Twilight Holiday Special, a Twilight + Vampire Diaries Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or The Vampire Diaries. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and LJ Smith. I do own the original characters created for the story line. Please support the official release.

Writer's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone! Here is the Xmas Special! Enjoy!

Twilight Holiday Special

There are many things to be thankful for in a world filled with what seems like unyielding chaos. Is it possible to be thankful for something that hasn't been understood just yet? The saying that everything happens for a reason, weighs heavily like iron chains….

He's gone. Bella's mind felt blank, like she was thrown into a chasm so deep that the darkness was blinding. She couldn't think about anything other than the fact that he was gone. I am no good for you, Bella….She shook her head to scare away the thought, but the pain of the memory swept over her again. I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back…it will be as if I'd never existed.

"Bella." Charlie Swan, average height for a man, dark hair and dark eyes, waved his hand in front of his daughter's face as she sat at the kitchen table. She had come downstairs and dropped off mid-sentence again.

Bella blinked a couple times. "I'm sorry. Um. What?"

Charlie was worried about his daughter. She hadn't been the same since graduation and since the Cullen's moved away. "Well, I have some news."

"Oh?" Bella said, picking up the spoon that was sitting in her bowl of oatmeal and she took a bite. It was bland.

"Yes, I accepted a job. A new one." Charlie started and then swallowed a bit. "I'm relocating to Mystic Falls, Virginia."

Bella's brows scruntched together in thought. "Mystic Falls? Where Uncle Greyson lives?"

"Bells…Uncle Greyson passed away two years ago." Charlie said gently.

Bella closed her eyes as she found the memory of the funeral in her head. "That's right. Him and his wife Aunt Miranda. I'm sorry dad. I didn't mean to forget."

Charlie nodded. "Well, my sister is having a hard time raising two teenagers, so I offered to move to help take care of them."

"Aunt Jenna?" Bella asked.

"Yes." Charlie said. "Elena and Jeremy. You remember your cousins right?"

Bella nodded. "I do. Elena is a Senior this year right?"

"That's right." Charlie was surprised that Bella remembered. "Well, I know that you're nineteen now and I can't force you to come with me, but I really think that it would be good for you. To get a change in scenery."

Bella just nodded her agreement. He was never coming back. She had to move on. "Yeah, of course. Um. I'll come with. I mean…where am I gonna go otherwise."

Charlie knew that it was a hard couple years on her. Renee and Phil dying in the plane crash going to London. Her first love breaking her heart. It was a lot to process and he never wanted to make her feel unwanted. "That's great Bells. I was hoping you would say you would come." He smiled at his daughter.

Bella tried a small smile, looking at her dad with her blue-green eyes. Eyes that reminded Charlie of his ex wife. "Thank you." She said with a nod.

[Mystic Falls, Virginia]

Bella looked at the colonial styled house in front of her. The U-Haul was parked in the driveway and her old truck was parked on the street in the front. She drove it all the way here and it almost didn't make it and she fretted having to buy another vehicle. The house was grander than she remembered somehow and she was just here two years ago. The white pillars seemed so tall as it held up the roof of the wrap around porch. The dark mahogany door was beveled just enough to give it an exquisite flare. The white siding of the house seemed new, like an updated appeal to the home. She remembered her dad saying it was build sometime in the 1800s. She glanced at the chimney on the roof. The ashen brick showed good use of the fireplace and she felt a little joy inside for the first time. One of her fondest memories of visiting her Aunt and Uncle was the fireplace during the holidays. She had always wished she had a fireplace like that, but her mom moved her around her a lot and it wasn't as if they had a lot of money so she never got to experience that joyful warmth of the holiday season in front of a real fireplace.

Charlie came out of the house and saw Bella just staring at the house. "Bells?"

Bella looked at her dad. "Oh, uh. I was just remembering the fireplace from when I was little." She said and offered a smile.

Charlie smiled at his daughter. "Yeah, Greyson and that fireplace." He remembered. He rolled up his sleeves some. "Well, the movers are going to handle the rest. Elena and Jeremy are still at school and Jenna is at work, I figured I would go down to the station and talk to Sheriff Forbes. There's the Mystic Grille for lunch if you want me to drop you by there on my way downtown."

Bella shook her head. "I know how to get around. Thanks dad. Good luck." She said and then she moved past him into the house. She went up the stairs and to the room that was designated as hers. Elena and Jeremy's room were right across from her and there was a shared bathroom upstairs, but then there was another bathroom downstairs. She looked at the full sized bed. Jenna had made sure there was furniture here for her. She sold her other furniture because Jenna had mentioned that she had the extra set and it was more modern anyways, so Bella opted to not go through the hassle. There were a few boxes in her room that was labeled 'Bella' and she decided to just start going through them and putting things away. It didn't do anyone any good procrastinating.

Time felt like it slipped away and Bella was busy organizing stuff in her new room. The bookshelf had plenty space for her books. She remembered a time where she read all the time. She wondered where that Bella went. She hooked her computer up on the desk, laying on stomach on the wood floor as she fished the wires from the monitor down to her computer tower that she set on the floor underneath. She didn't hear anyone come in, so when she shuffled out from under her desk and rocked back on her heels in a squatting position, she nearly fell over when she saw Jeremy Gilbert leaning against the door frame of her room.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Jeremy asked. Jeremy was at least six foot tall. His dark shaggy hair resembled the darkness of Bella's but his eyes were dark, like two warm chocolates. He was wearing a dark hoodie and dark jeans.

Bella blew out a breath and got to her feet. She was only five foot four, so she had to look up at Jeremy. "A little. But it's fine. I thought you were at school?"

"School is over." Jeremy said with a smirk. "Jenna is still at work, I am assuming Uncle Charlie is at the station still?"

Bella looked at her smart watch. "Oh. Yeah, probably. I completely skipped lunch." She murmured.

"Come on. Let's go get some food." Jeremy said with a nod over his shoulder.

"Thanks." Bella said and followed him out of her room and down the stairs. It was 4pm. How had she gotten that focused to forget lunch?

Jeremy opened the door on the dark Ford Mustang that he was driving for Bella to get in the passenger seat. Bella ducked inside and watched him go around to the side and open his door. When he started the car, it roared to life and he pulled away from the curb and drove towards the Mystic Grille.

[Mystic Grille]

The Grille was warm and friendly. The pool tables up top were scattered and had teens shooting pool at each one. Laughter and ambient chatter filled the air. It seemed rather busy, but Jeremy walked them right to a table and sat down in the booth. Bella sat across from him, casting a look around her as she studied the layout of the restaurant so she knew where her exits were and a bathroom.

Jeremy watched his cousin curiously, wondering what had happened to the Bella Swan that he knew from childhood. "So, this is where we eat a lot. Jenna doesn't cook."

"Neither does Charlie." Bella said and then glanced up at the blonde hair, blue eyed waiter that came over. He had wide shoulders and a square jaw and he looked stressed out or swamped with so many people in the restaurant, but he flashed a smile, hiding his anxiety behind his eyes.

"Hey Jer, same today?" The waiter asked.

"Yeah Matt, thanks. Matt this is my cousin Bella. She just moved here from Washington."

"Killer." Matt said with a grin. "Long drive I imagine."

"Yes." Bella said with a nod.

Matt smiled more. "What can I get for you?"

"Oh." Bella looked down at the single page menu in front of her. "Burger, 86 onions and some fries. Coke please." She said and looked back up at Matt.

Matt wrote it down on his pad of paper he had. "Used to wait tables?"

"Yeah." Bella admitted.

"Got it." Matt winked at her and then he was rushing away to put the order in.

"My sister is at cheer practice." Jeremy said. "Or she would be better at this. Um. I'm awkward and weird, and the druggy kid brother, so I'm sure you've heard a lot about-"

Bella shook her head. "Charlie hasn't told me anything. Just Aunt Jenna needed help. I didn't ask. I just followed."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I tend to fall off sometimes too. Um…I'm the weird kid of course, but at least you're still in high school and have a reason for being weird."

Jeremy chuckled slightly, smiling, looking down at his clasped hands on the table, his hair shagging forward just a little as he thought about her words. "Jenna didn't say much either. So if you want to swap weird stories."

Bella nodded a thanks to Matt as he swung by the table to set down drinks before rushing away. She thought about her story. The one that she likely needed to share or else it would eat her up inside. "Well, I am a suicide survivor." She started off and her blue-green eyes looked down at her coke before she took a nervous drink.

"Same." Jeremy said, leaning back a little in the booth. "I'm sorry." He apologized. It was the only thing anyone knew what to say when they heard that someone had attempted to take their life.

"Pills." Bella said and her eyes waivered a little but looked up at Jeremy.

Jeremy swallowed and nodded. "Same." He leaned forward now, taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper. "Um. I tried last year. My girlfriend died."

Bella frowned. "I'm so sorry. That's awful."

Jeremy blew out a breath. "It was a lot. Losing my parents, and then Vicki…"he shook his head. "Matt is doing okay now. Vicki was his sister. But um. They weren't super close. Alright, your turn."

"My mom and stepdad died in a plane crash. Shortly after that, the love of my life broke my heart and disappeared, turning his entire family against me in the process." Bella said and took another drink of her coke. She didn't know why she felt a little lighter saying it out loud, but she did. She teared up a little as she felt the weight lift off her.

"Feels good doesn't it?"

"What?"

"Talking about it instead of bottling it up?" Jeremy smiled a little.

Bella admitted that it did feel better. She wiped the tears away before Matt came to the table with their food, which came out rather quick and Bella was surprised at the speed of service with how busy it was. "Thank you." She said to Jeremy before she took a bite of the burger, and it was really good and probably the best burger she had ever tasted.

Jeremy smiled at his cousin and nodded, before picking up his own burger.

Jeremy and Bella relaxed at the Grille, just talking about things in general. Recalling old stories of childhood and the time that Jeremy broke his arm one Christmas when they tried to slide down a hill on a garbage can lid and he rolled into a tree. He was eight, and Bella was eleven. She remembered how brave he was for his age and for how little he was as well. Jeremy recalled the one Christmas when they went out to the movies. He was twelve and she was fifteen. They snuck into a rated R film instead of watching the movie they were supposed to be watching, and that was when he discovered his love for horror films. Bella was always the cooler older cousin that he looked up to. Elena was a year and a half younger than Bella since Elena turned eighteen a few weeks ago, and Bella would be twenty come September. She missed more school than she should have and had to repeat some stuff her senior year so she graduated late. Jeremy was seventeen, and wouldn't be eighteen for another 11 months, since him and Elena's birthday's were close together. He turned seventeen, and then Elena turned eighteen. Their parents had them really close together. Bella felt at ease, just talking to Jeremy about life, and everything in it. It was fun recalling all the good time memories of Mystic Falls. Bella had always loved it here when she visited. They were having such a good time talking with each other that neither had noticed when Jenna and Charlie walked in together.

Charlie saw Bella sitting with Jeremy, actually smiling and laughing and it seemed like she was having a good time, and that warmed his heart. He knew that this would be the best thing for her, and hoped that she wouldn't try to shut down. He nudged Jenna and Jenna smiled. "That's a sight huh?"

"It is. Jeremy has been having a hard time since Greyson and Miranda and then his girlfriend died." Jenna said and she guided him towards the bar. "So, big bro. How was the station and Liz?"

"It was good. Sheriff's deputy is a step down from being a police chief in Forks, but I think that this was the best option for Bella. I know she's an adult now, but she's still my little girl." Charlie said and nodded to the bartender. "Coors. Thank you." He ordered.

Jenna smiled at the bartender. "Rum and coke. Thanks Steve." She said and looked at her older brother. "Remember when they were little. How inseparable they were?"

"I do. Jeremy and Bella always got along great. Where's Elena?"

"Oh probably with Stefan."

"Stefan is the boyfriend?" Charlie asked with a lift of his brow.

Jenna smiled and leaned her head on Charlie's shoulder and sighed. "Yes, and before you go all I am a police sheriff deputy on him and try to fill Greyson's shoes…" She squeezed his arm. "Stefan is a great kid." She smiled and kissed Charlie's cheek.

Charlie smiled. "Okay. Okay. Am I that predictable?"

"Yes." Jenna said with a serious nod.

"Well as long as he is a good kid." Charlie said and then nodded to the bartender, Steve, when he brought his beer. He took a drink of it and glanced back over at Bella and Jeremy, and saw her toss a fry at him and laugh. He smiled and looked back at Jenna. "Thank you for letting us stay with you guys. I know that I said it was going to be temporary. But it looks like there are not as many rental properties."

"Miranda and Greyson wouldn't want you having to figure out that. It's a big house. Greyson's family's home and you and Greyson were so close to each other. If anyone didn't know any better, they would have thought you two were brothers." She teased.

Charlie nodded. "He was my best friend." He said and sighed. "So many memories."

"Mhm. You, Greyson and John. The three Amigos." Jenna said with a chuckle.

"I remember the first time I met your dad." Charlie said with a nod. "Benjamin was a pretty great dad."

"He was." Jenna agreed. "You miss your dad don't you?"

Charlie blew out a breath. "I was three when he died and mom remarried Ben. So I don't really have a memory of him. But I did go visit his grave today. Reminded me of some memories of mom. Being sad about losing him, but I think that she did pretty good with Ben. I was five when Miranda was born. She was so beautiful. I remember thinking that I had to protect her from everything. I hovered more than mom did." He chuckled. "Then I was thirteen when you were born. God, it was so crazy. I was really good friends with Greyson by then. John was Miranda's age." He shook his head. "Man, where has time gone?"

Jenna smiled, listening to her brother reminisce. "Then you moved away."

"I fell in love." Charlie shrugged. "I wanted to travel and so we did. How we ended up in Forks…"he shook his head. "I made a life there. Good friends as well. Billy, Harry…Sue." He sighed. "Renee ended up dumping me and running off, I should have listened to my sisters." He said, side eying Jenna with a smile. "But. Her childish behavior brought back Bella. I got to raise an incredible…woman. Talented beyond measure. I'm just…it was hard to see her go through losing her mom and stepdad. I liked Phil, he was a great guy and half of me thought that Renee was running away from me to find him, and I truly believed that he was perhaps her soulmate." He paused, taking another drink. "But she loved her mom, and I hate that she had to lose her."

Jenna patted his hand, taking it in hers and squeezing. "Well, now you're home again." She murmured. "We can take care of the kids, grow old and then see what kids they have for us." She said and then picked up her drink.

"Oh god. I don't even want to think that far ahead." Charlie muttered and drank his beer more.

Bella glanced up and saw her dad at the bar with Jenna and smiled at Jeremy. "Oh, Jenna is here with my dad." She said with a nod.

Jeremy looked over. "Yeah, they walked in a while ago. It's been a long day I imagine for your dad. Driving all the way here and then having to go to the station."

"Yeah. It was pretty long. We stopped off in Missouri on the way here and spent the night, so it wasn't too bad of a drive once we got started early in the morning. He drove his Jeep and I drove my truck. It barely made it here, so I seriously need to think about replacing her."

Jeremy frowned. "Why don't you let Stefan look at it. He likes to work on cars. Especially older ones."

"Elena's boyfriend?" Bella made a hmm sound. "If you think Elena wouldn't mind."

"Why would she mind?"

"I have learned that teenage girls tend to mind when their boyfriend help other girls out." She said, remembering Jessica and Mike.

Jeremy shook his head. "Elena isn't like that. Really. Stefan would take a look at it for you."

Bella just nodded, agreeing for now. She glanced at her watch. "Wow. Seven."

"Yeah, time sort of just falls away when you're here." Jeremy admitted. "Want to head back to the house?"

Bella nodded. "IF that's okay."

"Sure." Jeremy said and took his wallet out and laid three twenties on the table for Matt and then tucked his wallet back in his back pocket. "Come on." He said and then waved to Jenna and Charlie and they waved back, before the pair ducked out of the Grille into the refreshing air outside. It was August, the start of the school year, so it was warm outside. The sky still held an orange glow as the sun relented in the sky.

Bella stopped to gaze at the way the orange and dark blue wove together. The speckle of white stars glittered higher up, and the moon seemed so full and bright. There was so much beauty in the clash of night meeting day. The colors were so vibrant and the way the silhouette of the trees appeared on the horizon as the sun rode down in the sky held a certain mystery to it.

Jeremy watched her as her face relaxed and she seemed at peace. "It's beautiful."

"It is." Bella agreed and looked at her cousin. She felt at ease with herself inside and knew that she was on the right path to healing.

[Saturday, August 31st Salvatore Boarding House]

Bella pulled up at the boarding house in the old red, Chevy truck and turned it off. She studied the outside. The boarding house was large, and probably the largest home she had ever seen. The driveway was circular and there were trees that backed the house and there were a few tall ones scattered in the middle green part of the driveway circle. The exterior was red brick with some wood details, updated of course to accommodate the aging of the building. The arched doorway for the front door seemed massive as she got out of the truck and walked towards the house. There were multiple chimneys she noted as she drove up, and she knew that the inside of the house had to be grand as well. She made it to the front door and she hesitantly rung the doorbell.

She waited a moment before the front door opened and she was face to face with a man. His hair was dark like the feathers of a raven, and his eyes were so blue, they were close to the color of the misty blue artic. His jaw was strong, perfect and symmetrical. He was wearing a dark v neck shirt and dark pants with dark boots. He was holding a glass with some sort of amber liquid in it and his right hand glinted a little with silver and she realized it was a ring of some sort, with a 'D' on it.

"Hello." The man spoke, his voice was smooth, like silk sliding against velvet.

"I…"Bella didn't know what to say. It was as if looking at this man had stole her voice and she forgot to speak.

The man rose a dark brow. "Are you lost?" He asked.

Bella blinked a couple times. "No. I don't think so. Um I'm looking for Stefan Salvatore?"

"Ah. I see. He stepped out briefly, said something about needing to grab a different jack for….something. I'm Damon." He introduced.

"Oh, well I am early. I'm sorry. I just usually have a hard time finding places, and thought I would get lost honestly." She admitted.

Damon smiled a little. "Well, he'll be back shortly. Do you want a drink?" He motioned with his hand, standing to the side to let her inside. Bella nodded, walking through the doorway and looked at the foyer they stood in. The ceilings seemed impossibly high. Damon shut the door behind her, his eyes raking over her body, studying her quickly while her back was turned. She was thin, shorter than him by a good six inches, her dark hair was just straight down her back and her eyes had been a bluish green color. Her face petite, like the rest of her. She was wearing long sleeves in August, and he found that curious.

Bella turned to look at Damon. "Your home is beautiful." She complemented.

"This is just the beginning. Come. I'll show you the rest." Damon said and walked ahead of her with a slight saunter. "This is the study, or the parlor." He motioned with his hand.

Bella peered inside. The shelves were lined with so many books. Some looked really old and some were new. There was older Victorian styled furniture and there was a large fireplace. There was also a cabinet that held bottles of liquor and she assumed that whatever Damon was drinking, was from that cabinet. "Wow." She was amazed.

Damon smirked. "There's more." He said and ushered her through the rest of the house, upstairs and the bottom level.

Bella was silent, only making a few comments here and there as she followed Damon through the boarding house. It was so massive and it was hard to believe that only two people lived here. They returned to the parlor and she sat on the couch and surprisingly the burgundy material was comfortable.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Bella asked as Damon brought her some water that she agreed to.

Damon smiled. "Family money Bella. I don't really do a lot of conventional work. I am a speaker on the Founder's council here in Mystic Falls. We still own a logging company that I oversee from time to time to make sure things are running smoothly."

"That's really cool. To have some historical attachment to the town. I have always loved Mystic Falls."

"Grew up here?" Damon asked.

"You didn't?" Bella retorted politely.

Damon chuckled a little. "I did grow up here for a while, but I moved away. Traveled the world. Italy, Spain, London, Paris. But I returned not long ago, maybe a year."

"Stefan too?"

Damon nodded. "Yes. He was in boarding school before, decided that after our uncle died, we would come back to the family home." He said and took a drink of his bourbon that he had poured right before she arrived.

