I'm so freaking sorry for the wait! So sorry that I'm gonna give you two whole chapters!
Enjoy!
Thanks as always to my amazing beta, ArabellaWhitlock.
I own nothing, I just like to play ;)
Firework
Explanations
Damon dropped me off home in his deep blue car, the same car that I'd been racing with the other day, of course Damon feigned not knowing what I was talking about. He'd never give an inch unless he wanted to, it was frustrating to say the least, but at the same time it was refreshing and it was something that I wanted. I wanted to be as self-assured as Damon was, as able to take care of myself, to make sure that I was doing what I wanted to, not what other people wanted me to do.
As I got out of the car Damon wound down his window and faced me from the inside of his beloved car, his smirk firmly back in place. "Don't forget our deal Wild Cat."
I rolled my eyes at him, how could I forget. "I won't say sorry." I said impatiently.
"And... you and me are tearing up the clubs at the weekend." I smiled and nodded in agreement, spending time with Damon once you got to know him really wasn't that bad. He made me laugh at least. Plus having some fun again, that sounded like a good idea. Living. Like everyone kept telling me I had to do. This week it had got easier, living had got easier.
With a final wave and smile I headed inside. As I opened the door Jeremy, Jenna, Elena and Alaric all looked at me from the kitchen.
"Bella." Jenna said, her voice full of relief and worry at the same time. Something that did not match her easy going nature.
"Hi." I replied, on edge now. They were all looking me over carefully, as though to make sure that Damon hadn't hurt me. It made me wonder exactly how much Jenna and Alaric actually knew.
"How are you?" Alaric asked me with feeling as I walked through to the kitchen to join them, even though all I wanted to do was sit on my own and process everything that I'd learnt in the last few hours. It had been a lot to take in.
"I'm fine thanks." I responded while smiling a hello to Stefan who was leant against the island in the middle of the room.
"Elena, Jeremy and Stefan told us everything. Are you sure you're okay? That's a lot to happen to someone in twenty-four hours, a lot to take in." Jenna said kindly.
I looked to Elena who nodded. Jenna and Alaric knew? They knew! Wow. It must have been easier for her Elena and Jeremy, having their guardians know everything. But how did they know, how did they find out? It wasn't something I'd even contemplated telling Charlie, like Elena had said last night, how do you tell someone what we know?
"I'm okay, but yeah. It's a lot to take in." I explained slowly, my head racing with thoughts that I just wanted to sit and figure out.
"Is there anything you want to talk about? Or ask?" Stefan said softly to me, his face full of compassion and understanding, tip-toeing round me, like they had done. And the polar opposite to this brother. I preferred Damon's attitude even if I understood Stefan's better.
"I'm okay, thanks though. Damon told me everything I wanted to know more or less. I think I'm just going to go process if that's okay?" I asked the people in the room hesitantly. I didn't know if I could handle anything else just at the minute.
"Sure, we'll have dinner in a couple of hours. We'll talk then if you want to." Elena smiled gently at me. I gave a small smile back then headed up to my room.
When I reached my room I got changed into more comfortable clothes and sat on my window seat. I leant my head against the window and just sat. My mind was running with questions, ones to which at the minute I didn't need the answers to so I ignored, instead trying to sort out the torrent of information that Damon had fed me.
I don't know how long I just sat staring at nothing, not moving, my thoughts racing, but at no point did I freak out. Sure I was a bit overwhelmed, but that was just because I'd thought I'd left this all behind. It seemed as though I was just destined to live in the supernatural world.
A knock at my door startled me out of my stupor. "Come in." I called looking away from the window and to my door. I noticed that at some point it had started getting dark.
"Hey." Jenna said softly as she came into my room, her face holding sympathy for me. "How you holding up?"
"I'm good."
Jenna sat on my bed and faced me, serious like I hadn't seen her before. "I only found out everything a couple of months ago. I freaked out. Like really freaked out, I couldn't handle everything for a few days, went to college and stayed there to clear my head."
