By meekobb · Twilight & Vampire Diaries
Rated T · 7 chapters · 30,768 words · In progress
Alaric receives word that his older half brother is dead and heads out to Forks to help plan the funeral arrangements with his niece. During his visit, strange events occur that are too familiar, making him call in reinforcements. When he learns the girl his brother left behind is the target, he can't help but question how much she really knows.
Author Note: Here I am with another new story! This story is a multi-chapter story planned, with an intended sequel. It is entirely plotted and mapped out for the most part but most writers know things don't end up that way. Much thanks to Carb0408 for her beta work and cheerleading on this story with me. Her support and assistance during the plotting phase was invaluable and an absolute blast!
This story/series overall is Bella/Damon.
~~o.O.o~~
4 Years Ago, Forks
~~o.O.o~~
It's been years since Bella's life changed so much. She changed when she moved to Forks. She changed again when she met and fell for Edward Cullen and his family. What he didn't know was that he forced her to change again when he broke her that fateful day in the woods. No matter what Charlie did to help her, Bella remained trapped in a world that waited for a boy she thought she was in love with to return, only he never did.
She knew she would have to force herself to change again. Dragging herself out of that darkness, Bella felt nothing but apathy for a long time. Looking in the mirror, day after day, waiting for something to happen, but having it never to occur, was a disappointment. It wasn't until her father began dragging her to the reservation that her life shifted again.
Since the pack knew that she was aware of vampires, they were comfortable enough to share their secret with her, in hopes to help heal the girl. Initially Paul wasn't very welcoming to her, which she didn't care about, but his anger stirred something inside, sparking the first emotion that she had felt since the Cullen family had left. Each time he mouthed off at her, Bella's unexpected smile confused everyone, until she responded similarly, which seemed to break the ice between the two and created an unusual friendship between the human and shape shifting wolf.
Bella continued on through her senior year of high school in a semi-functioning lifestyle for her father, that just days before she was to leave for college in Seattle, she received a package in the mail. It had been nothing extravagant. Only a simple manila envelope addressed to her and no return. The contents however fueled how she would spend the following years.
Photos of someone she had been struggling to forget, appearing to be happy wherever he was. Staring at the glossy images in her hands, her mind kept going back to the promises and lies that were made in the days they shared together. Feeling stirrings of something deep inside, Bella shoved the photos back into the envelope and called her father to let him know that he was on his own for dinner before heading out to the reservation.
By the time she reached her friend's house, the pack knew she was on the land and were gathered to find figure out what her reason was for the unannounced visit. By the time she revealed the photos, the only thing that kept the boys from wolfing out was her cold and calculated decision to get her revenge on him. One way or another. Bella knew it would take time and planning, but she was more than willing.
No one could figure out who would send such incriminating evidence to her, and if Bella had to guess, it would have been Rosalie. Unfortunately, she wouldn't put much stock into her, or any of them because no one had attempted to contact her and Rose had been the least interested in becoming friends with her in all the time she had tried. Little did she know, that package was only the first of many surprises to come over the coming years.
Bella received more anonymous packages of photos over the following months with similar photos of her ex-boyfriend, living the good life around the globe. With each envelope, her anger grew more and more and her thirst for retribution, for the pain he caused her the prior year, increased. One afternoon, While she was in class, she had gotten a video on her cell phone from a blocked number. It was of Edward entertaining a human girl somewhere. It had taken everything in her from reacting outwardly and causing a scene.
It had been the final straw for her. She had left her class, calling her friends to fill them in on the newest update, before she made the sudden decision to do what she never allowed Alice Cullen to perform. By the time she was done, Bella walked out of the salon with darker hair, a sexier hair style, and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
~~o.O.o~~
4 Years Later, Present Time, Seattle
~~o.O.o~~
Charlie couldn't be more proud of his girl. His daughter was a college graduate and she was a beautiful young woman. He had joined her at her apartment to help her pack up and move back home, as she had chosen not to live in the city until she decided what she wanted to do with her life, and he wasn't going to argue with her on that. He was more than happy to have her home with him again, even if it was just temporary.
Having taken the weekend off of work to help with the move, he was sound asleep on the tight couch. Bella, though, had become an increasingly light sleeper the previous year as the news reports of missing people from her neighborhood left her with a sense of unease. That night, she found it impossible to sleep, allowing her to hear what was supposed to be a quiet entrance into her apartment.
The sound, echoed in her ears, had made her jump to her feet. Being a cop's daughter, she had her phone next to her pillow and dialed 911 quickly. When she rushed out to the living room, the sight before her caused her to stop short, knowing that she would stand no chance.
