This is it. The end the last chapter. All that's left is the epilogue. I'm sorry that it took so much time to get this to you and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

I dedicate this chapter to you. To my readers. Thank you all, for the reviews, the favourites, the follows, for doing this with me! You all are amazing!

Firework

The End, The Beginning

Damon gently lifted Bella into his arms and started carrying her back to his house – their house, at human speed.

He could hear the empath behind him with the other two cold ones, trying to explain what just happened. He was failing. Damon himself didn't know what just happened.

For once he didn't try to hide his emotions, didn't sensor them, didn't put his mask on. Damon allowed a few tears to flow down his face as he held the slight girl who was the love of his life in his arms. He also didn't even attempt to hide the anger he was feeling. At her, himself, whoever had let her leave the damn house, at the sparkling fuckwits who'd made this happen. He was pissed, scared and heartbroken.

He had to get her home. To their home. The one where he would teach her all he knew about being a vampire. The home where they would live in together in-between bouts of travelling. Their home. They would live there together. Because she was going to wake up. A small sob escaped the dark-haired vampire. She was going to wake up. She had to.

~0~

Alaric watched as between them, Caroline and the wolf, Jacob, finished the last of the Cold Ones and started more bonfires. The plan was that Bella would tell them if there was anymore left or hiding. Bella though was no where to be found. The last anyone had seen of her Victoria had her. Damon still hadn't returned.

Alaric was feeling numb, his brain focusing only on what needed to be done not on what could be wrong. What could have happened.

The wolf and Caroline darted about collecting body parts which Alaric still found creepy and the wolf ran around sniffing the air. Alaric guessed that he was checking for stragglers seeing as how Bella couldn't. No, he couldn't think of her just yet.

"Guess our part's over." Tyler said with a small sign, sure Alaric and he hadn't had that much action for once, but Ric found himself grateful for that.

"Guess so." Ric agreed picking up his weapons and what was left of the Vervain grenades and started packing them away into his beat up old black duffle that had been with him since he moved to Mystic Falls.

An ear splittingly loud howl tore the air, somehow it sounded heartbroken. Tyler and Ric dropped the weapons and ran back to the windows. Ric's heart dropped along with his stomach. He staggered back from the window and out of the living room. "No, no, no, no." He hadn't realised he was saying it aloud till it echoed around the vast hallway.

His heart broke as he saw Damon bring her in.

Damon was crying that meant that…

No. No. No.

It couldn't be… She couldn't be.

No. No. No. No. No.

"Damon…" Stefan had come in the hallway as had everyone else. Everyone's eyes on the broken brunette and the crying dark haired vampire holding her so gently.

"Don't. I don't want to talk to you. I'm taking her upstairs to our room. We'll talk… When she wakes up." Alaric could hear the conviction Damon tried to put into his voice. He failed. Damon wasn't sure she would wake up.

"She's turning?" Bonnie asked with tears streaming down her face and hope in her voice.

"Yes." Damon announced firmly before carrying her up the stairs.

Alaric sank to his knees, not even bothered when three Cold Ones and the wolf boy walked into the house. Jenna came and sank down with him.

"It'll be okay Alaric. She'll be okay. She'll be a vampire sure but… It's better than…" Jenna said softly her hands wrapping round him in failed comfort.

"Damon's… There's something wrong… If... If she was just turning, then he wouldn't be…" Ric couldn't get his sentence out his words were chocked with a lump in his throat. His niece. She'd come through so much, she'd improved so much. She had been happy here with him, for once he had been doing something right, something positive, he'd been successfully taking care of someone. Bella… Another sob shook his body. He couldn't stop it.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked the four vampires and the wolf that had come back inside sharply, all looking as though they'd lost the battle. If Bella… If she… Well, they had lost.

"Edward took her, he bit her, started draining her. Em and I tried to get her, tried to stop him. He went to protect his kill. He didn't drain her, but she was bit. She was turning… Into one of us. She begged Damon not to let her turn into one of us. Begged him. He refused. There was no way that he could suck the venom out, it was too far gone then… She kept begging so he…" The blonde female Cold One sounded a bit chocked up at the end.

"He snapped her neck." Jasper said his voice full of sorrow.