"But you're okay with everything now?" I asked gently.
"I haven't got much choice I don't think. But yeah, I'm dealing." She told me thoughtfully. "I just wanted you to know that I understand. And that I'm here if you need anything. Really."
"Thanks Jenna that means a lot." I beamed at the young woman who had so far been more of a mother to me than Rene had ever been. "Can I ask... How did you find out?"
"I knew something odd was going on. I mean you'd have to be a moron to ignore the murders, the disappearances, injuries, over protective men. And I knew that Alaric was hiding something from me. So I fled because of him. Not left. Fled. In the end Elena, Jeremy and Alaric decided it was better and safer for me to know. For me to be ready." Jenna explained with a lot of emotion behind her words.
"Is it better? Knowing?" I asked, I'd never been on the side that Jenna had, but Charlie was and I wanted to know, needed to know what it was like from her point of view.
"Yes. It's scary, and it's dangerous. But it's better than having the people I love lie to my constantly." Jenna said without any hesitation. "I know why you asked. I don't think it's a good idea though."
"Why?"
"He'll drag you back to Forks. No-one there can look out for you or for him. It's totally your call but... I wish I could show you a picture of you the day you got here and a picture of you today. You're better. You've only been here a week and already your better. You go back to Forks and die? That's not going to help anyone. Especially not us. We care about you Bella. Don't think we don't. And we want to look out for you. Give us that chance." Tears formed in my eyes at her heartfelt words. Jenna smiled at me before getting off my bed and coming over to me, wrapping me in a hug.
As her arms were round me, comforting, warm and safe, I let a few tears fall. No doubt in my mind that despite everything I'd found my place here.
"Okay." Jenna stepped away and I was amazed to see her eyes a bit glassy through her smile. "Dinner's ready, Stefan's made it so it'll be delicious. Do you want to come down and eat, or would you like me to save you some?"
"I'll come down, thanks." I smiled before following Jenna closely out of my room and down to the rest of my family.
~0~
3rd Person P.O.V
Damon drove home with the leggy brunette, her conversation boring him, but he didn't mind. He hadn't picked her up for conversation. No Damon only wanted sex and blood from her, maybe not in that order either.
As he drove he found his thoughts going back to Bella and how she never bored him. How she actually made him laugh. He wondered how the family was dealing with her knowing. Probably making a motto and capes right this second. He thought with a smirk, one ear listening to the girl next to him drone on about how fun it was living with fifteen other girls. Yeah, 'the family that slays together, stays together.' That must be their new motto, Damon actually let out a small snort of laughter.
"Wow, your house, is like, sooo big..." The brunette said with a giggle as Damon pulled up outside the boarding house that he called home.
"That's not the only thing that's big." He replied while raising his eyebrows.
A giggle was the only reply. He knew he was going to get some tonight, that was a given. But he was slightly disappointed when the girl didn't put him down with a witty yet funny comeback. No personality. Oh well. At least he'd have some fun, and you couldn't have it all.
As Damon climbed out of the car he smelt something. Someone had been here, someone had been to his house. Not someone he recognised from town either.
With this new threat around he needed to make sure that it wasn't one of them. One of the Cold One's.
"Stay in the car. If anyone comes honk the horn." Damon compelled the girl who's name he couldn't even remember. She just nodded and locked the car door. No resistance.
Carefully Damon followed the smell, it was almost a bad smell, kind of like wet dog, but not quite. It lead up to his front door. Which stood open. A smile formed on his handsome face. 'God I hope one of the fuckers was stupid enough to come in.' He thought to himself.
Carefully and slowly Damon followed the scent into his home. Round the living room and up the stairs straight into his room. Someone had been here. The only room they had checked out was his. The one room other than the lounge where Bella had been.
Shit!
