AN) Hey everyone! Thank you so much for being patient with me! I would have updated sooner, but I started college at the beginning of August and haven't had a lot of spare time to write. So as soon as classes ended today, I wrote until I successfully completed this chapter! Thank you so much ellaryne, Alice Gone Madd, Jojo657, vampirelove41 , m. , Lilithcase39girl, twilightfanjm, Vivi H88, GoddessxNyte, 01katie, winxgirl1997, lis3011, NeonEnigma88, pinklips20 , Guest, vampgurlkisses, RHatch89, shadowhunterherondale, and angel897 for reviewing the previous chapter! I wouldn't have been able to complete this chapter had it not been for your support! Thank you so much! Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, or read this story! I am truly grateful for you all!

Enjoy this chapter! And please feel free to let me know what you think or if there is anything you want to see!

Thanks!

~UnicornNinja12

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries nor do I own Twilight nor do I own Spike.

BPOV

"Are you sure you want to go out there with us? If you want you wait out here," Dad said for the fifth time.

I roll my eyes. "I'll be fine. The shot wasn't that bad," I say slowly getting to my feet. I wasn't nearly as dizzy as I was before, but I still felt lightheaded. "Besides I don't want to miss out on all the fun. Let's go."

Dad studied me carefully before nodding and heading toward the door, where Elena was worriedly watching me. I let out a sigh of relief and follow after them.

We walked into the office where Alaric was talking with Vanessa. "I'm Elena Gilbert, Isobel's daughter and a descendant of Katherine Pierce. And this is Damon and Bella Salvatore who you just shot."

"Yeah, thanks for that," I say rubbing my sore shoulder.

"I'd be extra nice to me right now," Dad said, sending a glare toward the girl.

"And I would be so thankful if you gave us all of Isobel's research and anything related to Mystic Falls," I added on kindly.

"Look, we need your help okay? We need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls," Elena said.

Vanessa nodded before going to get the research.

-BOS-

"This box checks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864," Vanessa said after returning.

I watched as Vanessa plopped a crateful of files onto the desk and I was transfixed. Never before in my existence had I gotten any sort of information about my mother and here before me is documentation of part of my mother's life. In this crate contained knowledge of my mother and I desperately wanted to learn of my mother. Was she different before she met Dad? Perhaps she kept me at a distance for a reason. As soon as Vanessa's hands were off the crate, I quickly grabbed a few files and started flipping through them, slowly drinking in my mother.

Feeling Vanessa's inquiring look, I looked up sheepishly. Perhaps I was a bit excited.

"Is this all there is on her?" Elena asked looking unimpressed. I send her a reproachful look.

"As far as I'm aware."

I look distractedly out the window for a moment before saying, "It's more than I know about her."

I, her daughter, knew little to nothing about her and here I am getting excited to finally get some information about her, through books rather than Mother herself.

Perhaps I was pathetic. When the Cullen's left, I was crushed. They were the closest thing to a family I ever had and they had abandoned me. And I let them crush me. But they had so open and honest with me. Never have I ever felt the bonds a family could provide. I should have gone with what my brain was thinking and known that it was too good to be true.

Turning my attention toward the two, I regarded them briefly. Vanessa looked slightly confused while Elena had on a sympathetic look. I say, "Let's start looking, shall we?" I pick up a paper and begin to read it.

We begin to read through various articles, when something caught my attention. It was an old brown book with the word 'PETROVA' written upon its spine placed on the shelf on the opposite part of the room. After a glance around, no one else had noticed the book. I slowly began to make my way to book before picking it up.

Petrova. It had been in passing my mother and vampire (Trevor or maybe Terrence). It may not be a helpful clue, but hopefully it would provide some sort of insight into the enigma that is my mother.

Elena had begun talking with Vanessa and I drowned most of their conversation until I heard Dad say, "You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask."

My eyes snapped to my father. "Please don't," I ask of him, "I don't know what had you all talking about people getting naked, but please don't."

