Chapter 19: Aftermath

Everything happened so fast I had trouble keeping up. Alice run straight to my dad and bit him on the shoulder. As she drank I rushed to her, grabbed her and threw her out, literally. I shot her with the flare gun and after letting her burn for a few seconds I hosed her down with the hose next to the back door for the flowers. She seemed shocked and I spoke in a deadly voice ignoring dad's screams and my burning scar

"Next time I will not hose you out. LEAVE"

She nodded and I could sense her fear, then she turned and run away. I called Damon in panic told him quickly had happened and he was there in a flash. I ordered him to go in and he did the same trick Eddie did for me. Sucked the venom out and threw up. Venom apparently was as deadly to him as vervain. Dad was shocked but alive and without a trace of venom in him, unlike me. I was so mentally tired I shrank into the floor, mortified. Suddenly I understood exactly what Damon was feeling. We had both been expertly manipulated and we both fell for it, hook line and sinker. I had just found out I was being manipulated from before i even met the Cullens. It made me feel so incredibly vulnerable and victimized.

My calm, cool and collected exterior crumbled and I hid my face in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to calm down but I couldn't. I shivered and looked at dad who seemed freaked out. I crawled up to him and curled in his arms just like when I was a little girl after a nightmare. Dad was shaking and Damon was staring. I took a few deep breaths and I moved slowly to the counter to make some tea. Dad turned to look at Damon and asked

"What are you?"

"Vampire, local one"

Dad just nodded.

"Why did you ... do whatever you just did?"

"I don't know, I don't know a lot these days. I will not hurt you"

"I didn't think you would, Damon"

I kicked my shoes off and made 3 cups of tea, I knew that according to Damon it wouldn't do anything for him but I did it anyway. I gave them their cups and sat on a stool on the counter, both of them mimicking me.

"What did Alice want Bella? Did you invite her?"

"No dad, I came home and I found her in. She claimed to have seen me commit suicide and wanted to make sure I was dead and help you"

"Suicide?"

"I didn't commit suicide dad, Damon and I were driving, saw a kid in the water going under and dove in to save him"

"wait, saw you?" Damon piped in

"Yeah the cold ones - Cullens have certain abilities. Edward can read minds except mine yours dad to an extent, Alice can she the future based on people's decisions again can't see my own decisions so she made them for me and Jasper can feel and manipulate the feelings of the people around him."

I said in a breath. I looked at dad he was frozen in place and Damon was obviously thinking.

"Are you ok dad? Does it still burn?"

"No not anymore. Why ..."

"The cold ones have venom and it burns. When they bite someone the person will either change like them or die. You were in the process of the first one, that's why I asked Damon to suck it out like snake venom. By the way, you look a little pale Damon, you ok?"

"I will be in a while. I need to eat something"

"Like a sandwich or ..."

I raised an eyebrow at dad and gave him a look that said 'dad focus'. He got the point and stopped talking.

"I'd offer a vein but something tells me my dad would go ballistic" I joked

"I think I'll go have a bite and be back"

"OK"

Damon was out the door in a flash.

"A bite?"

"You do realize you have some explaining to do, right?"

"Yes dad, I 'll just cook at the same time."

I started cooking the simple chicken with potatoes dinner I had planned and told him all about the local vampires. Their weaknesses, their strength, how they could easily kill me and others if the chose to and how they didn't. I finished by talking about Caroline and the healing abilities of a vamps blood but also how it wasn't sure and how it could backfire. I didn't mention Vicki or how vervain didn't affect me. I was worried about his bite but since it didn't burn I tried not to think about it. It's not like I could call Carlisle and ask for help but I did have James' number.

Over dinner dad and I talked about all the supernatural beings we encountered in the past year and I reminded him to carry a flare gun, just in case. He asked me what the local vamps eat and I told him about Stefan's vegetarian diet and that Damon favored the blood banks (yes I flat out lied what do you want me to do now?)

We sat together and saw a movie that night. Next day we met up at the hospital with Liz Forbes & Mark Williams (Caroline's dad). It was obvious that the two of them didn't like being together in the waiting room but they ignored it because of their daughter. I saw how dad went and sat next to Liz and talked about work and made sure to involve Carline's dad in it. I guess he knew from Phoenix last year how it is to be out of the conversation. I went in the room to see Caroline; she was still unmoving almost like sleeping. Beautiful with her hair combed and clean almost like an actress on tv, why when I was in hospital last year i didn't look like that? I guess it's in the dna. My phone rang and it was Damon telling me to fetch Caroline's parents and my dad and meet him at the park at the falls to tell them, he'd feed Caroline.

