Bella rang the doorbell, clutching her overnight bag on her shoulder. She was ready for a long hot shower and hoped they would have breakfast in the morning, even if she had to pay extra.

She didn't wait long before a tall, beautiful man with stunning blue eyes and shaggy, dark hair answered the door. "You must be Bella?"

"Yeah, I appreciate you taking the late registration. I feel like I've been on the road for days."

He didn't need to know she'd been on the road for years.

"Well, let me show you to your room. Can I carry your bag for you? I'm Damon, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Damon," she told him as she followed him up a set of stairs to a hallway where he said she could pick any bedroom on the right side.

"Which one has an enormous bathtub?"

Damon chuckled and led her to the second door. "I think this one will suit your needs." He winked at her, set her bag on the end of the bed, and went back to the door. "Breakfast will be served around eight in the morning. Does that work?"

"Sure, sure," she told him. "Thanks again."

She smiled when he closed the door behind him and immediately picked up her phone. She stared at it, wondering if what the girl at the restaurant said was too good to be true. Could Victoria really be dead? Was it over now? Could she actually go home? Finally? After all these years?

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she braced herself, dialing a number she hadn't called for years but still knew by heart. Hopefully, it hadn't changed. She listened as it rang, then gasped at the sound of a voice she hadn't heard in too long. It was a little gruffer with age but still deep and soothing, just like she'd always found his presence.

"Hello?"

"Jake?" She listened closely, thinking she could hear him swallow thickly on the line.

"Bells?" he whispered.

"Yeah, Jake. It's me."

"What the fuck, loca. Where the hell are you? Wh-" He gasped as she could hear him sob on the other end of the line. It broke her heart. She'd missed him too.

"Jake, I'm sorry I had to leave. I couldn't stay and let Victoria hurt everyone I love. I couldn't stay and let her keep picking everyone off."

"Bells, you should have stayed. We could have protected you."

"Jake, Quil's arm got broken because of her. Because of me. Jess was fucking killed. I could never handle it if she went after Charlie. Or you. You've always been my best friend, Jake. Even with all the years and distance, I still think of you the same. I would never have been able to handle anyone else dying."

Her tears poured as she sobbed and waited for him to reply.

"Jake? Please say something?"

"You can come home, Bells. I'll tell you everything later, but Charlie needs you now. You should catch a plane or start driving back ASAP."

Another warning about Charlie? It filled her with dread. "Jake, is Charlie okay?"

"Just come home, Bells." He didn't say goodbye or anything else. He just hung up the phone.

Deep, guttural sobs wracked her body, and she wiped at the tears blurring her vision. Jake had sounded so good. She hoped his life had been happy, but he'd worried her by telling her that Charlie needed her. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her father. He'd been the only thing to keep her sane over the last fifteen years when loneliness threatened to overwhelm her. To soothe her thoughts when depression and anxiety sent her spiraling.

When she finally controlled her crying, she padded to the bathroom and stripped, running the bathwater as hot as she could tolerate. Bella slid into the water, enjoying the way the heat soothed her tense muscles. She wouldn't be able to stay in it too long lest she end up asleep in the tub. Still, she relished in the hot water and how it melted the stress in her muscles.

When the water had cooled, she washed up and dressed for bed. She ran a brush through her long hair and braided it before curling up and falling into a deep sleep.

It was the first night since her time with Klaus that nightmares of the past did not haunt her.