The front door opened and closed and then another man appeared. Bella hadn't met Stefan yet, but from the resemblance, Bella gathered that this was Stefan Salvatore. Stefan had more of a chestnut hair that was shaped more on top of his head than Damon's lengthy dark locks. His eyes were green, another difference, but the shape and structure was still there that was proof the two were siblings. He was around the same height as Damon and he was wearing simple blue jeans, a t-shirt and boots. His green eyes landed on Bella instantly, ignoring his brother.

"Ah, I figured the truck was you. Elena and Jeremy said you would bring it by today at noon. Seems you beat me back." Stefan said with an easy smile. "I'm Stefan."

Bella stood and reached a hand out and shook Stefan's. His grip was gentle on hers. "Bella. Thank you so much for looking at it. I really would hate to have to retire her to truck heaven."

Stefan smiled, and when he did, it seemed to crinkle the corners of his eyes some. "I'll take a look and hopefully you won't have to. You just relax inside. No need for you to get dirty."

"I don't mind." Bella said, sticking her hands in her back pockets. "I'm not really that girly."

Damon watched the exchange and the look at Stefan gave her. He seemed to be enthralled with Bella Swan. She was indeed different than most girls. He cleared his throat a little when Stefan stared a little too long. "Steffy's right. Stay, hang out with me. I'm a blast." He said with a waggle of his brows.

Stefan rolled his eyes, but he looked at Bella. "Shouldn't be too long." He promised and then disappeared back out of the parlor.

Bella sighed and her eyes swept across to Damon. "Jeremy said he likes fixing things."

"Yeah, Stefan likes to fix things that can't be fixed too." Damon said and poured more bourbon. "Are you sure you don't want bourbon?"

Bella shook her head. "I can't drink."

"Oh?"

"I…am a recovering addict." Bella said and her eyes darted away to look at the nearest book shelf.

Damon frowned and then poured the bourbon back into the bottle with ease and set it aside. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay if you want to drink, I just…shouldn't." Bella said. "I overdosed on pills. Not alcohol but substance is still all the same."

Damon found that incredibly sad. She was so young and so troubled. He told himself not to care or get wound up in whatever it was that haunted Bella Swan, but he didn't listen to his inner thoughts and he pressed forward. "You're right. It is all the same. I'm sorry you're in pain."

"Apologizing to a girl you hardly know?" Bella asked, raising a brow at Damon as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

Damon studied her. She was beautiful, radiating so. He didn't miss it when she first arrived, he just tamed his inner Damon, and was polite. "Something broke you?"

"Something like that." Bella said and looked away. She felt a little unease talking about it with a complete stranger, but at the same time, she felt like it was progress. She could talk about her dark past without it haunting her anymore, but did she really want to scare away Damon Salvatore?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. It's a long and boring story." Bella said and walked around the room looking at the books. "You have a lot of books from the 1800s here." She mentioned.

Damon nodded. "I collect books."

Bella leaned in closer eying one of the titles. Gulliver's Travels.

Damon walked up behind her, his body close to hers as he leaned in to see what she was looking at. "Gulliver's Travels. It's one of my favorites." His breath tickled her neck a little. She sucked in a tiny breath at the sudden sensation it gave her and her skin prickled a little as little bumps appeared. She swallowed, her heart leaping a little, before she turned and looked up at him. He was close to her, his body near hers but not touching. She backed into the bookshelf, her eyes still staring up into his mystifying gaze.

"It's my favorite as well. Jonathan Swift was a literary genius." Bella murmured softly. She felt so at ease in his gaze, not uncomfortable like she would have been ordinarily.

"Agreed." Damon murmured, his gaze falling to her lips, but he looked back up into her blue green eyes, which looked like pools of ocean water. He reached beside her head and pulled the book from it's spot and leaned away. He looked at the cover before nodding and handing it to her. "You can have it." He said with a smile.

Bella blinked a few times, confused at first. Her heart rate had spiked a little, so it still hadn't calmed down from the closeness of Damon Salvatore, but she looked down at the book in her hand. She gazed at the front cover. "A first edition?" She murmured. "I can't accept this. This is worth…like 100 grand."

Damon smiled. "So?"

"That's too much to offer to a stranger."

"But we're not strangers now are we?"

"I just met you."

Damon shrugged. "I have another copy Bella. Take the book."

Bella looked at the book again. The leather binding was so exquisite. She was in awe of the book. "I…"

Damon reached over and tilted her chin up with his thumb and finger so he could stare back into her eyes. "A welcome to Mystic Falls gift. Enjoy it." He murmured and then gave her a smile and a wink.

Stefan came back inside and Damon moved away from Bella, going over to the liquor cabinet, but refraining from pouring a drink. "So, the problem is the head gasket. You're getting your oil and gas mixed together. I will have to take the engine out and then reassemble it with the new gaskets. Shouldn't take longer than a few days."

Bella frowned, her eyes going over to Stefan. "Really?"

"Yeah, sorry. I wish it was something simple. But I can definitely save your truck from truck heaven." Stefan offered a smile.

"Thank you. How much?" Bella asked.

Stefan shook his head. "Nothing. Your Elena's family, I won't charge a dime for family." He said with a simple smile.

"Oh…"Bella murmured and looked at the book. "You both are…"she felt a couple tears come to the surface, so she just closed her eyes.

Damon looked at his brother and frowned. She was crying? Stefan walked closer to Bella, setting a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look up at him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

Bella shook her head, looking through a teary gaze. "Um. Thank you." She said a fished her keys from her pocket and handed them to Stefan. "I'll call Jer to pick me up." She said and quickly wiped the tear that managed to fall down her face.

Stefan frowned. He didn't know why she was crying and that unsettled him for some reason. "I…I'm sorry that the news of the truck isn't the best news but it's something I can fix."

Bella shook her head. "It's not you I promise. I get like this sometimes. Um. Thank you again for your niceness. I know you hardly know me so I really appreciate the help." She said and looked away awkwardly.

Stefan nodded looking over at Damon who shrugged so to save Bella from the extra awkwardness she was feeling he left her alone with Damon and went back outside.

Damon cleared his throat to break the silence. "So, I'll take you home. No need to bother baby Gilbert for something simple." He offered.

"You've already done so much." Bella murmured, her eyes meeting Damon's again.

Damon smiled. This type of smile was an interesting one. He found Bella sort of intriguing for a few reasons but one was the fact that she seemed so vulnerable and she had a sad story. He wanted to find out what that sad story was. "I don't know what happened to you to make you hurt, but I want you to know that helping you is normal for people like me and Stefan. We want to help purely because we want to. I don't have an ulterior motive and I won't pressure you to tell your story before you're ready. But I would like for you to respect my offer of help and know that you don't owe me anything for it." His voice was gentle as he spoke.

Bella didn't know what to think. She knew that he was right. She didn't need to reject his help. That was rude or disrespectful, but sometimes she couldn't see what others saw. Why would someone just willingly help a stranger? She was used to being in the background of her friends and in her own life. She didn't put too much thought into anything since … him. But she felt like she was slowly regaining herself since coming to Mystic Falls. She and Jeremy were rekindling their friendship that felt so lost after so long, and she was meeting new people that were just so real and honest and true. She nodded at Damon, relenting to the fact that she wouldn't be able to deny Damon anything. "Okay. Thank you." She said and held the book that Damon gave her to her chest. "I'll accept your generosity." She said it more to convince herself that she needed to allow Damon to do what he wanted and help her.

Damon smiled again. "Good. Let's go. It's lunch time anyways and food seems like an appropriate step."

Jeremy found Bella in her room but her truck was missing. "Stefan had to keep the truck?" He said from the doorway.

Bella glanced up from the Gulliver's Travels book to look at Jeremy when he came in. She didn't get startled this time, which was a step in the right direction or maybe she was just used to Jeremy's presence by now. "Oh, yeah. He said it's a head gasket. He has to take the engine apart." She explained.

Jeremy walked into the room then and sat flopped on her bed, crossing his feet at the ankles and tucked his arms behind his head as he glanced over at the book she was reading. "Gulliver's Travels?"

"Oh yeah."

"Looks old."

"Yeah 1726." She said with a nod.

Jeremy raised a brow. "You like old books?"

"I do." Bella said with a small smile. "I sort of love the older eras. History is fascinating."

"Stefan or Damon?" Jeremy asked suddenly.

"What?"

Jeremy smiled. "Damon likely since he is a book hoarder but Stefan collects old cars and refurbishes them, or whatever car collectors do."

"I didn't know that. I just thought he liked to work on cars."

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. The Salvatores, they are….interesting people."

"Your sister is dating Stefan."

"Hmm." Jeremy said but was silent.

Bella set the book gently on the night stand and looked at her cousin. "Something wrong?"

Jeremy sighed. "Stefan is just okay honestly. He's a pretty decent guy he's just…I feel like Elena is different around him. I don't know. Could be my imagination. After my girlfriend died, Stefan started acting stranger around me. Like I would just break, and we used to play football together and now he's more stand offish. I don't know." He shook his head. "People grow apart I suppose."

"Well, maybe he doesn't know what to do or say. Most people don't." Bella shrugged. "I cried earlier and he seemed to be very uncomfortable with it. Like he didn't know how to handle it and I know it's stupid, but sometimes people don't have to handle it. I don't want people to treat me differently because I have to work on my emotional strength. It's not their job to handle me in any way. That's my job."

Jeremy smiled. "Wise beyond her years." He said. "Stefan doesn't know what to do with tears. I don't think any man does."

Bella chuckled a little. "Overstatement of the year. But you fall into that category you know that right?"

"What? The category of clueless men?"

"Yeah." Bella teased a little.

Jeremy snorted. "Please." He rolled his eyes. "I am more in touch with my emotions than any other man I know."

Bella kept a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

"But I do fit into the category of Always Right."

Bella snorted this time and hit him lightly on his chest with her hand. "Stop."

Jeremy laughed a little. "Well, it got you to smile and laugh. Feel better?"

"I do. You always make me feel better Jer." Bella admitted. "I missed having a person."

"I'm your person?" Jeremy smiled. "That's good. You're my person too."

Bella looked at him, his dark eyes seemed to carry the same smile he had on his face. This was just easy with Jeremy. She didn't think she would find another Jasper, but she did. "Thank you."

"Don't even have to mention it." Jeremy said.

[September 4th: Salvatore Boarding House]

Bella was happy that Stefan didn't have too much issue with fixing the truck. He still refused to take money from her or her dad. Elena told her that was just how Stefan is and not to worry about the little things like that, so she was going to try and not to worry about the small things.

Damon walked down the stairs when he heard the front door open and Stefan let Bella inside. He was carrying a book. He smiled at Bella. "Ah. I just found this book in the upstairs. You like Hemingway right?"

Bella's face lit up. "I love Hemingway." Her eyes watched as Damon made it to the bottom stair and he handed her a book. The cover was a sage chemise clothed with dark gold etched writing for the title, The Torrents of Spring. It was certainly old. She opened the cover and spotted a signature and her mouth dropped open. "Is this…"

"His signature?" Damon smiled. "It is. Hemingway signed about maybe around a hundred copies. This was printed in 1926 with the first batch printing only 1,250 copies." He explained.

Bella nodded. "I have never read The Torrents of Spring. I of course know about his work, but I…I never read this particular one."

"Well now you own it and you can read it anytime." Damon said and looked at his brother. "The truck is fixed?"

Stefan smiled a little. Watching his brother hand over books that he collected over the years and ones from his personal collection upstairs meant that he cared about Bella and he wondered what had changed in him. Damon was always putting on a show of being the cocky badass brother that didn't care about anything, but when Bella arrived, he saw something change in his brother and he liked the change. "Uh, yes. It is, but I wanted to test drive it you know before I release it. I'll just be a few moments." He said and patted Bella's shoulder gently before leaving to go out to get the truck out of the garage.

Bella stared at the book, her heart swelled a little just thinking about the book and she didn't know how to feel other than just complete gratitude. "Damon, this is…just so much. I don't know what I did to deserve a kind friend like you."

Damon smiled a little. "It's not kindness."

"What is it then?" Bella asked, curious to hear the answer.

Damon chuckled a little. "Intrigue. I have more books upstairs. Come look and see what catches your fancy." He said and motioned to the stairs.

Bella bit her lip a bit, thinking about if it would be considered selfish to want to look at other books, but it was just a slight moment of hesitation. She walked up the stairs with Damon behind her. When she got to the top stair, she slipped a little and fell back against Damon's hard chest. His hands went to her arms to steady her. She felt the heat rise to her face out of sheer embarrassment. "I'm sorry." She said quickly, getting her foot under her again.

Damon eased her up off the steps, his hands falling away from her arms when he was sure she wasn't going to fall over. "It's okay. There are a lot of stairs." He said calmly and then showed her the study.

Bella still felt the embarrassment of almost falling down the stairs, but she tried to put it out of her head. She remembered Damon showing her this area before, but she didn't recall the study. "I don't remember this room.

"It's my personal study." Damon elaborated and walked inside. The room was still large, but not as big as the parlor downstairs, but there was an old desk and then the oak shelves were lined with so many books. The window fit the theme of the room and was an odd shape, but it was beautiful. The window bench was lovely, a burgundy seat cover and was the perfect size for her to sit on and curl up with a book. She was just in awe. "I have books from the late 1600s to current, but I mostly keep my favorites up here."

Bella walked forward, looking at one of the shelves that was eye level. The leather bond books were all different sizes and the writing on the binds were different from gold trim to just simple chemise clothed. She felt like she walked into some sort of dream with this many books. She was in love with this place.

Damon watched her. Her face was relaxed, yet awestruck with the abundance of books in front of her. For this moment, it was like looking through a window at the real Bella. Not the one that put up iron walls and kept people out or at arms length. It was beautiful, seeing her in an element that she felt comfortable in. He didn't know why he wanted to see her so happy. So at peace. He had never put much stock in reading women or really caring that much about them because he was the solo act kind of guy. But something…something about Bella Swan... she was captivating. Stunning. When she looked over at him, the tussle of her hair shifting as she moved, he saw the light in her eyes and the happiness that seemed to fill them as she looked at him. It made his heart stop a little and he wondered what this feeling could be. He moved towards her now, his brain not switching on to think about his actions, but he went to her, lifting a hand to brush over her cheek. He saw the uncertainty fill her gaze, her liquid ocean eyes seemed timorous and slightly confused. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip as he studied her face to memorize every feature.

"Do I frighten you?" Damon asked, his voice low, sultry almost with a hint of concern.

"No." Bella lied, partially. It wasn't Damon that scared her. It was all the issues that Bella had with herself. She felt like she was a shell of a person most days and she had so much damage hiding within her walls that she didn't want to scare Damon away.

Damon could tell that she was nervous by the sound of her heart as it sped up in her chest. She shivered when he got closer to her and he wanted to brush his lips across hers just to see how it would feel, but she was shaking a little like she might pass out if he did, and he didn't want to harm her, even if it wasn't physically. "Bella…" he whispered, his blue eyes dazzling as he stared down at her.

"I…." Bella didn't have words to say. Any and all thoughts were vanishing as soon as they entered her head and for some reason she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to feel what it felt like, but she feared that she wouldn't be able to handle it. She was devolving inside and she couldn't keep up.

Damon inhaled her scent and instead of kissing her on the lips, he brushed his lips over her cheek gently, their bodies a little closer. "You're shaking." He whispered in her ear.

"I-I know." She stammered a little.

"You are afraid of me."

"No." Bella denied.

"Show me you're not afraid." Damon challenged her, hoping that she would do something to prove to him that he wasn't a complete idiot right now.

Bella's eyes closed as she pushed back nervous tears before she tilted her face up more, leaning in and her lips brushed his jaw slightly. He gently took the book out of her hands and set it to the side on the bench before he gently brushed her hair out of her face with one hand, while the other leaned against the shelf, their bodies brushing slightly. She shivered again under his touch and she felt like she might explode now.

Damon's lips brushed against her jaw this time too, before he brushed his lips against hers, taking that leap to see what she would do. She quivered, her hands coming up and clenching his shirt as if she was trying to hold herself up.

The moment his lips touched hers she felt the entire world spin and collide amongst the stars. Nothing mattered more than this moment for her. She felt like she saw her future all with a simple kiss. It was shocking, like electricity flowing through her body as her lips parted under his and his tongue tasted her. That moment solidified something in her, like she was sleeping this entire time and he was a prince that came along and woke her with a kiss. She didn't realize the tears streaming down her face until Damon pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, confused.

"I didn't mean to make you cry." Damon said, his brows furrowed together with concern as he looked at the tears glistening.

Bella frowned, confused at first at his words and then she reached a hand up and touched her face. "Oh. I didn't know I was crying…"she murmured.

Damon wiped her tears off her face for her. "I'm sorry for kissing you."

"I'm not." She said quickly, causing him to raise a brow. Her cheeks tinted pink from her sudden response.

Damon smiled a little. "You're beautiful." He complimented and watched her cheeks reddened more. "No one has told you that?"

Bella remembered Edward's words before, how he found her beautiful, but then his harsh words of her being plain. She wasn't enough for him and he had left her. That pain came back to her and she felt her chest hurt with the sadness.

Damon frowned when he saw the pain cross her face and she rubbed her chest a little. "Are you in pain?"

"I uh…" Bella couldn't find words again. She heard the door open downstairs and shut and Stefan call her name. "I should go." She murmured. "Thank you." She said and picked up the book and she tried to move past Damon but his hands stopped her. "Damon." She murmured, her eyes looking up at him pleadingly.

Damon didn't like that she was scared of him, or scared of something. He didn't want to scare her, in fact this was the first time since last year that he really felt…something. "I'm sorry." He murmured.

"It's not your fault. It's me. I can't…um. I'll see you later." Bella said and Damon dropped his hands and she rushed out of the study and down the stairs to greet Stefan.

Stefan saw Bella's face and she seemed a little pale and flushed at the same time. "Are you okay?"

"Uh yeah. The truck, is she okay?"

"Works great." Stefan said and handed her the keys. "Let me know if there's anything else."

"I will. Thank you Stefan." Bella said and she rushed out the door to her truck.

Stefan frowned and looked up the stairs and saw his brother standing their, a pensive look on his face. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Damon grumbled.

"Something happened. What's wrong with Bella? Did you do something? Stefan asked, climbing up the stairs and stopping next to his brother.

Damon frowned, his brows still in a weird confused worried stage. "Something happened to her in the past." He said and then looked at his brother. "I don't know what it is but she's been hurt before. Deeply."

"Did you make a move on her? You know not every woman likes to be wooed. You could just ask her."

"I did." Damon said. "That didn't go well the first time." He said and moved around his brother and went down the stairs at vampire speed into the parlor with Stefan right behind him. "I can usually read people."

"But she's different." Stefan leaned against the doorframe, and watched Damon as he poured bourbon in a glass.

Damon sighed and shook his head. "I don't know."

"She's really got you all twisted inside. You've met her twice Damon."

"And?"

"You're telling me that you care after two times of seeing her." Stefan said, raising a brow.

Damon was silent, taking a drink of his bourbon. "I don't know. Just…I don't know how to explain it." He was a bit snippy and part of that was because he was treading in unknown waters. He didn't know much about Bella Swan, and he wanted to know more, but if he cared too much…then it could end badly for himself and he didn't know if he could do that again. Not after everything.

Stefan studied his brother. He was getting broody now and that made him smile just a little. Damon cared about someone else. "Want to give it a shot? I might understand more than you know."

Damon looked at his brother. "She made my heart stop beating for just a second. Or at least it felt like that." He took another drink of his bourbon. "I…I felt like I had a future for the first time in my pathetic life. She matters and it's pissing me off."

"Falling in love is pissing you off?"

"Yes! Because of everything I went through with Elena and Katherine, and Rose and it all gets fucking twisted inside."

