Again another thank you to anyone who's favourited, followed and especially reviewed this story so far. Knowing you guys are enjoying it makes me write faster!

As always I want to thank my amazing beta and friend ArabellaWhitlock. Love you!

I own nothing, if I did I'd be rich. Which I'm not. :(

Enjoy :)

Firework

Party On

I took the beer, Caroline was right, what was the worse that could happen here in Mystic Falls with friends surrounding me? I trusted these people to take care of me, to look out for me but not to control me, not something I was use to, but something that comforted me.

I took my first drink of beer and winced. God that was awful. Caroline who had been watching me let out a laugh. "Yeah, it takes some getting use to. Just keep drinking, it gets better." She grinned at me.

I trusted her and by the end of the bottle the beer did taste a little better, though not by much. Caroline magically had another bottle in her hand which she handed to me, her eyes lighting up as I took it without hesitation this time and started drinking.

"Okay! Now we have to dance!" She told me, grabbing me by the arm in a surprisingly strong grip and dragging me to the makeshift dance floor, joining Elena and Bonnie.

"I don't dance!" I protested with a smile.

"Everyone dances Bella!" Caroline told me with an eye roll taking my empty hand and twirling me around. I giggled out loud and gave in, dancing with my three new friends.

I danced for four songs, enjoying myself more than I'd thought possible, taking the drinks that were handed to me, laughing out loud and shaking my body like everyone else.

As a slow song started I stepped away from the dance floor and stood against the wall watching the couples wrapped up in each other with sad eyes and sipped my beer. All of a sudden I felt lonely. A pang of emptiness ripped through the hole in my chest.

"Yeah, sickening isn't it?" A voice came through loud in my ear, I didn't need to look to find out who the owner of the voice belonged to, the cocky tone gave him away.

"I think it's sweet." I responded without taking my eyes away from the couples who were so obviously in love on the dance floor.

"So the ex hasn't jaded you then?" Damon sounded slightly surprised.

"Oh he has, men suck. But that, those people in their own world, so wrapped up in each other that no-one else even exists for them right now, that's sweet." I said before taking a large gulp of beer. "Of course the men in those couples will mostly turn out to be dicks who deserve to burn."

I heard Damon's deep laugh in my ear and felt it vibrate throughout me. "How old are you?" He asked, I could actually hear the rise of his eyebrows in his voice.

"Seventeen, how old are you?" I asked, boldened slightly by the alcohol racing through my system.

"Twenty four." It was said with a laugh in his voice, one that mimicked there laughs when mere humans asked their ages. An inside joke that I'd once been privy to.

I felt him leave and a wave of disappointment washed over me, he might be an ass but I enjoyed verbally sparring with Damon, he kept me on my toes and I liked that. That and now I was alone again, alone with an empty beer and my thoughts, not a good combination.

"Here." Damon's voice was suddenly back in my ear making me jump as a fresh beer was put into my hand, the empty taken away.

"Thanks." I said in a bit of surprise, I hadn't pegged him as ever doing anything for anything else, maybe I had Damon wrong?

"So, Alaric told me that you don't like Vervain?" Damon's voice was almost mocking me now, and for the first time since he joined me I turned to face him, stumbling a bit as I did but catching myself before I could fall over. I didn't know if it was my natural clumsiness taking over or the beer which was warming my stomach now and starting to make everything better, starting to make me want to laugh and dance. "Now why would that be, hmm?" Damon's eyes were looking deep into my own, his head leant down and only centimetres from mine.

"Cause it tastes nasty? And why is the fact I don't like a vitamin a problem with anyone? I'll stock up on multi-vitamins and make sure to eat my five a day." I responded with a role of my eyes.

Damon was watching me with furrowed eyebrows, his baby blue eyes taking in my face with intensity as though trying to work something out but failing.

"C'mon, let's dance." I said as a more lively song came on; I'd got a taste for dancing and for the beer. Why had I never done this before? It was awesome.

Damon surprised me by joining me on the dance floor and actually dancing pretty well, who knew?

