Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and L.J. Smith. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Thank you RenTenTen, kouga's older woman, and munzke11 for your reviews. I've always viewed Klaus as a good guy to be honest. Even though he's done atrocious things. Please keep writing reviews or sending me PMs, I absolutely love the feedback and input.
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September 10th, Bella-24 weeks, baby's growth 26 weeks, ~Jai & Ness 10 ½ weeks~
~Salvatore Boarding House/ Mystic Falls boarder~
"Okay, Alice, try and penetrate the barrier," Bonnie said into the phone. Alice was on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, testing Freya and Bonnie's hard work on creating a workable barrier.
Alice tried to step across the line, but she couldn't. "I cannot cross."
Bonnie smiled. "Okay, slip your ring back on and try again."
Alice did exactly that. They had picked an overcast day to test this barrier so Alice wouldn't draw attention to herself if someone happened to drive by. She stepped across the line without being repelled back. "It works. So as long as we have our rings, we should be able to stay within the boundaries of Mystic Falls." Edward stood on the outskirts watching Alice. It would take some getting used to seeing her transform like that.
"Okay, you can give Edward his ring. He'll need to be able to stay within the boundaries. I gave Rose her ring yesterday," Bonnie said and then she hung up.
Alice smiled and walked back across the boarder and walked over to Edward. "Bonnie made your ring," she said and took Edward's hand and dropped the ring into his palm. He looked at it a moment before sliding the ring on his right middle finger. His eyes changed from the bright topaz, to a spring green. His skin warmed, his cheeks becoming flushed. It was a mesmerizing experience. He looked down at his hands in awe. "Wow," he murmured and looked at Alice.
"You have green eyes! That's so cool!" Alice exclaimed and pulled out her compact mirror from her tiny purse and handed it to Edward. He looked at himself. It had been a long time since he had seen himself like this, like…a human. "I forgot I had green eyes," he nearly whispered. Alice just beamed at him. "I didn't even know I had brown eyes," she replied and then they both walked the short distance to her little red beetle and got in.
"This car really sucks Alice. I expected you to have a yellow porche or something fast," he grumbled.
"Leave Lady alone. She did nothing to you," she pouted.
"You named your car…Lady?"
"Yeah, like Ladybug."
Edward tried to stifle his laugh. "Oh that's…creative."
Alice rolled her eyes as they drove back into the downtown area. They were going to scout around and see if the barrier was fully working before going back to the Boarding house. It would be the first time Edward would set foot there on good terms.
Back at the boarding house, Bonnie was feeling a bit more relaxed. Freya poured them two glasses of wine and sat down at the bar in the kitchen.
"Finally. The barrier is up, no Cold One can breach the perimeter without one of your spelled rings," Freya said and took a drink of her wine.
Bonnie smiled as she took her glass. "That is a huge win." She sipped her wine and then turned when the door opened. Caroline and Rebecca rushed in with a bunch of bags. "Did you buy the entire store?" she asked with a laugh.
"No, but we could have. We bought a bunch of stuff for Bella. Her birthday is in 3 days, and we have to celebrate!" Caroline squealed.
Rebecca set down some of the bags on the table and started unloading them. There were streamers, balloons, confetti, etc. Everything was in blue and white. Then there were the other bags for the twins. Bonnie peaked into the bags. "Uh huh, all of it is for Bella's party. I see onesies and cute frilly dresses," she raised a brow at Rebecca. "She's going to kill you for buying more clothes."
"They're growing! They need stuff that fits them," Rebecca defended.
Elena walked in about then with more bags and Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Not you too."
"What? These are not mine. I'm just unloading the car," Elena explained and set the bags down.
Bella came into the kitchen when she heard everyone's voices. "What in the world is all of this?"
"Nothing!" Rebecca, Caroline, and Elena all said in unison. Bella narrowed her eyes. "Did you buy more baby clothes?" When the three wouldn't look at her, Bella crossed her arms. "I'm not sorting it. YOU three have to put them up," she said and moved to the refrigerator and got out the chocolate milk and Freya moved and grabbed a glass for her. "Thank you," Bella smiled and poured herself some chocolate milk.
"Where's the guys at?" Bella said, suddenly realize that they were the only ones in the house.
"Damon is with Stefan, Alaric, and your dad. We say them earlier in town, and then I think Enzo, Cal and Ezra are at Whitmore. Enzo had a class to teach, and Cal is starting as a professor there, teaching…." Caroline drifted off.
"Digital Forensics," Elena said and poured herself some of the same wine Freya and Bonnie did. "And Elijah, Klaus and Tyler are in New Orleans, but should be headed back tomorrow sometime," she finished.