Stefan knew that it was hard for Damon. They even struggled with their own relationship at first when they moved back to Mystic Falls. Stefan wanted to hate his brother, but it wasn't his brother that he hated. He hated himself for what he did to his brother. Damon's vendetta against him fell apart because in the end, they were brothers and they both just wanted that back. Fighting over a woman didn't come between them this time and Damon gave up the idea of love so Stefan and Elena could be happy. It was commendable and made Damon the bigger person. "You're afraid of being hurt again. Katherine is an evil bitch that manipulated both of us. Rose's death isn't your fault. Werewolves are to blame and also, Katherine can be directly blamed for all of that too."

Damon downed the rest of his bourbon. "I don't blame myself for Rose." He set it straight. "I know that I'm not to blame for her dying. Rose was just someone that I cared about. She didn't deserve to die like that and that is why I don't like getting close to people. People die or they move on or they choose anyone but me. So, I don't want it."

Stefan sighed. "Damon."

"No Stefan. I need to stay away from Bella before it ruins me."

"The way she ran out of here, I'd say you don't have to worry about her returning."

Damon poured more bourbon. "It's for the best."

"Is it though?" Stefan said but then left his brother to brood by himself. He retreated upstairs to his own room and pulled out his journal.

[Mystic Grille: September 10th]

Bella looked at the POS system that Matt was showing her. She got a job at the Grille because she thought it would be good to get out of the house all the time since her dad stayed busy with work, and Jeremy and Elena were both in school. She could only stay a hermit for so long. Matt did school half the day and the other half he worked. It was because he was a senior and he had the work thing going for him for being able to leave off his electives since he had what he needed to graduate almost. He needed the money, he was having to support himself and his mother, who she found out was pretty absent most of the time from Matt's life. So he practically raised himself and bills needed to be paid. She could respect that. She wore a pair of regular blue jeans right now, and a long sleeved shirt with the Mystic Grille t-shirt over that, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail so she could keep her hair out of her face and it was just better for serving food in general.

"It's pretty simple though. Just learn the order of the tables. The rush times are usually right at lunch, then we'll have dead time where we can really get a lot of the side work done before the rush happens again when school lets out. Steve handles all alcohol drinks, if someone wants a beer or whatever at the table, ID anyone that looks under thirty pretty much. Then it's pretty heavy until around eight and then we'll have just the regular crowds lingering, mostly to socialize. We close up at 10, but we break everything down. Move booths and tables all of that to clean, and kitchen closes back of house so the only thing you have to worry about is the salad dressings." He explained.

Bella nodded, understanding. It was similar to her time as a waitress at the café in Forks. "Doesn't seem too unmanageable. Who else comes in and serves?"

"Uh, Jer does. He busses tables mostly, but since my sister died, it's been me and one other girl, her name is Casey, she's a hit and miss sometimes, so basically me and Jer. Jer takes tables when we're really swamped. So I'm glad Rue hired you because we really needed the help."

Bella forgot for a moment that the other waitress had been Matt's sister, but he seemed okay about it. "Well, I am happy to be here. I have some quirks, so I'm hopeful that I can…uh get past them."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Jer hasn't really said much about you other than you're really smart and funny. So you'll fit in around here." Matt said with a bright smile. "If you're ever in dire need, we are not going to let you get swallowed up in weeds. Promise."

"Oh I'm not worried about that. I do actually pretty okay under that kind of pressure. I'm not really a people person, but I can pretend at least."

"We all pretend to be a people person around here." Matt joked. "Alright, well, shadow me for a while. We'll take some tables together as they flow in and when you feel like you're ready to jump in, we'll add you to the table rotation and go from there."

Bella nodded. "Sounds good. Thank you Matt." She smiled at him.

Matt found Bella odd but charming. Jeremy really hadn't said much, just that she had been through a lot during high school and that she could be shy and timid, but really smart and funny when she let you in. So he was hoping that she would feel comfortable enough around him eventually to let him into her inner circle and feel at ease. HE could see that she was tense, and she was more closed in on herself, and that she really was nervous about starting this job, but he admitted that he was nervous at first too. Starting anything new was always so nerve wrecking.

Bella caught on really fast and soon she was in her own table rotation by the dinner rush. She smiled at customers and took their orders and didn't seem to struggle at all and Matt found that odd for her first day, but he wouldn't complain. She seemed like a natural and he wondered where the timid and shy Bella went from earlier. She laughed with customers and joked and was very friendly and outgoing. But on Bella's end, she felt terrified inside every time someone new sat down. She smiled and laughed and was friendly because she had to, but her anxiety was building up with each passing moment. She didn't know what to do about it, so she buried it more and kept going. She walked towards the bar, only looking down at her apron momentarily and ran straight into someone. She immediately started apologizing before she looked up at Damon.

"Damon." Bella said his name in a small murmur, his eyes trapping her again. She hadn't seen him since that day at the boarding house when she picked up her truck. His hands were on her arms, steadying her. "I am so sorry."

"It's alright. I appeared out of nowhere, so it's not your fault." Damon said with a simple smile. Seeing her again, stirred something inside, even after he said over and over that he didn't want to get involved, he was lying to himself. He wanted to see her, and he tried to make excuses to go over the Gilbert house, but nothing seemed natural enough for him to go there. So he just dropped it and moved on. But he was reconsidering that stance.

Bella nodded, swallowing a little. "Right. Well, in any case. I'm sorry." She said and moved away before going towards the kitchen. Her chest was tight and she felt hot all over.

Matt walked into the kitchen going for the salad bar when he noticed that Bella didn't look well. "Whoa." He went to her fast as she swayed a little and he steadied her. "Hey, take a break. Things are manageable right now anyways. Jeremy is here now."

Bella just nodded. "Um I'm going out for air." She said and she moved away from Matt and went outside. She didn't look at Damon as she walked back through the Grille to the front so she could breathe a little easier. She looked up at the sky. The warm glow of the sun was still light in the sky as the sun began to set, but it wasn't quite there yet. Why was she feeling like this? She didn't understand. Her gaze dropped from the sky and she felt her heart stop in her chest. It couldn't be…she had to be dreaming right now. He left. Her mind started to race and then her heart started racing in her chest. "E….edward?"

Edward walked over to her, like he was gliding nearly. He stopped in front of her, his spring eyes were bright as they looked down at him. His skin was perfect and flawless, his chestnut hair was perfect on his head and the way he looked at her was as if he was angry with her.

"What? How?" Bella muttered. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. Tears threatened to spill over and she wanted nothing than for this to be a dream. Because if he was really here…

"You moved." Edward's voice sounded in her ears and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"It's really you?" Bella asked, her voice tight.

Edward's hand caressed her face as he stared at her. "You ran away from me."

"You left me…" Bella said tears spilling over.

"I had to. To keep you safe. But it's over now. You moved away and I think it's safe now. I love you Bella, I always did. I'm sorry I had to break your heart like that." Edward apologized.

Bella let out a sob and then she was being folded into Edward's arms. He held her and she cried, before he pulled back slightly to tilt her face up so he could kiss her. And he did. Just a simple kiss, one that she dreamt of for so long, but the kiss loss it's meaning after what felt like an eternity without him. "You're not going to leave again?"

"No. I'm not going to leave again." Edward promised. "You're mine Bella…I won't let you go again." He said and kissed her again, this time it was more than just a simple kiss. His tongue probed hers and she allowed it.

Bella sniffed a little, feeling a little shaky at the moment, but she pulled back. "I have to go to work. I was just on a break. But um. I…I need to see you more… we need to talk this through."

"Of course." Edward said with a nod. "I'll come sit for a while. You can serve me coffee." He smiled, his charming smile. The smile that he used to smile at her with.

Bella went back inside the Grille and Edward followed. He sat in her section at the hightop and she brought him coffee. She tried to shake her nerves as she went to her next table and she took their order. She went and put the order in and Matt moved past her at the same time Jeremy was coming out with food, so he pushed against Bella, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned his hard jock body against hers to let Jeremy through.

Matt patted her arm. "Sorry." He knew that he invaded her space suddenly and she had tensed up when he touched her, but it was that or food knocked all over the place.

"No worries." Bella gave a small smile and he disappeared into the kitchen. When she glanced over at Edward he seemed to have an angry look on his face, but she looked away, feeling anxious now. She tried to just brush it off and she went back to work.

By nine, it was mostly just getting side work done until the restaurant closed. Damon was still sitting at the bar and he was talking to the Mayer Lockwood over a drink and seemed really caught up in his conversation, but Bella spared a couple glances his direction, her chest tightening when she did, so she had to focus on her work.

Matt came out from the kitchen carrying all the stuff for the ketchups for the tables. "Hey, if you want to stock the sugars, salt and pepper, you can cut early afterwards. Me and Jer got the heavy lifting stuff."

"Oh, well, I should learn everything right?" Bella asked, her ocean eyes looking at all the ketchup bottles.

Jeremy came out with a bus pan, a towel flipped over his shoulder and grinned at his cousin. "Take the cut. Trust me. The rest of this stuff is boring. Unless you were waiting around for something." He said motioning subtly at Damon and Mayor Lockwood.

Bella shook her head. "No. Not really. Just want to be sure I do a good job."

"You are excellent at your job Bells." Jeremy said with a smile. "Better than mine and Matt's first day."

"What happened your first day?" Bella quizzed her cousin.

Matt laughed. "Oh boy. That was a douzy."

"Oh hush, yours was worse." Jeremy said and looked at Bella. "I dumped a full tray of food onto a customer. Like six plates. It was pretty terrible. Most of it was salads since it was some churchy women's group."

"Oh no." Bella said, her mouth falling open. "You didn't." She smiled, forgetting for a moment that Edward was sitting at the high top tables waiting on her.

Matt laughed. "Oh yeah. It was pretty hilarious. His wasn't as bad as mine. I literally was carrying a tray of drinks. A mixture of everything. I lost my balance just for a second and the Mayor's wife, all over her." He said, dropping his voice.

Bella's face was in shock. "What?"

"Yup. Never thought I would come back from that one. But she was really nice. I guess it helps that she watched me grow up." Matt said with a shrug. "Still, biggest embarrassment ever."

"Oh wow. Or maybe you're both clumsy."

"Oh ho ho." Jeremy said and set the bus pan down. "Let's talk about clumsy." He said with a grin.

Bella laughed a little. "No no. We don't have to bring up childhood traumas."

Jeremy grinned. "Uh huh. Thought so." He said and picked up the bus pan. "Watch out for her Matt. Don't take her sledding."

Bella gasped and smiled. "You were the one that crashed us into that tree!" She exclaimed playfully, but Jeremy was laughing and walking away.

Matt smiled, it was dazzling and he wasn't hard to look at, he was a football player and he had the strong face and wide shoulders. He was the quarterback. "So, other than just getting overheated. How did your day go?" He asked as he refilled ketchup and Bella started with the sugar.

"It wasn't bad. I'm okay, I survived. Thank you for being a good teacher."

"Well, I try." Matt said. "You really are great Bella. Don't sell yourself short and give yourself more credit. You're amazing. Own it." He said, and he really meant it. He nodded over to the high top. "Your table seems like that need you. Go on, I'll finish this." He said with an easy smile.

Bella looked over at Edward, remembering that he was there. How did she forget his presence? She used to be able to just know he was there at all times. She walked over towards the table he was sitting at, walking past Damon. Damon glanced at her as she walked by, curious of who the guy was sitting at the table.

"I would like to talk to you tonight. When are you getting off?" Edward asked, his face was serious.

"Well, I have to finish up side work. If you need…t-to go." Her heart sped up again.

Edward sighed. "I don't have to be anywhere important. This is important. I'm just going to step outside though. I can't watch you flirt with other men." He said and stood.

"Edward, I'm n-not doing that."

"Your actions say otherwise." Edward said and then moved past her towards the front door after setting a twenty on the table.

Bella sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to cry. Why was he acting like this. Maybe she shouldn't have laughed and smiled with Matt and Jeremy. She shook her head and took the twenty and went to the register and settled the bill. She didn't know that Damon had walked over to her and when she turned she collided with him again. "Oh I'm so sorry." She apologized, looking up at him.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked immediately.

"What?"

"You're upset." Damon pointed out.

Bella shook her head. "I'm just tired. I have to finish up my work."

"That guy with the endless coffee. Who is he?" Damon asked.

Bella didn't want to look up at Damon, she didn't want to talk to him and she couldn't handle this right now. "I can't right now." She said and moved away. She went over to start working on the sugar again. Matt noticed the drastic change in her mood and had noticed that the customer at the high top seemed to be upset with her, but he didn't hear what was going on.

"Hey, was that guy a jerk?" Matt asked Bella, referring to Edward.

"What? Oh no. He's not a jerk." Bella said, shaking her head. "But uh. I will take you up on that offer. Maybe I've had too much for the day."

Matt frowned. He wondered what had changed. "Okay. Yeah. Finish up here and you can go." He said with a nod.

Bella just nodded and moved away from Matt, refilling the sugar like she was told.

Matt walked over towards Damon and frowned. "Did you hear anything?"

"You mean did I hear anything humans can't hear?"

"Yeah." Matt said, giving Damon a look.

Damon sighed. "She knows the guy. He's upset because she was flirting with you and Jeremy."

"What? How does she know him?"

"I don't know that part yet. His name is Edward." Damon said. "Ask Jeremy if that rings a bell."

Matt nodded and walked towards the kitchen to find Jeremy, while Damon when to see Mayor Lockwood off for the night.

Bella finished with the sugar and she untied her apron and when to the office to do the cash out for the night with Rue, who was happy that Bella was fitting in so well. She made a hundred in tips for the night, which really wasn't that bad. But she didn't really care about the money. It was a way to get her out of the house. She walked towards the front, going towards the doors when Matt intercepted her. "Did I forget something?"

Matt had asked Jeremy about Edward and all Jeremy knew from Edward was that he was her ex boyfriend and that he had left a while ago and it was a hard breakup for Bella. He didn't even know what the guy looked like and he was sure that Charlie wouldn't be happy knowing that Edward was back. Or had tracked Bella down. "Hey, why don't I walk you to your truck. It is pretty late."

"I'll be fine. Thank you. I am meeting someone so…it's best if you stay inside." Bella said, trying not to sound too suspicious. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said and then rushed out the door.

Edward was waiting by her truck when she came out. His green eyes leveled on her. "Do you always flirt with all the men around you? You used to not do that."

"I didn't mean it that way. Jeremy is my cousin. Matt is a friend."

"I don't like him." Edward said. "He wants to sleep with you."

"That's not true." Bella frowned. "Edward, I promise you I wasn't flirting with them."

Edward moved towards her, his hand tight on her arm, biting her flesh a little, and she knew that it would bruise. "Come on. I'll drive." He said and shoved her in the passenger seat.

"Edward. I'm sorry." Bella apologized. "What do you want me to do?" She asked as he got in the driver's seat.

"Don't work here anymore." Edward said as he started the truck and backed away from the Grille.

Bella looked at the restaurant as they drove away. "Okay." She agreed.

Bella looked around the house that Edward was staying in. She saw boxes throughout the house and she saw the names of the other Cullens. "What…are you all back?" She asked, whirling around to look at Edward.

"Yeah. I told them I wanted the house to myself and that I wanted to talk to you. They won't be back for a while. They're hunting anyways."

"Rosalie and Emmett won't be able to do school here. Neither will you. My dad is the deputy sheriff."

"We know." Edward said. "Alice and Jasper won't be attending high school either. We're all enrolled at Whitmore University." He said. "You should be enrolled at Whitmore too. College."

Bella frowned. "I haven't put much thought into it. I just…so much happened since you've been gone Edward."

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I won't do that again. I'm here to stay Bella. Nothing can break our love for each other, and I thought that maybe…we could pick up where we left off. Nothing has to change." Edward moved towards her. His hands moved over her arms and to her waist as he pulled her close to him, kissing her.

Bella's eyes fluttered closed and she let him kiss her. She didn't know why she felt so confused and conflicted inside. She had wished for this to happen so many other times, but why was she feeling hesitant? She felt Edward's hands move under the material of her shirt, his cool hands brushing against her skin making her shiver a little. He backed her against the wall, his kissing more urgent now. He had never pressed her like this before. Something had to of changed with him since he's been gone. He pressed more, his hands a little rough, but he went for her pants, unfastening them before she could realize what was happening. She pulled away from the kiss. "Edward…what are you doing?"

"This is what you want." Edward said it as a statement as he freed his cock from his pants.

"Wait. No Edward." She told him but he was a vampire after all, and he was stronger than she was. He pinned her against the wall, and she felt his cock inside her painfully. He didn't give her any chance to try and pull away because he was thrusting inside her hard and she felt the pain spiral through her body. She was a virgin and now she wasn't. Tears fell down her face and she begged him to stop. But he didn't listen. She felt his mouth on her throat and then his fangs pierced her hard and she cried out as he drank her blood and fucked her. That was what this was. He was fucking her with no regard. She felt like something dark overcame Edward as he grunted like an animal before he finished inside her. He pulled out of her, looking at her. She was pale, blood on her neck and her clothes disheveled. She was crying.

"You should go." Edward said, his green eyes moving away. He felt a little high right now, her blood felt intoxicating.

Bella didn't know what just happened. Why did this happen. She mechanically moved to the door, opening it and went to the truck. She got in the driver's seat and got in. She started the truck and it almost didn't start, but it managed to start and she backed away from the house. She felt like she might be in shock as she drove.

Her truck started acting up and it stalled and she coasted off the side of the road. She sat there, her body shaking from the trauma of what just happened and then she was sobbing. Her body hurt. Her neck hurt, and her heart. Why did he do that? Was it punishment for her talking to Matt and Jeremy? Why was it so wrong to have friends? She wiped at her face to clear the tears and she looked in the mirror and saw the blood on her neck and now on her clothes and she had to figure it out. She couldn't go home looking like this. She didn't know what else to do so she found her scarf in the back and wrapped it around her neck and she drove to the nearest Walmart, using her GPS. She went inside and she hurried through the clothes, finding what she needed in her sizes and then she found stuff to bandage her neck. She cleaned up in the Walmart bathroom, only glancing at herself in the mirror once, seeing the dark sullen expression and she felt broken again. Like when her mom and Phil died. All the pain was crashing against her and she couldn't take it anymore. She shook her head, tears welling up. She left the bathroom and went back out to her truck, throwing her Mystic Grille shirt in the back. She would have to try to get the stains out somehow. She tightened the scarf around her neck some more to cover the bandages. She looked at herself in the mirror before she drove back towards town. Her truck stalled again and she coasted into the liquor store there. Mystic Spirits. She sat there, looking at the neon sign stating that they were open. She shook her head, but she went inside anyways. She still had her fake ID that she had from high school, so she grabbed whatever bottle of clear vodka and just paid for it with the tip money. She hadn't drank much alcohol before. But she wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the moment. She got in the truck and she finally got it to start again. She kept driving until it stalled again, and she sighed and got out after she coasted it to the side of the road. The skies were so dark and the stars were peppered against the dark blanket. She got sat on the tailgate of the truck and opened the vodka and she started drinking it. She ignored the burn as it went down her throat. It was disgusting. So she tossed the rest of the bottle on the ground and cried. She rubbed her palms over her eyes as she cried. She leaned back in the bed of the truck and just sobbed. Her body hurt so much and she wanted the pain to stop. She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky and then she saw flashing lights echo towards the darkness, so she sat up and saw the police cruiser.

Bella slid off the tailgate and saw her dad get out of the car. "Dad?"

"I thought I saw your truck. Did it break down again?" Charlie asked, but he saw the tears on his daughters face. She was scared it seemed. "Honey are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just you know. I wish the truck wouldn't quit on me." Bella said, her voice tight.

Charlie nodded. "Well, I'll call a tow. Come on, I'll take you home. I have the night shift."

Bella just nodded and walked towards the cruiser, her arms wrapped around her. She got in the front seat of the cruiser and her dad stayed outside, calling a tow truck for her truck.

Charlie ducked down in the cruiser and looked over at his daughter. "You went towards Mckinney. What's out that way?" He asked.

"Walmart." Bella said. "I just wanted to get a couple things the general store didn't have." She said and leaned her head against the window and looked out the window as her dad drove the dark road close to the Mystic Grille. The lights were off, but Jeremy's car was still there. "Um I'll ride back with Jeremy. No sense in you going all the way back." She said motioning to Jeremy's black mustang.