Victoria had found her and held her father by the throat. Charlie looked back at her terrified, not knowing what was going on, but Bella was unable to show any emotion in the face of the vampire as she stared her down.
No words were ever exchanged. They didn't need to be. Both women knew the reason for the situation and there was no way to stop it for the human. The police sirens in the distance distracted Victoria for half a second allowing Bella to express her love for her father with her eyes because when she turned back, Victoria was vicious in his death before promising hers and disappearing into the night.
Collapsing onto the floor, Bella was balled up in tears as she stared at Charlie's body, silently promising revenge, when the police arrived. She was lucky that they didn't ask her many questions right away because she wasn't capable of getting much out and for the ones they did ask, she didn't care to answer because right now, she only had thoughts of how to take Victoria down, and then get back at Edward for changing her life.
~~o.O.o~~
Present Time, Mystic Falls, Virginia
~~o.O.o~~
It was a bright sunny day in Mystic Falls when Jenna woke and started a fresh pot of coffee for her boyfriend. When he finally dragged himself down the stairs, he was still very much half asleep, making her smile at his ruffled appearance. As he poured himself a mug and sat down to his newspaper, Elena and Jeremy slowly reminded the adults of the house that they were still alive, figuratively speaking of course for the girl.
"Morning," Elena grumbled as she went straight for the coffee, receiving similarly enthusiastic responses from everyone but Jenna, who was more awake than the rest.
Shaking her head in amusement, Jenna looked around at everyone. "So what is everyone doing today?"
"Grading papers," Alaric replied with a grimace as he flipped the newspaper page.
"Nothing much. Probably just hanging around," Jeremy answered as he hung on the refrigerator door, trying to decide on what he wanted to eat.
Elena didn't get to respond, as the cell phone that had been left charging on the counter beside her, began vibrating. Looking down at it, she raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her friend with concern and a bit of suspicion. "Who's Bella?" she asked as she held up his phone.
Alaric's head snapped up at the name, eyes wide with surprise as he blinked back his shock. He seemed to be frozen as he stared at Elena, causing Jenna's own hackles to rise at who this person could be with his lack of response. "Another ex?" she asked herself, narrowing her eyes, not so subtly reminding him of his not sharing the detail of his ex-wife being her niece's biological mother.
Shaking his head, he scrambled from his chair and snatched the phone from Elena's hand before it could go to voicemail. "Isabella?" he greeted as he answered it in a rush, confused and concerned as he strained to listen.
The others watched him initially with anger and frustration but as the whatever the caller said continued on, the humans could see the grief slowly take hold in the man. Elena however had been able to eavesdrop on both sides of the call, learning that the girl was calling regarding some man named Charlie and that he was dead.
"I'm so sorry Bella. Look, I have some sick days at work saved. I can take some time off and come out to give you a hand with the funeral. You don't need to go through it alone," Alaric said as he moved around the kitchen to finish up his breakfast, ignoring the questioning looks that were being thrown at him. "I'll let you know when I know I'll be in town."
They exchanged a few more words before ending the conversation. He stood there staring at the phone for a moment, giving his older brother a moment of silence before he set about planning his arrangements again, trying to think about what needed to be done.
"Alaric? What is going on? Who are Charlie and Bella?" Elena asked, following behind him as he ran up the stairs to start packing. Her confusion was justified he knew, but he was too distracted to acknowledge her at first.
"Huh? Oh um, Charlie is actually my brother. Older, half," he mumbled as he tossed clothes onto the bed.
She stared at him even more confused. Opening her mouth several times trying to find words to ask him to explain further, but failed. Hearing her aunt coming to the room, she shrugged helplessly.
With a sigh, Alaric ran his hands over his face as he turned to face the girls, mildly relieved that Jeremy was approaching behind them. Jeremy signaled to him, silently asking if he wanted him to stay or go, but he just waved him in, figuring that he may as well tell them all the story at once so that he didn't have to repeat himself again later.
"My father was married before he met my mother and had a son. When they divorced, Charlie and his mom moved back west where her family was from. She took back her maiden name and made sure her son had it too so he doesn't share the Saltzman name. Bella is his daughter, my niece. The last time I saw her, she was maybe thirteen? I don't really remember. I had gotten busy with searching for Isobel after awhile so I wasn't as much in contact with Charlie as I used to be growing up," he explained as he sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at his hands.
Jeremy looked at him as he stayed back, listening quietly. He could see the guilt taking hold of his friend and mentor. "What happened?" he asked.
The older man looked up confused, even a bit angry. "Charlie was killed during a break in at Bella's apartment this week. She called to let me know she's working on planning his funeral, but knowing that damn town, she won't be able to get away with doing something very small. While it's a small sleepy place, he was the police chief for years so there has to be something of a memorial. I want to go there to give her a hand with everything."
