Major thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Lots of not so fuzzy feelings about Elena going on :)
So here's the next chapter, as always ArabellaWhitlock rocks my spelling and grammar!
Hope you enjoy!
Firework
Alone
The next couple of months flew by for me, school was school, it never changed wherever you went, however far you travelled, it was easy and boring and that was all there was to it.
The major difference at school was my extra curricular activity. A week after my first movie night Bonnie, Caroline and Elena had cornered me. They had told me all about the fun they had together cheerleading, Caroline being the captain and the other two her seconds. I listened with a smile while slightly bemused, I was glad they had fun, but why tell me all about the new trials they had coming up to replace the members who had graduated?
It all became clear when they stared to ask me to try out. Obviously I point blank said no, why the hell would I try out for a sport when I couldn't even walk in straight line without falling on my face? Bad idea right?
Apparently though I was wrong. After a week of nagging I went to the trials just to prove my point. I couldn't do it without injuring myself or others. In my head a broken wrist was worth it, as long as it stopped them bugging me. It was almost like being around Alice once more without the annoyance.
I arrived at the trials with about twenty other girls, knowing that even if I did manage to not fall over there was no-way I was gonna be better than them. I hadn't reckoned on the judging panel being so biased though. It consisted of Caroline, Bonnie, Elena and another girl called Gina who'd I'd become friendly with in my English Literature class.
The trial was basic, we had to watch one of the routines and copy it as much as we could.
Unfortunately dancing came easy to me, which I would never have thought it would until I met Damon. So I got through the first round easily, in fact, Elena told me later that I was by far the best, I wasn't sure whether to believe her or not but I did realise that I was okay.
The next round was harder, we had to try the stunts. I managed to make it through without killing myself much to my surprise. The next round was simple after that, a group routine combined with stunts. Me and seven other girls were the last in, and I found myself down to the final three that had been accepted.
I was on the cheerleading squad. And I didn't hate every second. In fact I quite enjoyed knowing that I was good at a sport. Another moment, another thing where I felt myself becoming the girl I'd wanted to be rather than the girl that the Cullen's and circumstance had shaped me to be.
The other thing that happened that week was that I turned eighteen. I hadn't told anyone that it was my birthday and when I'd spoken to Charlie I'd begged him not to tell anyone either, reluctantly he'd agreed. I hated my birthday, last year it had been the cause of my world falling apart, that and I hated being the centre of attention.
So as no-one in Mystic Falls knew it was my birthday it was without any trepidation that I went round to the boarding house that Saturday when I got a text off Damon saying he was board. It was a pretty normal text to get off the vampire and as I had no other plans I jumped in my car and drove over.
"Hey!" I called as I walked into the house, at ease as anyone else here now.
"Up here!" Damon shouted back, I could hear the smirk in his voice from two floors down.
I jogged up the stairs only tripping twice before I walked into Damon's room. I still felt safe in this room, safe, cozy and somehow at home. Damon was sprawled on the bed with a book in hand and snacks scattered round him.
"If you're just gonna read then why am I here? I can do that on the comfort of my own bed." I asked while plonking myself next to him and scattering the snacks everywhere earning myself a scowl from Damon.
"Cause my beds comfier, I have silk sheets and you have nylon." Damon said 'nylon' like it was a swear word which elicited a giggle from me.
"You don't know that I have nylon sheets, you've never been in my room, I might have silk as well." I teased while grabbing 'Ninteen-Eighty-Four' which I'd started reading here a couple of days ago and which Damon had thoughtfully brought up so I didn't have to go back downstairs. He wasn't such a jerk when you got to know him.
"I know you, and you do not have silk sheets." Damon told me with a smirk. He was right, I didn't.
Together we spent a nice day reading, bantering and eating junk food. As well as that anytime that I wanted anything from downstairs Damon got it from me, as he could read and walk without killing himself on the stairs, unlike me. It was the best birthday that I'd ever had, and he didn't even know it was my birthday.