Charlie nodded. "Okay. Hey, don't worry about the truck. I'm towing it to the Salvatore Boarding house. Stefan can take another look at it."

"Okay." Bella said. "Thanks dad." She said and got out of the cruiser and walked towards the Grille. She went through the front door and saw Jeremy and Matt finishing the mopping. Jeremy glanced up at her.

Jeremy frowned. "Hey. It's getting late. I figured you would be home or something."

"Um. Yeah. MY truck died. I had dad drop me off here since he's on night shift. I figured I'll just ride back with you." Bella said, shoving her hands into her pockets.

Matt looked at her, frowning. She seemed like she was extra pale and she was wearing different clothes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just. Dumb luck really." Bella tried to play it off.

Matt wasn't so sure that was the only thing bothering her. "Well, Jer you go on. I'll lock up with Rue." He said and Jeremy nodded. He went to the host stand and put something up and then he went to the front with Bella.

"Okay. Let's get home." Jeremy said and the pair walked outside into the warm air. He unlocked the mustang and Bella got in the passenger seat. She was quiet as he started the car.

Jeremy looked over at his cousin and she was closing herself off again. Like she was trying to build walls up quickly and he felt like something happened and he knew it had something to do with Edward appearing again. "Hey, Edward. That's the ex right?" He asked as he drove away from the Grille.

Bella didn't say anything at first. "Yeah, but he's back so…"

"You're getting back together?" Jeremy asked, a little surprised.

"He loves me, and he says it was a mistake to leave." Bella said without looking at Jeremy, but inside her heart raced a little. She was scared for some reason. For what? To talk about Edward. But she was afraid of what Edward would do to Jeremy or anyone if she said too much. "It's really not a big deal." She covered.

Jeremy frowned some more, turning the corner and driving down the road that their house was on. "You changed clothes though and it's eighty outside, you're not hot?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm not hot. I have thin blood apparently. Poor circulation. I stay cold." She lied. Of course right now she felt cold, but Edward just drank her blood, so of course she was colder.

Jeremy didn't press it anymore because it was clear she didn't want to talk about it. He pulled up at the house and she was quick to get out of the car and go inside. He didn't know what to say to her. He sighed and walked inside and saw Elena and Stefan frowning in the living room. "What?"

Stefan looked at Jeremy. "She's hurt." He said, his voice low.

"What do you mean?"

"Means that he smells blood Jer." Elena said, her voice quiet.

"She didn't cut herself or anything. I don't think she would do that. Or…"He drifted off.

"What?" Elena and Stefan said at the same time.

Jeremy frowned. "Her ex boyfriend is back. He waited for her after work and she left with him. Then Charlie found her stranded on the side of the road I guess. He dropped her back off at the Grille and she's wearing different clothes." He whispered.

Stefan looked at Elena and then back at Jeremy. "Did she say anything?"

"No. She shut down. She's hiding something, I can tell that much, but why wouldn't she tell me? She's been telling me everything." Jeremy said and rubbed his face. "I don't know."

Elena didn't like this either. "If he hurt her."

"She wouldn't tell anyone." Stefan said, his voice still low. He sighed. "Charlie text me and told me he is having the truck towed to the boarding house. I'll have a look at it. See if I can find anything in it that can tell us anything. Maybe she cut her hand on something. Did she have any wounds?"

Jeremy shook his head. "None that I could see." He said. "It was also dark outside."

Stefan sighed. "Okay. I'll see what I can find out. Do you know anything about this boyfriend?"

"She said that he's back in town and that it was mistake. She's getting back together with him from the sound of it." Jeremy shook his head. "Maybe she's tired. I'll try talking to her in the morning."

Stefan nodded and then kissed Elena briefly and then patted Jeremy on the shoulder before leaving.

[Salvatore Boarding House: Later]

Stefan looked at Bella's truck the tow truck just dropped off. He smelled blood immediately when he opened the door. He frowned and turned the overhead light on and saw the Mystic Grille t shirt tossed in the back and he grabbed it and unraveled it. He saw the blood stains. "Oh no." He murmured. He closed the door and walked inside the boarding house and found Damon in the parlor. "She was attacked." He said and showed Damon the shirt.

Damon set the bourbon down and took the shirt from Stefan's hands and looked at it. "It's her scent. Her blood. But this isn't any other scent I know." He said.

Stefan shook his head. "It's none of the Mikaelsons."

"Wait." Damon brought the shirt up to his nose and inhaled a little. "Yeah. It's him." He said. "Edward. He was at the Grille for a while. He was upset with her. He hurt her?" He felt a sort of rage fill him suddenly.

"She's acting strange and I smelled blood on her when she came into the house. She hurried up the stairs. Jeremy said that she was shutting him out."

Damon didn't like this. It angered him to his core and he wanted to kill Edward. "Did she look injured?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not that I could tell. I smelled fresh blood. That was the only indication that she was hurt. She was walking fine."

"Could she have gotten snagged on something maybe? Where did the truck break down?"

"Not far from the Mystic Spirits. She was coming from Mckinney apparently."

Damon frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe that's where Edward lives now? Or where he's staying." Stefan suggested.

"Why did he show up now…"Damon murmured.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know. But I will keep a close eye on this."

"She'll have to come get her truck again. I'll see if I can get something out of her." Damon said. "I need to know more about Edward. Who he is and where he came from." He didn't know what had happened to Bella, but he felt like something was seriously wrong, especially with Edward coming back.

[The Next Day]

Bella didn't sleep well. She felt the nightmares web through her sleep and it made it hard to stay asleep and she was afraid she would wake everyone up with her nightmares. So she decided to read The Torrents of Spring. She found herself getting lost in the book and the genius words of Hemingway. Before she knew it, morning was already there and she heard the faint knock on her door.

"Hey, It's Jeremy. Can I come in?" Jeremy asked and waited.

"Sure." Bella's voice called.

Jeremy opened the door and looked at her. She was sitting at the desk with a book. "Hey. I just wanted to check on you. You were a little…out of it I suppose last night."

"Oh. Yeah. Just tired. It was a long day. Sorry." Bella said, setting the book down.

Jeremy nodded and then paused a little before shutting the door behind him and he walked over and sat on the bed and looked at his cousin with a serious expression. "Can I….can I see your arms. Just…I have a weird idea in my head that your boyfriend hurt you last night and I just…I just want to make sure you're okay."

Bella looked at Jeremy and his soft doe brown eyes. "Jer, I'm fine. He's not hurting me." She lied and but she sighed and rolled up her sleeves on her forearms. "Old scars. Nothing new." She murmured.

Jeremy looked at the gashes on her arms. Scars from something and he frowned. "What is it from?"

"I fell through a window Junior year. Second story. Use it against me for ammo the next time I tease you for being clumsy." Bella said with a small smile.

Jeremy studied her face. Her face was sullen, dark circles. "You didn't sleep well did you?"

"Sometimes I have a hard time sleeping. I read instead. I'm okay Jer."

Jeremy shook his head. "I don't believe that you are. Bella, I have been through some shit. We both have, and I just want you to know you can tell me anything. I will keep it a secret. Every bit of it. No one has to know." He said, reassuring her.

Bella didn't want to talk about how Edward took something from her and that she was scared that if she didn't do what he wanted her to do, that he would somehow hurt people she cared about. She didn't think she would ever feel this way. She wanted so badly for Edward to return, but now that he had, and he hurt her, she didn't want him to hurt anyone she cared about, so if that meant that she would be in pain, then so be it. She didn't know why she thought that Edward would hurt Jeremy or Elena, or her dad. She just…. felt it. "Jer…"

"Bella. I swear I to you…whatever it is. You can tell me." Jeremy said coaxingly.

Bella closed her eyes feeling them burn a little with tears. "I…" she shook her head. "I can't work at the Grille anymore. Um." She opened her eyes. "Its too much."

"That's not it." Jeremy shook his head and then took her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands. They felt like ice. "You know all my scars and all my darkness. You know why I tried to kill myself. You have told me some of your pain and you don't have to wear it alone. That is what I'm here for."

Bella sniffed. "Its too much for me to handle. I can't do this Jer. Edward is back and he wants to be together again. I dreamt of this moment for so long. It's finally happening." She cried a little.

Jeremy shook his head. "It doesn't make sense Bella. Yesterday you were fine. You were okay before he showed up and then you left and come back with different clothes on and Stefan found a bloody shirt in your truck. I-"

"He loves me!" She cried.

Jeremy shook his head again and pulled her out of the chair to him now and his arms wrapped around her not letting her go. "He doesn't love you. He hurt you Bella. It's okay to tell me."

Bella sobbed a little against Jeremy's chest. Memories of Edward taking from her entered her mind again. "He didn't hurt me. I hurt myself." She finally said and pulled herself free. She pushed her hands through her hair and closed her eyes.

Jeremy didn't understand. "What?"

"I had a hard night. I know it doesn't seem like it. But I hid it well. I left last night. Edward was gone. He didn't wait for me." She lied. "I was upset. I drove away. I relapsed. I took pills and drank some alcohol. I panicked. I cut myself in some briars when I forced myself to throw up the alcohol and pills." She sniffed. I had clothes in the truck I changed. I'm embarrassed about it. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I don't want my dad to find out because I don't want to go back to rehab and I just. I need to do things my way." She said her ocean eyes finally meeting Jeremy's dark ones.

Jeremy frowned and stood. He walked over to her. "Bella…you could have called me. I could have helped talk you out of the drugs and alcohol." He whispered.

"I know. I should have but I … I didn't want to bother you." She wiped her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have worried you. I didn't mean to…be a problem."

Jeremy shook his head. "Its never a problem. I'm your person…you're my person. We tell each other these things so we can keep our sanity." He said and sighed and hugged her like a protective brother. "I've got school but I will totally ditch it to be with you today."

"No. School is important. Take it from me. Don't he a repeat." She said with a small smile. "I need you to drop me off at the boarding house though. I need to get some things from my truck and then if you don't mind, dropping me off in town. I can walk to the Grille. Talk to Rue about everything."

Jeremy nodded. "Sure. Let me know when you're ready." He said and left her alone in her room.

Bella blew out a wavering breath. She felt like she was breaking apart inside. She just lied to Jeremy for what? She was assuming that Edward would do something to her family if she said anything. But isn't that what would happen? He was a vampire after all and he could kill everyone fast. She sighed and grabbed clothes and pulled them on. She wore the turtleneck cotton shirt she usually wore closer to Christmas but bandages on the neck didn't exactly keep things low key. She grabbed her bag and phone and left out of her room, going down the stairs and meeting Jeremy in the kitchen. He was pouring coffee in a thermos for her and then some for himself.

"Elena left for school, Jenna left for work and Charlie is well. Station. Does he always work this hard?" Jeremy asked, handing Bella the thermos of coffee.

"Yes. Always. But usually when there's a case or something. Something must be going on." Bella said as she accepted the thermos.

Jeremy nodded. "Alright boarding house. Are you sure you don't want me to skip today?"

"I'm sure." Bella offered a smile and the two left the house and got in his black mustang.

[Salvatore Boarding House]

Jeremy dropped Bella off at the boarding house and she went to the door and sighed. She knocked on the door and the door opened. Damon was standing there, shirtless.

Bella forgot how to speak again as his eyes captured hers. She didn't know why she felt like this in his presence.

Damon frowned looking at her ghastly appearance. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them. "You're really pale." He said as he brought her to the parlor.

Bella finally found her voice. "Uh. I didn't sleep well. I just need to get some stuff out of the truck and then I need to get to town. Jer had to hurry to school."

Damon ignored all of that. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Bloody shirt in your truck says something different." Damon retorted.

Bella shook her head. "I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it."

"No. You don't get to do that." Damon said his anger flaring did a moment and it caught Bella off guard. "You were fine before he showed up and harassed you at work. Something happened."

"I don't have to tell you anything." Bella snapped out and she instantly regretted it. She felt tears again. She was so tired of crying all the time. She wiped at her own tears angrily.

Damon watched her. He knew that something happened to her last night. He could smell it on her. Edwards scent. "I want to help."

"You can't help." Bella shook her head.

"How do you know I can't?"

"You just can't."

"So, you're going to shut everyone out then? Bury the pain and whatever else and what? He did something to you. I'm good at reading people Bella and what I'm getting from you is that he hurt you. Deeply and you want to hide it because you're scared of what he'll do to you or someone you love if you say something."

Bella was stunned. It was her inner monologue. She had argued with herself about it. Worried about Edward doing something drastic. "I…" how did Damon know that?

"He hurt you. Tell me what he did." Damon's tone gentled a little. He wanted to help her. He was getting tangled up again with emotion and people and he told himself not to but somehow with Bella, he couldn't help himself. He didn't want to say it was love because he didn't believe in that anymore. But she intrigued him and he had to figure out why she was so sad all the time and figure out who she is.

Bella felt the tears rush forward. "He raped me." She said the words out loud. She felt her heart stop a little and the deafening roar of silence. "I…" she lost her words.

Damon didn't want to believe what he just heard. He felt his fist clench tight as he controlled his rage at hearing those words. "Last night? "he asked, his voice was right with anger.

"Yes. But I didn't stop him so he probably just didn't realize." Bella panicked now. She couldn't believe she had just said that.

Damon growled a little. "Don't make an excuse for him. Every man knows what no means. He just didn't listen." He said his tone clipped. Bella wiped at her eyes and he went towards her his hands rubbing her arms. "Did he do this before?"

"No. This is the first time. He was mad that I was flirting with Matt and Jer. I didn't mean it to come off like that. But I guess." She sniffed and looked away.

Damon shook his head. "No. Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for that piece of garbage. A real man understands control." His voice trembled a little with anger still and he didn't mean that anger towards her. He wanted to rip Edward's heart out and make him eat it. There were many more dangerous things that he wanted to do to that scum. His body shook and he had to move away from Bella because he was afraid he would lose his control because of his anger for Edward.

Bella watched how angry Damon got and she didn't understand why he cared so much until she heard her inner voice. He cares about you. She blinked, wiping her face before going towards Damon. She didn't realize that she managed to get her legs to work even though they felt so numb, and she hugged Damon from behind.

Damon's blue eyes came open as he felt Bella's body against his from behind. She was hugging him? His anger vanished as quick as it came and he turned to look down at her. She was so fragile, so small. How could anyone ever hurt her? "Bella…"

"I didn't mean to make you upset."

Damon reached both his hands up, framing her face, his fingers brushing her hair back a little. "I'm not upset with you." He murmured, shaking his head a little. "Bella, you need to report him. Your father is a police deputy."

"I can't." Bella said and tried to look away, but he made her look at him still. "Damon. I don't understand these feelings I am having right now. I'm scared and confused. Edward is…he's dangerous and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Damon studied her, realizing what she had meant. The turtleneck sweater, the blood on her shirt that was around where her shoulder was. It was the only thing that made sense suddenly in his mind. He moved a hand down, and brushed her turtleneck down and saw the bandages. "He's a vampire." He said it out loud, feeling a little more angry now.

Bella's eyes went wide, her mouth opening in shock. "What? How?"

Damon closed his eyes, taking a moment to steady himself, before he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Because I'm a vampire Bella. I know the signs." He said, his voice sounding a little foreign to him. He knew that he would eventually tell her what he was, but he wasn't prepared for that just yet. He was now afraid that she would run away from him.

Bella was a little stunned. How as it she attracted the supernatural? But there was more than one thought running through her head and suddenly she felt relief. Relief that Damon was a vampire because that meant that Edward wouldn't be able to hurt him really. She felt the tears surface and then she was hugging Damon again, embracing his hard body and she sobbed against him, her face against his bare chest.

Damon was shocked at her actions, expecting her to try and run away, but she was hugging him again. His arms came around her automatically as she cried against his chest. "I…I didn't mean to make you cry." He murmured

Bella felt overwhelmed with this new piece of information, and she felt like she had so many questions, but her legs felt weak now and she sagged more against Damon but he scooped her up into his arms and cradled her gently as he sat on the couch with her. Her body was still in so much pain, but in Damon's arms she felt okay. She leaned back a little, still in his arms and she looked at him. She saw the quizzical look and she didn't understand either why there was this feeling of connection with him and she wondered if he felt that same pull. She brushed her lips over his and the sizzling started again for her. The world stopped and whirled around her making her shutter. She even heard little bells ringing in her ears along with the rush of her heart beating hard in her chest. She felt Damon's arms circle her more, his lips parting as she was the one to dart her tongue across to tangle with his. It was a powerful kiss, one that meant more than any other kiss before. Full of passion and something else Bella wasn't quite sure what it was. Her hands were on his bare chest and she thought he felt slightly cooler than a normal human, but she never would have thought he was a vampire.

Damon felt the shock of her kiss and the gravitation. He didn't understand the feelings himself, but she was sitting in his lap, kissing him, her slender hands felt hot against his skin and he enjoyed that touch. This instant solidified something for him. Bella was the most important person in his life and he didn't just want her, he needed her. But he broke the kiss, his forehead against hers as he caught his breath which was odd for him since he was a vampire. "Bella…"

"Damon…"

"I don't know what all this means, but…I can never be without you now. You know that right?" Damon said, lifting his head to look at her porcelain face. Mate. His inner thought said to him and that suddenly made sense. It was rare for a vampire to find a true mate. "Please don't think this is crazy, but…you're my mate Bella. The only one that will ever complete me." He breathed out.

Bella wondered if that was why she felt the way she did. Like she was drawn to him. Could human's feel that connection? "Okay." She said and pushed her lips against his again. She wanted to feel the tingles again as their lips tasted each other. His hands moved over her arms and she flinched a little because of the bruising and it made him stop.

"Are you in pain?" Damon asked, his brows furrowing together as he broke the kiss to study her more. "Let me see."

Bella closed her eyes and she lifted her shirt. She normally would be embarrassed for anyone to see her body, but Damon felt safe and she felt that she could show him. She pulled her shirt off completely and she was just in her blue bra that was tight on her supple breasts. She wasn't overly heavy chested, but she wasn't small either.

Damon's eyes went to the dark marks on her arms and her ribs and then her throat. The bandages were covering the fang marks, but he saw the bruising where he had been incredibly rough with his bite. He felt the anger rise again, but he didn't say anything. The darkness crawled under his eyes as his fangs protruded and he bit his wrist. "Here. Drink." He said.

Bella saw the spidering dark veins under his eyes, how his eyes darkened, but the blues of his eyes stayed. She wasn't afraid of him like she should be, she didn't have a sense of fear like she did when she saw Edward's face like this yesterday. Damon's eyes were caring. She parted her lips as his wrist came to her mouth and she tasted the sweet metallic liquid as it hit her tongue. She brought her hand up, her fingers lightly tracing the dark veins under his eyes, and he watched her just as she watched him. She felt a sense of euphoria and the pain in her body faded. Her body felt like livewire now, a bundle of pleasure nerves sailing through her body. She moaned a little before she broke away from his wrist and was kissing him again. Damon's hands moved over her skin now, and she felt alive in his arms. But he had to hold himself back, she was experiencing the effects of his blood going through her system and he needed her to be okay, not just physically but mentally as well.

"Bella." He murmured against her lips and it made her pause to look at him. "Slow down." He said and kissed her softly. "My blood can make you feel…."

"High…."Bella murmured and she thought about the past, substance abuse and then overdosing. It wasn't the same kind of feeling and she couldn't explain it. "I know what feeling high or intoxicated feels like. I…am a recovering addict. I know that what this is….it feels different. I don't know how to explain this feeling…or courage for that matter."

Damon brushed her hair back behind her ears as he looked at her. "It's the mating bond calling to you. You're drawn to me because of it. It's rare for vampires to find a mate. Humans call them soulmates. We call it the same thing."

"You believe you have a soul?"

"Well…yes. I was created through magical means. I'm a vampire because I was turned into one and our creature history tells us that the first immortals were created with magic. Magic runs through our veins and magic is a form of life. So yes, I think we have souls."