Jenna smiled sadly as she went over and pulled his face up to give him a kiss. "She will need you. I just wish you would have told us that you had more family sooner. Maybe they could have visited or you visited them," she said. "Just keep in touch while you're out there. I wish I could go with you but I have my classes."
"I know," he smiled back at her. "Thanks."
"Well," Jenna said looking at Elena and Jeremy, "you two have school, so go finish getting ready. And you," turning to her boyfriend, "finish packing and setting up your trip. I'll be downstairs if you need me."
When neither child made a move to do what she requested, Jenna narrowed her eyes and asked what they were waiting for. "Aunt Jenna," Elena started, while looking at her brother and friend with an amused expression, "it's the holiday break. We don't have school until after New Years."
"Oh. Well, don't you friends to hang with or boyfriends to bother? Get going. Leave Alaric alone so he can finish packing." With that, Jenna smiled at Alaric and took her leave.
Jeremy watched Elena and Jenna make their way downstairs. After he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned and looked at Alaric. Alaric sensing that Jeremy wanted something asked, "What do you need Jer?"
"I was wondering if I can go with you," he admitted quietly. "I figured you needed a friend and you shouldn't do this all completely alone, even if you'll have your niece there with you. You did just admit to not having seen her in years."
Alaric was hesitant about taking him but he couldn't entirely argue the kid's point either. "What about school?"
Jeremy rolled his eyes at that. "My grades are up and I'm sure you can put in a good word for me. I'll get extra assignments from my teachers to do on the trip if I must, to make everyone happy. I doubt you'd rather Damon come along with you for this kind of trip…"
He couldn't help but to let out a snort at the thought. Even though he knew his friend could very well be serious when the situation warranted it, and he was sure that he would for his friend's funeral, he wasn't so sure he trusted the man with his niece. He took a moment to look at Jeremy and considered the request before sighing. Giving a reluctant nod, he accepted. "Go start packing. I'll talk to Jenna. Just pray that she doesn't kill me for this. I don't have vampire blood in me to come back," Alaric mumbled as he slid past him to go find his girlfriend.
As he made his way through the first floor, Alaric found Jenna in the living room with her school work spread out around her. "Hey," he greeted softly with a small smile, making her look up at him.
She raised an eyebrow as she appraised the way he crept into the room. "Uh oh. Why do I have the feeling that whatever you want to say, I'm not going to like very much?"
He let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and glanced away with a guilty expression. It wasn't like he was hiding the fact that he was nervous in dragging Jeremy along in the middle of the school year, especially when he was finally doing decent in his grades. "Well..."
Jenna tossed her pen onto her work in defeat and sat back, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes on him. "Spit it out," she demanded.
He hesitated under her scrutiny before taking a seat on the couch beside her. "Would you be okay if Jeremy tagged along with me? He might miss a few days of school when the break ends, but with the rate he's been picking up his grades, I can make sure he keeps up with his studies..."
She just sat there staring at him for what felt like forever, not giving him any indication on what she might be feeling on his request. It only made him grow more agitated as he waited, causing her amusement at his discomfort to bubble to the surface and a giggle to escape. "Of course he could go with you. At least with him, you'll manage to stay out of trouble," she snorted.
Alaric narrowed his eyes on her, thinking about how much more trouble Jeremy had been finding himself in lately as compared to Elena, or even Damon for that matter. "You know, I am usually the one making sure everyone doesn't go off the deep end around here," he muttered as he left her cackling while she worked on whatever paper she had. Calling back to her as he headed back up to give the good news to Jeremy, he grumbled his thanks.
When he got to his room, he found Jeremy on the computer looking at a travel site. "Do you know what airport we need to fly into?" he asked.
"You knew she would say yes," Alaric accused him with a mocking glare as he made his way over.
The kid shrugged a shoulder. "It's Jenna. She almost never says no. So what? Seattle?"
"Yeah, then I guess we'll just rent a car and drive the rest of the way. I don't see the point in taking another put-put plane out towards Forks. It'll take a little longer, but I hate those things," he explained.
"Two tickets to Seattle then," Jeremy nodded as he put in the information and waited for the available flight information to come up. It didn't take long for a page long list to display and they both looked them over.
Alaric pulled out his credit card and tossed it onto Jeremy's desk. "Do the red eye for tonight. That way with the drive from the airport, we can get into town at a decent hour and maybe bring Bella breakfast from the diner so that she doesn't have to cook for us."
"Sure thing," Jeremy replied as he finalized the travel plans while Alaric made his escape to finish his own packing.
