AN) Hey! I tried to update as quickly as I could, but I've been having problems writing around college homework and just writers block. I wanted to apologize for last chapter. I probably should have had that as a 'deleted scene' chapter, but I wanted to try it and see how it went. I am fairly new at FanFiction, so I'm still experimenting on what works and what doesn't. I just wanted to apologize because I should have stuck with my gut. May not be able to unring that bell, however, I can post a new chapter. Thank you so much litanolastar, winxgirl1997, twilightlovengirl, twilightfanjm, Jojo657, RHatch89, steph A15, disestablishmentarian, wolf girl123098 , Vivi H88, lis3011, Original Sister, Alice Gone Madd, arayth3darkpr1nc3ss, and 01katie for reviewing the last chapter! Also thank you so much to anyone who has favorited, followed, review, and/or read this story! I appreciate all of your support!

On story related news, I am still accepting suggestions for whom you all would like to see Bella with.

If you have already voted, you may vote as many times as you would like, just as long as it isn't written a billion times in a review (example: ELIJAH, ELIJAH, ELIJAH, ELIJAH, ELIJAH, ELIJAH - that still counts as only one). You can put it in a review, a PM, or whatever you would like. Or if you mention again who you want Bella to be with to a response, that will count for another point toward your person of choice. So far, Klaus is in the lead followed by Kol.

Thank you everyone who has already voted! I will stop voting around the end of the Masquerade section, but I'll give you all heads up when the voting ends in a bit.

Enough of the jibber jabber! Enjoy the chapter!

~UnicornNinja12

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries nor do I own Twilight. I don't even own Spike. :(

Chapter 12

BPOV

"Bella." Someone shakes my shoulder. "Bella." Someone shakes my shoulder again. "Get up. I'm going to the Grill and I want you to come too."

I blearily open my eyes and noticed my father standing beside my bed. "What?"

"Get up and get dressed, I'm taking you out to breakfast," Dad said waiting to see if I was getting up.

"Okay," I say slowly stretching.

Dad made an impatient noise before grabbing me around the waist and placing my feet on the ground. As I began to protest that I could have gotten up myself, he said, "We weren't going to make it there for breakfast at that pace." I began toward my backpack in search of clothes, but my father's voice stopped me. "I already picked out your clothes. I know women well enough to know they take forever picking out clothes, so I took the liberty of choosing them for you. See you downstairs," he said before blurring out of the room.

I shook my head at his logic. Clearly he didn't know me then. I quickly shrug on the simple black t-shirt and jeans and quickly met up with Dad at the car.

"What do you think of parties?" Dad asked as we pulled out of the driveway.

"I don't like them," I say with a grimace.

"Really? Everybody likes parties," Dad says sending me a skeptical look.

"Not me."

"Well, that sucks." I look at him questioningly and he clarifies, "We're throwing a party tonight for my long lost cousin Bella Salvatore and I'm picking up the pie from the Grill."

"So you are taking me to breakfast so you can pick up pie?" I ask after Dad told me his plans for the day.

"Hey, this pie is going to be brought to a dinner party held in your honor. Did you miss out on that part?" I send him a look and he smirks. "Oh come on, you'll love it. Alaric's going to be there and you'll meet Elena's aunt Jenna, and Caroline's going to be there as well as Mason Lockwood."

"Did you throw this party to see if Mason Lockwood is a werewolf?" I ask sending him a knowing look.

"Well, it's definitely an added bonus that he comes…" Dad said, evading the answer.

"Is this party really in my honor?"

"It's in honor of you and Mason. It's more of a reunion type of get together."

"So it's not really in my honor? Just an excuse to test if Mason is a werewolf?" I say, relief slowly creeping up on me.

"Yeah, that sums it up." Dad says simply.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." Dad sends me a look and I say, "I don't have the best track record for parties in my honor. I find it's best to avoid them at all costs."

Dad gives me a look, but says nothing as he pulls into the Mystic Grill's parking lot.

-BOS-

After finishing eating, Dad ordered the pie for tonight's barbeque and we waited patiently for the pie to arrive.

"You will be careful tonight, right Dad?" He gives me a look, but doesn't answer.

"Careful is my middle name," he says sending me a smirk.

"Actually, it's-"

"Not literally," Dad says rolling his eyes before saying lightly, "Don't be such a spoiled sport. You'll ruin all my fun."

I smirk slightly and say, "I'm sorry that my correction has inhibited your fun," I then look at him with an exaggerated sad/puppy dog face and say, "Do you we need to hug this out?"

Dad lets out a fake sniffle and nods.

"Come here Papa Bear!" I say flinging my arms open and capturing him in a ginormous hug. "It'll be okay!"