He carried on bantering with me the entire time and I found myself genuinely enjoying his company. He was still a jerk, but he was making me laugh like I hadn't in a long while.

Eventually, I decided I needed a breather, that and I'd fallen more times than I could count, making Damon laugh every time. I'd just glared at him which made him laugh even harder.

"You move pretty well for someone so un-coordinated." Damon said as he followed me out on to Tyler's lawn where I was glad of the cold air chilling my over heated skin. The cold air also made me realise that I was drunk, not tipsy, drunk. Damn, how had that happened?

"And you move pretty well for someone who acts as though a stick needs removing from their ass and then smacking round their face." I sniggered.

"Hey! That's not nice!" Damon said with his permanent smirk plastered on to his face. "Why would you want to do anything that would damage this face."

I snorted at that. "I'm hot and you know it Bella." Damon carried on and again I let out a laugh.

"Hey, how come it's just you and Stefan? Where are you're parents?" I asked after a few minutes silence, noticing with a wince that my S's were slightly slurred, so not attractive.

"Dead." Damon replied with no smirk this time.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, feeling bad that I brought it up.

"Did you kill them?" Damon asked me sounding harsher than usual, I quickly shook my head wide eyed. "Then don't be sorry."

Again we lapsed back into silence. After a minute my legs decided not to support me anymore and I ended up falling on my ass onto the grass. Deciding that moving right now might not be such a good thing I sat and glared at Damon who was basically pissing himself laughing. It reminded me of Emmett who use to laugh at the clumsy human. Sadness swept over me again, my emotions heightened by the beer I assumed as tears threatened to swamp my eyes and a tightness settled onto my chest.

"What's with the waterworks? That can't have hurt, you're wasted." Damon asked me with a scowl.

"It didn't hurt." I said, but what they'd done did, still.

"Then what's wrong?" Damon sounded exasperated, as though he couldn't be really bothered to listen to an explanation but felt like he needed to ask for one.

"Doesn't matter." I mumbled, willing my tears away but not being able to do anything about the heaviness on my chest.

"What is it Bella?" Damon asked again, his voice annoyed.

"Nothing. I'm good. Let's go back and have some more beer." I struggled to get to my feet, falling a couple of times in the process.

"Is it the ex?" Damon asked me, his eyes narrowed in thought, a softness spreading across his features as I failed to stand and sank back onto the floor. "And you really don't need to drink anymore klutz."

"It's not just him, it's his family too." I muttered looking down at the grass as I felt the tears gathering again.

A huge sigh echoed around the lawn before the soft thump of a body sitting next to me made me look up again. Damon was sat studying me. "Okay, I'm listening tell me everything." He insisted sounding a little like a girl wanting gossip but a little annoyed too. I didn't get this guy everything he did or said was at odds to something else he did.

"There's nothing to tell, he left me, they left me. And I'm not suppose to be upset, I'm suppose to be living apparently. Doing something stupid and not regretting it." I thought back to what Alaric had said to me.

"What stupid thing do you want to do then brown eyed girl?" Damon asked me sounding interested. "And one of these days you're gonna tell me about the ex and co."

"Nothing to tell, like I said. I don't know what stupid things I want to do. This seems pretty stupid to me." I replied.

"What talking to me? That's not stupid, that's incredibly smart." Damon said smiling but I saw something in those baby blue eyes, hurt maybe?

"No, not talking to you, though I'm not sure that's smart. I mean getting drunk, partying." I told him.

"And that's possibly the saddest thing I've ever heard. C'mon, let's get even more loaded and do something really stupid!" He wiggled his eyebrows at me making me laugh and got to his feet. He held out his hand for me which I took, I needed help getting up desperately.

What I hadn't expected was what just taking hold of his hand would do.

As soon as my warm skin and his touched it felt like electric sparks were travelling down my hand to my scar and lighting it on fire, it burned in a delicious way, making heat travel all through me. What the hell?