Damon blurred down the stairs, his emotions going between furious and worried. He had to get over to Bella's house, had to make sure they were warned. Had to make sure that Bella was safe. After all she was pretty cool for a human. And she couldn't be killed before he'd... Damon stopped what he was thinking. He was being ridiculous, he'd go over there, he'd protect her, but the one reason, the only reason, was because she didn't totally bore him to tears.
"Go home. Get there as quickly as you can. You never met me. You've never seen me before. You went out for a walk." Damon compelled the brunette again.
"I went for a walk." She repeated, her free will stripped from her.
"Go now!" Damon growled, his anger at an all time high. Which meant that someone was going to pay, someone would die.
When the brunette had left his car and she couldn't see him anymore he transformed into his crow form and flew as fast as he could to the Gilbert house. Worry swirling inside him and urging him on.
~0~
Bella's P.O.V.
"That was amazing thanks Stefan." I repeated myself as I finished putting away the clean plates.
"You're welcome." Stefan replied with a kind smile.
"I've got to admit I'm loving your type of vampire more and more. It's got to be good that you actually eat. Do you enjoy cooking?" I asked, my thoughts still racing through my head, but the questions were coming thick and fast as well.
Luckily Stefan didn't mind me asking him, otherwise he would have snapped at me long before now. Instead he just gave a small chuckle before answering me. "We both do, Damon and me. We were born in Italy after all." His smirk rivalled Damon's for a second, making me see exactly why Elena had fallen for him.
"Damon likes cooking?" I asked confused, somehow I couldn't see Damon flitting round a kitchen tasting sauces and having the patience to make a full meal.
"Yeah." Stefan smiled his eyes happy for a minute. Fondness for his brother that I'd not yet seen shining in his eyes.
A high pitched squeal, like a horrid bird call came from the window sill of the kitchen making me and Stefan both jump. "What's that?" I asked walking to the window, wanting to see what had made the noise. Had a bird been hurt outside?
"Wait..." Stefan held his hand out to stop me going any further, darting to the window himself. Were all vampires this over protective or just the ones I knew? Would Damon be that protective if he were here? Somehow I doubted it, and the thought made me slightly glad, Damon was someone I could be me around, someone who'd let me be me around them, clutziness and inquisitiveness included.
"It's just a crow." Stefan said with a smile in his voice.
I stepped up to the window and looked for myself. The crow was marching up and down the window, it's wings ruffled and puffed out, it's eyes darting around the garden then to me and Stefan and back again. It was odd and funny at the same time.
"Weird bird." I muttered before finishing up in the kitchen.
Just as I put the last plate away there was a knock at the front door. "Are we expecting anyone!?" Alaric called and I heard him moving from the front room to the hallway.
"No." We all chorused together. The happy, contented and relaxed atmosphere instantly changed to tense. Though I had to wonder if someone was going to attack would they really knock first?
I heard Alaric opening the front door with Stefan close behind him. I stayed in the kitchen, my heart rate slightly accelerated in response to the tension that everyone else was so obviously feeling.
"Er... Hi. I'm looking for Bella?" A deep voice that I recognised echoed down the corridor to me.
"And who are you?" Alaric asked, his voice low but not quite un-friendly. How did he manage that one?
"Jake?" I asked confused while stepping out in to the entrance way. There he was standing just outside the door, the month I'd not seem him for had been kind to Jacob, more than kind. He'd shot up and filled out, no longer the cute sixteen-year old that I remembered. Jake now looked like a twenty-five year old body builder. And his beautiful long black hair was now cropped into a buzz cut. It was odd. How had he changed so much in just a month? "What the hell are you doing here!?" I asked him, completely dumbfounded.
"How wasted were you last night Bells? Can't you remember our conversation on the phone?" He managed to sound disappointed and hurt at the same time some how.
Suddenly the phone conversation that I'd drunkenly taken last night registered with me. Jake saying he was coming here to protect me, that I was in danger. What was his game!? I was furious! How dare he just turn up here uninvited as though it was the most natural thing in the world. As though we were still friends.
"Do you know this guy Bella?" Alaric asked me with disapproval.