Bella found that inspiring. Edward always believed that he was soulless and a monster. It was one the things that set him and Damon apart she was starting to understand more. "I think the same thing. There's no reason to suspect that you've lost your soul." She sat up a little more, brushing her own hair behind her ears as she went into a sort of academic mode. "Vampires aren't dead. They're immortal, and your heart still beats, you can still drink and eat, even if it tastes horrible, but still. You have functions like a human. Magic made you immortal, and there has to be balance, so yes, you have to drink blood as a sacrifice to being immortal, and sunlight hurts, if you're not wearing a protective charm," she said as she took his hand and looked at his ring. She shook her head. "And vervain hurts." She looked up into his eyes. "But you're alive. You're real." She murmured.

Damon saw the passion in her eyes as she spoke. She could be a spokesperson for vampires if there was ever a need and he believed that she could talk anyone into believing that vampires were harmless and could peacefully exist. He smiled a little. "You studied a lot."

"I…"Bella stopped herself and looked down at his hand that she had in hers. She rubbed her thumb over his ring. The brilliant blue of the lapis lazuli. "I wanted to be a vampire before. Edward believed that he was a soulless monster and he never wanted me to be one. I was in love with him. Sixteen I met him. IT was a whirlwind. At first it was hard to understand why he was the way he was until I figured it out. I approached him with my thoughts on him being a vampire, not matter how insane that sounded out loud, and he showed me. How fast he was, how strong he was. His family, all of them. The Cullens…they were kind people. They welcomed me into their home and their secret. I became close with them all. Jasper was my best friend." She shook her head as she said his name. "Alice was the sister I wanted. Emmett the big brother I needed. Rosalie, the sister that everyone didn't want, but she was needed even if you didn't know it yet." She sighed. "Carlisle and Esme…such wonderful people and I wanted to be in that family. My mom died in a plane crash, my step dad with her. I lived with my dad, who yes, I did see every holiday and summer. The Cullens were perfect." She said and looked at him. "I wanted to feel perfect too. Not the awkward girl who didn't fit in really. Edward was like this fantasy that I lived. When he…when he left me in the woods, so broken. His words scarred me deep. He was protecting me…he said yesterday. So many things happened in the nearly three years I knew him. I almost died, three times."

Damon frowned. "You almost died?"

"There were these vampires. Nomads." She sighed. "James, Victoria, and Laurent. They came to Forks. They were killing so many people. My dad was working nonstop to figure out the animal attacks. James realized I was human, and that Edward didn't want him to know that, but he figured it out anyways. He hunted me. I had to run. I did some…terrible things. Said horrible things to my dad. This was junior year. James threw me through mirrors at a ballet studio I used to go to when I was a kid. I was bleeding badly and he was trying to drain me dry. Edward managed to stop him but my blood was too much for him to handle. It made him crazy, and Carlisle and Jasper had to stop Edward." She explained. "I have so many scars because Edward refused to let me have vampire blood." She moved her hand over Damon's chest, resting it over his heart. She could feel the steady beat. It was slower than hers, but his heart was beating. "After that…Edward was different. I knew he was, but I was still in this fantasy that I had created. I was broken after he left. Lost….lost so much I just wanted to numb the empty pain I felt and so I started taking pills. My dad was busy all the time so he didn't notice right away. One night…I decided that I didn't want to hurt anymore so I took more and more pills until I overdosed." Her words were a whisper. Other than Jeremy, and the group therapy she was in for rehab for 60 days, she didn't tell another soul. Not even her dad, all of the pain she had felt. She of course left out vampires because then she would be crazy and end up somewhere else forever. "My dad found me. Revived me. Took me to the hospital." She said and a tear rolled down her cheek and Damon swiped it away.

Damon saw the pain in her eyes as she told her story. A story that she carried with her everywhere and that had weighed on her. He understood much more now and he wished that he could have saved her from that pain. The misuse and abuse from Edward. He wished he could save her from it all. "I'm sorry you felt that way." He murmured and kissed her lightly. "You didn't deserve that." He whispered.

Bella sniffed a little and looked into his eyes. "Last night he seemed worse than the last time I saw him. He never…her never touched me the way…"she shook her head. "He was aggressive and his family, all of them hunt animals. They don't drink human blood."

Damon frowned. "And he bit you last night and took your blood? This was the first time?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. I felt afraid of him for the first time. I don't know why I let myself go with him. He told me I had to quit at the Grille and I agreed. But you…you broke me out of this…this fog." She murmured. "I know he can't use compulsion on me. He can't read my mind." She brushed her hands over Damon's chest more, subconsciously. "I don't want to redo what I've done here. I was starting to feel normal again. Damon I don't want to disappear." She felt a little panic again.

"Shhh." Damon cradled her closer, his hands stroking her back and her hair. "I won't let you disappear."

Bella knew that he was sincere with his words. It was a strange emotion to have. She had only been around Damon a few times, yet, it felt like this was the right path she was on. She didn't know that life could feel so full or happy, until understanding the pull and feelings she got when around him.

They stayed like that for a few moments before the front door opened and closed.

"Hey Damon I-" Stefan stopped in the doorway and immediately turned around. "Uh, I'm sorry. I was just going to say I was stopping by the station to talk to Charlie about the truck and that I wouldn't be at school today."

Bella reached for her shirt and Damon helped her slide it back on. Her face was a little red, but she scrambled out of Damon's lap and he stood.

"Well, you could have text me that information." Damon said and cleared his throat. "You can turn around."

Stefan turned around, meet Bella's awkward gaze. "I didn't realize you would be here this…morning."

"Um. Just needed a few things from the truck, but um. It doesn't matter now." Bella said and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Damon kissed Bella's cheek. "I'm going to put a shirt on." He murmured in her ear and then he flashed away.

Stefan was a little stunned to see his brother use his vampire speed in front of Bella and she was standing there calmly not affected. He became suspicious that his brother might have used compulsion on Bella.

"I've known about vampires for years." Bella spoke. "Edward is a vampire." She said and swallowed. "You and Damon are really brothers right?"

Stefan nodded, his brows furrowing. "You…last night…"

"Edward attacked me." Bella gave the short version. "Um. My dad doesn't know about this world, so I would really appreciate it if you kept…it to yourself?"

Stefan nodded and then Damon was back, wearing a simple black V-neck shirt. "So. Uh…I'm gonna go talk to Charlie about the truck. The gaskets are all fine. But your electrical stuff was tampered with. I wanted to let him know that."

"Wait. What?" Bella frowned. "How?"

"Someone messed with some sensors. Your engine on that truck it's super old. Someone rebuilt it before, so there are some newer things put on there. You don't have a radio, but someone hooked up one in there at one point which included a truck computer system. Some sort of GPS. I figured maybe your dad knew something about it. It's not uncommon for police vehicles to have GPS devices on it."

"That's how he knew I was in Mystic Falls." Bella said and looked at Damon.

"Edward?" Damon asked.

Bella nodded. "Emmett put a car stereo system in for my birthday, but when Edward left, he took it out and took literally anything that related back to the Cullens in any way. He was trying to disappear out of my life completely. He must have put GPS on my truck. He said that it was safer for me for him to go away. I didn't understand until right now." She said and frowned. "He said that it was safe now that I had moved away. I don't understand that part just yet."

"Does it have anything to do with the nomads?" Damon asked.

"Maybe. Edward killed James and Victoria was his companion. Victoria and Laurent fled Forks. But I would know if I was being hunted by a nomad right?" Bella frowned.

Stefan rubbed his hand over his jaw. "Well, I'll look into it. Any surnames just Victoria and Laurent?"

"Yeah, I don't know. But the Cullens are here in Mystic Falls. The house that Edward took me to. There were boxes everywhere and he said that they were out hunting. They're all vampire vegetarians. Well…I thought Edward was too…" She murmured.

Damon rubbed his hands over her arms. "Hey, it's okay. We'll figure it out. You don't have to worry about anything. Don't quit at the Grille. It's good for you. I'll take care of Edward."

"What are you going to do?"

"Have a chat." Damon said and leaned in and kissed her softly. "Do you trust me?"

"I do." Bella said with a nod.

Damon smiled. "Good. Take my car to town. You have a shift right?"

"Yeah, at 1."

"Okay. Well, for now how about I run you a nice bath upstairs and you relax. Use the study and I will go with Stefan to talk to your dad about the truck and I'll go have a chat with Edward Cullen. You'll be safe here. I promise." He reassured.

Bella wasn't too sure. She frowned. "Vampires can walk in here."

"They have to be invited in." Stefan said. "The deed to this house is in Alaric Saltzman's name."

"Who is that?" Bella asked.

"My best bud. So, no vampires can make it in here without an invitation. So you just relax and just rest some more okay." Damon said gently.

Bella nodded, agreeing but then thought about what if Edward was stronger than Damon. "Wait, what if he's too strong."

"What year was he born?" Damon asked.

"Um. 19 something. I think he was turned in 1920. The Spanish Flu." Bella explained.

Damon snorted. "Okay. I've got years on him Bella. I'll be fine."

"I'll go with him." Stefan promised. "It'll be okay." He gave her a smile. He was glad that Damon was fighting for something and that something was Bella.

Bella hesitated a little but then nodded. "Okay. Okay. I can do that. I don't have clothes here."

"Elena does." Stefan said. "I'll get you some clothes." He said and he disappeared.

Damon stood in front of Bella, his hands coming up to frame her face. "I will protect you. You are my life. I can never be without you. That is what a mate is for me. I know that it seems forced and-"

"It's not. Damon…I understand what love is. I thought I was so in love with Edward, but here and now with you…I know that it wasn't true love." Bella admitted.

"Good." Damon said and kissed her softly at first, but her tongue lashed against his and he got sucked in deeper into the kiss. It was soul shattering to kiss her and he felt so happy inside. This was the happiest that he had ever felt ever. He found a mate, that was hard to do and he managed to find his. He broke the kiss and kissed her forehead when Stefan walked back in carrying some clothes.

Bella took the clothes. "Thank you. I appreciate this."

"Of course." Stefan said with a smile.

Bella watched Damon go upstairs to start the bath for her and she followed up the stairs, going towards the sound of the water running. She paused in Damon's room. It was more modern than any of the other parts of the house. But it was a mixture of antique and modern and it was nice. The four post king sized bed was a dark oak and the blankets were just black and it was made perfectly. He was very organized she realized as she looked around the room. The walls were a deep burgundy color too, and that matched so well with the dark drapes and the blankets and the furniture. The light in the center of the room was antique, like a brilliant chandelier that gave off just enough light. Damon came out of the bathroom and went to her, taking her hand and guided her into the bathroom. The bathroom was even grander. Bella was in aw of how amazing it looked. There was a mix of black and white marble tiles. The tub that he was filling with water was large, possibly large enough to fit two people. There were bubbles and it was a light floral scent and she found it pleasant.

"Okay. I'll be back but if I'm not back before you have to go to work. The keys to my impala are in the foyer hanging up. The garage is just through the kitchen. Remember where I showed you when I showed you around the house before?" Damon asked.

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. Your truck is parked in the garage next to my Impala. You take it on to town for work and I'll be there later then." Damon instructed. "Are you okay?"

"Not quite, but I'm getting there. Thank you."

Damon kissed her again. "Okay. Take your bath. Relax." He reminded her and then he was gone.

Bella looked at the tub the water rising with all the bubbles. She sighed and then undressed before sinking down into the tub and letting the heat of the water wash over her body. She felt incredible since she had Damon's blood running through her veins now. So she wasn't so stiff or in pain anymore. She was just feeling good, and that was what she needed.

[The Cullen House]

Damon got the information from Jenna that a Carlisle Cullen purchased a property out on Fell Road, so him and Stefan, after talking to Charlie about Bella's truck basically not being operational anymore, they came to have a chat with Edward Cullen and by chat, Damon was going to rip his heart out and make sure that he never hurt Bella again. The house was a decent size, but nothing as grand as the boarding house.

The brothers walked up to the door and Stefan rang the doorbell before putting his hands in his pockets. "Don't do anything crazy." Stefan warned his brother.

Damon snorted. "This isn't going to be a pleasant chat." He said with a snarky tone. The door opened a woman was there. She was short, about Bella's height and her hair was a golden brown color and her eyes were the color of denim. She was pretty, probably in her late twenties and she was petite.

"Hello? Can I help you?"

"Certainly. My name is Damon Salvatore, and this fine lad is my brother, Stefan Salvatore. We are looking for Edward Cullen." Damon said in a light, pleasant tone and a fake smile.

"Oh, well, that's my son. May I ask what this is about?"

Damon made a hmm sound. "Okay, I can't do it. Alright listen, he accosted my girlfriend last night. Bella Swan, and I just want to have a chat with him."

The woman frowned. "He went and saw Bella?"

"Okay, you cannot be-"

"Yes, he hurt her, and we just want to make sure that he understands boundaries and leaves Bella alone or-"

"I'm gonna rip his heart out." Damon cut his brother off.

"Esme what's going on?" Another voice came to the door. This was a taller man, broad shouldered, darker blonde hair and his eyes were a similar blue. He was chiseled and strong looking and taller than Damon, but Damon didn't care about how big this dude was.

The woman who the man had called Esme looked at the man. "Edward hurt Bella Emmett." She said, her hand holding her necklace that was around her neck.

"He what!" Emmett exclaimed, shocked. He looked at Damon and Stefan. "When did this happen? Last night? He said he was going to talk to her."

"You knew!" Esme looked at Emmett disappointed.

Emmett shook his head. "He said that he was staying behind from the hunt because he was going to the Grille to talk to Bella. That's a public place Esme I thought that she would be safe."

"Well, you were wrong." Damon bit out.

"Who the hell are you?" Emmett asked, his brows knitted together in annoyance.

"Her boyfriend." Damon said. "Where is he?"

Esme shook her head. "He's not here."

Damon made a humph sound. "Convenient. Where is he?"

"You're going to kill him?" Emmett asked.

"Are you that dense?" Damon asked.

Stefan sighed. "Forgive my brother. He's protective of Bella."

Esme spoke up. "Maybe we can talk about this. Edward is quite strong and I don't want you boys to get hurt."

"Really?" Damon asked. "Okay. First of all, I'm probably older than all of you. Edward was turned in what 1920? Yeah, beat him to the punch almost 60 years before that."

Emmett frowned. "Bella is dating another vampire. After everything that has happened?"

Damon glared at Emmett. "Okay answer me this. Why after several months, did you relocate to Mystic Falls Virginia of all places? Was it because maybe, Bella is here?"

"My husband got a job at the hospital. Edward mentioned that Bella relocated to the area. He said that things would be safer now that things were settled."

"The nomads, Victoria and Laurent? How does he know that they're not a threat anymore?" Stefan asked.

Emmett frowned. "Because they're dead."

"You know that for a fact?" Damon challenged.

"Yes, I helped kill both of them." Emmett said. "We tracked them into Canada. We made sure that they followed. Edward killed James, Victoria's mate. So she wanted revenge. When Edward left Forks, he said that he needed Bella to be safe. That he had to leave her there because the wolves would protect her at all cost and we went north. Victoria's blind rage and hatred for Edward was her undoing. She wasn't very old to even begin with vamp age and we took care of both her and Laurent." He explained.

Stefan and Damon looked at each other. "That's why he came back. Because the threat is over. But why is he behaving this way?"

"Behaving what way?" Esme asked, frowning.

"He could have killed her." Damon said, his voice strong, firm. "He did terrible things to her. Things that no woman should ever have to experience and I promise you that when I catch up to him, I will rip his heart out. There is no excuse for his illtreatment of her. None. I don't care if she swore at him or hit him." His words were like ice. "When you see him, you tell him that I will end him. He has the choice. Life or death. He's not welcome in this town. Bella is fond of your family because she speaks kindly of you both. She is the only reason why I didn't rip all of you apart today."

Stefan cleared his throat, putting a hand up. "I think it's best that Edward not show up around Bella. If he does, I won't be able to stop my brother from doing as he promised."

Emmett was still frowning, brows drawn in together. "What did he do to her?"

Damon's icy stare met Emmett's. "He raped her. Drank her blood and she's scared for her life. My words are not threats, do not take them lightly."

Stefan hadn't known what exactly happened to Bella because Damon didn't say a word, so he was shocked to hear the words, but rage built up in him too. Edward was filth and he now understand exactly why Damon was about to rampage.

"That fucking moron." Emmett started cussing.

"Oh my god." Esme gasped, tears coming to her eyes immediately.

"I'm going to kill him myself." Emmett growled and stormed back into the house.

Esme wiped at her tears. "Is Bella okay? She should go to the hospital, we should-"

"I healed her this morning." Damon said, his temper calming when he saw their reaction. "She's safe for now where he can't get to her. You honestly had no clue? She said he brought her here. No inkling of her blood anywhere?"

Esme shook her head. "No, come inside, maybe you will be able to find something. I'll show you his room." She said and Damon and Stefan walked inside.

"Wait a minute Em!" A woman was following Emmett through the house. Her hair was a golden blonde long past her shoulders and was damp and her eyes like violets. Her face was narrow, and she was petite, beautiful, and radiating so.

"I'm killing him Rose. He doesn't deserve to live." Emmett growled out.

Esme looked at Damon. "That's Rosalie, Emmett's wife." She introduced. "Rose, have you spoken to Edward today?"

"No. Emmett isn't telling me what's going on. I just got out of the shower."

"You're a vampire and didn't hear the conversation?" Damon asked and Rosalie's attention snapped to him.

Rosalie glowered. "I was listening to music. I don't try to pry into conversations that aren't mine." She said. "Who the hell are you?"

"The guy who's about to kill your brother for putting his hands on my girlfriend." Damon snarked at her.

Emmett growled as he came out of Edward's room. "No sign of her in his room. There's not blood anywhere. Why would he fucking do this."

"Em, language."

"Fuck that." Emmett roared. "He hurt Bella, more than once. Now I bit my tongue when we uprooted in Forks and left her stranded there confused because I thought Victoria and Laurent were the bigger threat and it was logical. But this bastard is going to feed on her and take from her something she cannot take back!"

Rosalie frowned. "Edward did what?" She was shocked. "He hurt her?"

"Yes Rose! Why the hell do you think I'm pissed right now. Where's Jasper. He's going to kill him too. And Alice. You know what. Light a fire Esme, I'm going to hunt him down right now. I'm going to rip his heart out and throw him in the fire so he can burn here as well as in hell."

Damon liked Emmett. "I'm going with you."

Emmett high fived Damon randomly and looked at Esme, who was in tears. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I know he's wrong. He deserves this." Esme ran away in tears and Rosalie went after her.

"What?" Damon frowned.

"Esme doesn't like killing or violence." Emmett sighed. "It's why she's our mother, for all intents and purposes."

Stefan's phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket and looked at it. "Oh it's Charlie." He said and stepped away to answer it.

Damon crossed his arms. "Where does he usually go in the morning?"

"I don't know. I haven't had to keep tabs on him before. Jasper will know. Him and Alice are out shopping. Well, Alice is shopping, Jasper is her mule carrying bags around likely." Emmett explained. "Bella is my little sister. I would do anything for her."

"Including kill your brother that you have been with for years?"

"Yeah. He's not my brother if he is able to do stuff like that. I don't want any part of that." Emmett scowled.

Damon nodded. "Alright. If you see him first."

"I'll try not to kill him until you get to have your chat." Emmett said and the two fist bumped.

[Mystic Grille]

Bella parked the impala outside the Grille. She looked at her phone and got a message from her dad that the truck was not fixable anymore. She sighed. She had some money put up from the times she worked. And then part of the life insurance money from Renee and Phil was sitting in her account. She would have to vehicle shopping soon. But for now, she had to work. She got out of the car and locked it and walked inside. She went to the back and Rue gave her the other shirts she was supposed to get when she started but had to wait for them to come in and they happened to get there this morning. She pulled the shirt on over her long sleeved shirt and she tied her apron on. She looked up at Matt when he walked in and was confused to see her.

"I didn't see your truck. So it really must have kicked the bucket."