As it started getting dark outside Damon shifted on the bed sending me rolling into him. Instantly I moved away, my stomach flipping slightly at the contact however brief. Since Elena and Caroline's confessions I'd done all I could to quash any feelings that I had towards Damon that weren't purely friendly, it hurt my heart slightly but I had to do it. I couldn't let myself get hurt like I had been ever again.
"Come on, I want some dinner, let's go out." Damon said, avoiding my eyes as I moved from him.
"Okay." I said while stretching.
"I think there's a dress that Elena left here in the wardrobe." He told me, I wondered why he had one of Elena's dresses in his room, and I hated the pang that swept through me.
"Why do I need to get changed into a dress for dinner?" I asked grumpily, I hadn't exactly got over my aversion to getting dressed up but I was getting better, dresses though were way beyond my comfort level still.
"Because I'm taking you somewhere nice, you can't turn up looking like that Wildcat." Damon told me while sweeping his eyes up my body pointedly and making me blush furiously once again.
"Why can't we just go to the grill?" I grumbled, still not ready to admit defeat even though I could see I was going to lose.
"Because I want something a bit better than a bucket of fried chicken for a change. Now get changed klutz." Damon said while rolling his eyes, and there it was, I'd lost, just as I knew I was going to. With a sigh and a scowl of my own I got off the bed to get changed, knowing that I'd be able to tame my hair with the hundreds of products that Damon kept in his bathroom.
Half an hour later I came out of the bathroom feeling like shit. I looked good, I looked really good, but I'd had three of Elena's dresses to chose from along with shoes and in the bathroom there was a fully stocked make-up bag. Obviously Damon had been entertaining more ladies in his room recently and he wasn't bothered that I knew. I hated that I cared as much as I did.
With tears swimming in my eyes that I'd wanted to deny were there I'd got dressed into a dark blue dress that came up to mid thigh and showed off some cleavage and teamed it with some matching kitten heel blue sandles. My hair was down and wavy, almost curly, and my make-up was light but noticeable, making my eyes and lips stand out in my pale skin. Outside I looked good, inside though, I was hating myself and my circumstances. Which was stupid, I didn't like Damon like that. I didn't.
"Wow WildCat you look fantastic!" Damon told me as I walked out of the bathroom his eyes raking up and down my body making my trademark blush sweep across my face.
"Yeah. Thanks." I muttered my feelings all over the place. My eyes trying hard to avoid the man who looked far too good.
"Okay...?" Damon said looking confused. "I guess we better go eat?"
I just nodded and walked from the room, feeling Damon trailing behind me. I could always feel where he was whenever he was around me, I don't know how I felt about that.
Damon linked arms with me as I started walking down the stairs, smirking as I turned to face him, a question plastered across my features. "Don't want you falling down the stairs now do we Wildcat?"
I rolled my eyes and tried to stop the smile that wanted to cross my face. He might be a jerk, but I couldn't help finding him funny.
"Hey Wildcat?" Damon asked quietly as he guided me round the last bend that led to the bottom set of stairs. I turned to look at him, knowing he wouldn't let me fall down even if I did miss a step. "Surprise!" He whispered in my ear a second before it was shouted out by numerous voices down below us.
I gasped as I turned to face the vast living area beneath us. It was decorated in streamers and balloons, the effect on the cavernous room was amazing, it looked light and open, warm and inviting. Standing admist all the decorations was a mass of people. At the front of them was Alaric, Jenna, Jeremy, Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and Tyler. Their faces had the biggest smiles of them all as they looked up at me. I was stunned.
"What!? How!? Why!?" I stuttered out, completely bemused, had Charlie sold me out? Had he told them? I thought I'd done so well keeping this from them as well!
"I heard your phone conversation with your dad a while ago, super hearing remember Klutz?" Damon said with a chuckle as I missed a step, his strong arm kept me steady and pinned to his side though. I tried to ignore the tingling warmth that spread through me at his touch. "Happy birthday Isabella." He whispered in to my ear as he started tugging me forward to greet my guests.
