Oh, Mr. Saltzman, I'm Caroline Forbes, Senior Class president."

Alaric looked at Caroline. "Nice to meet you, just call me Ric though." He said, offering a kind smile, and then he looked back at Stefan. "Uh, are you riding back with Noelle after school?"

"Yeah. That's the plan. What's up?"

"Oh, I was just checking. I've got to stay later and grade some papers." Alaric said simply. "You kids don't wait up for me okay?"

"Got it dad. See you later." Bella said, and then Alaric nodded and waved at them before walking off.

Caroline smiled at Bella. "Your dad is so cool."

Bella smiled, feeling the strings in her heart pull, and she missed her real dad suddenly, but she stamped it down and nodded. "He's the best." She picked up a French fry on her tray.

Elena smiled. "It was nice to meet all of you." She said and looked to Caroline. "Tyler is waiting Care."

Caroline nodded. "Oh, right. I'll see you guys later," she waved and walked off with Elena to go find Tyler.

"You okay?" Jasper reached a handout to her shoulder and rested it there lightly.

"Yeah," Bella said, giving him a small smile. "I'm just…it's the first day of many. Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper smiled and nodded.

They finished their lunch right before the bell rang, for them to go to their next class, which she had with Jasper.

By the end of the day, Bella was exhausted mentally. She walked out to the highlander in the parking lot and ran into another kid. She reached out to steady whoever it was she ran into. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Are you okay?" The voice asked.

Bella looked up at him. He had dark hair and dark eyes. "Uh, yeah. I'm really clumsy, and I tend to not watch where I'm going. I'm Noelle, Saltzman." She introduced.

"Jeremy Gilbert."

"Oh, do you have a sister or cousin?"

"Yeah, my sister, Elena." Jeremy said with an awkward smile. Bella saw that he was a little shier than his sister it seemed.

Bella smiled. "Well, I'm sorry for nearly running you over. It was nice meeting you Jeremy."

"You as well Noelle." Jeremy smiled, and he watched her wave and walk over to her Highlander, which was a really nice vehicle. He then watched a guy join her, his hair a rusted brunette color. He hopped in the passenger seat, while she got in the driver's seat. Elena walked up, looking at her brother.

"You ready?"

Jeremy looked at his sister. "Who are the new kids?"

"Oh, Stefan and Noelle Saltzman, they're Ric's kids. The new history teacher."

Jeremy nodded, and then walked with his sister to her red jeep, and got in. Noelle was beautiful, he thought to himself. She was stunningly pretty, from her hair, to her blue-green eyes. She was nice too, and she was fascinating to him.

[Christmas Eve]

Bella wasn't enthusiastic about the holidays, now that both her parents were gone. She didn't want to make a big deal over it, but Alaric insisted that they at least do something. So, she sucked it up, and went shopping, the bane of her existence. She got a watch for Stefan, because he was always running late, and he got Alaric a special knife, that was engraved. She told them not to get her anything, but she knew better.

Emmett and Jasper spent a lot of time over at their house, so she was constantly around friends at the very least. She went ahead and got both Emmett and Jasper something, so they wouldn't be left out. She got Elijah something as well, because that was really all she wanted to venture to get close to. It had been 6 weeks since her parent's death, so she was feeling better, and becoming more comfortable being Noelle Saltzman, and not Bella Swan. Everyone referred to her as Noelle, so there wasn't any confusion. It made things easier for her.

For the time being she was alone at the house with Elijah, while the other guys were out doing last minute shopping she was assuming.

"How are you feeling?" Elijah asked. They were both sitting in the living room and it had been quiet for some time. Bella was just reading a book, to pass the time.

She looked up from her book. "I'm okay. Just this is the first holiday…you know."

Elijah nodded. "I understand."

Elijah had been there through it all and funny enough, seeing Elijah was comforting to her. She missed talking to Kol, if she was being honest, but he had a job to do, and so she had to just forget about it.

"You're deep in thought." Elijah commented.

She looked up at him. "Yeah, how is Kol?"

"He's well. Doing his job."

"Any closer to figuring it out?"

Elijah was quiet a moment. "These things tend to take more time."

Bella nodded. It made sense. She knew that her life was never going to be normal again. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For just being here. I know that there are more important things for you to be doing."

Elijah offered a small smile. "No. Your safety is what's more important. We're not going to let anything bad happen to you."

"If I'm being honest, I don't really care if anything happens to me anymore. I'm all alone. I have no family."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Having a fake dad and brother doesn't count." Bella said with a sigh. "But it is something."

Elijah moved over to the couch and sat down next to her. "Noelle. You are a fantastic, young woman. You will rise above all of this. Life will get back to normal. I know that you're still mourning the loss of Charlie, and Renee. Nothing will ever replace those people in your life, and it's okay to hurt."

Bella looked up into his dark, somber eyes. She could tell he was being earnest, and she appreciated everything that he had done so far for her. She appreciated all of them. Protecting her, even if it was his job. His words made her feel better, and that made her feel…something inside. She drifted closer to him, her eyes not leaving his. Her mouth was a hair away from his, parting her lips slightly, before he closed the distance. His lips were soft against hers. The brush of his lips sent tingles through her, and she inched closer to him on the couch, reaching out a shaky hand and lay it on his chest, which she found was hard, muscular. Heat flooded through her, and she parted her lips more, allowing him more access, but he pulled back, and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry." Bella murmured, blushing from embarrassment.

"No. It's okay. I uh…Alaric will be back soon." He said and stood, he looked back at her, seeing the reddened cheeks, and the embarrassment. "Noelle." He said softly.

Bella looked up at him. "I don't know why I did that."

"Its natural to form some sort of attachment…to someone who is helping you or protecting you." Elijah explained.

"Yeah. That makes sense." She murmured. But he kissed me back.

The door opened, and Alaric walked in with Stefan behind him, carrying some bags. "It is terrible out there. Shopping is not my favorite." Alaric complained. He had everything gift wrapped at the store because he wasn't about to attempt to do that himself.

"Something we agree on." Bella said, smiling, trying to blow over what just happened.

Stefan set stuff under the little tree that Alaric had put up, just for Bella really. He knew that the holidays would be the hardest part for her since she lost her entire family.

Bella loved that they were putting all this effort into the holiday, but she wanted to be alone for a few moments, so she smiled. "Thanks guys." She said, and looked to Elijah, not realizing that her eyes were tearing up. Then she just moved to the stairs, walking up them, and to her room. Her chest tightened, and her heart ached, and the tears flooded out. Her parents were really gone. Christmas was never going to be the same. She tried to hold it together, but she couldn't. She sobbed, her chest hurting with each one. She sunk to the floor on her knees. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and the whole world felt like it was just falling apart. She didn't hear Elijah come into the room. His arms came around her from behind, hugging her to him.