"Yeah, Stefan said it can't be fixed. It's pretty old anyways for a truck." Bella said.

"I saw Damon's car out there but he's not here." Matt said as he washed his hands.

"Oh right. He had me take his car today. He's with Stefan today, so he'll be in later." Bella explained.

Matt nodded and hesitated. "Is everything okay though? Last night…"

"Oh. Yeah, I'll be okay. That guy…Edward…he's dangerous Matt, so don't…don't be alone with him okay?" Bella felt like she had to warn Matt since Edward was upset that she had talked to Matt and he called it flirting.

"Did he hurt you?" Matt frowned, concerned about Bella more now.

"Nothing I can't handle." Bella gave a small smile. "But hopefully….he won't come around anymore. But in any case…just be careful if you see him." She said and then went to a table to take their order. Matt stared after her, still worried about her and her safety.

Damon walked inside the Grille and saw Bella setting plates on a table expertly. It was the after school rush and things were getting busy. He was in awe of her though. She was beautiful and just pure. He didn't know how he managed to get a mate as perfect as she was.

Jeremy walked in a short while later, seeing Damon. "Oh hey. Stefan wasn't at school today. What's going on?" He said as he started tying his apron on.

"Had a chat with Charlie about the truck. It's not fixable anymore. Keep an eye on Bella for me when I'm not here."

Jeremy raised a brow. "Something going on between you two? She said that her ex came into town and-"

"He hurt her Jer. When I find him, I will rip his heart out, so if he shows up here, I need to be the first to know."

Jeremy frowned and looked in Bella's direction. "She didn't tell me…" he murmured. "I thought maybe he had, but then she said that she relapsed last night. She lied to me…and I believed it." He didn't know how to feel about that.

"He more than hurt her. He's a you know what. " Damon said dropping his voice.

That caused Jeremy to scowl a little. "How did I not sense that?"

"Getting rusty. I don't know. Either way. Watch her for me."

"You don't have to ask, of course I'm going to protect her here. What kind of bullshit request is that?" Jeremy shook his head.

Damon looked at Jeremy seriously. "She's my mate." He said it out loud. He hadn't even said it to Stefan. But to Jeremy…he was telling him.

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it and looked over at her. "The super rare thing that doesn't happen…happened to you and her." He nodded a little. "Well, I'll protect her with my life." He said, slapping Damon's shoulder before going to work to help take tables since it was busier than normal.

Bella went to the bar to get drinks for one of her tables, when she saw Damon sit down. "Oh. How did….everything go?"

"He wasn't there." Damon said and nodded to the bartender when he sat down a bourbon in front of him.

"He wasn't there?" Bella was confused. "Did I dream this?"

"No, he's in Mystic Falls, just he wasn't home. I did have a wonderful chat with Esme and Emmett. I like Emmett." Damon said and took a drink of the bourbon but pushed it to the side with the after thought of Bella being a recovering addict.

The bartender set drinks down on Bella's tray and she lifted them with ease. "I'll get a break when the rush dies down some." She said and then she walked away with the drinks. Mixed feelings rolling through her. She wasn't sure how to feel about Edward just lurking around. Damon met Esme and Emmett and his words made her feel comforted inside. He liked Emmett, who she felt was family to her.

When things died down a little, Bella took her break and went outside, Damon following her. The warm breeze of September's air made Bella roll her sleeves up just a bit, her scars noticeable on her arms. Scars were the one thing that vampire blood couldn't heal. She turned and looked at Damon, but he leaned in, his hand sliding around her waist as he kissed her softly. He had wanted to kiss her the moment he walked in the Grille, but he refrained since she was working.

Bella smiled a little, looking up at him. "Thank you for letting me use your car today."

"Not a problem. Use it for as long as you need."

Bella frowned. "But how will you get places?"

Damon raised a brow. "I don't actually need a car to get around places." He pointed out.

"You do if you like to blend in." Bella said with a slight smile. It felt easy with Damon. She never wanted to stop being in the moment like this with him. She felt safe and loved and it was crazy to think that she had only known him for a short time.

Damon saw the look she gave him. She trusted him so much already and he hoped that he would never break that trust. His hands came up and framed her face, his mouth covering hers again. It was a simple kiss, but he allowed himself a tiny taste as their tongues brushed each others slow. He pulled away and brushed the hair back out of her face that had fallen loose from her ponytail. "I have other cars." He finally spoke.

Bella blinked a few times, caught up a little in the magic of Damon's kiss. "Oh." She said simply. He smiled at her and kissed her softly again before pulling her in for an embrace. Her head rested against his chest.

"I know your break will be over soon. I have a meeting with the Mayor's wife for the Founder's Ball preparations but, you are safe at the boarding house. Please go there after work." Damon said softly.

Bella frowned. "Founder's Ball?"

"Yeah, it's a thing they do every year here. I'll explain it more later. But for now…" he leaned back and kissed her again. He didn't think he could ever get enough of this closeness with her. He heard a car door close, but he didn't break the kiss just yet. He pulled back enough to kiss her lightly on the lips and then her forehead. Bella looked up at him, happiness in her eyes.

Charlie pulled up at the Grille, finally coming off duty and he saw Bella and Damon Salvatore kissing. It was a shock to see and he wasn't sure how to feel about this development. Damon was older than Bella was and after everything she went through with Edward Cullen, he wasn't exactly thrilled for her to be kissing anyone for that matter. He cleared his throat as he walked up.

Bella looked over at her dad. "Oh. Hey dad."

"Hey." Charlie said, his dark eyes swinging over to Damon.

Damon smiled at Bella and then looked at Charlie and before he said a word, his phone rang. "Excuse me chief." He said and pulled his phone from his pocket. "Salvatore." He said quickly.

"He's home. Jasper and Emmett have him pinned down." Rosalie's voice filtered into the phone.

Damon's gaze darkened. "I'm on my way." He said, his tone serious. He hung up and looked at Bella. "I'm sorry. I have to go, tell Steve to put my drink on my tab."

"Is everything alright?" Bella asked, picking up on the seriousness of Damon's tone.

Damon smiled a little. "It will be." He said and leaned in and kissed her briefly before looking at Charlie. "I apologize chief, I have something important to get to. Talk later?" He asked.

Charlie just nodded and waved him away. He watched Damon go and get into the black firebird parked next to the black Impala and drive away. He looked back at his daughter. "What?" He wasn't sure how to phrase the rest of the thoughts going through his head.

"He has a meeting with the Mayor's wife. The Founder's Ball. He's probably running late." Bella explained, but she was certain that whoever had called, was more important than the Mayor's wife.

"Not what I was going for." Charlie said and scratched his head. "Are you two…I mean, when did you two even have time to…"

"Dad. I'm turning 20 in four days. I am capable of developing relationships."

"Yeah, but is it a good idea? I mean Edward happened in May and it's only September." Charlie said.

Bella frowned. "So? I feel better. I'm doing good. I am happy. I'm not going to break so stop treating me like I will." Her tone was angry.

Charlie sighed. "Bells…that's not-"

"I have to work." Bella snapped out and she turned away from her dad and walked back inside the Grille.

Damon arrived at the Cullen house, cursing the fact he couldn't just come here at vamp speed because Charlie was present and he had to drive away. He walked inside the house hearing the commotion on the inside like there was a major struggle and he saw Emmett and Major Whitlock struggling to keep away from Edward's deadly advances with what looked like a wooden stake. Esme was being shielded by Rosalie and a pixie looking girl. And there was another man slender looking and had blonde hair and a thin face and he was sitting against a wall a stake in his chest but it wasn't quite deep enough. But he couldn't pull it out for some reason.

Damon rushed Edward, and Edward swung wide at Damon when the stake but Damon blocked, snapping Edwards arm at the elbow making him drop the stake and Damon caught the stake before it hit the ground and he shoved the stake into Edward's ribs.

Edward cried out in pain, his ravenous looking eyes and fangs popping out as he growled at Damon through the pain. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Your worst nightmare." Damon said and then shoved his hand into Edward's chest and the room went silent as they watched Damon and Edward. "You don't deserve to walk this Earth. You hurt Bella, in the worse way possible. I don't have tolerance for that." He said and his hand squeezed around Edward's heart. Edward's face contorted with pain as he felt Damon's death grip.

"You're no better than me. You're a creature or the night. A soulless monster that will only give into your nature and do what you please."

"No. I am better than you. I believe I have a soul and a shot at redemption. It is not in my nature to rape someone and drain them of their life. Even without my humanity I am a better being than you." Damon growled. "You'll never be able to hurt her again." He said as he pulled Edward's heart from his chest. His eyes were wide as his body greyed and he dropped to the ground.

Damon dropped the heart in the floor and he looked over at Esme who was still crying so hard, but Rosalie and the pixie stopped blocking her and she went to the other mans side.

"The handle is soaked in vervain." Emmett said as him and Jasper walked closer.

Damon sighed and he put a hand on Esme's shoulder to move her back. He grabbed the handle of the stake, and it burned his hand immediately but he waited, ignoring the pain as he studied the stake and how it felt and angled it a little to the left and then pulled it out.

"You must be Carlisle." Damon spoke when Carlisle coughed a little and breathed a little deeper.

Rosalie's eyes were wide as she saw Damon's hands blister and start to heal back. "How did you …"

"I handle vervain more than you obviously." Damon said and stood. He looked over at Jasper. "So you're the Jasper that Bella mentioned. Major Jasper Whitlock.

Jasper walked over to Damon and they stared at each other briefly before they hugged, slapping each other's backs. "I am glad it was you that walked through that door Salvatore. It's been far too long."

"It has brother." Damon said and smiled, pulling back and slapping Jasper's face gently in a friendly way.

Emmett was confused. "What? How do you know each other?"

"Served together in the military." Jasper said. "Army."

"Oh before you were turned." Emmett said catching on now. "Small world."

Damon smiled a little. "Yeah and the southern vampire war. I think that was the last time I saw you. Thought you were lost to Maria back then."

"I broke out of that." Jasper said with a nod.

Damon's phone rang again and he pulled it from his pocket. "Hey Carol. I am running a little late. Sorry about that." He paused a moment and nodded. "Yes. The ballroom at the boarding house will be plenty space. I'll have things rearranged for the ball. I'll box up and the vervain in the dungeon and make sure guests don't accidentally stumble on things." He paused again. "Okay. Sure, head over to the house around 9. I'm going to take care of a vampire issue. Tell Liz that I caught the culprit for the killings around town. I'll fill you both in later." He paused again. "Ummmm I believe so. I have several pieces to put up for the auction. I'll have Stefan talk to Elena about the watch and the ring. Oh, Carol my girlfriend will be over later after her shift at the Grille. So if she's there before me, she can show you the ballroom before I get there." He nodded. "Okay. Yeah I will. See you later." He hung up and looked over at Emmett. "So I don't have a meeting to get to that is pressing but we need to do something with him."

Rosalie held up a hand. "Hold on. I have questions."

Damon raised a brow, looking at Rosalie. "I'm a founder of Mystic Falls. It's a ball that goes on every year. This year I'm hosting it at my house. I grow vervain and supply it to the top secret vampire hunting council that the Mayors wife is apart of as well as our sheriff. I'm pretty sure Edward is out people killer that has been terrorizing citizens because I know for a fact that he came to Mystic Falls before you made your move since I have surveillance photos to prove he was. I just didn't care until he hurt Bella and honestly didn't realize he existed anyways. And yes the top secret vampire hunting council knows I am a vampire. Did that answer any or all your questions?"

Rosalie opened her mouth to speak but she closed her mouth.

Pixie giggled and it sounded like little bells. "Gee Rosalie he seems to know what you're thinking before you do."

"Shut it Alice."

"You're Alice." Damon said, his blue eyes settling on her. "Good. You and Jasper can make Bella really happy by going to see her. She missed all of you."

Carlisle got to his feet, his chest healing up good. "Is Bella alright? Emmett told me what he did and I rushed back home and I'm afraid I underestimated him."

Damon nodded. "Physically, I healed her. She's…going to need time I believe to move past the other parts. But since she speaks highly of this family and she seems to trust you all, I am going to trust Bella and I think that the first order of business should be to apologize to her for leaving her. She went through a lot in 4 months and maybe one day she'll tell you, but Edward being dead is step one for making her feel safe."

Carlisle nodded and then shook Damon's hand. "We'll do everything we can to make this right with her. I think of her as my own daughter."

"Good." Damon said with a nod.

Bella got off work at 8:30 and felt the exhaustion of her anxiety weighing on her from having to be social all day. She got to the boarding house and parked the Impala in the garage and her truck was gone. Her dad told her he was going to tow it to the junk yard but he got all her stuff out of it and that he would put the money from scrapping it into her account for her. It was difficult to let go of the truck because it was the truck that her dad got her when she turned 16. Before Edward and everything else. She went inside the boarding house, putting the keys to the Impala on the hook by the front door and she went to the parlor and went towards the fireplace. She studied it, admiring the original grey stone that was likely built sometime in the late 1800s. She loved fireplaces. She thought about a bath again just because it was relaxing the first time, but she still felt weird about being at the boarding house without Damon. It made her anxious. She heard the doorbell ring from the front door and she went to it, a little hesitant at first, but she opened the door and saw a woman, older probably in her forties, with a light brown hair, and pretty blue-green eyes and she was dressed business casual like, a dark pencil skirt and a matching blazer that the sleeves stopped at the elbow, and a nice white blouse.

"Hey, Damon said to head over here. He isn't here yet I'm assuming."

Bella shook her head. "No, he's not home yet."

"No worries. He said that his girlfriend could show me to the ballroom."

Bella frowned. Damon hadn't mentioned he had a girlfriend, and she wondered if he meant her as his girlfriend. They just found out they were mates, they hadn't really classified anything. "Oh right. Of course. Right this way." She chose her wording carefully and watched as the woman crossed the threshhold.

The woman studied Bella. "You're Charlie's daughter right?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, Bella Swan."

"Carol Lockwood. I forgot my head for a moment, I didn't introduce myself. I'm sorry." Carol said sweetly.

"Not a problem. Damon mentioned you before, I just didn't click it together." Bella offered a smile and she guided Carol towards the ballroom. She went based off memory where it was, and she opened the door and flipped on the light and the lights lit up magically throughout the room, which was quite large and had some furniture throughout with white sheets over it. The marbled floor was grand, and the red velvet looking drapes drew attention to the walls and the Victorian styled wallpaper flourished upwards and there were chandeliers hanging that were electric of course since this was updated. Bella thought this room was beautiful and this was the first time she was really seeing it.

"Oh this is just marvelous." Carol said, admiring the walls and the floor. "It's perfect." She smiled over at Bella.

"Perfect for what?" Bella asked, not sure what Carol was talking about.

"The Founder's Ball. Damon didn't mention it?"

"I've been at work a lot. I don't think he's mentioned it being here in the little time we've had." Bella said simply.

Carol smiled. "Of course. Tyler said something about you working at the Grille. I don't think I've been in recently. Richard might have, but you know how men can be. They don't notice the little things." She joked.

Bella smiled and nodded. "I think my dad is probably the most oblivious one. I moved the furniture around once in the living room, and he didn't even notice. Not until he lost the remote to the TV, he suddenly realized the recliner was on a different wall."

Carol laughed a little. "Sounds like Richard. Damon is so attentive it seems though. He doesn't miss much does he?" She wondered how Damon came to date someone like Bella. Bella seemed shy, or unsure of herself or others around her. She didn't know much about Bella other than she was Charlie's daughter. Damon didn't talk about Bella at all, and she assumed it was because Bella was new to the town too. Them dating had to be so new. But Bella was also young. Damon was in his twenties and she wondered if Bella was too young for him. He certainly was likely feeding into a girly crush. Damon was a man, and Carol found herself a little jealous of Bella.

Damon walked in the boarding house, and walked to the ballroom, knowing that was where Carol and Bella would be since Carol came slightly early it seemed. "Ladies." He announced, smiling. He went to Bella, dipping down and kissing her softly, before looking at Carol. "So? Think it's big enough for the ball?"

"Of course. This is beautiful Damon. How have I never been here before?" Carol said, playfully putting a hand on his arm. Her body language was flirtatious, and her tone was inviting as well, but only slight, not too much to make it obvious.

"Good. Have your movers or whatever organize and decorate. I'm assuming Caroline is going to frequent the boarding house more to make sure the preparations are going smoothly?"

"Ah yes. Caroline is part of the decorating committee. She is going to make sure things are in the right place. Elena is helping with the auction."

Damon nodded. "Oh right. I have a couple pieces for the auction." He said and looked to Bella. "I'll be right back. When we're done here, do you want to go to dinner?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I ate at the Grille. I was just thinking about a bath and then calling dad."

"Okay." Damon said and kissed her simply. "I'm going to show Carol some of the things for the auction and then I'll join you." He said and Bella nodded with a smile.

Bella looked at Carol. "Nice meeting you Ms. Lockwood." She said and she left Carol and Damon in the ballroom and went upstairs to Damon's room to the bathroom.

Carol looked at Damon, keeping her smile. "She's a shy little thing."

"She's been through a lot." Damon said, not liking the angle Carol was starting to hit at. "She's my life though."

"Oh? Love so soon? You two haven't been together long." Carol chimed.

"I believe in love at first sight Carol."

"Even as a vampire?" Carol asked.

Damon smiled. "Vampires know how to love Carol. We're not monsters."

"Well." Carol raised a brow and grinned.

"Hmm. Not ALL of us are monsters." Damon corrected. "In any case. I have a few things for auction." HE said and lead her out of the ballroom and brought her to a different room. It just had little treasures he had collected over the years. A few paintings, some jewelry, some artifacts. "I was thinking this painting by Van Gogh."

Carol studied the painting. "I don't recall this being a well known piece. How did you come across it?" She asked as she studied the landscape. It was a beautiful painting and it was definitely Van Gogh.

"That's because I bought that off of him when I was in England in 1876." Damon said. "He was working at a boarding school in Ramsgate. I had always wanted to go to England when I was human, so I thought why not, so I took the trip. I lucked out since he didn't stay in England very long. He was painting only a little at that time. I saw him again around 1890. He wasn't doing well. He was suffering from acute schizophrenia. But that wasn't the name for it back then. He was going mad and he painted more and more."

"Van Gogh shot himself in 1890." Carol said, surprised.

Damon nodded. "I know. I was there." He said. "He shot himself in the chest." He recalled the memory of Van Gogh in the wheat field by the barn. He tried to talk him out of it. He was a friend, and Damon didn't make friends easily. "I tried to convince him that there was more to life, but he was tired. He was done. The voices were too much." He sighed. "I tried to heal him. He wouldn't let me. He was religious. Vampires are damned. Though he saw little reprieve when he shot himself. I helped him get back to town, where doctor's could tend to him. And they did save him. But he died from an infection because back then, things just weren't sterile." He grimaced a little but sighed. "In any case. This piece is worth well over 50 million. I want to donate it to the auction."

Carol frowned. "Such a unique piece? So valuable?"

"Not my only piece from him." Damon said with a smile. "It'll draw attention and raise money for what the town needs, I'm happy to part with it." He said with a nod.

Carol smiled, shaking her head. "You are truly a honorable man."

"I try." Damon said with a smirk. "The other thing I was thinking is this sculpture. It doesn't have a cool back story. I wasn't friends with the sculptor, but I came across this while I was in Paris." He said and showed her the sculpture. It was a bronze sculpture from the early 1900s. It was a woman sitting on a rock or some sort of hard surface. "This is just, one of those things that I picked up because I wanted a souvenir from France."

Carol laughed a little. "Certainly. These are grand. Thank you so much for your contribution."

"Of course."

"Now, the Founder's Ball. Are you bringing Bella?"

Damon nodded. "Yes. She is my better half." He said with a smile.

"She'll need to dress the part. Does she look good in a ballgown?"

Damon raised a brow. "Carol, regardless of how she looks in anything, she is beautiful and can wear whatever she pleases to the ball."

"Right. OF course." Carol waived a hand.