Elena rolled her eyes before saying to Vanessa, "No, that he can't do. He is very capable of being a first rate jackass." Obviously I missed some of the conversation.

"Well, don't we all have the capability to be, as you said, a 'first rate jackass", even the high and mighty?" I ask, watching her from my peripheral vision as I grab another file on my mother.

"I suppose," she says, carefully studying me.

I begin looking by my father when he says to me, "What's that book? The name sounds familiar."

I look down at the book on my arm and say, "I think it's a book about Mother." I bite my lip and look down at it before looking at my father. I wanted him to know he could trust me and this could be step one. "Would you like to look at it? I haven't read through it, but if you wanted to look through it first, you may?" I ask gently offering him the book. As much as it hurt, I knew by offering the book, it was a sign of trust.

Dad looks at me a moment before taking the book. "Thank you Bella."

I smile and say, "No problem Dad."

-BOS-

We continued to search when we heard Alaric call, "Hey guys, check this out."

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz," Vanessa said before handing us a book with pictures and text.

She continues briefly speaking in Aztec, "which roughly translates into the 'curse of the sun and the moon'."

"It's Native American," Alaric guessed before Vanessa corrected him.

"Aztec. It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Dad asked.

"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse. Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."

"Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it."

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction."

"Plus my friend Spike has seen some in his lifetime," I interject.

Dad narrowed his eyes at the mention of Spike. "Well since he's MIA at the moment, he's not a reliable source."

"Why would they do that?" Elena asked wanting to get back onto the topic at hand.

"To protect themselves. Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

My eyes darted to my father in concern. Almost nothing could kill my father, but knowing there could be a werewolf in Mystic Falls that could kill my father is completely unnerving. Based off of personal experience, dying hurts and something tells me that a werewolf bite wouldn't be too comfortable.

-BOS-

"Did Isobel have anything that explained the link between me and Katherine?" Elena asked after we had begun to research some more.

"That's all she had on Katherine, unfortunately," Vanessa said to her apologetically.

"Maybe did she have any research on what doppelgängers are?"

"It varies culture to culture, but typically doppelgängers are living breathing doubles of the same person," I say carelessly. "Not to be confused with clones."

"Hey, have you done any research on doppelgängers?" Elena asked turning her attention toward me.

"No, no I haven't," I say in the same careless tone as before. Way too much research for one day. Setting down the paper I was reading, I look at her. "But unlike you, I used Google. You should try it," I say offering her the paper I was reading. She rejects it with a shake of her head. I shrug and go back to reading it.

"She summed it up pretty well, but I can tell you that doppelgängers usually torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives. It's not exactly uplifting," Vanessa said apologetically.

"And more things we already know. Just... I want to know why we look alike," Elena said frustrated.

"If all questions had an easy, immediate answer, there would be no questions, Elena. But I'm sure we'll find an answer soon." I say soothingly. Despite her rude behavior, I still felt slightly bad for her. I experience this kind of frustration all the time. But it wasn't Vanessa's fault that she doesn't have more information about doppelgängers.

Elena's frustration doesn't let up and Dad takes the opportunity to say, "Head scratcher, isn't it?"

Elena sends him an annoyed look. "Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?"

"Well, if I know anything, I'm not gonna tell you, not with that attitude," Dad said taunting her.

"That's good, Damon, and this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend, but you know what? Friends don't manipulate friends, they help each other," Elena said bitingly.

I send her a sharp look as I wait for Dad to defend himself. As she turns and walks past him, it's obvious her words cut him. Unable to stop myself, I say, "You're right Elena." Elena stops and turns toward me. "Friends don't manipulate friends. But anyone in their right mind knows a friend doesn't manipulate a want-to-be friend because that shows the beginning a corrupt friendship."

She scowls at me. "This has nothing to do with you Bella."

