Hello everyone! I have had loads of comments about helping me with the next story! If I could feasibly have you all I would, however I have a couple of amazing helpers now who are fan-bloody-tastic, hope that doesn't disappoint anyone.

Thanks once more to everyone who reviews this story, you have no idea how much it makes my day!

I own Twilight and Vampire Dairies. Oh. Wait. No, I don't, my bad.

Enjoy the chapter

Also, just a heads up I'll be editing this story. None of the story will change I'll just be looking for grammatical/spelling errors so you don't have to re read it :)

Chapter 24

Melt Down

We all relocated to the Salvatore Boarding house, thankfully without incident, Bonnie, Matt, Caroline and Tyler meeting us there. After taking seats in the spacious lounge we started trying to come up with a plan for the shit storm that was about to hit us (Damon's words not mine).

Stefan thought the first thing we should be concentrating on was making the house impenetrable to Cold Ones, which if a small army of them was about to attack I thought would definitely be preferable. However there we met with out first obstacle. No one actually living lived at the Boarding house.

"Easy, we just sign the house over to one of these mortals." Damon had answered waving his hand to indicate the crowd of people in the room.

"No, not easy. The person has to actually live here. At least part time." Bonnie snapped, her irritation and worry plain for all to see.

We all sat looking at each other for a moment before Stefan stood up with an awkward look on his face. "Err… Elena?"

"No chance." Jenna spoke up in a no-nonsense tone that she rarely used but was the end of a discussion when she did.

"You know I love you Stefan, but I'm not ready to live with you yet. I need to stay at my house for now. Where Jer and I grew up… with mom and dad." Elena told Stefan her eyes filled with grief and sincerity.

"Looks like you're the lucky lady then Wildcat." Damon joked turning to look at me.

"Well don't I feel special?" I said sarcastically. "And I better get that coffee brought to me every morning."

I could see the humour dancing in Damon's eyes as well as something else, giving them a twinkle that I'd never seen before but that I'd try my hardest to see again every chance I got.

"Bella? A word?" Alaric said breaking the moment and ushering me back out into the hall where the vampires and Tyler would still be able to hear us, but the humans at least wouldn't be able to.

"Bella, you can't move in with Damon!" Alaric said his voice holding stress. "You've been together a week! It's ridiculous."

"I'd only have to live here part time. There's plenty of spare rooms so I wouldn't have to share with Damon if he or I didn't want to. Plus, it's not like there's much other choice Ric. Jeremy's underage as is Matt. Elena's already said no, Bonnie's the one preforming the spell, Caroline's a vampire and Tyler is a Werewolf. So, it's either Jenna, you or me." I said, not letting out the misgivings I had about this. I'd speak to Damon about them later. After.

Alaric ran a hand through his hair and over his face, it looked like he could do with a vacation from all of this and a felt a massive amount of guilt bubble up in chest at that. Poor Ric, if only he hadn't agreed to take me in he'd wouldn't be having to go through this. None of them would. "Aargghh. Fine. Do not tell your dad about this. He'd use both us and Damon for target practice."

"Don't worry, I don't actually have a death wish." I reassured my uncle who'd done so much for me that I'd never be able to repay him.

"So, Wildcat, you want to go put your stuff away in our room?" Damon teased me as Alaric and I walked back into the lounge.

"You need to clear me out some drawers first." I just fired back with a small smile.

"This is stupid!" Elena declared jumping from her seat next to Stefan and frowning at Damon, Ric and me. "They barely know each other, they aren't even really together! And you're just letting her move in here? Stella work being a guardian there Ric."

"Elena!" Jenna reprimanded in that hard voice of hers again.

"What you didn't want me moving here but it's fine for Bella?" Elena turned her glare on her aunt this time.

"Bella's eighteen, legally she can live wherever she wants, you are seventeen and are still living with me, end of." Jenna said firmly. "Elena, what's going on this is so unlike you?"

"Bella and Damon, they're, he… You know what?" She turned and faced me. "You know my thoughts on the matter, you still want to go ahead then fine. I'll clear out your room for you when this whole mess is over. Actually, you know what it's you they want, not me, I'll go do it now." With that she got up and stomped out of the room.

Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline and Jenna all stood to go after Elena at the same time. "You go." Caroline said gently to Bonnie.

"Bella…?" The blonde asked me gently, I was still stood in the middle of the room, my cheeks on fire and tears that I would not shed in front of everyone brimming in my eyes.

"I'm just going to go put my stuff in a room for now." I said quietly not meeting anyone's eyes as I walked from the lounge and headed up the familiar stairs. I went into one of the empty rooms, the one closet to Damon's and without seeing my surroundings threw myself down on the bed to have a cry in private.