"Shhh." Elijah held her tight, and she was so small, compared to him, it was like he enveloped her. He rocked with her, calming her down. "Breathe, deep breaths." He coaxed.

Bella relaxed against Elijah as she tried to do what he asked, and it was working. Her chest loosened, and she felt better, his warm embrace was comforting, and she just leaned her head back against him, taking in the deep breaths, until she was completely relaxed.

"There." Elijah said, and loosened his hold, but he still held her. "It's going to be hard like this sometimes. Remember to breathe deeply, it slows your pulse down, and you're less likely to have an attack." His voice was still gentle. He started to get up, but she stopped him.

"Stay…just for a little bit longer." She had grabbed his hand, held it in hers. He settled down behind her, just sitting there in silence with her, while she collected herself.

[New Year's Eve]

Bella made it through Christmas, and it wasn't so bad. They opened presents, had some dinner, and they sat and played a couple games. It was what a real family would do, so they did it. Alaric was great, he really was, and in a lot of ways, he made a great dad, and maybe one day he would be able to be one for real. Stefan made an excellent little/ big brother. He was technically older than she was by a good 4 years, but he held that youth about him. He had an older brother for real. His name was Damon Salvatore, but he was living in New Orleans, or something like that. Stefan didn't talk about his brother much. Stefan and his brother weren't on great speaking terms since Stefan decided to join the FBI, despite his brother's wishes. Elijah had several siblings. Klaus and Kol were the only two in the bureau with him. Elijah was only 26, while Klaus was 24, and Kol was 21. He had an older brother, Finn, who was a professional tennis player, Freya, who was a fashion designer, Rebekah was seventeen, and was at an all-girls boarding school in London, and then there was Henrich, the youngest. He was 14, and he attended a prep school for young boys in London. Their father, Michael, was some sort of broker, or something, Bella couldn't remember, she knew that they had a lot of money. He lived in London as well, and his mother died when he was thirteen. She also found out that Klaus was actually technically of higher rank than Elijah, but he was the older brother.

Now that the new year was coming, she just wanted it to be over. She wanted to just keep moving forward, and not make big deals about holidays, or events.

"Noelle." Caroline called her name. Bella was sitting at the Grille, waiting on Elijah to get there. She was only allowed to be by herself in public. They were starting to give her more freedoms, because it would look abnormal for her to be on such a tight lockdown, so they tried giving her more space.

"Oh, hi Caroline." Bella smiled up at her.

Caroline smiled and sat down across from her. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Uh, just going back home. I don't really like holidays." Bella said with a smile.

"You can't not celebrate the New Year!" Caroline nearly squeaked.

Elijah walked in just then, finding Bella at a table with Caroline Forbes, the Sheriff's daughter.

Caroline looked up at Elijah and smiled. Elijah was incredibly good looking, sexy even. "Oh, hello. Who are you?"

"Elijah Mikaelson." He introduced and looked to Bella, holding a hand out. "Ready?"

Bella nodded, putting her hand in his, she looked back at Caroline. "I'll see you back in school." She got up.

Caroline looked between Elijah and Bella, stunned. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

Bella started to say something, but Elijah interrupted. "It's still new." He looked to Bella, who nodded, and smiled for Caroline.

"Oh, well. I'm Caroline Forbes. It's nice to meet you Elijah."

Elijah nodded, offering a small smile. "You as well. We really must get going. We're going to be late." He said and Caroline just nodded, waving at them as they left.

They got to Elijah's car, and they got in. Stefan had the highlander today, for something in McKinley, but Bella wanted to grab some food, and not be cooped up at the house all day, so he dropped her off here, before heading that way.

They started back towards her house, and she looked out the window at all the snow on the ground. She had to admit that the snow did look pretty, but she really didn't like the cold.

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked, as they drove.

"Yeah, just can't wait for it to start warming up."

"You don't like the snow?"

"I like the snow, I just don't like the cold that comes with it," She said and looked over at him. He looked so calm, so…handsome. She studied his features again. His strong jaw, his sweeping dark hair, his dark almond eyes. He was very attractive. Her pulse increased a little, just thinking about him in a newer light. The small curve to his lips, his smile of slight amusement with her answer, just made her want to lean over and kiss him, but she refrained from doing that.

They pulled up at her house a short while later. It was just the two of them alone again. Alaric was at the school, for a faculty meeting before school was set to come back.

She got out and walked inside, Elijah right behind her. He did the normal routine of just checking things, locks, windows, each room. It was a ritual for all the men in her life right now. Just precautions that they took to make sure they wouldn't have to move away again.

Bella started a fire in the fireplace, placing some of the stacked wood that Stefan brought in from last night. Elijah rejoined her in the living room.

"So, Stefan should be back a little later, before midnight, and Ric will be home in a few hours, so it's just us for now. Jasper and Emmett are following up on some work stuff." He explained.

Bella nodded and sat on the couch, pulling the throw blanket from the back of the couch, and draped it over her legs. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For just being here." She was always thanking them for being there for her. She knew it was their job, but she still appreciated everything that they had done so far. She shivered a little bit. The room wasn't quite warm enough yet.

Elijah sat down next to her. "We'll be here for as long as you need us Noelle." He said with a small smile.

Bella smiled back. They stared at each other for a few silent moments until she leaned forward and kissed him like she wanted to in the car. It was just a small innocent kiss at first, but then something in her burned, yearned for him to be closer to her, so she gripped his shirt in her hand and leaned back on the couch, pulling him with her, her mouth opening more, her tongue sweeping out over his. The moment their tongues collided; she felt the shift in him. The kiss was more than a kiss now.

His hands moved to her hips, gripping her as he kissed her back with as much passion as she was giving him. Her small moan against his mouth sent thrills through him, and his hands brushed up under her shirt, and he cupped her breast over her bra, wishing that she was naked under him. Her hands raked down his chest, pulling at the buttons, getting his shirt open, and her hands moved over his bare chest, and he shuddered under her touch.

"Elijah…" she murmured, moaning slightly, as his hand worked under her bra, and thumbed over her nipple. She arched into him.

He leaned up, looking down at her. Her eyes were wild with excitement. Her contacts were still in, so he was looking into the blue-green pools, and he knew then that he needed to stop, to collect himself, force himself to stop, but he couldn't, she was like a spell that was cast over him. His other hand moved to her pants, pulling at the button and zipping, getting them pulled down, and she arched against him again, his hand rubbing over her heated center over the cotton material of her panties. She moved her hips up, beckoning him more, to take more. His mouth covered hers again, drinking in the small, pleasured moan as his fingers slipped beneath the cotton, and toyed with her folds.