"Maybe or maybe not. I may not have grown up with a single group of parents, but he is my father and I will always protect him." She goes to turn away. "I don't know you Elena." She pauses and turns to look at me. "I don't like thinking poorly of people and my opinion of you could change. But from what I have seen you're not the saint you think you are," I say before leaving the room.

"And you are the saint you think you are?"

I stop and turn toward her. "No, I'm not. I'm not so self-righteous to think I'm by any means perfect. I do my best to be perfect, but I know I will never be perfect. I am simply Bella and always will be." I look at Dad, Alaric, and Vanessa, who had watched the scene unfold. "Excuse me for my part in the quarrel. It shouldn't have been done in front of you all." With a quick bow of the head, I exit the room and head outside with my father's response echoing in my head.

"Are you okay Elena?"

-BOS-

I defend him and he supports her. I release a frustrated sigh and run a hand through my hair already tired of this Great Leslie moment. (AN: I refer to the movie The Great Race and the scene when the Great Leslie agrees with Maggie about her beliefs in women being men's equal and she slaps him). I sit on this bench surrounded by trees, trying to calm down.

However, after seeing Dad hand Elena the book I was letting him read about Mother, I knew I wasn't going to calm down any time soon. I hadn't even read it yet he is handing it to her? I am her daughter, I should be able to read it before she does; she's only distantly related!

I let out another frustrated sigh and tug at my tresses when I notice my father's sudden sadness. Concern fills me as Elena then gets into the car like the magnificent prat she is. I begin walking toward Dad when I notice something –no, someone- I recognized standing not too far from me.

"Alice," I breathe out. I catch my father's as well as her attention when I say this. I just freeze and watch as Alice pretends not to have heard me. I will my feet to move toward the woman I considered a friend, a sister.

Alice bit her lip as she seemed to debate something. She glanced at me hopefully, before turning and beginning to walk away.

"Wait Alice," I say walking faster trying to catch up with her as she entered a fenced courtyard. I followed her in and watched as she was about to run vampire speed away. "Alice Cullen! I know you know I'm here, just stop a second and talk to me!" I said sternly. My eyes filled with hope as she stopped where she was.

"Bella," she said simply.

I looked at her a moment. Alice looked the same as she had before, one of the perks to being immortal I suppose. All the dreams of how happy I would be if I were to see any of them again didn't prepare me for the amount of hurt and betrayal felt at this moment.

"How have you been Alice?" I asked, not knowing what to say or how to feel.

Alice studied me with a torn expression before saying, "Fine. And you?"

"Why didn't you say goodbye? Why did you all just leave?" I asked cutting straight to the point.

"I didn't have a choice in the matter Bella. I, I shouldn't have stopped. I have to go" Alice said before turning and walking away.

"No, Alice wait," I said darting after her. "What's wrong? Why shouldn't you have stopped? Alice!" Alice quickly blurred out of sight, leaving me in ruins.

I slowly sit down on the ground and put my head in my hands. That didn't go well and certainly didn't go as planned. I close my eyes and try to hold back my tears. The hole was back and was tearing at my seams with a vengeance.

"Bella?" I heard Dad call. "We have to get going. Alaric's getting grumpy."

I clear my throat and say, "Okay, I'm coming," after pulling myself together. Getting up, I dust off my jeans and check to make sure I don't have any tears along my eyes. Not feeling any, I quickly make my way toward my father who is waiting for me at the courtyards entrance.

I look down and try to walk past my father when his hand catches my arm as I'm about to pass. I look up at him and he asks, "Are you alright Bella?"

I take a deep breath and give him shaky smile, "Alright as I'll ever be."

His eyes study mine and he raises his eyebrows. "Well, I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks Dad," I say grateful he didn't try to pry the information from me.

"Anytime," he said before noticing Alaric getting into the car. "We better get going."

At that he quickly wrapped his arm around me and ran us to the car.

"You know you two could have walked over here; I would have waited for you," Alaric said as Dad and I entered the car.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Dad asked, causing me to smile.

Alaric chuckled and sent a smile in my direction, which I quickly returned.