Damon kept a smile on his face. "Now, I would like to check on her. She's had a long day." He said and then walked Carol out. He sighed once she was gone and he looked up the stairs, hearing the water cut off. He refrained from going up there, and went to the parlor instead. He poured himself a drink and thought about the events of the day.

"I'm not sure about this." Bella frowned and sucked in a breath as Alice tightened the corset for the ballgown she was wearing. The A-line dress was a subtle blue, the chiffon and silk mixed together to give a fantasy vibe to the essemble. The glittering tulle that layered the rest of the material sparkled in the light. The sleeves were off the shoulder, but long to her wrists and the corset on the back helped push her breast up, giving off a more victorian styled bodice.

"You look stunning Bella, and this is the dress I saw you in so you must wear it." Alice said in her airy, bell like voice.

Once the corset was finished, Bella turned and looked at Alice. "I don't wear dresses." She said with a slight blush, "I look weird."

Alice clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Quit that. You are a beauty." She said and turned Bella to look in the long floor mirror. "Look." She said gently.

Bella studied the mirror, a little in shock at the person reflected back at her. The beading detail at the waist was dazzling and she didn't realize it was there until now. Her dark hair fell like a tumble of dark waves down her back. Alice had made her go to the salon earlier. Her nails were painted in a french tip manner, a slight ellegance that wouldn't upstage the dress. The diamonds dangled from her ears delicately. Her light makeup somehow enhanced something that was lying beneath the surface. Her blue-green eyes watered as she found herself beautiful for the first time in a long time. "I…it's me." She whispered in awe.

Alice smiled. "See. I told you."

Bella felt good about herself. She smiled and it actually reached her eyes. She felt different, so raw with a new found emotion and level of happy she didn't realize existed. She turned and looked at Alice. "Thank you."

Alice smiled at her friend. "Nothing to thank me for. Now go on, your escort is waiting for you." She said with a knowing smile before she hugged her friend, a vision coming to her.

A little girl, chesnut hair and sparkling green eyes smiled up at Bella, her tiny hand reaching for her. Bella smiled back at the girl, lifting her up and smiling. The girl was around four years old, but was astoundingly beautiful. "Mommy."

Alice sucked in a breath and her eyes went wide and she looked at Bella. "How…"

"How what?" Bella frowned. "Alice are you okay? Did you get a vision? Was it bad?"

Alice wasn't sure what the vision meant. Other than Bella was a mother and she looked exactly as she does now, as if she didn't age at all. The girl was beautiful and maybe it was her mind, but resembled Edward with the brilliant green eyes. "I….I don't know." She shook her head. This didn't mean anything. Sometimes her visions were just odd. "It's nothing." She smiled again. "Go on, I'll be right behind you." She said motioning to her dark violet dress that was hanging up.

Bella frowned a little but she nodded and left the room. She looked towards the stairs and the sound of low music and voices. The boarding house was full of people all over Mystic Falls. She walked, the skirts of her dress skimmed the ground lightly as she walked. She was glad that Alice thought about flats instead of heels because honestly, Bella wasn't sure she would be able to walk normal with them on. She made it to the top of the stairs and paused when she saw Damon walking up the stairs. His eyes met hers and she saw him suck in a breath, like the sight of her stole his breath. Her cheeks tinted pink, a small smile on her face. Her heart sped up a little and she knew that it would give away how she felt, and if Jasper was nearby, he would feel that she was very much happy.

Damon was so much in love with his mate. His own heart stammered as he saw her. Her glowing so bright, like a little sun in front of him. She was radiating beauty. He walked up the stairs, coming to a stop in front of her. "You look stunning." He said and took her hand delicately in his and brought it to his lips and kissed her hand gently before sliding one hand to her waist, and drew her near to him, his mouth coming down on hers now. It was gentle, a light airy kiss that stole her breath away now.

Bella felt lightheaded as the kiss made her feel like the entire world stopped turning and that time was sitting still just for her and Damon. "I feel dizzy." She murmured.

Damon brushed hair back out of her face, studying her a moment. Her pulse got a little weird and it made him frown. "You feel unwell?"

Bella wasn't sure if that was the right word, but the world spun a little more. "mmm."

Damon caught her weight against him with ease as she fainted the next moment. He swung her up into his arms and carried her towards his bedroom. He laid her on the bed gently and looked up at Alice flitting in, worry covering her face. "Was she not feeling well while getting ready?"

"No, she was fine. I didn't tie the corset too tight either." Alice answered his next thought even if she couldn't read his mind exactly.

Damon pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Elena, Stefan, and Jeremy for them to come upstairs to his room because Bella fainted. "She feels warm to me but we run cooler than humans so I can't be sure if she has a fever. " He said to Alice. He was filled with anxiety and worry over Bella. It wasn't like her to swoon, or at least in the amount of time he knew her.

Jeremy, Elena and Stefan rushed into the room and Stefan shut the door behind them. Jeremy went to the side of the bed instantly. "What happened?" He asked, with a worried tone.

"I don't know." Damon said. "One minute she was smiling at me, and the next she was dizzy and then she fainted. I carried her here." He explained. "Does she have a fever?" He asked.

Jeremy reached up and touched her neck with the back of his hand and shook his head. "No, she's not feverish."

"Carlisle is downstairs, I-" Alice broke off as her vision came on suddenly, her eyes going white as the vision took hold.

Bella was in pain, her belly rounded. She was in the parlor of the boarding house, sitting by the fireplace. Her hands rubbed over her belly, soothing pain. The window showed a white landscape. A Christmas tree was decked to the top, lights twinkling giving off a fantasy glow. But the pain was coming in short waves as Bella labored quietly in the parlor. Damon entered with Carlisle and Carlisle went to Bella's side immediately.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle's concerned voice was exact and professional.

"Just comes in intense waves." Bella spoke, her voice tight with the aftershock of labor pain.

Damon crossed his arms, concern weighed heavy on his face like iron. "Doc, please tell me she's going to be okay."

"We talked about this." Bella said. "If anything happens-"

"Bella, I can't lose you." Damon said, his voice trembling.

Alice sucked in a breath and looked down at her hands. Her nails had bit into her palms and the cuts were healing as soon as she relaxed her hands. "I…"

Damon was in front of her, his hands firm on her shoulders. "The Major told me you have visions. What was it Alice?"

Tears came to the surface and she looked at Bella. Her friend was lying there peaceful. Was it true that she was pregnant? Alice moved away from Damon and went to the bed, climbing on and crawled over, putting her ear to Bella's belly. Everyone was quiet as they watched, confused by what was going on with Alice. Alice focused her hearing and heard the whoosh whoosh of a fetal heartbeat. She gasped and leaned up, her eyes wide. "She's pregnant."

"What?" Everyone in the room said at one time.

Damon went to Bella and leaned down, and placed his ear to her belly like Alice had and heard the said whoosh whoosh of a fetal heartbeat. He leaned up, running his hands over his face as he thought about what was happening. How it was happening?

Stefan looked at Elena and Jeremy and then glanced over at his brother. "Damon, it's not your fault, how would you know that…this could happen. You two-"

"Haven't slept together." Damon whispered, his blue eyes not looking at anyone in particular right now.

Jeremy frowned and looked at his cousin. "She hasn't brought anyone home Damon. She's just friendly with Matt and-"

"I know it isn't Prince charming." Damon sighed. "It's Edward."

"What?" Everyone else said at the same time except Alice. Alice knew. It was her vision.

Damon looked at Alice. "What did you see?"

"It was the second vision. But I swear I didn't realize what the first one was until this one. The first one, she was with a girl. A little girl maybe…maybe like four. She was beautiful. She had…Bella's smile and Edward's green eyes and I just…didn't understand it. Because it's impossible!" Alice squeaked at the end, and shook her head. "This vision…it was Christmas. The tree was up here in the parlor….there was snow on the ground outside. She was heavily pregnant. In pain….perhaps labor."

Bella groaned a little and it drew attention to her. Damon was there instantly, helping her sit up slowly. "I….fainted?" She murmured and looked around at all the concerned faces. She didn't realize that she had drawn that much attention to herself. But she had the oddest experience while she was asleep. A small girl came to her, wavy Chesnut hair and brilliant green eyes and she called her mommy.

Damon was frowning. "You did. Are you okay?"

"I think so." Bella said and looked at Alice. "Alice, you're crying…."

"Oh, these are just scared tears," Alice said and wiped at her face. "Um. I'm going to go find Jasper and Carlisle." She said and excused herself.

Stefan nodded and put his arm around Elena's waist. "I'm going to go tell Charlie that I had…a thing, because I was mid conversation. I didn't even…tell him what happened."

"Please don't." Bella said suddenly. "I don't want him to worry about me. He's always worried about me."

Stefan just nodded and left with Elena. Jeremy hesitated and looked at her. "Hey, take it easy okay." He said softly before he left the room. He knew that it would be better to give Damon and Bella some privacy and some time to understand what was happening.

Bella looked at Damon, the way he looked at her was as if she had died or something. "I only fainted. Damon…I'm okay. Probably because I haven't really eaten much today."

"You need to eat." Damon said gently and sat on the bed next to her and took her hands in his. "Bella…Alice had a vision."

Bella frowned. "She had one earlier but wouldn't tell me. Did she tell you?"

"She had a second one." Damon said and rubbed her hands gentle with his thumbs. He hated this for her. This wasn't what he had expected to even find out himself today. He knew that he would never have children. As a vampire it was a sacrifice, but the impossible was happening to her right now. How she was pregnant and let alone with Edward's child…it pained him greatly inside. "Um. You're pregnant." He whispered.

Bella was quiet as she soaked in his words. The dream. "She's real…"she murmured and removed her hands from Damon's and put them over her belly. She felt a slight fluttering and she looked down. She had been feeling weird butterfly feelings of late, but she thought it was the whole falling in love with Damon thing.

Damon watched her, looking for distress, but she seemed like she understood and knew. "Are…are you okay?"

"I think so." Bella murmured. "I had a dream of a little girl and she called me mommy." She said and her ocean eyes met Damon's. "I thought it was an odd dream….and then the flutters…I thought the flutters were because of falling in love with you."

Damon heard her words and it sent a small thrill at the sound of the word love, but he was still pained by the situation. He reached up and cupped her face. "I love you. As my mate, I will always love you."

Bella felt herself tear up. "Damon…the baby…it's Edward's, he's the only person…but he was a vampire. How is this even possible?"

"I don't know." Damon didn't know how it was possible. It shouldn't be possible, but he heard the heartbeat himself. Otherwise he might have said Alice was crazy.

Bella's lip quivered a little as emotion surged through her. "I'm sorry." She whisped out.

"Hey, no. Don't do that." Damon said and then drew her into his arms gently. "It's not anything to be sorry about. We'll get through this. Both of us. I promise." He said and kissed the top of her head and stroked a hand over her belly, his palm pressing against it. "I will, without hesitancy, without doubt, take care of you and our baby. You get that?"

Bella sniffed and nodded. "You'll…you'll take responsibility for a child not yours?"

"That doesn't matter. Bella, you're my mate. My entire world. Nothing will change that and nothing will deter me from taking care of you." Damon said and stroked her face before his lips touched hers again, kissing her softly initially. Her lips parted and their tongues tasted each other, the kiss deepening. Bella's hands clenched the vest, pulling herself closer to him. Her angle changing of the kiss and she moaned against his lips as she felt the pleasure of just being there with him. Damon slowed the kiss down, drawing it out just a little before he broke his lips away from hers. "My dear mate…we have to stop." He murmured, his lips just a hair away from hers.

"I don't want to." Bella murmured back, her eyes opening to look into his. "Damon…"

"I have to stop for now." Damon said and brushed her hair back. "There is an entire ball going on downstairs."

"Oh. Right." Bella said and blinked a couple times. "People are likely wondering where you are." She shifted, getting to her feet.

Damon stood, grabbing her hand in his. "I'm sure they're being occupied by Carol and the others."

Bella nodded, looking down when she heard Carol's name.

Damon picked up on something and he gave her hand a squeeze. "Nothing has ever happened between Carol and I and it never will."

Bella's cheeks tinted red a little. She didn't realize she was that readable. She thought Carol was a little flirty with Damon and perhaps a little close and she didn't know much about her and honestly she didn't know that much about Damon either. They were still learning each other. "I…it's not my business."

"But it is." Damon said softly. "I know Carol is flirty and…older and I know that you're feeling self conscious and I want you to be comfortable. I want you to be happy." He said, bringing a hand up and stroking her cheek. "So much is going on…I know and with this pregnancy…I just want you to know that I mean what I say. I'm in this forever Bella. Mates can't be separated. Even if I was that type of person, to go and take another woman, it would physically cause me pain. That's how serious this connection is."

"I don't want you to just settle for me though…I'm probably not….exactly what you were looking for in a soulmate."

"I'm not settling." Damon said reassuringly. "You're everything to me Bella. Always. Trust that." He said and then leaned in and kissed her sweetly. "I will do anything to prove to you that I will love you for eternity."

Bella kissed him back before looking up at him. "Would you turn me? After the baby is born…will you turn me?"

"Yes." Damon said without hesitation. "If that is what you want, I would do it."

Bella was surprised. Edward had been adamant about her staying human. He didn't care what she had wanted. He was controlling in that sense, but Damon was so sure of being with her, that he would make her like him, so they could have a chance at eternity together. "Okay." She nodded and they kissed again, before they went downstairs to join the others.

Charlie crossed his arms as he studied his daughter. Thanksgiving was in two weeks, and everything seemed to be going so well. She was brighter, happier, and she seemed to be getting healthier. He saw her cheeks fill more as she finally was eating more and it was good to see her so healthy. He was wary of Damon Salvatore. He was older. Twenty-four, and she was just twenty. And when you looked at it from a numbers angle, sure, he wasn't that much older than she was. But for some reason, Damon seemed older than he was, and Charlie just felt like Bella was rushing into a relationship. And now, he felt even more like he had lost control at some point.

"You're pregnant…." Charlie said the words out loud. Bella told him that she was pregnant. Those words…weren't what he thought he would hear. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to kill Damon for doing this to his fragile daughter. Raising a kid in this world was hard and Bella was so young. Things felt like they were spiraling.

Jenna cleared her throat. "Charlie, maybe-"

"I thought….I thought you understood what safe sex was. Bella, you're only twenty years old. How…I mean, you just met him not that long ago."

Bella knew that this would be hard, telling her dad about being pregnant. But she couldn't hide it any longer. She was starting to get a bump and she wouldn't be able to explain it any other way. Carlisle said that at the rate she was going, the baby would be born in December, which matched what Alice saw in her vision. "Dad. I love Damon. He is my soulmate. He makes me happy. I'm healthy, and happy. Isn't that what you wanted for me?"

"Of course, but BElla-"

"It's not a discussion. I was simply letting you know that you're going to be a grandfather. I thought you would share in my joy because I want to be a mom. Dad…I love this baby, so much. This is what I was meant to do and it feels just…so amazing." Bella said, tears in her eyes.

Charlie saw the passion in her eyes, heard it in her words. He teared up too. "I know. It is pretty amazing…"He said his words tight in his throat. "God, I'm just scared for you honey. It's just a big step."

"I know….I know dad. But you don't have to be afraid." Bella said and she stood and went to her dad and grabbed his hands and put them to her belly.

Charlie's mouth dropped in awe as he felt her bump. The proof of life she was carrying a child. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he just sobbed a little and then pulled his daughter into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to be a grandpa." He said it out loud, and letting those small joys in, but no matter how old she got, she was always his little girl.

Jenna teared up too, smiling at her brother and niece. "Well, I certainly am excited! Babies are the greatest gift! And Damon is a wonderful person. Charlie, I promise you that Bella and the baby are in the best care."

Charlie nodded and kissed the top of Bella's head again. "I know. I'm just…still a dad." He sniffed a little and pulled back and looked at his daughter. "Where is Damon?"

"He is actually with Mayor Lockwood at the moment. They have a meeting about some zoning thing." Bella said.

"What is it that Damon does?"

"He is on the founder's council here in Mystic Falls. The Salvatore's helped find this town. His family also owns a logging company. Then of course he owns the boarding house." Bella relayed.

Jenna cleared her throat. "He's more than that. He's a lucrative business owner. He owns the Grille and then he invests in other small businesses and owns several pieces of real estate."

Charlie opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself. "I didn't realize how…successful he was."

"Dad." Bella said with a sigh.

"It's nothing bad, I just…Edward was the same…came from family money. Carlisle said Edward died in a car accident. I was surprised to see the Cullen's in Mystic Falls." Charlie said, not realizing that he talked about Edward freely.

Bella nodded. "Yes, well, Damon is nothing like Edward." She said and then her phone rang and it was Damon calling her. She answered. "Hey."

"Hey you. I am done with Richard. I was going to come by and pick you up and we can go shopping for a crib and other stuff for the baby. Alice is also certain it is a girl." Damon said.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Bella said with a smile.

"Have you told your dad about the baby?"

"Yes."

Charlie raised a brow. "Is that Damon?" He asked and Bella nodded. "Is he coming here?" He asked and she nodded again. "Good."

"I'll see you when you get here." Bella said softly.

"Alright. Love you." Damon said, his tone always softened when he said those words.

"Love you too." Bella said and hung up. "We are going to go shopping for the baby."

Charlie was thinking about that now. "Oh. Right. You two…are going to move in together…aren't you?"

"Dad…the boarding house is not that far."

"I know…I know. You're an adult too….I can't stop you, but…I'll just miss you is all." Charlie said, his voice sad. His daughter was grown now. She was making a family for herself, and he would be happy for that. He had to be. He was still worried about her wellbeing of course.

Bella hugged her dad again. "I will always be your little girl. You get that right?"

Charlie sighed. "I know. I get it." He said and hugged his daughter back, not wanting to let her go, but he released her when there was a knock on the door. "He made it here fast."

Jenna smiled and went to the front door and let Damon in. "Well, I have a meeting to get to myself. Congrats Bella and Damon. Love you both." She said and kissed Damon's cheek and was out the door.

Damon smiled, watching Jenna rush out the door, like typical Jenna. He saw Bella and Charlie and saw the look Charlie had. "Charlie, I-"

"I know this is fast. I want to understand, and I'll pretend for now. I'm happy that she's happy. I don't know you well enough yet, so I will spend the next however long it takes to do that. Do you have any felonies?"

Damon smiled a little. "No I don't. I don't smoke, or do drugs. I have a teen in the house still, I am the guardian of my brother. I lost both of my parents. My mother when I was just a boy, only seven. My father to war. My uncle died and I returned to my home so I could take care of the boarding house and the company that we own. I have traveled all over the world, and am jousting around in the political field right now. I am helping Richard run as the next Governor of Virginia. I plan to run for Mayor in the interim, and I don't have many enemies. I have a lot of money. I donate regularly to several charities and host many events that profit this town. I own the Grille and have invested in other businesses. I own several pieces of real estate and land, and I'm not a shy person. My best friend is Alaric Saltzman. He is a history professor at Whitman. My other dear friend is Elizabeth Forbes. I have every intention in supporting the wonderful police of this town and admire the bravery of the police, yourself included. I am an open book Chief, I don't hide from anything or anyone. I am very much in love with your daughter. I had planned on asking you for her hand in marriage, but, Bella knows her own mind and I don't think that these times require such measures. I am more than willing to answer any and all questions you have that I haven't answered."

Charlie listened to Damon talk, and he found him confident, and perhaps a little cocky. Rich people typically were. He made a hmmm sound. "Do you have any other children?"

"I don't." Damon said. "I love children, always planned on having a family. The pregnancy is unplanned, but it's not the end of my world because Bella is my world and now our child."

Charlie nodded. "How many children do you plan to have?"

"Dad." Bella said. "This is the only one okay. We are excited for this, why the hundred questions?"

"It's okay. I agreed to the line of questioning." Damon said with a smile. "As many children as Bella wants. If she wants one, then that is the plan." He said with a slight nod.

"Have you ever been arrested?"

"Yes." Damon said with a nod without hesitating. "Which, I am sure with a background check you will find out, as I assume you will run one. I was arrested by Elizabeth Forbes, twice."

