Alice's cry echoed through the Forest, making me speed up, leaving Klaus right behind me. When I got to the meadow where the Cullen's house stood, a battle greeted me. Leah, Tyler and Jake were in their wolf forms, fighting several smaller wolves. While they were new and quite small, the new shape-shifters were in greater number, giving them some trouble. Jasper was helping Stefan who had pulled a wolf away from Elena, who had a deep gash on her arm. Edward had his arms around Sam's neck, having some trouble trying to hold him while escaping his teeth. Rebekah was holding Paul, and Alice was pinned to the ground by Jared, holding his face off as his teeth snapped dangerously close to her face.
But Damon wasn't there.
I kicked Sam off Edward and let my face change as he growled at me. He advanced but I quickly jumped on a tree to escape him, before jumping on his back, taking him down. Another wolf grabbed me by the leg, but was soon pulled off by Edward. Sam bit me in the shoulder, with enough strength to wound me, and I was forced to let go of him with the wounded arm. I kicked him in the head, and he tried to get up, but was clearly dizzy, because he shook his head and his eyes were unfocused. Leah had left Jake and Tyler to deal with the smaller wolves and tackled Jared off Alice, who was helped up by Jasper. They stepped back, falling beside Elena and Stefan. As Jared, Embry and Quil surrounded me, I realized why Jasper had stopped. This was a doomed battle. They wouldn't stop until they killed us and we didn't want to kill them. It would never stop.
I stepped back as well with Edward, and Rebekah followed, with Klaus, reluctantly. The wolves, some hurt, surrounded us, baring their teeth, and Sam stepped forward, his eyes on me.
"Stop, wait!"
I glanced at Seth, who walked out of the house hesitantly, his hands balled in fists and clenched his jaw as he looked at Sam. Edward's head snapped in his direction, frowning and then set his face in a cool expression as he turned back to Sam.
"I imprinted on her" Seth said. "You can't hurt her"
Paul growled loudly, but Sam growled louder at him and Paul quieted. Sam looked at Jake before huffing and ran into the woods, the whole pack following him. We waited until we knew they were far enough before turning back to the house.
"Caroline and Lucas?" Klaus demanded of Rebekah. "Where are they?"
"Where's Damon?" I asked worriedly.
"They're inside, on the last floor" Alice informed us. "We told them to wait for an opportunity to get out"
I followed Klaus inside, to the last floor and found Rosalie and Caroline in the hallway, Caroline bouncing Lucas trying sooth him, while Rosalie rocked a small baby in her arms.
"Where's Damon?" I asked again.
Rosalie looked at me and glanced at Caroline. They exchanged a look before pointing to a bedroom. I burst into the bedroom, and saw Damon slumped on an armchair, weak. I paid no attention to the bed in the room, where Bonnie lied on top and covered by bloody sheets, asleep. I rushed to Damon, kneeling down and taking his hand. He groaned and opened his eyes, giving me a small smirk.
"Tell me you kicked some wolf ass" he mumbled.
"I did. Sam's" I chuckled. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, lost a bit of blood" he shrugged weakly.
"Damon Salvatore, being modest, that's a miracle"
I turned to Stefan who stood by the door with a small smile.
"He's almost completely drained of blood… Bonnie lost too much" Stefan said.
"Damon, doing good?" I asked teasingly. "Surely you're mistaken"
"Haha" Damon deadpanned, closing his eyes.
"Carlisle will be here soon with blood bags" I told him quietly, "But meantime… here"
I bit into my wrist and offered it to him. He took my wrist into his hands, entwining our fingers and pulled the wound to his mouth. I sat on his lap while he drank and laid my head against his chest, relieved that we had most of our issues solved into one day. Bonnie and her baby were alright, the pack backed off and everyone was alright.
"You said you imprinted on the baby, did I hear the right?" Damon asked, frowning at Seth.
"I thought it was a good idea" Seth said nervously.
"Well, it wasn't" Leah snapped.
"Why?" Elena asked confusedly.
"They can't harm the baby if a wolf imprinted on her... the pain it would cause a wolf could destroy the pack since our minds are linked" Jacob explained.
"I thought so but... why is it a bad idea?"
"I can't stay here anymore" Seth explained to her. "They would know something is off if I'm not obsessed with the baby all day, and they expect me to follow the Cullens"
"Just clear something up for me... your people think it's alright to fall in love with babies?" Damon asked looking horrified.
"Shut up" I whispered in his ear as Leah, Jacob and Seth scowled at him.
"I don't know what all the fuss is about" Rebekah said stealing Klaus' drink from his hand. "Even if Seth could stay, no one would welcome us... we have to leave anyway"
"I am not leaving" Leah said scowling at her.
"She's right though, Leah" Tyler sighed. "We aren't part of the pack anymore, we aren't welcome at the rez anymore"
"Have you taken our house back, Nik?" Rebekah said. "Or are you still submitting to Marcel?"
"It is my house, and why do you care?" Klaus retorted scowling at her. "You're not welcome there"
"You're an asshole" she said.
"Tell us something new" Stefan said amusedly.