She wanted this, needed this, and she pressed forward, pushing him farther. Her hands moved to his pants, pulling on his belt buckle until it was loose, and then he leaned up, shrugging out of his shirt all the way, then his pants, leaving himself in his boxers, before he helped her out of her shirt, and slid her pants all the way down and off. Now she was naked before him, and he took the time to take in the sight. She was beautifully perfect. Every part of her. He dove back in, his mouth going to her breast first, sucking her nipple into his mouth and she moaned again, arching up against him. Her body begged for more of his touches, more of his mouth on her. She reached for his boxers, pushing at the band, and he helped her tear them away, and then his erection was pressing against the inside of her leg. The long, and hard shaft was large, and it was throbbing so hard, that it needed its release. The tip of his cock pressed against her entrance when she shifted her hips against his. She was already oozing, wet from the excitement of what was about to happen. Her virginity would be gone and would be replaced with ecstasy and bliss. She arched against him again, her mouth connecting with his, and she moved her hips, toying with his hard cock more. The head slipped in ever so slightly, and that excited her more and so she moved her hips again, and then he moved his, using his hand to guide himself better as he slid partially into her entrance. Already the heated cavern was tight, too tight for him to move fast.

She urged him on, her hips meeting his again, pulling him closer to her center. She stretched, the pain small, nearly unnoticeable. He rocked into her this time, filling her completely. She felt every throb of him, every last inch, and she was bursting with pleasure. He thrust slow at first, trying to hold himself together. Sweat formed on their bodies as they danced together in unity. She was reached her climax, bucking up against him, and moaning loudly as she soaked him. He wasn't far behind her, pulling out, drenched in her fluids as he layered his seed on to he stomach. They were both panting, at the end, and he moved to clean her up. He was silent as he did so, not yet trusting his voice.

He pulled on his clothes, as did she and she combed her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. She tucked the blonde strands behind her ear, and she looked at him. His gaze met hers.

"You were a virgin." He murmured. It was a statement, his voice trembled.

Bella nodded. "Elijah."

He walked into the kitchen, to get away from her. He paced a moment, trying to reel himself in. His head was confused, and he was always professional. He's never gotten emotional about a case before.

Bella moved into the kitchen, watching him pace. "I wanted it. Elijah, stop. Look at me." She said, her voice desperate sounding.

He stopped, looking up at her. "I…tainted you. I…Bella." He reverted to her old name. Something that just didn't happen.

Bella moved to him. "Stop. Calm down. Deep breaths." She murmured. "I pushed you. I'm sorry."

Elijah closed his eyes, taking a few breaths. "You have nothing to apologize for, Noelle. I'm…I'm the professional. I'm the agent, and I crossed a line I've never done this before. I've never gotten emotionally involved with a case before, and you-"

"Elijah. I'm okay. No one has to know." She assured him.

He looked at her and shook his head. "I have to recuse myself. I can't protect you like this."

"Why? Elijah, it was just…something that happened. We don't have to talk about it. We can forget it happened." Bella insisted.

"I can't forget what just happened, unless I felt something different than what you felt, then I'm just insane."

Bella was quiet a moment. "You're not insane. I felt it too, but-"

He cut her off, his mouth crushing down over hers again. He couldn't stop himself, he told himself that he couldn't do this. He had to walk away, but seeing her there, reasoning with him, pleading him with her eyes not to. He pulled away, hesitating, but he dropped his hands, looking to the floor. "I'm so sorry."

"Elijah." Bella said it softly, and she reached up and touched his face.

Bella woke up, looking around. She was laying on the couch and Elijah was sitting over in the chair, reading. She dreamt the whole thing. She closed her eyes, sighing, and then sat up, and Elijah turned his attention to her.

"I knew you looked tired." Elijah said, and then the door opened, and Alaric walked in.

"Hey guys." Alaric said and shrugged his coat off.

"How was your meeting?" Elijah asked, closing the book.

Alaric sighed. "Boring. They make meetings for every little thing. Like this couldn't be an email. Noelle, you hungry?"

Bella looked at the time. She had slept for three hours. She felt her stomach turn with hunger. "Yeah." She looked at Elijah. "Sorry I fell asleep."

Alaric moved into the kitchen and was rummaging through the fridge.

Elijah nodded. "It's okay. You were rather tired earlier. You talk in your sleep."

Bella's face flushed. What had she said? "I…I do?"

"You do." Elijah raised a brow. "You…are you okay? You look rather flushed."

"Uh. Yeah…just embarrassed."

"Well, I promise not to tell. You said my name a lot. I can other gather by the way you said it, and the small moans, what sort of dream you had." Elijah stood.

Bella flushed even more. "I-I-I'm sorry." She stammered.

"No need to be sorry. It's amusing." He said, a smile playing on his lips.

"I'm glad you find this amusing." Bella scoffed and got up. Elijah reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. His slight touch sent shivers through her.

"The kiss from last week. Did it do something for you?" Elijah asked, his voice low.

Bella nodded. "Yes."

Elijah nodded, dropping his hand. "I would be lying if I told you that it didn't do anything to me."

Bella blinked a few times, stunned. "I…" his mouth came down over hers and he kissed her.

She felt herself jolt, and her eyes snapped open, and she woke up for the second time. She was startled.

Elijah was on his feet, looking at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Am I really awake?" Bella asked, getting to her feet and looking around.

"Yes, why wouldn't you be?" Elijah was confused.

Bella looked at him, studying him. He looked like normal Elijah. Sexy, but not like her dream, sexy. She moved towards him, and then studied him more.

"Noelle, did you have a bad dream?"

"No. I just…" Bella shook her head. She was crazy. A dream within a dream. She bit her lip a little, thinking it all over. Then she tilted her face up to look at him. He was staring at her, concern still filled in his eyes. She tipped up, kissing him on the lips, to gauge his reaction.

Elijah's hands automatically went to her waist, as her mouth moved over his. She nudged his lips apart, sliding her tongue over his, and he responded, kissing her back.

She pulled away, and took a step back, closing her eyes. When she opened them, Elijah was still standing there, looking at her, bewildered. "Okay, not a dream." She let out a sigh of relief.

"Noelle…" Elijah murmured.

"I…I dreamt about you…about us, then I thought I woke up, and I didn't…it was weird, like a dream in a dream." Bella explained, rushing her words a little.

Elijah nodded. "A dream."

"Yes."

"About us? What about us?" Elijah took a step forward. "Is this from the kiss last week?"

"I don't know. Elijah, I can't explain it. Maybe you're right and I'm just transposing feelings on to you. Or maybe I'm just crazy. But I can't not tell you. I have…these desires, and I don't know what to do about them, because I'm…I'm trapped in a world that doesn't make sense to me. I'm trapped, and I can't get out, but you're here. Stefan, Jasper, Emmett, Kol…. Alaric. I just…I don't know what to do, or how to feel, but I do know that…I desire you."

Elijah was quiet while she went on her monologue. "Noelle."

"I know what you're going to say. I know that you're going to tell me I'm just a little girl, that I'm traumatized by the loss of my father, and mother. The loss of my home, and that everything is supposed to be confusing right now. And that's just it. I'm not confused about you. I may be confused about every other aspect in my life, you're not one of them." Bella interrupted him.