That night was full of surprises and I found myself enjoying it, not hiding away and hating it as I would have done before. My first surprise that night had been Charlie, he was there with a huge smile on his face, despite hating parties almost as much as I had done previously.
"Dad!" I squealed when I'd caught sight of him, my arms fastening around him in a long over-due hug. "How?" I asked as he pulled me into a tight hold, his face breaking with the intensity of his smile.
"Damon got me a flight out, wouldn't take no for an answer." Charlie said with a warm laugh. "He's a good 'friend' Bells." Dad placed an extra emphasis on the word friend making sure that I knew he didn't believe that was all that was going on between us.
"Dad, he is just that, a friend." I said with a sad smile as I pulled away.
I spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, talking and generally loving my life exactly how it was. I'd never felt so much love from so many people before. I'd never felt so whole and so safe, so at home. It was perfect.
My other biggest surprise was waiting for me in Stefan's hands at the end of the night. He held a massive wrapped box, one that looked like a normal guy would have had trouble holding up. He stood looking at me with a smile as he held it out, Damon, Elena and Jeremy stood next to him.
"You guys have done so much!" I cried out slightly tipsy. "You best not have got me a present as well." I threatened, only half joking as I walked up to them.
"Blame him, it was his idea." Elena told me her eyes lighting up with amusement as she tilted her head towards the black haired vampire stood next to her brother.
"Of course it was, all the best ideas are mine." Damon said while shooting me a wink that had my heart beating slightly faster, something I might have been able to control better if I'd not drunk so much. Thank god Alaric had kept Charlie busy, I didn't think he'd be so happy to actually see me drunk.
"Open it!" Jeremy said eagerly, his tone making me think that I wasn't the only one who'd been indulging.
I went to take the box out of Stefan's hands but he kept a firm grip on it, when I looked at him questionly his smile got wider. ""Lift the lid, it's heavy." He explained.
Curiosity swept through me as I tugged at the red bow that kept the lid attached to the huge bottom of the golden wrapped box. Looking inside I saw a dark black helmet and a dark black leather jacket, jet black knee high boots with a kitten heel and some black leather pants.
Confused I looked up into the faces of my friends. "Am I robbing somewhere?" I asked them.
All of them started laughing, but Damon was the first to answer me with an eye roll. "Not unless you want to Wildcat, but if you do don't expect me to bail you out."
"Hell no. I'd expect you to be sat in there with me." I replied with my own smile, but it was true, if I'd done something that stupid I'd have done it only with Damon, the one person who brought that side out of me.
"True." Jeremy smirked.
"They're for this." Damon said as he pulled a key attached to a black key-ring out of his pocket. He handed it to me with his crooked grin spread across his face and something in his eyes that looked almost like excitement.
"Gee, thanks?" I said, confused yet again.
"Look outside Klutz." Once more those baby blue eyes rolled at me while trying to conceal his amusement.
I walked past my friends and out of the door, curious as to what was outside, if I hadn't drank so much I might have caught on before I saw it.
She was standing outside. My bike from Mike's, the one I'd drooled over, the one I'd dreamt of. She was sat there waiting for me. I ran my hand over her leather seat with reverence, I couldn't believe it.
"Ohmygod!" I squealed, which was unlike me but in my defence I was really excited and slightly inebriated, spinning on my foot to face my friends again. "Oh my god! I can't believe you guys did this! You shouldn't have spent this much money on me! Thank you, thank you!" My tone went from scolding to excited to thankful in a matter of seconds. I didn't quiet know what to feel. I hated the thought that my friends had spent that much money on me but at the same time I was so grateful. Defiantly one of my better ever presents.
I sprung forward and wrapped my arms around Elena first and then Jeremy, hugging then fiercely and trying to stop stupid tears from forming in my eyes. Next I hugged Stefan who awkwardly hugged me back with one arm. Then I turned and threw my arms around Damon, knowing without a doubt that it had been his idea.