"Jake and Paul went to Forks yesterday to have some sort of Alpha thing with Sam. They're splitting the pack, and Jake is going to head up the pack here in Mystic Falls, and Sam is going to continue in Forks," Caroline said and moved to gather up a bunch of the bags. "I'll go put these away," she beamed and left the kitchen.
"Hmm. And the barrier is up and working?" Bella asked as she finished her milk.
"Yes. Working perfectly. I had Alice and Edward test it out earlier, and now they're going around town testing all the possible entry points," Bonnie said with a smile. "You're going to be perfectly safe. Oh, Hayley is coming back with Klaus and them too. She's going to stick to you the whole month of October."
"Did Vi go with Klaus to New Orleans?" Bella asked and Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, she'll be back with them tomorrow sometime."
Bella smiled. "So Violet and Klaus getting serious?"
"Maybe. I never see them being intimate with each other or holding hands or kiss. I think they're just companions for the most part. Or at least that's how they want all of us to see them," Rebecca said and grabbed up some more of the bags. "I'm going up to help with Caroline, you need to rest Bella," she said with a smile and Elena followed up with the rest of the bags.
Bella shook her head. The twins would never be naked, and neither, she knew, would be the two little girls she was carrying now.
~Salvatore Boarding House-September 13th 6pm~
Bella looked at herself in the long mirror. She wore a simple royal blue maternity dress. It flowed down to right above the knee. The sleeves were three quarter, and she wore just simple black ballet flats. Alice had pulled her hair up in a cute little updo that was elegant, yet casual look. She smiled at herself and rubbed her hands over her swollen belly as the girls started to kick and move around significantly.
Jasper knocked on the door and smiled when Bella turned and looked at him. "Well look at you. Pregnancy really does look good on you Bella."
"Thank you. I actually feel good today. The girls are moving around a lot, but I'm enjoying all the little jabs in my ribs and on my bladder."
He walked into the room and brought from behind his back a little box. "Here. Lexi picked it out, but she's helping the other girls' downstairs, so I was tasked with delivering this to you."
Bella smiled and took the box. "Thank you," she opened the little box and gasped when she saw the hair comb. It was a butterfly made with sapphires and pearls. "It's beautiful…" she said and then he took the comb and helped slide it into her hair. "Is this why Alice did my hair like this?"
Jasper chuckled. "I suppose she would have saw this coming." He said and leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You're beautiful. Happy birthday."
Bella smiled and hugged Jasper. "Thank you." She had missed him being around all the time. He spent a lot of time training with the others because he was the expert at newborn vampires. Peter and Charlotte were staying around until after the war, but they were going to head back to Texas afterwards. She moved away from him suddenly. "Ugh. I've got to pee now," she said and turned and hurried to the bathroom, Jasper laughing. "I'll see you downstairs Bella," he called and left the room.
She hurried and washed up and walked out of the bathroom, brushing her hands down her dress. She opened the door to Alaric standing there about to knock. "Oh, hi Uncle Ric," she smiled.
Alaric smiled back at her and offered his arm. He was dressed up a little more than normal, and formal did look good on him. She slipped her arm in his and he guided her down the stairs. There were streamers of course, in a silvery blue and there were balloon arches around doorways. Silver and blue confetti littered the tables and there were more streamers in the parlor. Damon was standing at the fireplace, dressed up in all black like the night at the Mikaelson Ball. His piercing blue eyes always seemed to be brighter anytime he wore all black and it made Bella's heart stutter as she gazed into his eyes.
Damon smiled as Alaric slipped his arm from Bella's. He kissed her cheek and took a step back. Everyone was there. The Mikaelson's, even Freya. The Quileute boys, and Leah. Tyler, Matt, Jeremy, Enzo, Bonnie, her brothers, and Hayley. Caroline, her dad, and Liz. Elena and Jenna. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and she spotted Edward standing off in the corner, situating himself behind Emmett and Jacob. Bella smiled at Jaison and Renesmee. Violet held Jaison, while Rosalie held Renesmee. Her eyes drifted over Stefan, who was smiling, his hand tucked with Alice's. Lexi had a shoulder leaned again Jasper's as she even looked on with a big smile. This was the best birthday she's ever had. She realized how big her family actually was as her eyes finally fell back on Damon's.
Damon stepped forward and grasped both of her hands in his. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. "Bella, you're absolutely beautiful, and I know that you're 19 today, but you're so much older in your soul. You glow so beautiful, and you are a terrific mother already to Jai and Nessie that I can't wait for our daughters to get here and meet their wonderful mother," he smiled and swiped away the tear that escaped her eye. "Words will never explain how much I love you or how much I respect you. You've saved my eternity. You saved me. I was…I was not a great person. I've done terrible things, but you looked past all of those mistakes and you saw me. You pulled me out of the deep end, and you made my life worth living. I love you, and- "he paused, slipped his hands out of her grasp and then went down on a knee. His hand slipped in his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box and opened it. A silver ring that had a bright teardrop shaped diamond in the center, was ringed with more diamonds, and four sapphires. The band itself alternated diamond and sapphire and it sparkled greatly.