"I would say anyone is welcome to stay with us... but we have a one bedroom apartment" Elena said.
"Oh, the shame! Sleeping together before marriage!" Damon mocked.
"Money is not an issue... we can arrange something, or you can take one of our houses... this one if you want" Esme said, wrapping her arms around Carlisle who nodded in agreement.
Leah didn't seem thrilled.
"There's my old house" I said and downed the drink I had. "I wouldn't live there anyway"
"I'll take it" Leah said gratefully.
"Well, that's settled. I am going to New Orleans... stay with my nephew a bit and see how I can help Klaus get rid of Marcel" Rebekah said and cocked an eyebrow at Jake.
"I am going with you" Jake shrugged with a smile. "I hear New Orleans' nightlife is wild"
"Seth?" I asked. "You need to get out of town..."
"I really need to think things through next time" he mumbled.
"You saved the day, kid" Damon said and glanced at Stefan. "There's the boarding house..."
"Yes, I think Jeremy will appreciate the company" Stefan agreed.
"So...? Everything settled?" Rose asked.
"Yes" I said, resting my head on Damon's chest as he wrapped his arms around me. "Although we shouldn't be surprised if something happens soon… It's always like that with us"
Emmett and Jake chuckled, while the others smiled sadly in agreement. We couldn't deny the chaos our lives usually were.
"You are avoiding me"
I turned and cocked an eyebrow at Klaus, before turning back to the dishes. With werewolves as guests, the Cullen house had more dishes than ever. Finally their dinner sets had been put to use.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, washing my hands.
"See, I don't want Caroline to be suspicious, especially of something as insignificant as this. But if you avoid me, she will start to ask questions, and I would hate to be angry at you for something happening between Caroline and me" he said with a fake sweet smile.
"First, don't threat me" I said, frowning at him. "You can't kill me, and I am one of your only friends. For now. Second, I don't want any of that to happen either. I was just taking a break. Caroline won't find out, so… chill. Everything will be fine"
"Your mind reading friend wouldn't have a mouth bigger than what's good for him, would he?"
"No, Edward is fine" I rolled my eyes.
"Great… Oh, Caroline wanted me to ask if you wanted to join us in New Orleans. I think she needs backup since my sister will be there. Too many blondes, I agree" he grinned.
"Sure, I'll just talk to Damon" I said, and turned to dry the dishes. "Don't plan anything for this afternoon"
"Why?"
"You'll see"
"Carlisle" Edward called with an urgent tone from upstairs.
I frowned and Elena snapped up from her seat next to Stefan. We had been watching TV and talking, while Edward was with Bonnie, waiting for her to wake up. Carlisle got up from his game of chess with Esme, and rushed upstairs. Rosalie came down a few minutes later.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked worriedly.
"The baby…" Rosalie mumbled.
"What happened?" I asked, standing up.
"I didn't notice, I was so focused on taking care of her…"
"What are you talking about, Rosalie?" Esme asked frowning, standing up.
"Edward came to check on the baby and noticed something off" Rosalie said, and I didn't like her tone at all. "The baby… it's big"
"Poor Bonnie then" Damon scoffed.
"Damon" I chastised, scowling at him. He grinned back.
"No… it's not normal… She looks older than she should" Rosalie clarified. "She's growing too fast"
It had taken some time for everyone to stop worrying, and to Carlisle convince Edward that the baby was fine, even if it was growing faster than a normal baby. But Edward could not be soothed. Even when he stopped fussing over the baby, I could tell his thoughts were still erratic. Like everyone else, I had tried to talk to him, assure him it would be fine, but my mind had also done the math. If that baby continued growing at that rate, it would mean her life wouldn't extend for longer than a few years. She was half vampire, and we didn't know if she could be changed.
Even with everything, no one could deny that the baby was one of the most beautiful babies in the world. We had compromised that she was the most beautiful baby girl in the world, after all, Lucas was too cute to be true as well – even if he was Klaus' son.
Bonnie only woke up early afternoon.
Emmett and Stefan laughed with Elena's shameful attempt to hit the ball, and Jake only threw the ball back at Jasper, crouching back behind Elena with a teasing grin.
"I want a normal vampire throwing that ball, Jasper is cheating" Elena pouted.
"Don't be a sore loser" Damon said from behind me. "Now, get on with it, I'm next"
"Ready?" Jasper called.
"Go, Elena!" Alice cheered.
Elena positioned herself again, swinging the bat in test, and then nodded at Jasper. Jasper threw the ball with the least strength he could, but Elena still missed and the ball fell in Jake's hands again. She sighed and rolled her eyes at Emmett who teased her.
"My turn!" Damon said.
He spun me around and gave me a quick kiss before rushing to Elena's side. She playfully tried to hit him with the bat before giving it to him and going to stand with Stefan. I walked to where Edward, Bonnie, Rosalie and Esme were sitting, watching the baseball game.
"How are you felling, Bonnie?" I asked, sitting beside them.
"Perfect" she grinned, looking up from the baby.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you out here. I just wanted us to do something together" I said taking Lucas from Esme as he reached for me.