"He gave her his blood, she'll turn." Caroline said with certainty. Ric wasn't sure that she wasn't in denial.

"We don't know… If the venom will have affected the blood, he gave her or not." Stefan said quietly.

"So, she might be dead?" Elena asked in a little more than a whisper.

"Elena perhaps Stefan should take you home?" Ric said as nicely as he could manage, but the rage he felt for her right then came out in his words easily.

"I can't go home while Bella's-"

"Elena go home!" Bonnie barked out with fire in her eyes. Seemed to Ric like he wasn't the only one angry with the doppelganger.

"I'll take you just let me go up and tell Damon." Stefan said quietly before flashing away.

Elena looked at the floor tears streaming down her face. Ric had to look away, he was sure those tears weren't for Bella but for herself. Right now, he couldn't find it in himself to comfort her, not when he might lose his niece because of her. And whatever else anyone told her, it was because if her. If she hadn't thrown that temper tantrum and stormed away, if she hadn't been stupid enough to step outside the spells boundaries then none of this would have happened. This was entirely Elena's fault as far as Ric was concerned.

"Alaric…" Elena started saying her voice thick with tears.

"I don't want to hear it right now Elena. I'll talk with you when… I'll talk with you later." Ric said harshly. He'd speak with her when he knew if his niece was going to live or not.

As a rule, Ric didn't like vampires. In fact, he was a vampire hunter, he'd made it his life's mission to kill as many vampires as he could. However, that said, he did like Caroline and Stefan most of the time. Damon for all his faults was Ric's best friend. He'd not turn his back on his niece if she became a vampire. As long as she lived in some way.

~0~

Stefan knocked on the door quietly, Damon knew it was Stefan by his aftershave. Why the hell did vampires wear aftershave? It wasn't like they could smell bad as long as they bathed regularly. Maybe Stefan was taking this teenage human act a step too far.

"What?" Damon snarled, his eyes still on the beautiful woman on the bed. So far there was no change to her appearance, but it had only been twenty minutes or so. He wasn't going to worry yet. It should be an hour before a noticeable difference happened. If one did happen.

The door opened slowly, Stefan at least retaining enough of his vampire senses to know not to just barge in when Damon was guarding someone in the midst of changing. She was. She was changing.

"I'm going to take Elena home-" Stefan started saying.

"How did Bella get to be outside do you know?" Damon asked his brother, his blue eyes darting from his Wildcat to his baby brother for a brief moment before darting back to the woman on the bed yet again.

"Victoria… She had… Elena."

"I knew it." Damon said softly to himself a hand gently moving a strand of Isabella's beautiful brown hair off her beaten face. She'd need cleaning up soon. He couldn't have her waking with dried blood on her in battered clothes. That would never do.

"Victoria offered Bella a trade…"

"Keep that cunt away from me Stefan. I see her I kill her. And if Bella doesn't wake up she's the first one I'm coming from." Damon said softly, every word rang true though. "I will rip her heart from her body and drink from it before her eyes right before the lights dim and she goes cold."

Stefan's eyes flashed in challenge, however he didn't say anything just looked to Bella before walking out.

"You are going to wake up Isabella. And when you do, we are going to have a long talk about this self-sacrificing bullshit deal you have going on. And then we're going to drink from Elena and I really don't care if you drain her." Damon smirked as he once more stroked her beautiful hair. He really would have to get her changed soon. It felt wrong though, that the first time he'd see her really nude would be now, when she was so vulnerable. It would be nothing but taking care of her but somehow, he thought Klutz would bitch him out for it. As amusing as it always was to verbally spar with her, he didn't want that on the first day of the rest of their lives.

"Caroline, can you and Jenna come upstairs?" Damon said after a few minutes his voice not raised much from his normal speaking level. He knew Vampire Barbie would hear him. "I'm going to get Jenna and Caroline to wash you up and change you into some clothes Wildcat, as much as I would love to see you naked, I think the first time should be when you're conscious."

The door opened slowly, and Caroline peeked her head around it cautiously. Damon could smell the venom in her system meaning that she'd been bit a couple of times at least. He knew he should feel bad for her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. All he felt was numb.