"Noelle. I wasn't going to say any of those things. You're not a little girl. You are a beautiful young woman. Yes, you've experienced some losses. It's normal to grieve. Home is what you make of it. It can be anywhere in the world. Home is not a set place, carved in stone. As for your feelings. I'm not you, I can't begin to tell you how to feel or what to feel. I know how I feel…" Elijah said, stepping closer.

Bella looked up at him, searching his face for any hints or answers to her own outburst.

"You're not alone in your feelings. I knew that this case would be hard for me. I knew from the moment I saw you, before your father was killed. I knew that you were going to become something more than a case, but I didn't walk away. I purposely left Kol in Forks, instead of moving him here, because I couldn't leave your side. I should have. Tangling up with you would not be a good idea. It's not a good idea for either of us, because I am the professional. I am the one that is supposed to keep you safe. My job…takes me places, and it's dangerous. I could never get involved with you because then, you would never be safe." Elijah said.

Bella nodded, looking away. "I understand." She did understand, but it hurt her heart. She was having these feelings, and now she didn't know what to do with them.

Elijah reached, up tilting her face back to look at him. "I didn't say that I wouldn't. Noelle, everything about you, traps all my senses. I want to kiss you when I see you, hold you closer when you're crying. Touch you…" he murmured, his hand drifting down her arm lightly, sending shivers through her. "I want all those things, and more. Call me crazy, but you're the first woman to break through my reserve…to break the façade I put on to make sure I don't get attached to a case. I can't explain it, but here I am…"

"Will you kiss me?"

"Do you want me to kiss you?" He asked and she nodded. He leaned in, his mouth brushing hers lightly.

"I'm not dreaming?" She asked softly.

"You're not dreaming." Elijah murmured, and then he kissed her again, it was slow, sexual, and it was starting to become more. She clung to him, and she trembled in his arms, as his touch flooded her senses, and all she wanted was him.

"Take me?" Bella asked.

Elijah smiled, kissing her softly. "Alaric will be here soon."

"Oh." She blinked a few times. Everything was tingling, and even her head was a bit light.

"Taking you would mean more, and right now…for tonight, this is what I can do. Okay? I must prepare myself for what I'm getting myself into. Noelle, it's not going to be easy for me. It won't be easy for you either."

"Why did you go along with Caroline at the Grille?" Bella suddenly asked.

Elijah smiled. "To discourage her from trying to proposition me."

"Oh."

Elijah chuckled a little. "I'm sure she's a nice…woman, I just." He looked at her. "I already knew what I wanted." He murmured.

Bella nodded. Still swooning from the kiss, and his embrace.

Fifteen minutes later, Alaric walked in, carrying takeout. "It's cold." He grumbled, bringing the food to the dining room.

Bella and Elijah followed him into the dining room.

"Stefan will be back sooner than he thought." Alaric stated and Elijah's phone rang. He answered it quickly.

"Mikaelson." He said, slipping a hand into his pocket.

"We got him. James is going to prison, but we found the two that were part of the assassination of Chief Swan, and the attempt on Bella's life." Kol said, his voice was happy.

"That's good. What of the trafficking ring?"

"Coming all down. The two we busted, are giving us information overload. The director cut a deal with the two. They'll do life but avoid the death penalty." Kol said. "The director is wanting to keep Bella in witsec though. We can't be certain there aren't a few names left off this list. It's for her safety."

Elijah nodded. "Understood." He hung up and looked Alaric. "Well, good news is that James is going to prison, and we found the assassins. The director is keeping her in witsec until further notice in case they miss a few on the round up."

Alaric was shocked. "That was the fastest turnover."

"Yes. It is." Elijah was thinking about it. "But, for now, we can celebrate the fact that Charlie's killers are behind bars, for life, without parole."

Just hearing that the killers were behind bars had tears springing to Bella's eyes. She was so happy that justice was going to come for her dad sooner, rather than later. The tears streamed down her face, and her chest heaved as she cried.

It was alarming to Elijah and Alaric, and Elijah moved towards her. His arms went around her, and he pulled her to him. "Shh. Hey, it's okay."

"This…this isn't a dream either?"

"It's not," Elijah said softly.

Alaric watched how Elijah handled Bella with ease, how close they were. He arched a brow, suspicious, of what this connection really was.

Elijah smoothed her hair back, tilting her face up to look at him. "It's not a dream. Your father is getting his justice. You're getting justice."

Bella nodded, sniffing. "Thank you."

Elijah had to force himself not to kiss her. He released her, and took a step back, now that she was calm. He turned and looked at Alaric, who gave him a knowing look, but he shook his head, indicating that they wouldn't talk about it right now, but later.

"So, you need to eat. The food is getting cold." Alaric said, smiling at Bella.

Bella nodded. "Thanks…dad." She said and sat down at the table, and they all ate the food together. Stefan got there an hour later, and the four of them rang in the New Year together.

[Three days later]

"Ric, I can't really explain it to you in full because I don't know how I let myself develop these feelings, but I…"

"You don't have to explain it to me. Just know what you're doing. I'm not a stickler for the rules. As long as Bella remains safe, and out of danger, I can't say much. I mean you are a little old for her. Eight-year difference?" Alaric poked fun at Elijah.

"I know." Elijah frowned.

"Do you want me to scold her like I'm her actual father?" Alaric asked raising a brow.

Elijah looked at his friend. "No. That won't be necessary." He sighed.

"So, have you two had sex?"

"Come on mate, do you honestly think I would do that, right now? And if I did, do you think I would tell you about it? Risk getting shot?"

Alaric snorted. "I wouldn't shoot you."

"You're supposed to be her dad, remember."

"Oh right, how dare you deflower my little princess." Alaric took on a mock authoritative tone.

"Please don't say it like that. That just…sounds wrong." Elijah sighed, brushing a hand through his hair.

Alaric smiled. "Hey, don't think too much about it. If you're going to carry on some sort of relationship with her, do it. You're both adults."

"Right, but she's still in high school. Dear god, I'm going to hell." Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose.

Alaric laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "We're all going to hell brother, it's just a matter of time. Class is going to start in like five minutes, so unless you want to come up with an excuse as to why you're still hanging around."

Elijah nodded. "Yes, I should get going." He said and the bell rang. "Five minutes huh?"

"It's not an exact science." Alaric said with a casual wave.

Students filtered into his class, before Elijah could go out the door. Caroline was already in the class.

"Oh! Elijah. Noelle's boyfriend. What are you doing at the school?" She asked and looked over at Alaric.

"Dropping off Noelle's book." Alaric said with a smile.

Bella walked in, nearly bumping into Elijah. "Oh, hey, what are you doing here?"

"Dropping off your book." Elijah said, looking over at Alaric.

"Oh, right. Thank you." She smiled.