Damon wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back, electricity shot through me at the intimate contact. "If you're still worried I'll teach you how to ride Isabella." Damon muttered into my ears as we stood in a comfortable embrace.
"Thank you." I whispered with a small nod before looking up at him. His baby blue eyes that held so much power over me burned into mine, his face serious with something, and only centimetres from my own.
Someone cleared their throat and both of us looked away from each other before moving out of our hug. I missed his contact as soon as it was gone.
Charlie hadn't been happy about the bike, infact he'd been totally pissed. But he left after two days and then couldn't really say anything about it, and during our long conversations over the phone I always forgot to mention the fact that true to his word Damon was teaching me to ride my new powerful bike.
I was pleased that so far I'd only fallen once and that was when I'd tried to climb on to the bike for the first time. Thankfully Damon had caught it before I could drop it and it didn't have a scratch on it, though he'd laughed his ass off at the bruises that I'd received.
I'd had the best two months of my life, though I hadn't had a minute to myself. There was cheerleading, school, talking to Charlie, training with Alaric and hanging out with my friends, not to mention the fact that even though we hadn't seen any vampires but the usual ones I was never left unguarded even for a minute. I was grateful. I really was. But I was desperate for some alone time, even half an hour to myself and my thoughts would have been nice.
It was that stiffling, claustrophobic feeling that lead me to take action one morning, getting up early putting on my sweats and heading out for a jog. Blissfully alone.
Little did I know that need for some alone time would bring my happy life crashing down around me once more.
~0~
Jasper P.O.V.
"Jazz?" My little pixie called out as she ran silently to my side, her emotions worried and sad. Always sad.
"Hey darlin'." I replied pulling her into me and which had the effect of calming me instantly despite her ever dark emotions.
"You left." Ahh the reason for her worry.
"Sorry Al, I just couldn't." I tried to explain myself, my need for solitude.
"I know and for my part I'm sorry." My world said.
I couldn't stand to be around the family for more than a couple of days at a time anymore. Their depression was waring on me, their guilt, sadness, worry and pure heart break. Even Rose was feeling it to a certain degree. The worse though without a doubt when he came back was Edward, his emotions and self hatred were a swoorling black pit of pain that dragged me in with him, and that was my reason for bolting like a horse after the gun this time; Edward was back. Even a year later none of my family could get over their devastation at losing Bella.
Together my little pixie and me sat against a tree, leant into each other and taking the comfort only we could give each other.
Silence, peace and calm surrounded us for three blissful hours before it was shattered.
I felt Alice stiffen in my arms and instantly knew she was in a vision, I pulled her round to face me as I felt her emotions twisting from relaxed to horrified. Panic, pain, resolve and hurt all flew from my girl.
The vision only gripped her for a couple of seconds but that was enough to have destroyed any semblance of calm that we'd developed together.
"Alice, what is it?" I asked as I gripped her shoulders tighter in my hands, her fear attacking me and becoming my own.
"Laurent." Alice whispered her voice horrified and scared as well.
"Laurent? What about him?" I asked confused, as far as I knew he was staying with the Denials and had been for over a year an a half.
"He's gonna drain Bella."
Shock hit me, but this time the emotion was purely my own. Bella. Then I felt anger and protectivness. A mixture of my own thoughts and Alice's. Perfectly attune as always.
"You promised Edward darlin'..." I started saying, not that it was gonna stop us.
"I didn't look for her Jazz, I swear I didn't. But I just can't ignore it Jasper, I won't!" My little pixie started looking like the vampire she truly was.
"When and where." I asked my voice as hard and serious as hers.
"Mystic Falls, where-ever that is. I don't know when. But it's soon Jazz." Alice whimpered.
"We'll get there in time darlin', I swear." And I do everything in my power to make sure that we did. I owed Bella that much. And I was gonna make sure that fucker burned just like James did. No-one fucked with our family and got away with it.