"How is she?" Caroline asked slowly coming into the room with Jenna behind her, Jenna was crying hard.

"Dead." Damon said blankly.

"When will she wake up?" Jenna asked her voice thick with tears.

"Normally two to three hours depending on the damage to the body." Damon said. "With Isabella? It's anyone's guess. If she hasn't woken up in six hours…" He couldn't say it, it didn't matter it wasn't going to happen, she was going to wake up.

"What can we do to help?" Caroline as gently.

"She need washing and changing. The bathroom's stocked with her things anyway, I'll go grab her bag and put it outside. You will tell me when you're done, and I'll be back." Damon announced, both women nodded.

Damon leant down to his Wildcat and stroked her brown hair once more. "Jenna and Caroline will look after you. I'm going to talk to your uncle and grab a blood bag, when you're decent I'll be back, don't worry." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and then left without another word.

When Damon had deposited Isabella's bag outside their room, he flashed downstairs.

"Bonnie!" He called out loudly while rummaging around in his library desk.

The witch came into the library with Teen Wolf and Van Helsing behind her. Damon was glad to see that Saint Stefan and The Cunt were gone.

"Damon, is it Bella?" Bonnie asked panicking.

"No. Well kinda. Can you turn this into a daylight ring?" He asked bringing out the box holding the ring he'd had made a month after he'd met Isabella. She'd bugged the crap out of him, he certainly hadn't loved her, but she was interesting, and he hadn't wanted to lose someone who didn't bore the crap out of him. Plus, if she'd annoyed him it wasn't like he couldn't have staked her.

That was then. This was now, and no one would ever hurt her again. Nothing, not even the sun would hurt her. If Bonnie couldn't or wouldn't do this then he'd find another witch. He'd pay another witch, he'd coerce another witch. He'd get it done no matter what it took. He'd take care of her like he'd failed to do during the battle.

"Damon this is beautiful." Bonnie said accepting the box and looking over the ring. It was a delicate looking silver ring with the Lapis Lazuli stone offset by two small diamonds. It was beautiful and timeless, and Damon thought it would suit Wildcat, he hoped she'd like it but if not, they could always get her something different. "Of course I'll do it."

"Thank you." Damon said quietly.

"So, she's going to wake up then?" Tyler asked quietly, Damon could hear the hope in his voice but also the uncertainty.

Damon looked at Teen Wolf and didn't say anything, there was nothing he would say right then. He couldn't tell them he didn't know because he didn't want to keep admitting it, but he didn't want to give anyone false hope.

He flashed to get a blood bag to tide him over for a bit before flashing back and taking a seat on one of his sofas.

"What happened?" Damon asked Alaric quietly.

"I don't know." Alaric said, his voice showing his bleakness. "One minute we were there throwing grenades and Bella shouted to stop. We did and grabbed the other weapons in case the idiots tried getting through the windows or close to the house. I looked to see if she was okay… She was gone by then. What happened?"

"Her ex snapped my neck just as I got to her. He took her away and bit her, was draining her, you heard the other sparkling squirrel munchers." Damon didn't feel like reliving the worst moment of his life over and over.

"Her ex?" Ric asked Damon.

"Dead." He confirmed. "I ripped him apart piece by piece and fed him to the fire as he watched and then I set his head alight like a sparkling fucking candle. I would have made it last longer but…"

"Longer?" Teen Wolf sounded alarmed at that.

"I'd have made it last centuries. I'd have buried parts of him around the state and kept his head in my dungeon surrounded by vervain. Every few years I'd dig up a piece of his undead corpse and burn it slowly in front of him. The dismemberment alone would have had him almost insane with pain, burning them in front of him, well that would put the hat on it. Still, I'll know better next time." Damon smirked at the sight of Tyler paling. If he hadn't had to tend to his Wildcat, he would have found new ways of torture too.

"Damon, we're finished." Damon heard from upstairs. Without a word he was back in his room in seconds.

He faltered when he saw her… Her hair was a fraction longer and had subtle red tints to it, she was an inch or two taller and her curves were more defined, her bust was bigger as well, a full cup size if he had to guess.