"Will you, Isabella Marie Swan, marry me, be forever mine, and raise our four lovely children?"
Tears flooded Bella's eyes as she gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth. She started nodding, a bright smile plastered on her face. She gave him her left hand as he took the ring and slid it on her ring finger. It fit perfectly. He rose to his feet and then she was crushing her mouth against his as the tears continued down her face.
There was an uproar of applause from all around the room, and everyone was shouting congratulations. Damon then leaned down to Bella's belly and kissed it softly and spoke. "She said yes to daddy!"
Bella giggled and then she was being swarmed with hugs from Violet, Alice, Lexi, Caroline, and Elena. Then her dad was pulling her into his arms. Tears were in his eyes, but they hadn't fallen down his face. "Bells, I'm so damned proud of you. I love you and I could not have asked for a better man for you." He kissed her cheek as Bella smiled up at him, tears still shining. "I love you too daddy." She hugged him tight before she moved to Liz. Liz was also crying, and she hugged Bella. "Oh Bella, you're going to be such a beautiful bride. I'm so happy for you."
Bella smiled, tears rushing down her face against as she hugged Liz tight. "Thank you…mom." She whispered in her ear and Liz cried harder. "Oh Bella, you don't have to call me that."
"But I want to. You are my mom now, and I want you to know that I love you like you were my own mother, and I know it's something that my mom would want me to do." She kissed Liz's cheek before Alaric grabbed her in a hug.
"Bella, Damon is my best friend, and I can tell you that I've never seen him like this ever, and I'm so very happy for you two. I love you," he said and kissed her cheek and hugged her again.
"Thank you, Uncle Ric. I love you too," she said and then she turned and looked at Carlisle. Her eyes softened. Carlisle had been so amazing. He lost his wife protecting her. He meant a great deal to her and she even saw Carlisle as a second father in her life.
"Bella," Carlisle said with a smile. "Congrats. I love that you're so happy, and I- "
Bella hugged him, causing Carlisle to stop speaking. He was shocked at first, but then he smiled, and his arms wrapped around her in a hug. "Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you so much for being here in my life and my children's life. Thank you for saving Jai and Ness. Thank you. I love you."
"I…I love you too Bella," he said and then patted her head.
Stefan winked at her as he walked over to her. "So, you've wrangled my brother, and made his heart beat again. Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to see him happy and to be a father. It's something that he had always wanted, and now he's getting that chance."
Bella hugged Stefan, something she didn't do often, but Stefan hugged her back and even kissed her temple. "Welcome to the family," he murmured and then Klaus was pulling her into an embrace.
"Little Swan, you look beautiful. Happy birthday, I would have given you a gift tonight, but my gift is more for you and Damon, for…after the wedding," he said with a smile and Bella chuckled. "I don't require gift Klaus. Thank you for being here. You're my family, and it's gift enough that you're here to share a special moment with me." That made Klaus smile. He kissed the top of her head. "Well, thank you for thinking of me as family. I'll be the best big brother you've ever seen."
"Not in this lifetime Mikaelson," Ezra said and grabbed Bella away from Klaus, hugging her. "Happy birthday. I'm sorry I wasn't at the first eighteen."
Bella laughed. "Well, you didn't really know about me," she pointed out and then Callum appeared beside them and hugged Bella, kissing the top of her head. "Well we're here now," Callum said softly and Bella put her arms around both her brothers and hugged them. "Thank you," she murmured.
Emmett was eagerly waiting his turn and Bella smiled as he gently lifted her in a hug, careful not to squeeze her. "Happy birthday little sis," he said, and Bella smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Em." Emmett set her down and she turned, and her eyes landed on Edward's. His eyes were bright green and he wasn't so pale anymore. She could tell that he was tense. He had a small smile stuck to his face, but she could tell that it was strained. She realized that it took a lot for him to be there. She would never understand why he left her like he did, but she was thankful for it. She met Damon because of Edward leaving her like he did. She was now going to be a mother, something that she would have never been if she had been with Edward. She knew that Edward had loved her, or even still did. He showed it in a weird way, but looking at him now, she wasn't angry. She wasn't sad. She felt…. relieved. Somehow, seeing Edward making an effort to be a friend, and be accepting, made her feel relieved and she realized it was because she did care about Edward, not in the same capacity, but she did care about what happened to him.
"Edward," she said with a smile. "Thank you for being here," she said and stepped forward. She hugged him. He tensed at first, but then relaxed and hugged her back. She stepped back and looked at him. He was staring at the floor. "I'm sorry that it makes you uncomfortable being here," she said and then he shook his head and looked up at her.