Damon was looking at our entwined hands in confusion too, as though he could also feel whatever the hell was going on with my freaky hand and scar.

A moment passed before he pulled me to my feet and let go of my hand. The heat disappeared instantly and it was almost like I'd lost something important, something special for a second. Until Damon spoke again and we started walking back to the party that is, then I all but forgot about the moment.

"Come on trippy." Damon said heading back to the party.

"What's with all the nicknames?" I asked while tripping over my own feet, thankfully his back was turned to me so he didn't see.

"I'm trying to find one I like." He replied as though it was the most obvious thing ever. I didn't get guys.

~0~

I'd gone to the bathroom which was blissfully quite and tried to stop the room spinning for just a minute. I was having fun, but maybe I needed a glass of water or two before I had more fun? That seemed like a good idea.

Damon had lived up to his promise, he'd got me more drunk, made me dance on a table with him, had me laughing hysterically and doing basically every stupid thing he could think of. Only a couple I'd put my foot down and said no to, like trying to do the worm for example, that just had trip to hospital written all over it.

I was sticking my head under the cold water tap when my phone started ringing making me jump up and my head bang onto the porcelain sink. Surprisingly it didn't hurt, just made me giggle. Alcohol was brilliant at making my accidents painless, maybe I should drink more often?

"Helloooo..." I answered the phone with another giggle while propping myself against the bath on the floor. Maybe if I sat still for a minute the spinning would stop?

"Bella?" A familiar voice asked hesitantly down the line, as though they couldn't work out if it was really me or not.

"This is she." I answered.

"What's wrong with you? You sound funny?" The voice asked me, but I couldn't work out who it was still. Maybe alcohol wasn't such a great idea after all.

"I'm a little bit beered up." Another giggle. "And who is this?"

"Jesus Bells, it's Jake." Okay that right there stopped the room spinning.

"Jake, why are you ringing me? I thought you didn't want to be friends anymore?" My voice was harsh, but my anger levels were rising as was my hurt. He dumped me just like they had and now here he was talking to me like nothing had happened, like he had a right to be on the end of the line.

"I'm ringing because you're in danger Bells." Jakes voice had an edge to it.

"Okay, I'm not the only one who's been drinking am I?" I asked what did he know about the type of danger I was in, had been in?

"There are vampires after you Bella." Now I was stone cold sober, more or less, my heartbeat sped up and I started breathing heavily. What? Were they finally coming for me? But how did Jake know? He didn't know anything about it, anything about that world. Maybe he was just trying to get me to admit to something? I wished I could think straight.

"Okay, you're on drugs too." I tried joking, but my voice was flat, terrified.

"Don't play games with me Bella, I haven't got time, you know what I'm talking about. There's a red head searching for you, she's working with some others, they seem younger though, stupider, and some of them have disappeared, we think they're looking for you away from Forks. Be careful, I'm getting a plane out to you tomorrow, but until then don't be alone, don't go out into the woods, don't do anything stupid." What, what? Huh? I couldn't... What... I was at a loss for words, this was ridiculous, I must have be having another nightmare.

"Jake..." I went to protest that he was crazy again, that nothing was trying to hurt me. But I didn't know what to say, how to say it. This whole thing was insane! How did Jake know? And why would he think vampires were coming here if the one that was really after me was still in Forks?

"I'll be there tomorrow night Bella." With that he hung up and left me in a daze on the floor. What the hell was I gonna do?

~0~

What I'd done was get more drunk, let loose and enjoyed myself, if I was going to die soon I might as well live first, right?

"Bella! Time to go!" Caroline's urgent voice screeched in my ear before her hand closed round my arm and she started pulling me away from the people I was talking to, none of which I could remember the names of.

"What, why? I don't wanna go! I'm having fun!" I protested, stumbling as Caroline dragged me to the door, her face was worried, almost scared in fact. I started sobering a little, what was wrong?

"We've just got to go. Now!" She urged me.

"Hang on, where's everyone else?" I asked pulling my arm free of her iron grip, that was gonna leave a bruise in the morning for sure.