It had finally happened. I'd finally pushed the people I saw as family away with the danger that followed me. Elena was obviously pissed with me about it and she wanted me out of her house. I wondered how long Damon and Stefan would let me stay here till I had to find somewhere new to live?

Fresh tears littered my cheeks as I burrowed further into the musty smelling bedcovers and quietly gave myself over to my misery, if only for a few minutes.

~0~

3rd Person P.O.V.

"What the hell was that about?" Damon asked his little brother angrily.

"I don't know." Stefan frowned. Elena had been speaking angrily about Bella for the past week or so, but she hadn't told him why. He had thought it was about the Cold Ones that Bella had brought down on them, now he wasn't so sure.

"She's wrong." Damon bit out harshly turning to go find his girlfriend.

"Damon… Can I speak to you?" Caroline asked hesitantly.

"If you're going to spout out the same shit that Elena just did then no Caroline you can't." Damon snapped, his anger holding on by a thread.

"No. I'm not. It's about Bella."

Damon sighed but nodded his head for her to follow him. Why the hell anyone wanted to get involved in his relationship he had no idea and it was seriously pissing him off. However, he knew that something had been said the other night at Caroline's house and he also knew that vampire Barbie cared about his Wildcat, for that reason only he was willing to listen to her inane chatter.

"Get on with it." He said as they stood in the library, he wanted to go check how his Wildcat was doing.

"Elena said something the other night, and I think it's really gotten to Bella, especially with you know her ex." Caroline sounded nervous.

"And?"

"Elena basically said that you were just playing around with Bella and would leave her as soon as you got bored of her. Like her ex did." Caroline rushed out with barely a breath in-between words.

"Well that's stupid." Damon ground out feeling his temper spike even higher.

"I know." Caroline said without thinking, her eyes rolling automatically. Her brain to mouth filter once again missing. At Damon's surprised look and the cock of his eyebrow she carried on talking despite the trouble it could lead to. "We all know you actually feel something for Bella. Anyone with a eyes can see it. Bella's got low self-esteem and confidence issues like crazy, but around you she doesn't have any problems with that, it's like she's who she's meant to be and you're… well less of an ass. Elena just…"

"Elena just what?" Damon asked his eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"Elena's use to being the centre of attention, not always for the good things but she always is. Now Bella's come here and… Bella is at the centre of things for you not Elena anymore." Caroline said softly feeling bad for talking about one of her best friends like that, but she was almost sure that was what Elena's issues were.

"That's what this is? She's got Stefan but she still want's me hanging on the side lines like some over eager puppy?" Damon growled his eyes flashing.

"I don't know for sure but if I had to take a guess then, yeah, that's what I think." Caroline stood awkwardly facing Damon in silence not sure if she should have just told Damon all of this, but she had to. She had to help Bella through this crap as much as she could. "You should go talk to her."

"I'm not talking to that selfish cun-"

"I mean Bella." Caroline said hastily.

Damon nodded sharply to Caroline before leaving the room presumably to do just that, Caroline sat down in a chair heavily. She needed blood, alcohol and a holiday. Once this was all over she was grabbing Tyler and dragging him to a beach. And a plush hotel room, with a large bed where they could play with no interruptions or worries.

"You think that's what this is?" Stefan asked stepping out of a shadowy doorway making Caroline jump slightly. Damn it, why did doing the right thing have to be so hard? She thought to herself.

"It's just a guess Stefan I could be wrong." Caroline said in a small voice.

"Where're Bella and Damon? I need them and you Stefan for the spell." Bonnie asked as she walked through the door Damon had left through her head held high, her powers spilling out of her slightly.

"They're upstairs, I'll go get them in a second." Stefan said. "How's Elena?"

"She's… I'm not sure really, she's angry mostly I think." Bonnie replied her voice quiet and gentle. "She's headed up to your room Stefan, I managed to persuade her to wait till this is all over to leave."

"Thanks. I'll go get Damon and Bella." With that Stefan flashed away.

Stefan hesitated outside one of the guest rooms which as far as he was aware hadn't been used in years. Bella could have at least picked out a room which had been aired out and cleaned in the last decade, like the one they'd dumped the young shifter in, Stefan thought. He could hear Damon and Bella talking. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help himself. This side of his brother was alien to him.

"What she said was bullshit Isabella. You know… Look I know we said we'd have a talk later. But-"

"I'm happy to talk later. We need to talk later. I think I know what our conversation before meant and I'm as secure as I'm going to be right now with that. It's just…" Stefan could hear Bella choke back a sniffle and faintly smell the tang of salty tears in the air. "I thought I was family. That I finally fit somewhere as me. As clumsy, human, danger magnet Bella. But Elena's finally realised I'm not worth it and… I… I don't have a h-home anymore."