"Yes. This is Jacob Black, we use to be friends back in Forks." I said, my voice slightly bitter as I went over in my head how Jake had left me, just like they had. "He rang me last night and said he was coming here, after everything that happened... I kind of forgot... So..." I stopped myself from apologising, I'd made a deal and as Damon hadn't backed out of his end I wasn't going to back out of mine. "I never for a second thought he'd actually show up!" I said heatidly instead.
Alaric just nodded, understanding in his eyes, understanding which turned to dislike as soon as his eyes shot back to Jake. When I'd told Elena about how the Cullen's had left I'd also filled her in on Jake. She must have told Alaric, cause he was sure as hell pissed at the boy. It felt nice to know that he had my back.
"Bella, can I talk to you? Please?" Jake begged me, his eyes flitting from Alaric to me. My eyes got stoney cold, why should I listen to him? What did I owe him? "I've flown all the way out here just to see you. Please Bella."
"Fine." I said, my voice harsh once more. I went to the door and motioned for him to sit on the furniture scattered around the porch. I turned to Alaric. "We'll just be out here if that's okay?"
"Don't go any further okay. And shout if you need anything." Alaric nodded at me, his features softening as he looked at me. I nodded back and smiled hesitantly before stepping outside and closing the door behind me.
~0~
3rd Person P.O.V.
"So...?" Elena asked Stefan, her voice urgent as she motioned from him to Bella who was outside with her 'friend'. Some friend he was though, she thought angrily.
"It's not my place to say. If Bella wants to tell you she will." Stefan placated his girlfriend, his eyes and words gentle.
"Well I say screw that. I'm her guardian and I want to know what the hell that guys doing here just turning up out of the blue! Something's going on there and Bella has no idea what! So what's being said?" Alaric demanded from Stefan, the anger he'd managed to reign in when the guy was stood on his step now just leaking out. But he was pissed! Bella had changed just in a week of being here. Her nightmares had stopped, or hadn't been so bad that she'd woken up screaming anyway, she was laughing, eating and the bags under her eyes were fading. Alaric was determined that she'd carry on improving and having this fucker who let her down turn up wasn't going to help. He knew that.
"Okay fine." Stefan raised his hands in defeat when Jenna and Jeremy turned to have their say as well, both with angry, determined faces.
The crow outside was also listening in on the conversation, having now flown round to the bush in the front garden. This boy, he was the one who'd been following Bella's scent. He was the one who'd been looking for her. But how and why? The crow was on full alert, the first sign of trouble and he'd take the dark haired guy out in a heartbeat.
"So what do you want Jake? What was soo important you had to fly seven hours here to tell me that you couldn't tell me over the phone!? Especially when you've been pretending that I don't exist for the last month!" Bella was furious, her eyes dancing with fire, her voice acid and her body on edge. If it wasn't for her body language that showed how upset and hurt she was, then even the crow might have been a little afraid.
"Bella, you know why I'm here. I told you last night." Jacob was equally angry. Only his body language didn't show anything but frustration.
"I was drunk last night Jacob. I can't really remember what was said." Both the crow and Stefan could hear the lie in her voice at that. But it seemed as thought the boy couldn't. Or he had a good poker face.
"I'm here because of the red head Bella, Victoria." The boy twisted her name around his mouth and spat it at Bella like a weapon.
"Who's Victoria?"
"Don't play stupid with me Bella, I know you, it doesn't work. You know who she is. And I know that's she after you because of the Cullen's." The name was also used like a weapon, this time though Bella flinched as though she'd been struck.
"I don't know what you mean. The Cullen's left, you left, I left. I'm here, we're all good now. Everyone's a winner. So sorry Jake, wasted journey." Bella went to head inside, sadness and anger in her eyes.