Damon's face broke into the biggest smile of his undead life, his heart, his soul felt lighter, hell he could feel his fucking soul! She was transitioning! She would wake up!

"She's going to be breath-taking." Jenna said softly, a small smile directed to Damon on her face. The first he thought he'd ever genuinely got off her.

"She is." Damon agreed. "You may want to go tell the rest of the Scooby Gang."

When they'd left Damon sat by his Wildcat on the bed. "You gave me a scare Wildcat but you're going to be okay. We'll have to get you sorted out as a brand-new vampire before anything else, then I suppose you'll have to graduate high school, though I could always compel the principle into graduating you now? You probably wouldn't go for that hmm? No, well after that we'll go travelling, see the world. Maybe go see those country houses in England that you're always babbling about?"

For the next two hours and thirty-three minutes Damon sat and talked about what he could show her in their immortal life together. What they could do and see, the fun they could have.

He could hear the others milling about downstairs, could hear Alaric crying to Jenna in the kitchen where he thought no-one could hear him. He could hear the two werewolves talking together. Could hear Bonnie and Jeremy after she'd finished spelling Isabella's ring for her. Could hear Caroline speaking with the Cullen's who still remained. Everyone was on edge waiting. Tensions were high, the empath must be hating his undead life about then, Damon thought.

Her transformation took three hours and forty-one minutes in total.

Three hours and forty-one minutes after Damon had snapped her neck and Isabella Swan opened her eyes to her new life.

~0~

Bella P.O.V.

I jerked awake as though from a nightmare, but I couldn't recall any dreams I may have been having. I felt wrong, different and my head was pounding. My heart felt as though it should have been racing but it was steadily thumping in my chest.

I recognized I was in Damon's room instantly and Damon was sat at the end of his bed with wide eyes as he looked at me. Something in his eyes niggled at me, he was scared or worried almost? Maybe relieved as well?

"Finally, I thought you were going to sleep forever for a while there." Damon tried to joke but it fell flat, his voice almost sounding a little choked. His voice also sounded a bit different to my ears. Richer, smoother and deeper, not a lot of difference but it was noticeable.

"What…?" I didn't know what to ask, what's going on, what's happened? Something must have happened. We were… Victoria. That's what was going on. Victoria and the newborns and then Edward… I knew then, though I suspected I had always known and not wanted to admit it.

I'd wanted to be a vampire for the better part of two years, however the idea of it was always abstract in my mind and becoming a vampire was always something that would happen one day, sometime far in the distance. But here I sat, becoming what I'd wanted. I wasn't sure how to feel. My emotions felt, wrong almost, stronger than they should, not as grounded and me. I span from one extreme to the other in seconds. From what I'd managed to get from Damon this would only get worse after I'd made the change.

"I'm going to be a vampire." I stated to Damon, his face instantly showed his relief.

"Yes, you are." A small had crept onto his face.

"Edward?!" I gasped out suddenly, fury burning through my veins hotter than I'd ever felt before. He'd killed Damon! He'd bit me! He'd taken me away! He. Would. Pay. "He killed you! Where is he?" I was shocked at a low growl slipping from my lips.

"Woah there Wildcat, chill. He's dead. And I'll happily go into all the gory details for you as soon as you've fed." Damon interrupted my growling. Rude. At least Edward was dead, though I was kind of annoyed that I didn't get to do it myself.

"Cool, what's for dinner, blood bags and whiskey?" I smiled at Damon, the thought turning my stomach a little, though I was hungry. Ravenous. I just… wasn't sure I wanted blood. My whole thought process was disjointed and muddled, and it was annoying the crap out of me and quite frankly scaring me too. I hadn't expected to feel so unlike myself.

Damon was studying my face, which I was sure was probably displaying my emotions quite clearly. "You'll feel better once you've fed. You need blood, preferably from the source."

I frowned. "I don't want to hurt anyone." I said, at least that part of me hadn't changed. I may have wanted to hurt Edward but not an innocent, not someone who didn't deserve it.

"I won't let you hurt anyone Wildcat." Damon said softly, his icy blues locking with mine cementing his promise. I trusted him to not let me do something I'd regret, not until I was in better control anyway. After that he'd let me go nuts, that much I was certain of.