"Listen to me Isabella." Damon's voice was low, gentle yet firm, Stefan had never heard it like that before. "You do have a home. With me. Elena's opinion in that house isn't the only one that matters, I assure you neither Ric, Jenna or Jeremy want you gone, and you know it. Elena can be a judgey selfish bitch at times. If you're family, you put up with it. Just like Stefan and I barely put up with one another."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it Klutz." Stefan marvelled at the difference in his brother that until very recently he'd thought was unredeemable. "We'll figure this out. After I've slaughtered some more of those piss poor sparkling excuses for vampires." And them some things never changed.

With a small sigh Stefan knocked at the door to let the pair know it was time to do the spell.

~0~

The spell was similar than Bella had thought it would be. She hadn't realised though that she'd have to be on the deeds to the house. She hadn't been too happy about that but both Damon and Stefan had shot down her protests. In the end she'd done it when it had been pointed out that it was the only way to do the spell and therefore keep everyone safe.

Damon had wanted the house as safe as they could possibly make it, so Bonnie had also changed the supernatural locks to his type of vampire as well.

Caroline, Damon and Stefan all stood outside waiting to be invited in by Bella, who all three were glad to see was chuckling now instead of fretting.

"Maybe we should do some house clearing while we're at it Klutz? Don't invite Vampire Barbie in."

"Screw you Damon." Caroline mock glared at the dark vampire who smirked back.

"Caroline, please come in." Bella announced still chuckling before turning back to the brothers, nibbling on her lower lip as she did. Damon didn't think that would ever not be a turn on for him when she did it. It was so hot and innocent and, his jeans were shrinking around his dick again.

"Damon, come in, Stefan, come in." She said, smiling as they both stepped over the threshold together.

"Thanks Bella." Stefan said over his shoulder as he followed Bonnie and Caroline back into the lounge, they had a battle to plan after all.

~0~

When night fell it brought it an edge of expectation and tension. The grounds surrounding the boarding house, normally welcoming and bright seemed foreboding and shrouded in danger as well as darkness.

The occupants of the infamous boarding house were on edge, all at their particular battle stations.

All except Elena, who, was still residing in Stefan's attic room where she'd been since her melt down earlier. She'd calmed down and realised that maybe she shouldn't have said some of things she did. However, she also knew that she meant them. Even now.

Bella and Damon weren't really a couple. You couldn't call someone a couple after only a week of being together. She had to admit that they were good for each other as friends, but even that nagged at her, however friends didn't necessarily equate to being a good couple. You only had to take Matt and her as an example of that.

Ric was, in her opinion, being a bad guardian by letting Bella move in with him, even if it only was part time. He should have put his foot down with her and said no. Ric was hardly ever giving her rules. Not that Elena thought Bella actually needed them, if Damon wasn't involved then although fun you couldn't exactly call her wild. But still, everyone knew teenagers needed boundaries. Elena was quick to ignore the thought that she had even less guidelines than Bella.

And then there were the Cold Ones. This threat that Bella had brought down on everyone that Elena loved! Elena tried to be cool with it. After all Elena was in love with a vampire and the shoe could easily be on the other foot. However now that people she cared about could be hurt or killed because of her and her drama Elena was beginning to resent Bella.

Bella. Elena held back a yell of frustration. She had no idea why she was feeling this way. Until recently she'd pretty much seen Bella as another best friend. Almost like a sister. But she just couldn't shake this anger she felt towards her now. And it was getting stronger minute by minute.

Maybe everyone would be better off if the Cold Ones just took her? Then they could all go back to their lives as they were before?

Elena stopped her pacing and placed a hand over her mouth, tears jumping to her eyes. How could she think that!? Elena loved Bella. Something was wrong. This wasn't her! Elena cared about Bella, was happy to be seeing her get stronger! Sure, Elena knew she had a couple of hang-ups towards the brunette but nothing as bad as she'd been thinking and feeling and certainly not enough to want her in the hands of the Cold Ones!

Elena opened the doors to the balcony desperate for some air as her thoughts raced and she felt ill. Something was wrong. She needed help. She turned back to go inside, hoping that Stefan would listen to her, that together they could work it out.

No-one heard Elena scream as a cold, marble like hand was placed over her mouth. No-one knew as she was wrenched off the balcony falling towards the earth with only marble arms too tight around her bracing her. Thanks to her little temper tantrum no-one was aware that Elena had been taken.

Not sure where that last bit came from, but Elena grabbed me and started writing. Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time x