"I know what they are Bella." Jacob tried again, why didn't she just admit it? Was she still loyal to these leeches? Even after everything they'd done to her? Bella carried on walking and Jake knew what he had to do, he had to stop her. Whatever it took. A little bit of pain for saving her life, it was worth it. "Edward. He was a vampire. And so were his family. Right Bells? You're in love with a leech. A blood sucking leech? You don't have to hide it from me anymore. I know and you know. Least that explains why you weren't into me. I had a pulse after all."
Bella stood still, her heart missing beats, her face agonised. "How do you know?" She asked the boy calmly with her back still to him while she tried desperately to put her mask in place. The crow knew that look, knew that desperation.
"Does it matter? I do." Jacobs voice was still harsh.
"And so what if they were? What does it matter now?" Bella faced him, her mask secure on her face so that she looked unconcerned with the new information that she was receiving.
"Victoria. The red head. She's gonna come for you." Jacob replied, worried at her lack of emotions now. Bella had looked back to her old self, she looked like his Bella when he'd arrived. Now she was back to the broken wreck that he'd found when the leech had first left her. Maybe throwing that stuff in her face hadn't been a great idea.
"Thanks for the warning. Now if you excuse me I was having a good night." Bella said, no infliction in her voice at all. It was as though she was a robot.
~0~
Bella's P.O.V.
I was furious, I was hurt, I was upset, I wanted to hide under my bed and never come out, and hiding I was, but under my mask rather than under the bed. I knew that Jake wouldn't be able to tell just how much his words had affected me, wouldn't be able to gauge my reactions. I liked that.
I turned to walk away once more when Jacob stood up and grabbed my arm to spin me to face him. His hand was hot to the touch, too hot, and the heat carried on up my hand to my wrist where it stopped at my scar and tingled. Just like it had tingled with the others; with Bonnie the witch, Tyler the werewolf, Damon, Stefan and Caroline, the vampires. What the hell? What was Jacob? Was this even Jacob? Shit! Coming outside alone with him seemed like a really bad idea right now.
"What are you!?" I asked shocked as I ripped my arm out of his grasp and stepped back towards the house.
Jacob's face registered shock, anger and worry. I was right. He was something. A supernatural something. But what?
"I.. Bell.." He stuttered for a second before his face became calm and clear.
"What the hell are you!" I asked louder this time.
"I have a heartbeat Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. But then maybe you'd trust me more if I was likely to rip you're throat out. If my heart was still!" Jacob growled at me, his body shaking with anger.
"What are you!?" I asked again, almost at my front door now.
"I'm human Bella, you've spent way too long around this shit. You think everyone's something they're not." Jacob stepped towards me once more, I stepped back my hand resting on the door knob.
He was lying, I knew he was lying. That thing with my wrist, it was like a warning. Jacob wasn't human, or not fully human anyway.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside just as a crow flew from the bushes. The same crow from the windowsill?
"For fuck sake Bells, I'm not going to hurt you. But then I'm guessing you'd like me better if I did right?" Jacob's face twisted with anger as his hand grabbed at my arm once more. His hold so strong that it hurt. He tried pulling me back outside and I struggled with him. What had gotten into him? My heart was racing and I felt sick to my stomach. Where had my best friend gone? What had happened to him? And what the fuck was Jake trying to do here? Scare me? Upset me, hurt me? He was succeeding in all those things.
"Jake you're hurting me! Let go!" I gasped out. No sooner were the words out of my mouth than Damon was behind him, ripping him off me and Stefan was pulling me inside the door. Damon's eyes shone with fury, his normal relaxed face twisted and evil looking. He looked at Jacob like he wanted to rip him to pieces.
"Damon! Don't hurt him. Please." The last bit was whispered. Damon glanced at me in surprise. "He was my best friend. Just let him go." I pleaded, whatever had got into Jacob he didn't deserve to die. And I was pretty sure by the look on the vampires face that kill him was exactly what Damon was going to do.
Damon wavered for a second before sighing and letting Jacob go. "Don't come here again. If you do I won't stop next time. No matter what she says." His words were so cold, so fierce that a frisson of fear ran up my spine.