As he headed out, he was lost in his head about his brother and the lost chances over the years to get closer as they could have been. He knew that for awhile, Bella and him had some regular communication, which was why they still had one another's numbers, but even they had grown apart. Despite the somber purpose for the trip, he was looking forward to seeing his niece again after so long.
Author Note: Thanks to everyone who is taking a chance with following this story! I much appreciate your support! Your reviews have made me smile every time I receive them and reread them! Keep in mind that all my stories are updated first on my website (link available on my profile) days before they go up on FFnet. You can subscribe to my blog via email sign ups where I post update notifications when I have significant updates on the site (before FFnet). Much happening!
~~o.O.o~~
After collecting their bags and renting a car for the trip, Alaric and Jeremy set out for the next leg of their journey. Alaric needed something more than just the bad coffee they grabbed to keep himself awake, so using the three and half hour long drive from the airport, he regaled the teenager with some stories of his brother and niece, and possibly what they might expect from her, from what he remembered.
"Bella was always a quiet kid, a bit of a klutz but had this attitude that was hiding underneath. She would sometimes come out with things that would just leave you speechless," Alaric chuckled fondly, as he grinned to himself as he drove along the dark road. "One year, Charlie had her in a ballet program as a kid and when I went out to visit, she had a recital that in the middle of one major performance that she was included in, her accident prone nature kicked in. I don't know what she did but she managed to take down nearly everyone on stage. She was pretty much the only kid standing, like the lone bowling pin, giving everyone a look of like what are you doing? Bella being Bella, turned around and blew a kiss to her dad in the audience and curtsied before running off the stage to him, telling him that she was bored and wanted to go home. Everyone in the auditorium just broke out laughing and the kid was completely oblivious."
Jeremy laughed with him and shook his head. "I'm sure she outgrew that. I mean, most kids tend to be a bit unsteady…"
Ric snorted as he threw him a look that couldn't quite be deciphered. "Right. Tell me how an eleven year old girl can capsize a boat with three grown men in it while fishing? Picture how that shouldn't be possible - and guess, what - she did it. Again, I can't figure out how she gets herself into those messes. She's like a giant magnet for shit. I'm sure something entertaining will happen during this visit. I've never been disappointed whenever I've seen her."
"How long has it been?"
He had to think about it for a moment, sobering up as it had brought up some unpleasant memories. "Oh, eight years? Give or take. I'd gotten busy with searching for Isobel and later Damon. Then got settled into life in Mystic Falls and you know that's been never ending excitement there," he ended with slight sarcasm.
"No shit. Well, what about Forks or the people around there? Are you familiar with that? What should we expect?" Jeremy asked as he shifted in his seat to try to get more comfortable.
"Bella, of course. Then there's a reservation not far from town that Charlie was buds with a lot of the tribe. Billy and Harry were cool. I would go fishing with the three of them when I would come around. It's not much different than back home to tell you the truth. A little more hick then you may be used to, but the same nosey people when strangers come around," Alaric explained. "You'll be fine, but of course, if you sense anything off, tell me right away. I don't want Bella getting involved if we can avoid it. She's been through enough in her life."
Jeremy was quiet for a bit as he eyed him, nodding his consent to his friend's request but it sounded strange. "Do you think something supernatural could be in the area?"
Alaric sighed as he looked out over the dark road as he thought about it, trying to piece together some of the research that he helped Isobel with over the years. "It's pretty doubtful, but considering our history, I can't exactly rule anything out anymore. The tribe that Charlie was friends with had some legends about wolves and vampires, but considering what we know of them and what I remember of the legends, they aren't anything alike so…" he trailed off with a indecisive shrug.
"I'm sure if something is going on, we'll notice it. Just worry about your family for now. How far out are we now?" he asked as he noticed the sun beginning to peek through the trees.
"Maybe half hour, forty five minutes. I want to get some food though from the diner on the way. Save Bella some extra work," Ric answered as he pressed on the gas pedal slightly as his desire for coffee increased from the long drive.
~o.O.o~
By the time the two pulled up to a small house, they found a young woman at the front door saying goodbye to a couple large natives that Alaric assumed was from the nearby reservation. He nodded in silent greeting to them as he watched them climb into their truck before they took off. Letting out a breath, he turned his attention up to the porch where his niece stood in the doorway waiting.
"There's Bella," he commented quietly to Jeremy. "Come on."
The guys were quiet as they made their way up to her, not quite sure what to say initially. Running his hand over the back of his neck, Ric was clearly uncomfortable in her presence after such a long time. "Hello Uncle Ric," Bella greeted quietly as she wrapped her arms around herself as she looked at him a little worried. "You really didn't have to come out here. I told you that on the phone."