"Will I just go out and find someone to… drink? God, that sounds weird." I let out a laugh that sounded a bit strangled.

"No." Damon came and sat beside me and took my hand, he felt nice, really nice. Like silk and satin and home. I felt a million times better being next to him. "Your family and friends have all offered but Ric's going to do it."

"Okay." I accepted, I turned to look back at Damon instead of our entwined hands. His eyes softened, and he leant forward so that I foreheads were touching.

"You had me worried for a bit there Wildcat, I didn't know if you were going to wake up or not…" Damon's eyes glistened the tiniest amount and my heart swelled, I remembered that he'd done what I'd asked despite not knowing what would happen, he'd accepted my decision even though it had hurt him. He could be completely selfish, he could be an arrogant ass, he could be a dick. But when it came down to it, he put my wants and needs first, he was there.

I took hold of every bit of courage I had left and with my heart firmly thumping in my chest I opened it to him. "Thank you for turning me Damon, I love you."

An awe filled, genuine smile stretched across Damon's face making him even more breath taking than usual. "I love you too Isabella." My heart leapt as I leant an inch further and captured his perfect pale pink lips with my own.

The kiss quickly turned passionate, Damon's tongue brushing against my lips and my mouth opening in response. Our tongue's battling, hurriedly, frenziedly. Hands reaching, grabbing, touching, grasping, kneading, pulling. It was too much, my mind couldn't keep up, my emotions couldn't keep up and they were too much. But it wasn't enough, it would never be enough.

My fingers clawed Damon's back, shredding his black shirt without any effort, my hips bucked against his and I let a long moan that I couldn't contain. Somehow, we'd moved to lying down on Damon's bed, him poised over the top of me. The silk sheets felt wonderful against my oversensitive skin. His hands against the skin of my stomach was magic; both soothing and blazing at the same time.

Damon tugged at the hem of my top, stopping his assault on my lips for a second to look at me and ask my permission with his eyes only. I fervently nodded, needing this, needing him. He went back to kissing me, his lips still needy and dominant. A quick tug and my shirt ripped off, baring my top half completely to Damon for the first time. Whoever had dressed me had obviously skipped putting me in a bra. Probably Caroline, she always complained about how uncomfortable they'd been since her change. My thoughts stopped as Damon's hands reached my breasts.

I groaned, arching my back up, I grabbed onto Damon tighter. One hand manipulated my right nipple and a loud moan rippled through my body. I… I… Couldn't think. Only feel. Only touch and explore and… "Ooohhhh!" Another moan.

Pure bliss.

My hips once more bucked into Damon, I couldn't control it, I needed the friction, the friction that would help this dazzling, burning, frantic heat bubbling inside of me. I had no idea what it was, but it needed to be unleashed, I needed more though.

One of Damon's hands unleashed a breast and started travelling back down my stomach, travelling further and further until he reached the waistband of my pants. No permission was needed as I kissed him harder and hungrier, as my nails dug into his muscled back that little further, spurring him on.

His hands were there, right there, where I needed them. Rubbing, stroking, entering. Gently, so gently. Coaxing me, teasing me higher, higher, higher.

I broke. Screaming Damon's name, panting and writhing I came undone by his hands.

I wanted more. I wanted to take that last step, I wanted him. I needed him.

"I want you." I whispered up to Damon, his bright blues eyes twinkled, emotion filling them.

"The lady wants, the lady gets." He smirked before kissing me deeply and slowly, taking his time now. I hadn't realised he was taking away the last of his clothes until he was against my entrance. Nudging, testing before gently easing in.

I flinched as he pushed in. It hurt, not as much as expected, but damn did it still hurt.

"You okay Wildcat?" Damon asked me in a breathless voice as he held himself still all the way inside now. He was large, and I stretched almost painfully to accommodate, but the need to have more was once again taking over me.

"Yeah." I whispered leaning up to kiss him as I slowly moved my hips.

We made love, slowly but passionately, every move caused gasps and moans, every touch started fires and need. Every kiss tasted of love and desire.

I came undone twice more before Damon came, roaring my name as he did.

We lay side by side breathing hard, both covered in sweat. Damon wrapped an arm around me pulled me into his side.