Elijah nodded. "I'll see you after school. Have a good day." He said, and Caroline was looking at the two of them. He leaned in, kissed Bella's cheek, and disappeared out of the classroom.

Caroline nearly squealed with excitement, as she grabbed Bella's arm. "He's so hot." She said in her ear.

Alaric raised a brow, and Bella smiled at him. "Uh, yes. Yes, he is. We should go to our desks."

Caroline released her arm. "Right!" She said and went to her desk.

Bella approached Alaric's desk. "Book?"

Alaric grabbed a random book off his desk and handed it to her. "Here ya go, honey."

"Thanks dad." Bella said, and took her seat.

[Valentine's Day]

The past month, had been sort of magical for Bella, holding hands with Elijah, cuddling, a few kisses here and there, and then there was the almost sex moment. Elijah had more self-control than she had when it came to intimacy. He was trying to take it slow, and she knew that it was because she was a virgin, and he wasn't wanting to rush things, but she felt ready enough. At least in her dreams, she had been ready. She was at his apartment there in Mystic Falls. It was the only place the two of them could be really fully alone.

He fixed her some dinner, and she was surprised he could cook so well. It was amazing, chicken cordon bleu, and she wasn't typically a fan of chicken. They were sitting on the couch, the TV was on, Netflix, and they were watching American Assassin, which Bella chose, because she liked Dylan O'Brien. She was snuggled against him, his arm around her, and he was playing with a strand of her hair.

She moved her hand down to his thigh, lightly drawing little circles there. She tilted her face up to his, and he kissed her softly. They had had plenty of moments like this, just together like this, and that was enough for him, but it was Valentine's day, and he knew what she wanted from him. He cupped her face with his free hand and deepened the kiss. She shifted, moving for a better angle. She lifted her shirt up, and over her head, letting it drop to the floor. The red lace bra she wore, hugged her breast tight, and she was needing him to just take it off her. Her hands went to his shirt, and she steadily unbuttoned it, moving her hands over his bare chest. His hands came up, cupping her breast with ease, and then she was moving into his lap, straddling him. She was wearing a skirt, and she had taken her panties off earlier, in preparation for this moment. She could feel his hard erection straining against his pants, and she moved her mouth to his throat, sucking there, kissing him as her hands moved to his pants to help get them unfastened. His hands unsnapped her bra, and her breast were relieved from their prison. His hands cupped her bare breast, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. His mouth went to her neck, and kissed there and she moaned slightly, and twisted her hips, dancing down against him. He hadn't let her take his pants off, but her wet heat was rubbing against him, teasing him, and he groaned slightly. Her mouth came to his again, and she kissed him fiercely, her tongue sweeping his as she continued to rock slowly against him, grinding against his hard erection.

"You're driving me crazy," he murmured against her lips.

"Mmm. Then do something about it." She said, her voice husky from the erotic pleasure she was feeling. She felt drunk on just him.

His mouth covered her breast, sucking in a nipple, tugging on it a little with his teeth, and his hands slid up her legs under her skirt, discovering she wasn't wearing panties. He looked up at her. "No panties?"

She shrugged, smiling at him coyly. "Maybe."

"We can wait and- "

"I want you Elijah. I have never been so ready or so sure in my entire life." She interrupted. They had the same discussions before, and she was just ready.

Her hands moved to his pants again, and this time he let her tug at zipper, undoing them, and she slid them down, along with his boxer briefs, his long, hard erection springing free. She gasped at the size, and her hand slid over it. Her hands were steady, and all she felt was the excitement. He pressed into her hand as she stroked him, curious. He let her explore him, and then she was moving, shifting out of his lap and taking him into her mouth, shocking him. He sucked in a breath, moaning as her mouth worked over him.

He moved, her head up, looking at her. "Oh baby, you don't have to do that."

Bella smiled at him. "I wanted to."

Elijah smiled, brushing her cheek. "Let's move to the bedroom, love. It'll be more comfortable."

Bella nodded and stood. He stood with her, pulling up his pants and just zipping them. He grabbed her hand and moved to his bedroom, his queen bed was made up, nice and neat. He guided her to the bed, and lay her down, pulling her skirt down, leaving her completely naked. His hands moved up her legs, to the inside of her thigh, and then to her wet clit. He toyed with her, getting a few moans, and a dance of her hips into his hand, and he knew how to completely melt her. His mouth replaced his fingers, and she moaned even loader, shuddering as his tongue lapped at her sweet folds. He inserted his fingers, gently stroking the inside as he stroked the outside with his tongue, and her moans were coming closer and closer together. She felt her stomach tighten, and then the powerful release that was her orgasm, shook her, and she moaned his name as she poured out for him. He leaned up, smiling at her, as his hand continued to tease her.

"What do you want me to do now?"

"God…. Elijah." She moaned. "I want you inside me. Now, please!" She gasped out.

Elijah chuckled, pulling at his pants, and getting them off. He moved over her body, hovering over her, and guiding himself into her entrance. She was soaked all the way through, swollen and ready for him. He entered her slowly, and she gasped, the invasion was pleasant, and not painful like she thought, and then he slid in all the way to the hilt, the twinges of pain rushing through her quickly, but it was over as soon as it happened.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm good."

Elijah moved his hips, watching her face for any sign of pain or distress, but she was just in pure ecstasy. He moved faster, deeper with every other stroke. She was tight around him, and he focused on his concentration, to not lose himself, but it was slipping away fast. When she arched under him, hugging her legs around him, tightening around him as he pushed inside her. She moaned, her hands roaming over his body, pulling him close to her as she orgasmed for the second time, but this one was different, as it shook her to her core. Her essence rushed over him and it had him losing his control, and he thrust faster, moaning as he started to reach his end. She clenched around him tight as she rode the continuous orgasm, as it washed over her. She felt him swell tight inside her, getting ready to bust and then he was spilling out, as he was trying to disengage, sliding back inside her, twitching as he moaned her actual name.

They were both breathless as they detangled from each other. He was moving for the bathroom, getting a wet cloth to help clean her up. He leaned down, kissing her softly.

"You are one of my darkest desires, love." Elijah said with a smile.

Bella smiled up at him. She was feeling so amazing. "I dreamt about this, and…" she paused, trying to figure out the word for it. "It was perfect…better than perfect."

Elijah smiled. "I'm glad it was perfect for you; it was perfect for me as well." He got into bed, and pulled her into his arms. She fit against him, like she was made for him.

"Bella." He said a moment later.

"Hmm?"

"If your witsec ends….would you consider moving in with me?" Elijah asked.

Bella smiled, snuggling closer. "Of course."

"Really? My job doesn't scare you?"

"I mean. I'll always worry about you regardless, but no, it doesn't scare me." Bella responded. "I graduate in May. I had plans of going to college, but I think I'm going to stick to online courses in case I have to move around a lot." She had put a lot of thought into this.

