Part 3

Everyone had stayed over at the boarding house that night. Damon walked into his room to check on Bella who had taken residency on the forefront of his mind. His bed was empty. The pretty black dress was thrown to the floor in front of his en suit bathroom. He silently cracked the door open. The shower was on and his superior sight could see through the frosted glass. Bella was showering more focused on cleansing herself than putting on a show like Katherine had done. Feeling like a creep he closed the door and relaxed on his bed playing with the jewelry she wore the day before and Elena had placed on the nightstand. Minutes later she emerged wrapped in a towel. she flushed when she saw him bringing a lot of blood to redden he cheeks and cleavage.

"Damon"

"Bella"

He introduced and held his hand waiting for her to shake it. She did while holding the towel tightly with her other hand. He flipped it and kissed her palm. She blushed harder but couldn't help her smirk.

"Do you mind?"

She asked motioning to the door with her eyes. Damon smirked and held her hand tighter

"This is my room"

Her eyes widened and tugged her hand back

"I don't suppose you have female clothes around or someone thought of bring me my bag, right?"

Damon motioned to the dresser near her and leaned back to watch the show

"My ex left some clothes behind. Maybe they fit"

Bella nodded and went through the clothes.. Black, black and more black. She rolled her eyes settling on a black corset top and skinny jeans. She lifted a skimpy thong and muttered about her luck. Damon chuckled and threw him an evil look over her shoulder and returned to the bathroom to get dressed. He motioned her to get back to bed and after a moment's hesitation she did. They laid side to side and Damon took her right hand in his immediately missing the sensation it gave him.

"Why did you bite me?"

Damon shrugged

"Felt like it, I guess"

She nodded remembering another vampire that would be too prudish to admit to that.

"who else bit you?"

He asked tracing the faint scar on the inside of her right hand. She chuckled.

"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"

"Deal"

"Well, last year I moved in with my dad in Forks. My partner in biology was a vampire and after he saved me from a van we started dating. He was nothing like the vampires in books, or you for that matter. Because of him I cut contact with everyone, including friends and family like my own mother and Elena with Jeremy. The tree of us were thicker than thieves growing up."

She shook her head and turned on to her side looking at a pair of icy blue eyes that were focused on her and only her still holding her hand lightly

"Anyway his family took me along to a game of baseball – vampire style. Three rogue cold ones crushed the party and one took a liking to my blood. My ex ran me to Phoenix where I – thinking that the bad vampire had my mother – went like a sheep to the slaughterhouse. He smacked me around and bit me. My ex was repulsed by the idea of me becoming like him so he sucked the venom out. I was hospitalized from that attack with a broken leg and a few broken ribs causing me to miss Greyson and Miranda's funerals. That ended my friendship with Elena. I would just mail Jeremy every now and then but it was cold. Back in September, his clairvoyant sister decided to throw me a party even though I didn't want one and opening a gift I got a paper cut that she completely missed in her visions. No one in their family of eight had thought of eating beforehand so his empathic brother attacked me. He used that as an excuse to break up with me and the family left the town altogether. When the mate of the first bad vampire came back for revenge he held up an entire play for his own benefit – asking for permission to kill himself by some kings in Italy and came back only after I was taken there and promised to be turned or killed."

She took a breath giving Damon time to process her story

"By then I wanted nothing to do with him but I needed his family in order to kill the vampire that was after me. The wolves had tried but she was too sneaky for them. After that was done in an epic battle of vampires & werewolves versus newborn vampires I told him that I wanted nothing to do with him and broke up with him. His sister and I got in a fight in which she revealed she knew about the first attack and the bite and she also knew about the birthday party bites and last but not least about the revenge. She simply chose not to inform anyone of all saying it was how my 'destiny' would bring me to them. That day Jeremy called us about Jenna and dad and I left. The werewolves informed me with a text that the family has moved away yet again. The end. Your turn"

she brought a hand to caress the hand that held hers without noticing

"Well my bite is a little similar. It was back in 1863 during the Civil War. My dad had invited a girl to spend the summer with us. She started seeing both Stefan and I exchanging blood with both of us. That went on for more that a year and during all that time Stefan and I became angrier and distant with each other. At some point the town became aware of the vampires and a secret organization was formed against them. My dad had suspicions on her and fed Stefan with a plant that's deadly to vampires and when she got sick he took her and put her with the others. The townsfolk pulled all vampires in a tomb and sealed it magically away. Stefan and I tried to free her and our father killed us"

Bella gasped

"we woke up during the transition. With her taken away we didn't want to live. Stefan went to confront our father but as they fought he bled so Stefan fed on him completing the transformation. He brought a girl for me and I have to admit I fed. Stefan and I didn't see each other for almost fifty years and then I heard about Katherine being back here. Only to find out it was Elena. Wanna know how I found that out? I'm the reason your uncle died Bella. I caused the accident."

Tears fell down his cheeks at the admittance he made for the first time. Bella wiped his eyes and touched his cheek lightly.

"Stefan took the time to get to know Elena and they fell in love. Then of course Katherine came back and a whole lot of problems started and ended with Jenna's death."

Bella moved in closer and hugged him causing only one thought to run through his mind as her scent enveloped him

'Elena who?'

Soon they were talking about this and that not finding this sudden closeness strange at all. It was hours later that everybody else woke up and the two were still in bed, in each others arms, talking.