-BOS-

"How did it go?" Uncle Stefan asked as I entered the room. Dad had sent me back to the Boarding House as soon as Alaric entered the Gilbert's home claiming he needed to talk to Elena.

I shrugged. "Fairly well, I guess. How was Caroline today?" I asked curiously. She seemed so happy when I had seen her last, but being a newborn, so I have been told, is very difficult to adjust to.

It was Uncle Stefan's turn to shrug. "Fairly well. She did have an incident with Matt, but other than that she did well, even with the werewolf-"

"There was a werewolf?" I asked, "Did it attack? Was anyone hurt?" I began to study him. If he was hurt, he was good at hiding it. "Are you okay?"

He chuckled and said, "I'm perfectly fine Bella. It didn't bite any of us."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Why to have me worrying Uncle Stefan," I said placing a hand on my chest.

He smiled and said, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to worry you."

"Though that means I definitely have to make sure Dad gets home safely if the werewolf is still out."

Uncle Stefan's brows furrowed in concern. "Damon's out there alone?"

"Yes, he wanted to make sure Elena made it home safe."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be fine," he said as he began making his way to the stairs. "I'm heading to bed. Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight Uncle Stefan," I say watching him walk up the stairs.

I made my way to the spot I see my father frequently drink at and sit in front of the fireplace and wait for him to return.

Why was Alice there? She seemed pretty surprised to see me. Did I do something wrong? I place my head in my hands and will the tears to stop running. They aren't worth it, or maybe they are, but I just want the pain to be over.

Not long after sitting in front of the fire, the sound of the front door shutting caught my attention. Wiping the tears off my face, I cleared my throat before setting out to find my father.

Setting out to find my father took much less time than expected because as soon as I opened the door, I ran into him. Dad quickly steadied me, though he seemed hurt.

"Are you okay?" I ask concerned. Dad just looked at me surprised.

"Why would you ask that?"

I shrugged. "You look like something happened. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I raised an eyebrow, but he ignored me and asked, "Have you been crying?"

I was silent for a moment. "Is it that obvious?" I ask, feeling ashamed for revealing a weakness.

He let out a humorless laugh. "To me, yes," he looked at me carefully, "I don't handle crying girls." Dad hesitantly wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around him and hid my face in his chest. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore, as I cried in the safety of my father's arms.

Dad didn't say anything as he moved us onto the couch and occasionally shushed me. "So," he said as my tears began to settle down, "Who do I need to kill?"

I giggled and said, "Nobody, but thanks anyways."

"Who hurt you, mia bella?" He paused. "Was it that Eliot kid? I will pummel him into the ground."

"No, it wasn't Edward. I saw Alice today."

"Alice," Dad said distastefully. "What did she do?" I shake my head. "Come on Bella, what did she do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked confused, "You're upset because your friend did nothing?"

I shook my friend. "She was like a sister," I took a deep breath before continuing, "And she left with him without saying anything. I thought we were closer than that." I wiped my eyes. "I just wanted to know why, why did she just leave? The least she could have done is given me a reason." I hug him tighter.

Dad hugs me tighter in response. "Elena said she could never be friends with me, she admitted manipulating me to get information on Katherine."

I bit back an 'I told you so' and said, "She is a manipulative person and doesn't deserve any extra attention. You're better than her."

"No, I'm not. I'm a monster."

"No, you're not Dad. You're only a monster if you let yourself be one. And don't let Elena or anyone else tell you otherwise."

It's silent a moment or two before Dad says, "You deserve better than your ex, Bella. You are my little girl and if I see his face around here, he will regret the day he was born. I won't let anyone harm you, my little Bella. I'll always be here for you."

I hug him tighter as the tears stream down my face and say, "As I'll always be here for you, Daddy. I love you."

"It'll be alright Bella. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm here for you."

So what do you think?

I won't lie, I almost stopped once when Bella said Alice's name, but that would have been downright cruel.

Until next time!

~UnicornNinja12