Dad hugs me tightly in response before stiffening. I immediately loosen up and look around for the source of my father's distress and my eyes fall upon Elena, who was sitting down at a table, reading the Petrova book. This is just peachy. "Excuse me," Dad says before heading over toward her.

I let out a sigh and fiddle with a leftover straw wrapper before looking over at Elena's table where Dad currently is leaning against. Part of me wonders what on Earth Dad would want to talk to her about while the other part of me wants to just leave.

Elena gets up to leave, but something Dad says causes her to pause and briefly look at me before looking back at Dad. Dad gets the pie and signals me that we are leaving.

I nod and place a generous tip on the table before making my way toward when I hear someone call my name. I pause and turn around.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot," Elena said biting her lower lip, "But I didn't mean to be so… rude. It's just, there have been a lot of things popping up and it's getting me stressed out. I didn't mean to snap at you for defending Damon."

I listen carefully to what she says debating if I want to flat out accept her somewhat apology. I remain silent and considering and Elena is quick to fill the silence.

"I figured I would offer this as a peace offering," Elena says handing me the Petrova book.

I accept it and carefully place it in my arms. "Thanks. I think I found a copy this at Duke and gave it to my Dad to read first. I guess he's still reading it." I shake my head, playing dumb. "But thanks."

Elena shrugs and says, "No problem at all," not bothering to correct me.

We stand there awkwardly a few moments before I break it by saying, "Well, I'll see you later."

I turn to leave when I hear Elena ask, "Do you have clothes for school?"

"Umm… I have clothes?" I ask somewhat confused by what she said.

Elena smiled and shook her head, "No, I mean have you decided what you're wearing because I was thinking about going clothes shopping with Caroline and we think it would be nice if you could come with us."

"Really?" I ask perplexed. Why would Elena want me to go shopping with her and Caroline?

"Really," she said smiling, "I think it would be the perfect bonding experience. Besides," she says in a conspiring tone as she leans slightly toward me, "I imagine you need a break from the all-boy household for some girl fun!"

I was going to correct her and tell her that I enjoyed spending time with my father and Uncle Stefan, but thought the better of it. The offer didn't seem to be forced or malicious, so she was probably trying to find a decent reason to invite me. I smile and say, "I don't think I'll mind joining you two just as long as we are not there too long. But I will have to ask my father's permission first, but other than that I have no reason to object."

Elena's smile widened. "I understand, just call if you can't make it."

"Sure," I say smiling, "See you later Elena and thanks again for the book."

She smiles and waves as I make my way back toward my dad.

"Ready?" Dad asks as I approach him.

I nod and we leave the Grill.

After we've left the Grill's parking lot, I say, "I'm assuming you've overheard the conversation between Elena and me." Dad looks at me and nods unashamed. "Would like me to go with Caroline and Elena shopping?"

Dad sends me a weird look before saying, "Do you need my permission to hang out with friends?"

"We're not friends, at least yet. I don't know if I could even be friends with Elena. If she acts the way she did at Duke, I don't think I could be friends with her. Elena should not have been so rude and manipulative to you. It would take some time for her to earn my trust. But to answer your original question: yes I would need your permission."

"If you don't like her, then why bother hanging out with her?" Dad asks confused before narrowing his eyes at me, "You're not going to try to kill her are you?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes because I think a murder would go well in a public place with a bunch of cameras," I say sarcastically before shaking my head and saying, "Because you and Uncle Stefan like her. The least I could do is put forth some effort of being friends with her."

"I don't like her. I don't like humans."

I give him a look. "I may have just met you recently, but I'm not blind. Afterall, you have to somewhat like her if you are fighting for her friendship by giving her the book I gave to you to read," I say sending him a look. Dad says nothing as he looks back at the road.

"It hurt you know, seeing you give her the book," I looked at Dad, "I don't think you meant to hurt me, but I just wanted to you to know I gave it to you to read, not her." I left it at that, not bothering to mention it hurt liker a mother ducker to know he inadvertently chose Elena over me.

Dad was silent a moment before saying, "I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I just knew Elena was desperate for information on her ancestors."

"And I wasn't?" He just looks at me blankly. "I assumed it had something to do with you knowing her more than you know me. I understand why you did that, I just wanted you know."

"I'll keep that in mind. But if you really do want to go with Elena and Vampire Barbie, you may."

I smile and say, "Thanks Dad."

-BOS-

"Are you sure we should enter? Isn't it customary to knock first?" I ask as Dad and I made our way onto the Gilbert's porch.