Elijah was quiet. She had a whole life ahead of her, and he was already weighing her down, which nonsense like this. They lay like that until they both fell asleep.

[2 months later]

Graduation was in three weeks. Bella could hardly wait to be done with this part of her life. So far, everything was wrapping up nicely with the case with the human trafficking ring on the West coast. The director still wanted her in wit sec until at the very least, graduation, and even possibly beyond that. They were trying to close in on some loose ends that they knew about, that didn't include the ones they didn't know about.

Bella spent a lot of time with Elijah at his apartment in town, especially on the weekend, which Alaric was okay with, because she was still with an agent. That was a talk that was awkward.

"You're a woman, I can't tell you what to do, and you're of age. I'm not your real father, but I do care about you, and think of you as my own. Make sure you think things through, and make decisions based on thought, and not just purely on emotion. Love you, kiddo."

Alaric really did care for Bella, and these cases were always the hardest ones. Where he was a guardian of them, and he got attached. Bella was easy to get attached to.

It was Saturday, and her and Elijah just got back to the apartment after eating at the Grille for lunch. She hooked her bag over the chair in the dining room area. Elijah was behind her, his hands on her hips. They had been intimate, several times, over the past two months, more than once in a day, and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Bella couldn't get enough of him, and it seemed like he couldn't either.

"Shower?" Elijah said in her ear.

She smiled and turned in his arms, leaning up to kiss him. "Of course." She said and then he swung her up and carried her to the bathroom. They stripped each other before getting into the shower, the hot water pouring over them as they fondled each other. This had become one of her favorite places for him to take her. He pinned her against the shower wall, driving upwards into her, his thrusts strong, and steady as he drove them towards their climaxes.

After the shower, she cuddled up with him on the couch, and they tried to watch a movie, but she ended up falling sleep.

When she woke up, it was dark, and she was in bed with Elijah. His arm was draped over her, and he was spooning her from behind. She didn't feel so good, so she got out of bed, and drifted into the bathroom. She looked paler than normal, and she felt sort of dizzy. She gripped the edge of the vanity, but that didn't keep herself upright. She felt the world spin and then she was out cold on the bathroom floor.

Elijah felt the absence in the bed next to him and it made him get up, and look around. He went into the living room and kitchen, looking for Bella. He went to the bathroom, seeing it cracked open, and her foot in the door. He rushed to her side, seeing that she had fainted. He checked her pulse, and it was steady, and fine, but she hit her head on the floor, and so there was already a swelling bump. He lifted her up in his arms, and moved with her to the couch. She didn't stir, when he set her down gently.

"Bella," he murmured, rubbing her cheek, and then he rubbed a fist over her sternum to try to get a response, but she was out cold. "Fuck." He cursed, and rushed and grabbed his phone, dialing Alaric first.

Alaric answered on the first ring. "What's wrong?"

"Noelle fainted. I'm taking her to the hospital." Elijah said quickly using her new name whenever he spoke to someone else other than Bella, and he was throwing on his zipper hoodie without a shirt, and then grabbed his keys. "Meet me up there." He hung up, and then went back and gathered Bella in his arms and carried her out and down to his car. He drove off to the hospital.

[Mystic Falls General]

Bella woke up, looking around, seeing she was in a hospital. Alaric, Stefan, and Elijah were all there. "What happened?" She muttered, her head was hurting a little.

"You fainted." Elijah said, concern filled his eyes. He was dressed in jogging pants, and his hoodie, but it was zipped up.

A doctor walked in. "Miss Saltzman. You're awake." He said, looking at the chart. He looked to Elijah and then to Alaric. "You must be dad?"

"I'm Noelle's father, yes." Alaric said with a nod.

The doctor nodded and looked at Stefan and Elijah. "And they are?"

"I'm her brother." Stefan said.

"Boyfriend." Elijah said.

Doctor nodded again. "Okay." He looked at Bella. "Noelle, you fainted. Do you remember anything?"

"Um…" Bella thought back. "I woke up in the night…didn't feel that good, so I went to the bathroom. I remember feeling dizzy, and then I felt the world fall out from under me." She recalled and looked to Elijah.

"Well, you're dehydrated, for sure." The doctor said, and then crossed his arms. "If I could, could I speak with Miss Saltzman alone?"

"No, I…they can stay. What's wrong with me?" Bella asked, and Elijah reached a hand out and squeezed hers, to keep her calm.

The doctor nodded. "Noelle, you're pregnant. You're not only dehydrated, but you're anemic as well."

The whole room was eerily silent for a couple minutes.

"So, is the baby okay?" Bella asked, her heart was pounding in her chest, and Elijah's hand tightened over hers.

"Well, we'll do a quick ultrasound, see what's going on. Maybe gauge how far along you are."

Alaric had his hand covering his mouth, as he seemed to be in deep thought. The doctor moved around to the bedside, switching on a machine that was in the corner and rolled it closer to Bella's bedside.

"Are you comfortable with them all in here?" The doctor asked.

Bella nodded, her heart still racing.

The doctor moved the blanket to the side, and rolled some gel on her belly, and moved the wand around. He looked at the monitor, and then he typed something with one hand, and then hit a couple keys. "There they are." He said, pointing to the screen. Two little hearts were fluttering on the screen.

Elijah was leaned forward, watching, looking at the monitor, a little in awe. Alaric and Stefan were looking as well, quiet as they watched.

"They?" Bella asked.

"Yes, looks like fraternal. Two separate sacs," the doctor motioned to the screen again. "Measurements are showing about 8 weeks, so your due date would be around September 26th. Twins are typically earlier than that." He said, and looked over at Bella, and then to Elijah. "I'll give you guys some privacy; I'm going to write some prescriptions, and have it filled here at the hospital pharmacy, I'll be back." He hit print on ultrasound machine and printed out a few pictures for Bella. He handed them to her, and she took it, looking at it, while the doctor left.

"Are you okay?" Alaric broke the silence.

Bella nodded, tears coming to her eyes. "Um. I'm fine. I take my birth control religiously. Since fourteen, and…I just don't understand how, but…somehow, I'm just…" she just looked at the picture. "Happy…. nervous, and scared."

Alaric nodded. "Well, I'm here. Stefan is here. We'll figure it out, together. Okay?"

Bella nodded. "Thank you, dad."

Elijah cleared his throat, emotion filling his voice as he spoke. "I'm not going anywhere. Um…I'm sorry that…"

"Don't be sorry," Bella said softly. "It's okay. I'm okay…they're okay." She looked back at the picture, before handing it to him. He took it, looking at the picture of his children.

"You're so young, and…" he choked up a little.

"It's okay. I'm old in the soul. This isn't the end of the world for me. I've always wanted children." Bella admitted. "It's just…happening sooner than I thought."