"Stefan got Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy back to his, come on Bella, we've got to go!" Caroline pleaded trying to grab me again but I tripped out of her way.

"What about Matt, Tyler and Damon?" I asked searching frantically for them, but still not having a clue why. "What's going on Caroline?"

"Look, there's... There's some dicks trying to crash the party... Erm... They'll try and... Er... Start fights and people might get hurt, we've got to go! Matt and Tyler are fine Bella, and Damon can take care of himself, though why you care is anyone's guess. Now come on! Move it!" Wow, that was the lameiest excuse ever.

"So call the cops! What about the other people here! We can't just leave them! And this is Tyler's house we can't let people wreck it!" I argued planting my feet stubbornly. "And by the way you suck at lying, what's really going on?"

Caroline groaned in frustration and swept her long blonde hair out of her face. "I`m a terrible liar... I`m even worse at duplicity." She sighed. "Look, we'll tell you everything, we will but first off you've got to leave!"

I looked at her face, frustration, worry and fear written clear across it. Why was she so scared, I'd worked out it wasn't because of some random gang of people coming to start fights. That lie sucked. But what was going on? My brain was so fuzzy from the alcohol that I couldn't work out what to do for the best here. Stay and try to help these people? Make sure the police were called? But for what, what was so urgent? I didn't get it.

"Please, just tell me what's going on!" I asked, scared, confused and dizzy.

"Blondie! Why haven't you got out of here yet!?" Damon's angry voice was soon followed by his pissed off face standing next to Caroline.

"Bella won't leave!" Caroline replied sounding frustrated and close to tears.

"Then make her leave!" Damon said with an incredulous edge to his voice, as though it was the most obvious course of action.

"I can't just make her can I?" Caroline spat back.

"She is standing right here! What's going on?!" I looked between the two of them, my feet firmly stuck in place on the floor and my arms crossed over my chest. I was starting to get annoyed.

Damon looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Fine." He growled at Caroline before sweeping my feet from under me and catching my head before it hit the ground, then he was rushing me out of the house, his eyes alert for something and Caroline jogging to keep up behind us, her eyes also sweeping round us as we stepped into the cold air.

"Damon! Put me down!" I demanded, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

"No, now shut up, I'm trying to listen!" He hissed at me, his arms tightening round me as I was still struggling.

"For what!? What the hell is going on!" I shouted, this was taking a turn for the weird, and in my life that was saying something.

"I will gag you. Now be quite." Damon's voice dropped to a whisper, his footsteps slowed as we approached Caroline's car which she'd parked right next to the woods.

"Damon..." Caroline said, her voice a whisper too, it came out strangled and terrified though.

"Get Bella and get out of here! Now!" Damon roared before dropping me on my feet and sprinting off into the trees.

Caroline started whimpering and grabbed my arm, she picked me up just like Damon had done, as though I weighed no more than a kitten. Suddenly we were flying. Or that's what it felt like. Wind was rushing past us, shapes blurring before my eyes, my skin pulled back from my face by the strong wind, which was weird when there hadn't been any before.

The strange sensation stopped as instantly a house popped up in front of us. A huge gothic looking mansion that seemed like it had stepped right out of a horror movie.

"W.. Wh..?" I couldn't speak, what the hell? That was like... That was like running with him had been, but faster. What was going on here!?

"It's okay Bella. We're at the Salvatore Boarding House, we'll be safe here." Caroline spoke slowly to me, like she was talking to a small, hysterical child.

"Salvatore Boarding House?" I managed to stutter out as Caroline put me back on my feet and guided me to the double oak doors.

"Damon and Stefan's house." Caroline said as she pushed the door open and walked inside. I followed slowly, my mind racing, but nothing was making any sense, it was just a mush of gibberish and fear.

"Damon! We've got to make sure he's okay." I said turning back around and looking at the woods, what was in there? What was Damon facing, and why?