Jake looked at me. "I'm sorry Bella." He muttered looking heart broken before walking from the house.
"Never a dull day round you, is there Wild Cat." Damon said with a smirk before he got serious again. "Now what the fuck just happened?"
~0~
3rd Person P.O.V.
Damon had never felt anger so intense, he literally felt as though he was burning up with it when Bella's words hit him as he stood watching in his human form once more.
"Jake you're hurting me! Let go!" Pain had crept into her voice and before he even knew what he was doing Damon was ripping the boy off Bella as quickly as he could. He wanted to tear him to pieces for hurting her, for making her feel pain, he wanted to kill the boy.
"Damon!" That voice held worry, fear and pain, something that resonated through the vampires body and made him hold back. Though not for long. This fucker was gonna hurt!
Damon sighed as Bella begged him to let the boy go. But he couldn't go against her wishes for now. Not when her face was already holding so much hurt. No. He'd wait till she'd almost forgot. Then he'd tear the kid to pieces and enjoy hearing his screams.
The boy scampered off with his tail between his legs and Damon turned to look in those big brown doe eyes once more. "Never a dull day round you, is there Wild Cat?" Damon teased, meaning it. This last week had been one of his most interesting in centuries. But he needed to know what the hell happened? How had she know he wasn't a full human, especially when he, Damon, didn't have a fucking clue what she meant. "Now what the fuck just happened?"
Stefan guided Bella back into the kitchen with the bemused and worried family right behind them, Damon on their heels as well. All of them wanted answers and the brunette who could give them looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly and her hands were shaking. Tears formed in her emotive eyes. Damon found himself worrying about her. Was she about to have the freak out they'd all feared?
Damon was never gonna understand this girl. Even if he had another five hundred years under his belt. Instead of crying and bugging out, she got mad. She got so angry that she reminded the two vampires of a lion that Stefan had once hunted in Africa, it's hair puffed up, it's growls loud and furious, every inch of it screaming danger.
"What the hell was he playing at!" Bella started pacing the kitchen, every eye on her which she seemed not to notice. "He was gonna hurt me!? Just to prove a point! And what the hell is he!? Cause he isn't just human! The lying shit! Grrr! Why is it that everyone from Forks just can't come out with the fucking truth! It wasn't so hard for you guys!"
"Okay..." Alaric stepped in looking worried and slightly nervous. He hadn't seen anyone this angry in a long time. And it worried him. Bella was doing so well before this, but at least she was showing some sort of emotion rather than going catatonic again right? "Bella how did you know he wasn't human, what is he?" Alaric asked hesitantly.
"I don't know what he is, cause he of course he can't just tell me can he!? The prick!" Damon sniggered at her choice of words, she glanced at him and smiled before taking a deep breath, calming herself down visibly Damon could see. "When I first touched any of you guys. Any of you supernatural guys, my scar, it tingled or itched or something, I shrugged it off, I mean I just thought it was me being a freak... But then I found out about you guys. Maybe it wasn't me being a freak, or not totally anyway." Bella mused.
"So you've got, like a supernatural scar or something?" Jeremy asked with confusion.
"I guess...?" Bella looked at her scar with a wrinkled forehead.
Stefan and Damon glanced at each other, both with the same looks on their faces; one that clearly said 'what the fuck?'
"So you're weird. We already knew that. What we don't know is what that punk is." Damon growled out, still pissed about the kid. Though not sure why. Maybe because he couldn't kill him just yet and he wanted to?
"It doesn't matter does it? You told him to get lost, he'll go back to Forks right?" Elena asked while shooting Bella sympathetic looks, her eyes full of hurt for her friend.
"Yeah. I'm sure he flew all this way and after one argument he's just going to leave." Damon drawled sarcastically.
"We just have to be on high alert, and if he comes back we'll have to find out what he is somehow. Maybe Bonnie can help?" Stefan suggested thoughtfully.
It didn't matter, whatever the kid was Damon was going to kill him whenever he got a chance. He made that promise to himself.