"You have nothing to apologize, Bella, it was a wonderful idea" Esme smiled.
"Yes" Bonnie agreed. "I'm happy, thank you"
"So, have you decided on a name yet?" I asked looking down at the baby.
"Elizabeth Sheila" she smiled at Edward.
He kissed her forehead and fixed the blanket wrapped around baby Elizabeth. I smiled at them and glanced back at the game as I heard people cheering. Klaus, Caroline, Seth and Carlisle were after the ball, while Damon ran across the field, Stefan and Elena cheering loudly. I laughed and laid back, lifting Lucas in the air making him giggle. I wished I could freeze that moment. When we looked and felt normal. Everyone together, peacefully, having fun, like friends and family should. It would probably take a long time to do it again, it wasn't every day we had reasons to be perfectly happy, and it wasn't every day everyone forgot the little conflict in our group.
"So, Bonnie" Rosalie said. "Ready for a sibling for baby Liz?"
Edward threw a glare at his sister who rolled her eyes at him, and Bonnie and I exchanged a glance.
Yes, the little disagreements would never die in our group.
"I need a drink" Damon grumbled as we walked through the crowd.
"Me too. Let's go" Rebekah said, turning around.
I opened my mouth to complain, but they were already gone. I sighed, and smiled at Jake, who shrugged.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say they were cheating on us" I said, linking my arm through his. "But Rebekah doesn't have the patience to deal with Damon, and Damon can't stand her"
"Not that it stopped him before" Jake grumbled, looking around the crowd.
"Bygones, Jake, please" I said as we stepped aside for a group of teenagers to pass. "So, enjoying New Orleans?"
"I don't know if I'll be able to stay at Klaus house, Bekah and I will probably find somewhere else, but… Yeah, it's really cool" he said.
"Three years ago, if I told you we would all live under the same roof, peacefully…"
"I would have sent you straight to the psychiatric hospital" he laughed. "Look!"
"What?" I asked, following him as he pulled me into the crowd.
"There was a popcorn stand, I'm hungry"
"When aren't you?" I laughed and let go of his hand. "Go get your food, I'll meet you back here, I want to see the shops' windows"
"Alright"
I kissed his cheek and walked along the sidewalk, stopping in front of a voodoo shop. Klaus had told me there were witches, but that Marcel wasn't letting them practice, and now they only entertained tourists with their voodoo.
"Do you like magic?"
I turned around and smiled at the tall man who was leaning against the wall and smiling at me.
"Yes" I chuckled.
"You're not from around here" he said, stepping closer.
"Why?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know everyone in New Orleans?"
"Maybe not New Orleans, but I know the French Quarter pretty well" he said and gave me another charming grin. "Surely a beauty wouldn't go walking alone… You never know what kind of things go bumping in the night"
"I'm sure I can handle myself" I grinned.
"Well… even so, how about a drink?"
"I'm afraid the lady is taken"
I turned and grinned, rolling my eyes at Damon's fake grin. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"Yes, and she wouldn't be interested in the likes of you" Rebekah said, appearing behind the man.
He chuckled and turned.
"Rebekah Mikaelson. Good to see you" he said, but I sensed he meant the opposite.
"You know each other?" I asked curiously.
"Bekah and I go way back… When she used to be interested and enjoy the likes of me" he said.
Jake was coming back and I threw Rebekah a warning glance.
"How about you leave us alone. My friends are only getting to know the city… your issues with our family can be solved another time when you are not so hopelessly alone" she said.
"Yes, about that" he said looking at me and Damon, and back to Rebekah and Jake, who stopped behind her. "I don't like you and your brother bringing so many friends. I had to get rid of some, they were bothering me… Now, I am sure these ones are nice, but, not in my area, ok, Bekah?"
Rebekah glared, and he chuckled, taking a step back.
"Oh, and remember… the dogs belong in the Bayou" he said pointing at Jake. "I'll give you until midnight to get lost"
Rebekah turned as Jake took a step forward, shaking in anger.
"Jake, the crowd" I whispered.
Marcel turned to me and smirked.
"I'll take a rain check on those drinks, beautiful" he said winking.
"It's for the best" I smirked. "If you're alive until then"
"I'm sure I will" he chuckled.
He turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd, but not before we noticed a couple of guys following him.
"You sure have nice taste in men" Damon teased Rebekah.
"He messed with the wrong family" I said and cocked an eyebrow at her. "So, does your brother have a plan, or can I just rip out the guy's throat?"
AN: Hey guys!
So, so, so sorry for the long wait. I completely lost the inspiration! And then I got addicted with Game of Thrones, and it's been months I don't watch an episode of TVD or Originals :S
To those who finished season 5 of TVD, and season 1 of Originals, do not say a word to me, please! I'm still in episodes 12 of the seasons. Shameful, I know.
Well, I suddenly got the determination to finish at least one chapter of Bella's Diary. Just the determination, not the inspiration, so if this sucked, sorry.
I'll try to update soon... still not sure what to do with the story... IDEAS ARE WELCOME!
REVIEW!
xoxo Luuh