~0~
Damon P.O.V.
I was jerked rudley from my sleep by a damn pain in my chest. What the fuck?
I looked at the old carriage clock in my room, an heirloom from a couple of hundred years ago, I was almost surprised it still worked. I groaned as I saw it was only five-thirty. I'd been asleep for less than two hours.
I didn't need to sleep as much as a human, but I still liked to get in a few hours every night, unless I was doing something incredibly fun anyway. Fuck I might be beautiful forever but who wanted to take the chance that no beauty sleep would take it's toll? Not me, that's for sure.
I rolled over on to my front, relaxing in my unbelievably comfortable bed. How the hell could anyone relax in less than this?
I closed my eyes and started drifting off once again when my phone beeped. It rang twice before cutting off and my chest got that pang of pain once more.
Who the hell was calling me at this time in the morning? I grabbed my phone and looked at it. Isabella?
Why was my Wildcat calling me? And at this time in the day?
I pressed re-dial and waited to hear a sarcastic remark, or a scathing put down. What I didn't expect was nothing. No answer at all.
Fear started pooling in my stomach, quickly followed by anger. Okay, for once in my long un-dead life I needed to take a breath and think before acting.
Stefan. Saint Stefan! He could actually be useful for once, he was round there taking his turn Klutz watching. Sometimes I wished I could Klutz watch in the middle of the night. Though preferably when she was cuddled up to me naked.
"What Damon!" Stefan asked in his usual moody tone. Someone didn't like being woken up in the middle of the night! Awww.
"Is Bella okay?" I asked, straight to the point for once. I was probably being paranoid, though why I had no idea. But still, better safe and all that shit.
"I haven't heard anything to say otherwise, why?" Stefan said and I could hear him getting up to check. There were times that I was actually quite glad my brother was so anal about things. Okay, maybe not, but this time I was happy about it.
"Just check for me, okay?" I asked, more stressed as the minutes passed, stupid girl was getting under my damn skin and into my head. I just wished I could get my head in to...
"Shit she's gone!" Stefan told me, worry and annoyance clear in his voice.
"Fuck." I growled before jumping from my bed. She was in trouble. I could feel it.
~0~
B.P.O.V.
I ran, sweat pouring down my back, my legs burning, a stitch in my side and the beat from my music thudding in my ears. For the first time in three months I was finally on my own. My thoughts whirled around me but I blocked them out for now. I'd jog until I couldn't take anymore before having a slow walk home and taking the time to properly digest everything I wanted to. Reflect on my life now. I was happy, for the first time in my life I was almost perfectly happy but I still had issues that I needed to deal with, I knew that and I wanted to think about them deeply before deciding how to deal with them. I was going to fight my demons and I was going to win.
The sun was almost coming up when I turned the corner heading for school, I'd been running for fifteen minutes and much to my eternal delight I hadn't fallen once, I'd stumbled a few times but not fallen, and that was defiantly progress. Alaric's training was working, that and being on the cheerleading squad was giving me better balance. I owed Bonnie, Caroline and Elena for that one.
I could see the school up ahead, my half way point between home and away, I'd turn round here and take the walk back.
Trees pushed into my from either side, seeming to get closer and closer. Claustrophobia started to gather in on me. This was wrong, this was bad, I need to turn around and run back. My instincts were screaming at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, goosebumps were breaking out over my arms despite the warm weather.
I decided to go with my instincts instead of against them for once, I wasn't safe. I turned on my heel and started running back.
An unnatural wind blew across my back, someone was behind me. I could feel it in every pour, every hair, every muscle of my body. I knew what it would be, I knew I didn't have a chance of out running it, and stupidly I had nothing on me to fight one of them off.
I turned my music off and turned to face the vampire who was waiting behind me, pressing speed-dial as I did. It wouldn't be enough and he wouldn't be here soon enough, but I didn't have anything else to fall back on.