"Pssh… screw customs. We can just go in," Dad says as he casually enters the house. I pause outside the door, uncomfortable just walking into an acquaintance's house. Dad turns around when he notices I have stopped following him. "You need to be invited in. Right. I'll quickly get Alaric," Dad says quickly before beginning to walk away.

"Wait," I say, slowly making my way to the door. "I don't need to be invited in. It's my own personal reasoning that is holding me back. Are you sure they will be okay with me just walking in?" Wasn't it considered rude to just walk into a person's house? Well, it never stopped Mother...

Dad rolled his eyes. "Of course I know, I do it all the time," he said before coming over and wrapping his left arm around my right arm. "Now let's head in."

I let him take me inside this time.

Dad leads us to what I assume is the Gilbert's kitchen. There were three people there, one of which I knew was Alaric and the other two I didn't know. They seemed cheerful as they raised their shot glasses together.

"Hey," Damon says walking into the room.

"Damon," the happiness drained from the woman's face with light brown hair. Was this Aunt Jenna, then?

"We were just doing shots. Let me give you a shot glass, buddy," said Alaric getting up get Dad a glass. I knew I liked Alaric.

"Here. Use mine," said the same woman chugging her liquor and giving her used shot glass. Yep that sounds like the Aunt Jenna that didn't like Dad.

She gets up and leaves with Alaric trailing behind her.

"She doesn't like me very much," Dad said informing us.

"That wasn't obvious," I said sarcastically with a small smile.

"We haven't met. Mason Lockwood." Mason offered his hand to Dad with a smile.

"Oh sure. Damon Salvatore," Dad said, shaking his offered hand.

"I know. I've heard great things about you," Mason said, smile still in place.

"Really? That's weird 'cause I'm a dick," Dad says back with a smile, calling him out.

I send Dad a 'are you crazy' look, which he merely shrugs to. Mason then turns his attention to me. Something in his gaze made me think he recognized me. "I don't think I've seen you before either. Surely I would remember such beauty. I'm Mason Lockwood," he says offering me his hand as well.

I blush at his compliment. "My name is Bella. Bella Salvatore. It's a pleasure to meet you Mason," I say accepting his hand shake.

"No, the pleasure is all mine Bella," he says before kissing the back of my hand. I heard a faint growl, but did my best act as if I hadn't heard it.

Mason however, did hear it, but chose to ignore it as well. "Now I have heard a lot about you," he says with a smile.

"You have?" I ask tilting my heading to the side. "Is this that small of a town?" I ask with a kind smile.

"I guess you can say that," he said vaguely. He then looks at Dad, "So how long have you been hiding your cousin?"

"Not long enough apparently," Dad said sending a smile that didn't match his glare.

Mason smile began to wilt. I cleared my throat and Dad's glare went to me before softening. "I don't think I've introduced myself to Jenna. Excuse me," I said, trying to avoid the awkward situation.

Dad took the hint and decided to follow me.

This is going to be a long night.

-BOS-

My prediction couldn't be more accurate.

Not only had Dad somehow gotten everybody to agree not to have me be the drawer (what's wrong with drawing Mr. Darcy! I thought he looked pretty epic. Maybe it had something to do with the next picture I drew which they should have easily guessed Squirrel Assassins...), but now I was forced to watch Dad provoke Mason through all the werewolf-related references.

"Dress! Ballerina!" Jenna called out. Jenna, as it turns out, seems to be a really nice person, but for some reason she has something against my father. I make a mental note ask her later about that, preferably when she wasn't drunk.

"Puppy! Puppy with a tutu!" Caroline calls out.

"No, no," Dad says, I look at his drawing and am grateful that my artistic abilities are slightly better than that. But even then, it was painfully obvious that Dad was trying to provoke Mason. I rub my head in frustration, but try to be oblivious.

"A dog! Hound-dog!" Jenna calls out enthusiastically.

"Dances with the Wolves," Mason says, unamused. The look of annoyance is written all over his face.

Everybody snaps their head toward him in sync. "Mason wins…again," Dad says sending Mason a look.

"How is that a wolf?" Jenna asks. If there was any doubt before if she was drunk, it certainly passed.

"I think you just have to tilt your head to the side a bit and squint," I say squinting and tilting my head to the right. I could see Dad roll his eyes at me.

Jenna copies my movements and after a moment, she says, "Now I see it." She then turns to Alaric. "Can you see it too?"

Alaric smiles and says, "Of course I can."

"It's like a Christmas miracle in March," I suggest with a small smile.

"It's a miracle! It the non-Christmas Christmas miracle!" Jenna agreed enthusiastically.

Tonight was going to be interesting to say the least.

Like it? Let me know!

Until next time!

~UnicornNinja12