Charlie raised a brow. "For what?"

Damon looked at Bella and then at Charlie. "Assault."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was picked up outside the Grille for getting in an altercation with a man named NiKlaus Mikaelson. He was bothering Elena and I stepped in. Things got out of hand. Liz was driving by. She took both me and Klaus in." Damon thought about that memory. If only Liz knew how dangerous Klaus and he had been. Klaus was an original hybrid dick, and could have ripped her apart right then and there, but Klaus had an odd way of showing how he cared. "The second time was….the second time was when my girlfriend died." He said and cleared his throat. "I got in a fight with Alaric at the bar. I was…grieving."

Charlie didn't like to hear that Damon could be violent. "So, would you say you're a violent person?"

"Yes." Damon said, not lying. "I project the people I care about Charlie. I would absolutely get violent with a person if it meant protecting those that I care about. I would never raise a hand to the person I love. That isn't me. I have never struck a woman and don't plan on it, unless a woman is threatening Bella or my child. I don't have a temper, I don't fly off the handle just because. I have to have a reason."

Charlie crossed his arms. "Still. Violence isn't always the answer."

"You're right. It's not always the answer."

"I'm assuming no charges were ever filed."

"No, they weren't because Alaric and Klaus didn't press charges and neither did Liz. You can talk to Klaus anytime you want. He'll tell you that I was right and he was wrong. He will also tell you how much I will sacrifice for the people I love."

Charlie didn't doubt that. That was a good quality. He knew that Damon would protect Bella from danger if there was ever danger. "What about the girlfriend?"

"Dad!"

"It's valid." Damon said. "She died two years ago." He said. "Her name was Rose. She was sick. A degenerative disease with no cure. We dated two months."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Charlie said, feeling bad that he mentioned her.

Damon nodded. "She was a good person." He said and put his hand in his pocket as he stood there. "The relationship wasn't as…"

"It wasn't like with Bella." Charlie finished for him and Damon nodded. Charlie sighed. "Okay. Have you been married before?"

"No I haven't." Damon said, shaking his head.

"Dad, is this all necessary?"

"I'm getting to know the man that you're having a child with." Charlie said. "It's necessary."

"I plan on interrogating the first boyfriend my daughter ever has, so I appreciate the wisdom." Damon said with a smile.

Charlie's eyes watered a little. "Daughter?"

"Um. Yeah. We're pretty sure it's a girl." Bella said, looking at the emotion on her dad's face.

Damon looked at Bella and smiled. "Well, we'll be even more sure next week, but for now, we are focused on furniture. Caroline has turned one of the rooms in to a nursery at the boarding house. She painted the walls a pale yellow. She said she talked to you about colors first." He said, looking at Bella.

"She did. Yellow is pretty. I don't care for pink so, I thought it would be a good bright color for her."

Charlie wiped his face. "Well, I won't hold you up anymore. Um. Take care of her, I want to inspect the home. You know-"

"Dad!"

"It's alright," Damon said with a chuckle and then pulled his keys from his pocket and took a key off the ring and handed it to Charlie. "You are more than welcome, any time, full reign of the house. My home is yours Charlie. If you rather move in too, I can-"

"You really don't have to do that." Bella said, looking at Damon. "IT's already a lot of change with me moving in."

Damon took Bella's hand and brought it to his lips. "I know. The offer is there. I want you to be happy Bella, I don't ever want you to feel like your world is leaving you because you're making leaps and bounds." He said softly.

Charlie liked the way Damon handled Bella. "I appreciate that." He said and took the key. "I'll let you two have your personal space, but um. If Bella wants or needs me…I will move…in….if that is what she wants."

Bella looked at her dad, tears coming to her eyes and she went to him and hugged him. "Daddy." She murmured. "I love you."

"I love you too Bells." Charlie said, his voice tight with emotion. "I just want what's best for you and want you to be safe, healthy, and happy."

"I really am." Bella sniffed. "Thank you." She murmured and kissed his cheek. "I want you to do what you feel is right. Do you want to move in with us?"

Charlie looked at Damon and then at his little girl. He would be lying if he said no. But he knew that she needed to live her life without him hovering around all the time. "No. I'll be just fine here. Plus, I have to help with Jeremy and Elena."

Bella nodded. "Oh, right."

"I'll be okay. I'm accepting this. IT's just hard to see my little girl all grown up." Charlie said and wiped his face again, but cleared his throat, "But you two have plans to shop and I have to get to the station, so I will uh…see you later." He said and then he slapped Damon on his shoulder. "Take care of her."

"I will." Damon said and watched Charlie leave. He looked at Bella. "Are you okay?"

Bella nodded, her lip quivering a little. "It was just hard….I…I'm sorry that he gave you so many questions. I didn't know…about Rose. That must be painful for you."

"It isn't." Damon said. "Rose died after living for over five hundred years." He said. "She was bit by a werewolf in what was a shit show of a woman called Katherine Pierce that I hope you never get to meet because she is a literal pain in the ass. Rose died because of Katherine, and while I cared about Rose, we weren't a couple couple. I felt sorry for her situation and everything she had been through."

"Wait…not a girlfriend?"

"The closest thing I had to one in what seemed like a long time." Damon admitted. "But she was a good person. You two would have gotten along."

Bella was still saddened to hear that she died. "Werewolf bites are pretty fatal to vampires."

"They are. There is not cure for a werewolf bite…or there was. Klaus Mikaelson, is a hybrid, and an original. His blood is the cure to a werewolf bite. But we don't like to ask him for anything. He lives in New Orleans now, thank god. He is annoying. He travels to Mystic Falls at times, but he stays to the South more." He said and then he pulled Bella against him and he dipped his mouth down and kissed her softly. "But, we have all the time in the world to talk about all of these things. But we definitely need to go shop for a crib before it gets too late."

"You're right." Bella said with a small smile.

[Two weeks before Christmas]

Bella's belly was large, and she was nearing the end of the pregnancy. It would be any day now, but Alice was sure it was when there was snow on the ground. It wasn't easy to explain the pregnancy around town and her dad was surprised at how fast Bella started showing. She didn't know how to explain that the baby was growing faster and would be here any day.

"You could just tell your dad the truth." Damon said as he lay on the bed with Bella. He was facing her as she laid on her side facing him. His hand was rubbing her belly gently and he felt their daughter move under his palm. It was a strange feeling, and he had come to enjoy the movements like this. Bella was having a hard time with the pregnancy with it taking a toll on her body. She was exhausted and he could see that. She was incredibly sick too, more than he would like. Carlisle said it could potentially be dangerous for the labor because of how fast everything progressed.

Bella sighed. "Telling him that vampires exist and that my ex boyfriend was a vampire that raped me and got me pregnant, and my now boyfriend is my fated mate, and also a vampire, but is taking up the role as daddy to my hybrid child I am carrying that could potentially rip me apart during birth, doesn't sound like a great Christmas present."

Damon raised a brow. She was being more snippy lately, and sarcastic, and he blamed himself because he tended to be more sarcastic as a person. "Well, you could just…leave out all the other parts. He's going to be confused when she's born."

"I know." Bella was feeling like she had no other options.

"Or, I could compel him." Damon said.

"That could be confusing too." Bella sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Damon reached a hand up and caressed her face gently, scooting closer to her on the bed. "Your dad, loves you. He will always love you. This world…is scary for people who don't know. It was for me the first time I learned about vampires, but…but I embraced it. Telling your dad, could be the best thing for you. Or it could be the thing that breaks you. We don't know how he'll react. But…I can compel him to forget if it turns out badly. I won't let you hurt."

Bella teared up a little bit. "I'm scared."

"I know….and I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay, but…I can't promise that it will be. I can promise you that I love you…and our child and that I will, no matter what, be there for both of you." Damon said and leaned in and kissed her softly.

Bella felt the sincerity of Damon's words. He always made her feel better, even if he didn't have all the answers. His unyielding support was all she needed for right now.

Bella groaned in pain as she rubbed her hands over her belly. Labor. This was the pain that she wasn't looking forward to. Damon was watching, his face pensive, worried. Carlisle was there and was setting up what he needed to safely bring her daughter into the world. Charlie, was on his way, panicked because he was scared that something bad would happen. That conversation was three days ago, and surprisingly, Charlie took it all very well considering the circumstances.

"Vampires…"Charlie said the word, thinking about all the strange occurences in Forks and then the same ones in Mystic Falls. He had a weird feeling in Forks that something more than an animal was at play, but he didn't want to sound crazy, so he buried the feeling.

"Dad, I know that-"

"And the baby you're carrying. Is a hybrid. How is this even possible? Can vampires even have kids?" Charlie was trying to figure out the puzzle.

Damon cleared his throat. "It's rare. It isn't something that…has been really heard of. There are hybrids of course, I've seen a couple, but usually…usually they're a hybrid not with a human."

"What does that mean?" Charlie asked, not sure what Damon was talking about.

"Vampire witches." Damon said. His blue eyes went to Bella and then back to Charlie. "It's possible that Bella is a descendant of a witch."

Charlie frowned. "I think I would know if Renee was a witch."

"She was always out there dad. She talked about magic often. It's why I figured out vampires so quick." Bella relayed. "Is it possible that she was and she just never told you?"

Charlie wasn't sure. Renee was always a free spirit. He didn't think much about it. But right now, that didn't matter. "Okay. So….vampires exist, and probably every other supernatural creature ever. With that out of the way. This pregnancy…you've progressed so far. When…when will she be here?"

"Carlisle thinks in a few days." Bella said.

"A few days." Charlie repeated and ran his hands over his face. "And she'll be okay?"

Damon swallowed. "It's potentially dangerous for Bella. The pregnancy was accelerated. We don't know how the labor will go. Carlisle is going to be there to reduce risk of course, and I…I will give Bella my blood."

"Why? Does that do anything special to help the baby? Or Bella?" Charlie asked, still trying to wrap his head around everything.

Bella and Damon were silent for a moment. "It's for if I die during childbirth." Bella said, her voice soft.

"What?"

"If something happens…Damon's blood will bring me back." Bella said.

Charlie opened his mouth to say something but then shut it. He was thinking about her words. His little girl, going through so much. She never told him or was afraid to tell him about this world. A world that was mystifying. He didn't want her to be in danger like this. Vampires…and god knows what else. "Okay, and then you'll be…you'll be a vampire then?"

"Yes." Bella said. "Dad, I-"

"But you'll still be Bella right? I mean, wait…" Charlie was thinking it all over. "You'll be-"

"Charlie, I am the same person I was from 1864." Damon said.

"1864…"Charlie murmured.

Damon continued. "I have seen so much of the world. Have witnessed growth of nations. I have been able to experience things that wouldn't fit in just one lifetime. I don't have regrets. I do truly love Bella. She is my mate, it's a bond that can't be broken. I am meant to spend the rest of whatever life I am granted."

"Your kind can die?"

"We can. We're immortal, but…it comes at a cost. Sunlight, unless I have my ring." Damon explained and held his hand up. "Wooden stake to the heart, does us in. We need human blood to survive."

Charlie knew some vampire lore, but he wasn't sure what was true and what wasn't. "Okay. And Bella will have…have a ring too?"

"Of course." Damon said.

"Daddy…"Bella murmured.

Charlie looked at his little girl, his entire world. And she was going through so much. "I love you so much Bells." He said, his voice emotional. "Everything is going to be okay." He reassured her, but he was mostly trying to convince himself.

Bella groaned again and Damon moved to help get her comfortable in the bed. He rubbed got behind her and just rubbed her shoulders and her back, as she moaned in pain. His hands moved around to her belly and he felt the tightness as the contractions ripped through her. His hands massaged her gently and he felt her tension loosen a little as the contraction passed. She leaned against him and he held her, still rubbing over her belly to soothe the baby as she was also going through such a rough experience.

"You're doing great." Damon murmured, kissing the top of her head and Bella just nodded, no energy to speak.

[2 Hours Later]

Bella lay on the bed, her daughter swaddled next to her and Damon was talking to Charlie and Carlisle. The experience was hard, and Bella….didn't make it through it. They waited now, hoping that she ingested enough blood.

"Damon….I love….you." Bella said as she felt her life slipping away. She felt like she was bleeding out rapidly.

Damon had fed her blood before this all started, a good bit of blood, so he was hoping that it would be enough. Giving her blood now seemed like a good idea, so he did, and she barely drunk from him, before her breath wheezed out of her. The cries of a baby filled the air, and Damon looked up at Carlisle, tears in his own eyes. "Carlisle…."

"I know." Carlisle said as he was cutting the cord and handing the brilliant little girl off to Rosalie who was there to help. They made Charlie leave the room for this part because Bella didn't want her dad to see her like this. "I know. I'm fixing her up son." He said and worked on Bella, while Rosalie handled the baby.

Damon looked at Bella's pale face, his hands shaky as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I love you." He murmured and leaned down and kissed her. His chest hurt, and it was heavy because he felt shattered right now. His mate…the love of his life, died.

Charlie's eyes were red as he stood there, just waiting for whatever magic there was, to work. "How long does it take?"

"Every transition is different." Carlisle said gently. "Rose is in there with her and the baby now, she'll likely be disoriented when she first comes to."

"Are we sure this will work?" Charlie asked, his voice tight.

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, her body…her body is healing. The transition has started. It's a matter of when she wakes up now."

Damon felt that small relief that Bella's body healing meant that she would be okay. "I'm going to go…be with her until she wakes up. And check on the baby." He said, leaving Carlisle and Charlie standing there. He slipped into the room and saw Rosalie preparing a bassinet. "The baby…"

"Sleeping." Rosalie said with a small smile. Her violet eyes went to the bed where the baby was swaddled. "You did good." She complimented.

Damon blew out a breath and walked over to the bed and he gently picked the swaddled infant up. He gazed down at her delicate face. "I always wanted to be a father…"he murmured.

Rosalie watched Damon. "Well, now you get to be." She said with a small smile.

Damon had mixed feelings about the bundle of life he was holding. She was just a baby, innocent of everything terrible in life because she was just so new. But because of this baby, he had to watch the love of his life die in front of him while he held her. This baby was the link to Edward. The bastard that did this to Bella in the first place. He wanted to feel nothing but at the same time, something. He instantly loved this baby. Seeing her for the first time, born, alive in this world. She was part of Bella, all the best parts.

Bella sucked in a small breath, her eyes fluttering open. Her ocean eyes adjusted to the sharpness around her. Colors seemed more vibrant for some reason to her. She blinked, looking over and seeing Damon coming towards her, carrying a swaddled infant. "D…damon."

"You're okay." Damon said, sitting on the bed with the baby. Tears shone in his eyes as he looked at her.

Bella looked at the baby. "Is she okay?"

"She's perfect." Damon said and gently gave Bella the baby. Rosalie had tears in her eyes as well, but she swiped them away before anyone could see it.

"I'll go let Charlie and Carlisle know." Rosalie said, and left the room.

Bella gazed down at the baby. Her daughter. She was delicate and beautiful. Her eyes were closed and she was snoozing peacefully. "I can't believe I'm a mom." She said the words out loud.

Damon smiled a little, looking at how radiant Bella looked holding their daughter. "You're amazing." He said reaching out and brushing a lock of her hair back out of her face. "Did you settle on a name?"

Bella studied the bundle of joy in her arms. "Renesme Hope…"

"Salvatore." Damon said and Bella looked up at him and smiled.

"Renesme Hope Salvatore."

[Christmas Day]

Bella looked at herself in the mirror. She felt different since becoming a vampire. It was an adjustment. Emotions were stronger, and her surroundings seemed more vibrant. She could hear far better than any human and it made it hard sometimes Her hair seemed fuller somehow, a slight wave to it. Her ocean eyes seemed clearer, brighter. She was always pale before and now her skin seemed flawless, no pores. She felt like she could conquer anything if faced with any problem. She was stronger not only physically but she was mentally as well. The green silk dress she was wearing was even different than her usual attire. But she felt like a woman and was beautiful and she wanted to dress the part.

Damon opened the door Renesme, who was already toddler size in the short couple weeks she was born. Her green eyes were the same as Edward but that was the only thing she got from Edward. "Charlie just left and Rose is offering to keep Ren for the night."

Bella turned and looked at Damon. He was everything she needed and more. Her mate. Her heart. He was an amazing father and Renesme was attached to him and she had him wrapped around her tiny finger. It was odd, being a family like they were. Her lips turned up in a small smile. "That sounds like a good idea."

Damon kissed Renesme's cheek. "I will go give her to Rose then. Are you sure you're feeling up to tonight?"

Tonight, Bella was going to sleep with Damon and solidify the mate bond they shared. Despite being mates and in love, Bella and Damon hadn't slept with each other. With her pregnancy she just wasn't feeling up to it and she was still dealing with the trauma of Edward. But now, she was strong and she was fierce. She desired Damon and everything that came along with loving a man like him.

"I am feeling up for the night." Bella relayed and smiled at Damon.

Damon smiled back at her before leaving the room to take Renesme to Rosalie.

Bella went to the bathroom and freshened up a bit. She was nervous . This was her first time, or in the very least her first time willingly and she wanted everything to be perfect. She had hope that she wouldn't screw something up. She heard the door close to the bedroom and she blew out a breath and walked back in the bedroom. She saw Damon and he was relaxed, standing by the bed as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"We can take it slow." Damon said as he let the shirt fall to the floor.

Bella's eyes raked over his chest and she felt the excitement rise in her. She bit her lip a little but she walked towards him, pulling the silk dress up and over her head. She stood there in a black lace bra and panties. Since becoming a vampire, her body became more toned with muscles. "I don't want to go slow_ she murmured and then she flashed to him, her mouth covering his, their tongues instantly tangling together. Damon's hands gripped at her hips, pulling her close to him we he kissed her back in the whirlwind of passion. Her hands ripped at his pants and before either of them knew it, they were naked together on the bed.

Damon's mouth roamed over her body, nibbling and kissing her, savoring every ounce of her body.

Bella vibrated under his touch, her body yearning for every moment where his hands set her skin ablaze with pleasure. She moaned as his mouth covered her wet cunt and he sucked, his tongue twisting over her clit that sent strong sensations through her body. Her hips bucked up as his mouth pleasured her thoroughly until she felt something inside her snap and then purr pleasure rushed through her body. She moaned loudly, her hands diving into his hair as his tongue prodded her sweet core, pushing her through a continuous passion.

Damon enjoyed her moans and he didn't want her to stop ever. He drank in her orgasm as she came hard. He broke away to stare down at her, his hand stroking over his hard cock. She was gloriously beautiful laying there in perfect bliss. "Are you ready?"

"God yes." Bella breathed out.

Damon pushed the tip of his cock against her entrance and pushed inside and he melted inside her, his moans matching hers as he thrust all the way inside. His fingers laced with hers and he pushed her hands up above her head as he continued to rock inside her slow at first before he couldn't stand the slow pace anymore and he thrust faster and deeper. Her moans were his confirmation that she was enjoying every stroke and her tight cavity squeezed his cock from all sides, making everything feel so intense. His mouth covered hers, their tongues mating together again and they drank in each other's moans as they went on the roller coaster of pleasure.

Being vampires made everything feel so intense and Demon's stamina was nothing to baulk at. His cock hardened tighter like he was about to bust and after thrusting a few more times, he came hard deep inside her. They both moaned, at the release and after a few moments, he pulled out of her and rolled in the bed with her, her head laying on his chest.

They were both silent for a few moments until she spoke.

"Merry Christmas." She murmured, a smile plastered to her face and she was completely satisfied. She didn't realize how amazing everything could feel and she was glad she did make the decision to do this tonight . It made Christmas more special for her, becoming a memory she would never forget.

Damon's lips twitched, smiling. "Merry Christmas…." He murmured, his fingers lightly caressing her as he drew circles over her back. "I love you."

"I love you too." Bella's replied. This was bliss. This was true love This was a happily ever after and she didn't think she would ever get to this point of happiness. Moving to Mystic Falls was the best thing that ever happened to her. Everything was perfect and she couldn't wait to spend eternity with Damon and their daughter.