Elijah had never thought about having kids. His job was always taking him places, and he never had the time to slow down to think about what he wanted out of life. Kids never crossed his mind. Now that he was going to be a father, that's all he was thinking right now. How his job would take him away from Bella, from the kids, and he was putting his life at risk. Could be still do that?

"Talk to me." Bella said.

He looked over at her. "I love you." He said is softly, tearing up himself. He meant those words. He had never felt so passionate about any one person before, and Bella changed that for him. Changed him. "I love you, and while this isn't the way I wanted this to happen. I would have wanted you to go to school, figure out what you want to do in life…not be held back by me, I do love you, and I'm nervous, and scared too. But I'm also happy. I never thought about having kids before. I've always…just gone through my life, doing for others, and my job…it's risky, and I'm not sure how that's going to translate now, but I do want these babies, I want you, and everything. I'm never going to leave you, and to do that, I would want you to marry me."

Alaric cleared his throat. "Um. I hate to interrupt. But the Director needs to know. About this."

Elijah sighed, nodding. "I know."

Bella looked at Alaric and then back to Elijah. "Will you get in trouble?"

"Me?" Alaric asked. "Probably not. But Elijah might be reprimanded. Developing a relationship with the sole person on the case, isn't exactly against the rules, but it is discouraged."

"I spoke to Klaus about it already." Elijah said and sighed.

"And what did your brother have to say?"

"You know Klaus. He doesn't care as long as it doesn't interfere with my judgement."

"Has your judgement changed?" Stefan asked.

Elijah looked at Bella. "I want to protect her more than ever." He looked back to Alaric.

Alaric shrugged. "Well. Perhaps, you should think about how to skirt this with the director. Either way, it's best he finds out from you, then someone like your brother, or another agent in the bureau. Fortunately, I'm a Marshall. I never have to deal with your director on a professional level. On a personal level, he's my best friend, so I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Who's the director?" Bella asked.

"My brother." Stefan said simply.

"Is that why he didn't want you joining the bureau?" Bella asked.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah…he didn't want me in danger. I did so deliberately. He couldn't say no. I passed all my exams, and physicals."

The doctor returned, knocking on the door before entering. He had a little bag. "Here are some prenatals and iron supplements. Drive lots of water and fluids, and make sure you schedule an appointment, so you can return. The OBGYN here is Dr. Meredith Fell. She's not in town today, which is why you got me, but you want to follow up in two weeks. Twins is considered high risk, so you'll be coming every two weeks until the babies are born."

Bella nodded, taking the bag from the doctor. "Thank you."

"No problem. Get some rest. I have your discharge papers at the desk. Mr. Mikaelson, you checked her in, go ahead and get those completed." He said and then he was gone.

When they got back home, Bella was a little tired, but she was sure it was because of the emotional day.

"I could resign." Elijah was on the phone with Klaus.

"I don't think that's the answer either, brother. Talk to Damon, he's not a monster. He'll reprimand you, but it's not going to be severe. You're overthinking all this." Klaus said with a sigh.

"But I don't want to be reassigned either."

"He's not going to reassign you. Stop fretting so much. She's healthy?" Klaus asked.

"Well of course. The twins are healthy too."

Klaus was quiet a moment. He was going to be a uncle, and he was very happy for Elijah, and he was excited for this part of his brother's life, but he understood the caution. Damon wasn't a terrible director, but sometimes it was hard to see what direction he was going to take things. "Okay, so what if you ride the desk at Quantico? You're not far from headquarters, and you could just work from home on a lot of stuff. Less action, but it's safer, and you'll be with Noelle, and the twins."

Elijah thought about that idea. "It could work, but would the director do that?"

"Sure he would. Want me to talk to him?" Klaus asked.

"No. I need to do this myself." Elijah said with a sigh.

"Well, whatever you plan to do, just let me know. I'll back you up, as I'm sure Ric would as well. For now, don't worry too much, take care of her and the twins, and everything will work out." Klaus said. "I'll talk to you soon," he said and ended the call.

Elijah slid his phone back in his pocket and went to check on Bella. She was looking at herself in the mirror in her bedroom, running a hand over her belly. It was still flat.

"You're beautiful." Elijah said from the doorway.

Bella looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you. I'm just not showing, so it's just strange. Twins…I feel like I should be freaking out, but I'm oddly calm. I think it's because of you. You keep me grounded." She walked towards him and leaned up and kissed him.

"So, are you going to marry me?" Elijah asked.

"I don't want you to marry me because I'm pregnant." She said with a frown.

"I'm not marrying you because you're pregnant. I would want to marry you anyways. I was too afraid to tell you I loved you before, because I…I want you to experience life, but..."

"I love you too." She said with a smile. "I could never live my life with anyone else, other than you. I know it's been just a few months, but I knew I loved you from the first moment. Love at first sight just seems sort of cheesy." She said with a little laugh.

Elijah dipped his mouth down to hers and he kissed her again, slowly, and passionate. "You're not cheesy. So…let's get married and figure it out as we go."

"Alright." Bella said, and just hugged him, laying her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

[September 1st]

"You're doing amazing," Dr. Fell, said from the foot of Bella's bed. Elijah was holding Bella's hand on her right side, and Alaric was there on her left side. The twins decided that being three weeks early was the best time to come. Elijah and her got married just the month before, so that way the twins would come into the world with two parents married already, and there wouldn't be confusion with the hospital. Instead of Noelle Saltzman, she was Noelle Mikaelson now. She was still in witness protection and would more than likely remain like this for a while, until all the trials are over, and all the convictions take place, and that sort of process did take time. She had gotten used to the name Noelle, and if anyone, knowing her identity, said Bella, she hardly answered to it anymore.

"Okay Noelle, on this next contraction, push with all you have," Dr. Fell said, and when the contraction rippled through Bella, she pushed hard, and then there was a soft cry, as the first twin made it into the world. Nurses rushed and helped Dr. Fell, get the baby wrapped up, and the cord was cut, and the baby was handed to Elijah, as Bella was getting ready to push again. She felt exhausted, but she had to push more. She had to keep being strong.

Elijah cradled the first baby, a girl, and she was absolutely perfect. Breathing, perfectly, and settled now that he was holding her. Her dark hair was slightly curled, but slick to her head, and he rubbed the blanket over her, helping to dry her off. He handed her back to the nurse, to help Bella, as she pushed and leaned back exhausted.

"Hey, love, you're doing amazing. Our daughter is here, and she's perfect." He kissed the top of her head.

Bella nodded, and a moment passed and then she was pushing again. The room was silent as the next set of cries entered the room. Dr. Fell handed the baby up to the nurse, and the loud cries were indication enough that the baby had some powerful lungs on him.

"Perfect Noelle, you did amazing." Dr. Fell said, with a smile. The nurse handed Bella her son, and Bella cradled him against her. He was perfect. Dark hair, which was a given with both her and Elijah having dark hair.