"No, I'm okay. Congrats and happy birthday. Damon…he's a really amazing guy, and you both are perfect together. You look beautiful, and I know you're already a great mother because of Jai and Nessie, but your daughters are very lucky to have a mom like you," he finished with a smile.
"Thank you, Edward," she said again and then she felt Damon's hand in hers. She looked up and smiled.
Damon nodded to Edward. "Thank you, Edward. You've…surprised me, and I want you to know that you're welcome at the boarding house anytime," he said, and Edward smiled at Damon. When Damon extended his hand for him to shake, Edward took it and shook his hand.
Bella could see Carlisle smiling at Edward. She could tell that Carlisle was proud of Edward. She saw Elijah and Klaus visibly lose the tension they were holding. Since that night at the football field, Elijah and Kol were highly protective of her when Edward was nearby. She wasn't sure what had really changed in Edward, but she knew that losing Esme made a big impact on him.
Caroline then rushed into the room, carting a five-tier cake. It had the same colors of the streamers and balloons and it said Happy Birthday Bella on it. "Happy birthday to you!" she started and everyone else followed suit with the birthday song. Bella grinned and blew out the candles on top.
As the night came to an end, people started leaving out. Bella was exhausted from all the company, but she was happy that everyone had been there. She was walking back into the parlor when she saw Kol with Embry. Kol had a hand on Embry's tanned cheek and they were smiling at each other, like they were in love. Kol leaned in and kissed Embry softly before hugging him. Bella backed away from the doorway and turned and ran into Enzo.
"Hey, there ya go, love," he said as he steadied her.
"Oh, Enzo, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"No worries. Kol with Embry?" He nodded his head towards the parlor.
"How did you know?"
"Well, I'm a vampire. I know everyone's scents by now," he explained.
"Oh…I forget that you guys can do that sometimes."
"Well, it makes it convenient for when you want to avoid people sometimes," he said with a laugh.
Bella smiled. "I suppose that would come in handy. Have you seen Damon?"
"Oh, yes. He was helping Alice and Stefan clean up in the kitchen. I was actually coming to find you. I've been ordered to make sure you get upstairs and relax. He'll be up shortly," he said and slipped his arm through hers and guided her up the stairs. She smiled and followed. "You know, I figured it would get annoying with so many people worrying over me and doting over me, but I'm sort of used to it now."
Enzo chuckled as they made it to Bella and Damon's room. "Well, you are a very important person, and I've never seen Damon so happy. He's truly happy, and I can tell you are too. Now, go get in bed and rest," he said and kissed the top of her head. It seemed that everyone did that, like she was the little sister. It was such a kind gesture, and she loved that she had such a big family like this now.
"Thank you, Enzo, goodnight," she said and went into the bedroom. She grabbed her night clothes and decided to take a shower. She took her hair down, setting the hair comb on the counter carefully. She then took her clothes off and stepped into the massive walk-in shower and turned on the water. It rained from the ceiling and from the sides. This was her favorite shower and she could spend hours in here if it wasn't for her feeling so tired and needing to sleep.
She wasn't in the shower long before she felt Damon step in behind her. She smiled and leaned her back against him. He kissed her shoulder. "I love you," he murmured, and she turned in his arms and looped her arms up around his neck. His hands went straight to her belly as he rubbed it in small circles. He felt the small kicks against his hand, and he smiled bigger. "I just love…this."
Bella smiled and brought her lips to his. She kissed him gently at first, and then she teased his lips with her tongue so he would open for her explore. He complied, drinking in her taste. He completed the kiss with a couple light kisses to her lips and then he smiled at her. "Mmm. Doc says nothing physical; you're going to have to remove your hand," his voice, deeper, with a little husk.
Bella blinked innocently. "Oh, whatever do you mean?" she said as she stroked his erection with her hand. He groaned. "Bella, baby…" he said and closed his eyes as she stroked him faster. His hands brushed up her sides before tangling in her hair. The hot water poured over their bodies as his mouth sought hers again. He kissed her hungrily and moaned against her lips as she continued to stroke him at a faster pace. "Bella!" he gasped out as she stroked him to his climax. He leaned his forehead against hers.
"I love you too," she said and kissed him softly, before leaving the shower, wrapping herself in a towel, drying off, and getting dressed for bed. She smiled over her shoulder at him standing in the shower, watching her with a big grin on his face. She loved the sight of him. His tight muscles, strong arms, and the dark happy trail. She left the bathroom and snuggled down under the covers and was dozing off about twenty minutes later when Damon joined her in bed, moving to hold her back against him, his hand going around to her belly. He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly before settling in his spot behind her and falling into a slumber with her.