"I can hear that ringing you know, turn it off please." A voice I recognised vaguely said as I turned quicker, my hand turning off my phone. Hopefully it would have woken him, hopefully he'd think to come looking, hopefully he'd get here fast enough. I didn't have a lot of hope though.
"Laurent?" I asked in surprise as I took in the vampire before me. Of course he hadn't changed at all in the two years since I'd last seen him. Though I had expected his eyes to have, but they hadn't, they were still a crimson red, tinged with the slightest amount of black. Shit, he was hungry. That wasn't good.
"You remembered?" Laurent asked me back, his voice and stone face registering amused surprise.
"Well yeah, I don't know that many vampires by name." I responded, telling myself while I did that I should probably keep my mouth shut. Pretend to be that shy wallflower that I had been when Laurent had first met me.
"I suppose you don't." Laurent said, his eyes chilling me as they danced with mirth. "I must say, I am surprised to find you out here alone." Keep quiet, keep quiet, I kept repeating to myself silently. "I rather thought that I'd find the Cullen's here with you."
This was good, if I could keep him talking long enough maybe help would come. "Is that why you're here? I could pass on a message if you'd like I'm sure, but then wouldn't the Denial's know how to contact them better? I'd thought that you were staying with them in Alaska?" I tried to keep my voice quiet, to keep any hint of confidence out of it.
"What you say is true, I have been staying with the delectable Denali sisters, though I am finding their diet rather hard to follow." Laurent smirked at me as he started circling me. I was fast running out of time. C'mon get here already!
"So what brings you to sunny Virginia? I'm guessing it isn't the weather?" Okay, the whole wallflower thing wasn't helping in the not getting myself killed thing. Maybe if I shocked him with my attitude he'd keep talking? Oh god, please let him keep talking.
"I'm here on a favour for my dear friend Victoria. She is most displeased with you and the coven which kept you as their pet. The things she has planned for you." Laurent shook his head with disgust, fear spiked through me. If another vampire was upset with what the red-head had planned for me then I was pretty sure that I didn't want to experience it. "But I'm thirsty and you smell delicious. I'll make it fairly painless dear child. Though I do have to inflict a bit of pain, Victoria would be most displeased with me if I didn't. But I assure you that in comparison death by my hands will be far more comfortable for you."
I knew it wouldn't help, I knew it wouldn't, but my fight or flight mode kicked in and I couldn't fight with nothing so I turned on my heal and started to run.
I hadn't even got a meter when something was thrown into my back with the force of Tylers truck that first should have killed me back in Forks. I heard a crunch and my ribs started burning a white hot agony. I couldn't help the scream that ripped through my body.
The next thing to break was my ulna, that long bone in my arm. Again I screamed, the pain becoming so much that I thankfully started to fade into black. I wanted alone time and I was getting it, I was dying alone.
Just as I was going under I heard a beautiful feral roar, one that I'd never heard before but I knew anyway. He'd come.
With the knowledge that I was safe, that I wasn't going to have to go through anymore pain I stopped fighting the inky blackness that wanted to take me, instead I embraced it.
Through the dark fug I felt a slicing pain rip into my neck. It was a hot pain, one that started getting hotter, it was burning, I was burning. Oh god I was burning and it was agony. "Damon!" I screamed in panic trying desperately to force my eyes open. "Damon!"
I heard the awful sound of metal screeching and being torn apart before the furious voice that I wanted to hear was next to my ear, pain colouring their voice. I'd never forgive myself if he was hurt because of me. I wasn't worth it. I never had been.
"Bella!"
"Damon! Don't let me turn into one of them! Please, not into one of them!" I screamed through the scorching heat that was burning through me.
A/N:-
I seemed to have confused a few people - sorry about that. Damon pretended to love Elena just to get on Stefan's nerves (which I completely get) Stefan told Elena that Damon was in love with her, he can't keep anything from her after all. Hope that clears things up for people.
I really liked writing this chapter and can't wait to hear what you all think! Fierce Damon's for everyone who reviews :)