"She weighs 5 pounds, nine ounces." The nurse said, and helped sponge her off a little more, getting a diaper on her, and then swaddled her up, putting a pint hat on her with a cute little bow attached to it. She handed her back to Elijah, and then Bella let the nurse take her son to get him weighed and cleaned off a little.

Alaric smiled. "You did great kiddo."

"Thanks dad." Bella said with a smile.

"six pounds exactly." The nurse called, and was swaddling him, and putting his little blue hat on him. She brought him back to Bella and handed him to her.

Dr. Fell, finished cleaning Bella up, and stood. "We'll get you set up in your private room in a short while. Then you can have some visitors." She said with a smile and left with the nurses.

Alaric looked down at the tiny little being that was supposed to be his 'grandson'. He was misty eyed now, his heart swelling with love for the tiny infant. "Um. Perfect Noelle, truly. You did do a great job. All natural. You're stronger than I am." He said with a laugh.

Bella smiled, looking at her son, and then up at Elijah. "So. What of the names?"

Elijah smiled. They had discussed some names before, but hadn't settled on any immediately.

"Jaxon Charles Mikaelson." Bella said.

Elijah nodded. "Yes, I love it. And Charlotte Isabella Mikaelson."

Bella smiled. Having her daughter named after her, made her tear up. She was so happy.

Once settled in, Stefan got to meet the twins, as did Klaus and Kol. They made it to the hospital a few hours ago, and were just patiently waiting. Jasper and Emmett were there to make sure Bella was okay.

Klaus looked at his niece and nephew. "Thank god they favor Noelle, more than you brother." He teased, smiling.

Elijah smiled back at his brother. "Thank you, brother." He said and he handed Jaxon to Klaus, who hesitantly took the small bundle in his arms. He was steady, carefully holding him like he was a bomb that would explode if he shifted too much.

"Their names?" Kol asked.

"Jaxon Charles, and Charlotte Isabella." Elijah answered, he looked over at Bella, smiling at her.

There was a brief knock at the door, and Bella nodded, and Stefan opened the door. Damon was there. It was the first time, Damon had made an appearance in person, to Bella. He spoke with her briefly on the phone after news broke about her being involved with his best agent.

"How are you doing?" Damon asked, looking directly at Bella.

"Good, it's nice to put a face to the voice." Bella said with a smile.

Damon nodded, and looked to Elijah. "Beautiful family Elijah. Take a couple months off. Enjoy it." He said with a little smirk. "Kol, Jasper, you're being sent to Texas. I hate to interrupt family time."

Bella shook her head. "It's okay. This is important."

Damon nodded, clasping his hands in front of him. "You've done really well Noelle. The trials are set for November 2nd. We're hoping that we'll see an end to it by the spring, and we'll successfully have everything situated, and you'll be able to move around freely, without a Marshal."

Bella nodded. "I understand," and she looked over at Alaric. "But I get to keep him permanently right?"

"Oh, I'll always be here for you. My job will make me travel, but I'm always dad." Alaric said with a smile. "For as long as you need me that is."

Damon smiled. "Congrats Elijah, Noelle. They are beautiful. Get some rest and enjoy these years." He said and looked to Stefan. "They grow up too fast."

Stefan smiled at his brother, and then Damon excused himself and then he was gone.

Emmett was smirking. "Well, I for one, am finally glad they're both here. Didn't realize how panicked I would feel through all of this." He said with a laugh.

Jasper laughed with him. "Me too. Darlin, your food cravings got weird there for a while, and I was for sure thought Elijah was going to lose it, but surprisingly, he managed." He winked at Elijah.

Elijah smiled. "Well, it was certainly an experience." He leaned down and kissed Bella on the head.

Bella smiled. "Well, thank you all for being here beside me to keep me from going too insane."

[Four months later]

The trials were over, and now Bella could move freely, if she wanted. Her and Elijah moved towards Quantico, so he wouldn't have to commute so far, and Bella decided to take online courses for English. She was going to work on becoming an English teacher. It was a passion of hers, and seeing Alaric teach, inspired her. Jaxon and Charlotte were growing so fast, and Bella was enjoying her time with the twins.

Alaric was staying close to the area, until his next assignment, so he was still teaching at Mystic Falls High.

Stefan was reassigned to Texas, to back up Jasper and Kol. Emmett was sent undercover, in New York. Elena and Caroline were really nice people, and Bella did see them from time to time, whenever they were in the area. Caroline was doing bio-medical science, and Elena was doing pre-med. They were attending Whitmore College, in McKinley, which wasn't too far off from where Bella and Elijah were living now.

A lot happened in her life, and she could be thankful that she had Elijah, and the others to surround herself with some happiness. Losing her father and mother, was the hardest thing she had to deal with, but she was able to overcome that, and become a mom, and hopefully one day become a teacher.

"What are you thinking about love?" Elijah asked, when he walked into the bedroom. Bella had the baby monitor sitting on the nightstand, and she was just sitting there, staring at the screen on her laptop.

"Hmm?"

"You're deep in thought." Elijah said. "You get the same look on your face when you're thinking about something."

"Oh, right. Yeah, just reviewing the past year." She smiled and closed the laptop and set it to the side and looked up at Elijah. "Mmm."

Elijah was changing, pulling off his shirt, revealing his bare chest. "What?"

"I'm thinking about something now." Bella said with a grin.

"Oh really?" Elijah arched a brow, and then walked over to her, taking his shirt off, and letting it drop to the floor before he leaned down and kissed her. Her hands helped him undo his pants, and he let them fall to the floor and he climbed into bed with her, his hands moving over her body, pulling her pajama bottoms off, and then her top.

"I love you." Bella murmured, and then she kissed him again, as he slid his hard erection into her. They moved together, in pure bliss, and ecstasy. They could never get enough of each other. They came together, moaning each other's names. They snuggled close together, their bodies close as they settled in.

"Elijah."

"Hmm?"

"Do you regret anything?"

Elijah kissed the top of her head. "I don't regret us, if that's what you're hinting at. I don't regret how we got here."

"Do you want more kids?"

Elijah chuckled. "Is that what this is about?"

"I mean…we never really talked about it, and then everything moved fast with the twins. I just wanted to get a clear picture."

He couldn't blame her fore that. "I love you, I love the twins. If you want more children, Bella…you don't have to pretend that you don't for me. I'm with you forever. I will give you as many children that you desire. Just give me a heads up first."

Bella smiled, tilting her face up to meet his. "Alright. Then congratulations."

"Wait…" he leaned up in the bed. "You're pregnant?"

Bella nodded, sitting up with him. "I found out this morning. The mini-pill I've been taking apparently was less effective with me breast feeding the twins. So…" She looked at him, reaching out and stroking his face. "Are you okay?"

Elijah blinked a few times. "I am, I'm perfect, love, are you okay?"

"I'm perfect, but this will be the last one for me, if that's okay with you."

He leaned in and kissed her again. "Of course." He smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."