I told dad and he picked them up, drove them to the park and Damon sat them down. Stefan and Elena came soon after that and they all told Liz and Mark about vampires, what really happened this year (concealing Damon's killing spree obviously) and finished by telling them they could either save Caroline either change her. It really was up to her. Liz just sat there mouth hanging open, staring into space while Mark was all in. His daughter would be ok either way. That snapped Liz for her thoughts and dad's words that her daughter would still be the same either way warmed my heart. It also helped Liz say yes. We all headed back to the hospital in 2 cars. Dad, Liz and Mark in the Impala, Damon and me in his car and Stefan and Elena in Stefan's car. Elena and me were outside the room in case something went wrong, Stefan would pull Damon back in he lost control and the adults were merely there.

"Elena?"

"mmm"

"What's up with you and Bonnie?"

"We're not ok yet but we're working on it"

"If I'm not intruding, how can you trust her again after she betrayed you like that?"

"She's my best friend, more like a sister. It's hard but I think it will be ok, I'm definitely spending more time with Caroline now, and you. You know everything and that's so much easier."

I chuckled

"Tell me about it"

Everyone came out then

"How did it go?"

"How is she?"

"I fed her, she should be ok in the next 24 hours"

After that dad had to go to work. Elena & I would go for coffee, Stefan would go hunting and Damon said he had to do something. We spent our morning slowly, talking and getting to know each other. She was an a nice person but there was something that put me off. Maybe the knowledge that Damon liked her, for some reason I couldn't get him off my mind. I wanted to ask her about it, about that kiss but if it wasn't her it could 'cause problems. Besides our focus right now was Caroline, Elena was all up for planning a party for the day she'd get out of the hospital and frankly I liked the idea. Girls night out in Forks was a reminder only. My cell rang and I moved out of the grill to answer it. It was Mike telling me that Ben cheated on Angie, she was angry and hurt and he managed to talk their parents to let them spend part of their spring break here with me if I had no problem with it. I said yes but I'd have to ask Charlie to be sure, I'd call him tonight and tell him for sure, I'd send him the map quest dad and I used and what stops to make. They could also always fly but it was more expensive. We said out goodbyes and hung up. I told Elena and decided the more the merrier. We'd host the party at my place and it could actually work. The weather was great, we'd keep it in the back yard and be quiet enough. Figuring the hospital would keep Caroline for a couple days more we set a date for wednesday, it was monday so we had enough time to prepare it.

We had lunch with Matt and Bonnie. She was ice cold to me and I can't say I like her more than that. Maybe one day she'll let me in but right now she's at the same level as Lauren is in my head, aka very very very veeeeery low.

Dad and I met up after work and during dinner at the Grill I told him about the job proposal I got the previous day and about the visit Angie and Mike planned. He didn't mind the job since I'd be careful (he knew how much I loved water) and had no problem with my friends if Mike got the spare room, no sleeping together. Ha like it would happen Angie's mind is on Ben and mine on Damon. Wait what? Since when is... it's not, just because he's the first decent looking guy I've met after Edward doesn't mean... does it? I want my mommy

"Bells? Bella? Isabella Marie Swan!"

"huh what?"

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah why?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Because you've been staring the napkin dispenser for 5 minutes and I've been calling your name like a crazy mantra"

"Sorry, I was lost in thought"

"Was it something important?"

"erm, I'll get back to you on that"

"ok"

Dad was looking at me with a knowing smile that made me blush and dig in to my dinner. When we got home later I emailed Mike letting him know it's ok and called Angela to let her vent on how at the spring themed party they went she caught Ben making out with some girl she didn't know. I could kill Ben that moment. I told her about coming to see me for a week to clear her head and simply asked her to text me the next day on info of their trip to let me know. I called mom after that and needing her advice I hinted about Damon and me after making sure no one was around to over hear us. We talked for almost 2 hours, telling each other about our days and news. I slept soundly after that cuddling to Mr. fluffy