"Trust me, Damon can take care of himself. Going back out there is just going to get us killed. C'mon." Caroline said softly taking my hand and leading me into a large, homely looking study or living room, I wasn't quite sure which. Sat on couches and in chairs looking worried were the gang. I felt a burst of relief as I saw that everyone was safe. Well everyone but Damon anyway.

"Bella!" Elena said looking as relieved as I felt and she rushed to me, sweeping me up into a strong hug. She was closely followed by Bonnie and Jeremy.

After we'd done with the whole hugging, happy we were all safe thing I looked at everyone in the room. "So anyone wanna tell me what the hell's going on?"

"Didn't Caroline tell you?" Elena said, stalling for time.

"Caroline promised me that you'd all tell me once we got here. Which we did by the strangest way ever." I frowned, I didn't like being kept in the dark.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked Caroline with a frown, his face slightly annoyed.

"I ran!" Caroline said and carried on when Stefan threw his hands in the air. "I had to! There was one waiting for us at the car! Damon told me to get here!" She pouted and looked pleadingly at everyone.

"Damon's out there with them!?" Stefan was alert now, he sat up straighter and looked worried.

"Yeah." Caroline said going to Tyler and climbing into his arms.

"Hang on a second. What are they?" I asked, what did everyone know that I didn't?

Everyone started exchanging looks, except for Stefan who was looking carefully at me, searching for something, though for what I didn't know.

"They're vampires Bella." He said quietly.

"Say that again." I asked blankly. I must have misheard. I must have.

"They are vampires Bella." Stefan repeated his voice clear.

~0~

3rd Person P.O.V.

"Hand over the girl and we'll leave you alone." The disco ball growled out at Damon, it's red eyes flashing. Somehow Damon didn't quite believe that they'd be left alone for some reason.

"You think I'm handing over Elena to a fairy? Not gonna happen." Damon replied with a smirk.

"You should do well to watch your tongue human. We're not fairies, we're your worse nightmare." The glitter ball threatened again, his words as clear as bells. It was extremely irritating for the dark haired vampire, especially with his brilliant hearing and everything.

"I know you're vampires, dick. And I'm not human, nor will you ever give me nightmares. Like I said I'm not handing over Elena, so walk away while you still can." Damon smirked again while leaning against a tree, not worried at all.

"We don't want her, keep her, consider her a peace offering. We want the other girl." The red eyed sparkling vampire responded with his own smirk. Maybe this man wasn't human, but he wasn't scared, nothing could hurt him. Nothing. And when he delivered the girl to Victoria he could have all the blood he wanted. She promised.

"What other girl?" Damon asked confused, as far as he knew his brothers girlfriend was the only girl he knew that supernatural things wanted. Though he couldn't work out why a parasite like this dick would want her. Her blood wasn't that special.

"Isabella. Edwards mate, she's the one we want." The cold one replied.

"Huh? Bella?" Now Damon was really confused. The shy girl that for some reason interested him so much? No way was she involved with cold ones. She wouldn't still be alive, let alone so innocent if she was.

"Yes, hand her over to us and we let the rest of you live." This guy had taken his dialogue from old gangster movies right? The bad ones.

"Yeah, sorry that's not gonna happen either. You see she bugs me. And I wanna know why." Damon replied honestly. She really got under his skin, and he wanted to see if he could get under her clothes. The innocent thing? That was hot.

"Then we'll just take her." Pink eye told the dark haired man.

"I love it when the bad guys make threats. It means I can kill them and not have anyone tell me that I'm a dick for it. Win, win." Damon smirked before transforming in front of the cold one. Dark veins appeared around his eyes and fangs, lethal looking, grew out of his mouth.

The red eyed cold one stepped back, what was this thing? He'd never been told about something like this. This was what he'd always imagined a real vampire to look like.

Feeling a frisson of fear run up his spine Riley took another step back, preparing to turn and run. But the dark haired man was faster.

Screams accompanied by loud ripping noises echoed round the forest.

So... What d'ya think? Loved it, hated it, comments, questions? I'd LOVE to hear from you! :) until next time Love always, Tametiger x