"That was amazing Wildcat." He said with that smile on his face. That genuine smile that spoke of true happiness.

"It was? Good for you too I mean?" I asked hesitantly. For me it had been indescribably wonderful, but I knew I didn't have any experience and that Damon had a lot, so it probably wasn't that good for him. I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

"Hey, none of that." Damon told me taking my chin gently in his hands and raising it so that I looked up at him. "I don't say things I don't mean Wildcat, you know that." It was true, and if he did it was generally in such a sarcastic, fake way that you couldn't fail to notice it wasn't true. "It was amazing, you are amazing. Now, we need to get showered and dressed so you can eat."

~0~

Together we showered and dressed quickly, though if it weren't for what we'd been doing before the shower would have been one of the most intimate experiences of my life. There was no groping, no kissing, nothing sexual. But washing each other, caring for each other like that had been sensual and arousing none the less.

For all that we'd danced around each other before, words unspoken, looks masked, true meanings hidden, the last couple of hours I had opened up more than I had since the beginning of Edward and my relationship and Damon had opened up more than I had ever seen him do. He obviously still had some residual… guilt maybe, over my almost dying and it was clear he would not be forgetting his worry over that anytime soon. I treasured that, he truly cared for me, he didn't want to live without me. That more than the words expressed his love.

When we got downstairs it was to w welcoming -or welcome back- party. Everyone looked sad and happy at the same time. It was… nice, I guess. Also, a bit weird. Though my emotions were still all over the place.

Uncle Ric was the first one to give me a hug. I felt odd hugging him when I could clearly hear the blood rushing through his veins and I desperately wanted to sink my teeth into him. I resisted though, despite the burning pain in my gums that I knew were my new teeth wanting to break out and sink into his delicate flesh. Feel the warm blood gliding down my throat. Quenching the raging hunger that gnawed at me.

Before I'd even made a conscious decision to do so I was across the room. I moved so quick the room should have been a blur. However, it felt, normal, natural. Almost as though I was moving at my regular speed, it was just everyone else who had slowed down to ridiculous pace.

"It's okay Wildcat. It's normal. You're just hungry." Damon said from next to me, he must have moved when I did.

"I don't want to hurt Alaric." I said in a quiet voice.

"You won't. I won't let you." Damon insisted.

"It's okay Bella. I offered." Alaric chimed in, the love and kindness that I associated with my Uncle still burning bright in his eyes. He still cared about me, my turning hadn't changed that I was more relieved than I thought to see that. I must have been worried about it subconsciously.

Feeding was… Amazing. It was a rush and blood was… It was better than chocolate and hamburgers and ice cream on a summer's day. Damon stopped me before I could take too much. I wanted more but it was bearable. Just.

"You did really well Wildcat. I got you a present." Damon said with a smirk on his handsome face.

"Oh goodie. Do I get a present every time I eat and not kill someone?" I asked with just a pinch of sarcasm.

"No or we'll be broke in no time." Damon smirked back as he got something off of Bonnie. "This is for you." He unceremoniously presented me with a jewellery box.

I felt like I should be blushing as I smiled and took the box. There was just no point in arguing, we both knew I'd cave eventually.

I opened the box to find the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen with a shining blue stone just like the Salvatore's both wore. He'd got me a daylight ring.

"It's beautiful Damon. Thank you." To my embarrassment tears were gathering in my eyes. The sooner my emotions sorted themselves out the better.

Damon stepped closer to me and took the ring from the box. He placed it carefully on my finger. My ring finger.

"Damon…" I started saying. I loved him, more than anything. However. We hadn't been together for long. At all. I already lived with him and I'd just turned into a vampire. I wasn't ready for…

"Calm down Wildcat. I'm not proposing today, when I do it'll be better than this, awkwardly stood around with the scooby gang and some fairies watching. But one day I will, this is until then." Damon smirked but his eyes were serious.

There was only one thing I could do.

I kissed him deeply and passionately, trying to pour all of my love for him into that one kiss.

Proposals could wait. It could all wait. We had forever after all.

That's it, just the epilogue to go now! I'll try to get that out sometime this week. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and let me know! Happy new year to you all!