He smiled gently. "I know that Isa, but I wanted to. You don't need to do this by yourself. I know you have your friends here, but he was my brother."
They didn't miss the way she hesitated before she nodded. "Of course. Yes. I'm sorry. I've just been dealing with a lot and tired of everyone wanting to help. I'm sure you understand," she apologized as she stepped back to hold the door open for them. "Come on in. I don't have much right now. I did just put a pot of coffee on for Sam and a couple of the guys checking on me from the rez."
"It's not a problem. We actually stopped at the diner on the way into town," Jeremy said as he held up the box he held with the breakfast trays. "I'm Jeremy by the way."
Bella smiled as she showed them into the kitchen and looked at her uncle confused. "Friend?"
"Yeah. Uh, my girlfriend's nephew actually. He needed to get away from home for awhile and was more than willing to come along just to escape his sister. He's a good kid," Ric grinned as he mussed up the boy's hair. He took a moment and looked around, blinking in surprise. "Wow this place hasn't changed a bit."
"Yeah, you know Charlie was never one for change," she muttered with a hint of impatience as she looked out the window.
"Waiting for someone?" he asked as he went to help unpack the food.
Bella looked back at him, averting her eyes. "What? Uh, yeah. Actually. Just one of my friends from the reservation was supposed to be coming down for awhile."
Nodding, Ric eyed her for a moment before glancing over to Jeremy who he noticed had an eyebrow raised curiously. "That's cool. I was thinking about going down to the station after catching a nap since we took the red-eye here."
She had moved to get drinks out for them and froze at his words. "What do you need at the station?" she asked, trying to be casual about her curiosity.
"I wanted to see if they had any information about Chuck's death. See if they got anything on the killer yet from Seattle. I would have stopped there when we landed but I wanted to get into town here more." He kept a careful eye on her as he spoke and watched as she closed her eyes and paled slightly. "You okay there Isa?"
She looked back at him, nodding. "Yeah, sure. I don't like thinking about the at- break-in."
Ric took a moment before accepting her answer but something felt off about it. Considering that she was dealing with the loss of her father, he knew she might not be in the right frame of mind but she was more cagey than she should be. "It's fine. I can get the information from them so that you don't have to talk about it. Maybe later we can do something? What would you like to do?"
Bella glanced back him with glassy eyes, quickly looking away again. "You guys can go out and do something. I may end up just going to the rez to hang out with Jake and check on Billy."
"If that's the case then, maybe Jeremy can tag along? I can drive back out to Seattle and see the investigating detective there and just stay the night. You've dealt with enough on your own Bella. Let me take some of your problems off your shoulders," he said as he moved closer.
She mumbled something under her breath as she looked out the window slightly distressed. He began to wonder if perhaps she was suffering from some form of survivor's guilt from the break-in at her apartment. "Bella?"
Closing her eyes, she knew that she couldn't think of any decent excuse not to having her uncle's friend tag along in some capacity. Neither of them have done anything but it would be difficult for her to be able to get around to do what she needed to with Jake and the pack. Then again, it wasn't like she was actually capable of doing much other than play bait for a deranged vampire. Bella just didn't want to put innocent victims in danger because someone wanted her dead. "Yeah. That's fine. No problem Uncle Ric," she smiled weakly. "I'll just have to let my friends know that there will be one more joining us. Are you sure you'll be okay to drive all the way back to Seattle?"
"Yeah," he waved her off with his signature bravado that she seemed all too familiar with growing up. "Just going to crash on the couch after breakfast for awhile before I head out for all that stuff. You can do what you want. Show Jer here around. Remind him that home isn't really that bad - that there are other places much more boring than Mystic Falls!"
Bella looked at the boy and raised an eyebrow. "Forks is the most boring, and rainy town in the world. Why the hell would you come here for entertainment?"
"Change of scenery?" Jeremy smiled with a shrug.
She nodded her understanding. Pointing up to the stairs, she gestured towards the bathroom. "I'll just be right back. We can eat then head out. Sound good?"
"Great! Gives us time to warm everything up again," he smiled as she turned to head up the stairs.
Once she was out of sight, Alaric turned to him as he leaned onto the kitchen chair, speaking quietly. "She seems a bit off, so do me a favor and stick close to her? I don't want her doing something stupid with those kids up there. I wouldn't put it past them to try talking her into cliff diving right now and I don't want to be planning her funeral next."
"Of course," Jeremy murmured and began to get their breakfast plated for them once he figured out where everything was quickly.
It wasn't long before Bella returned with her cellphone in hand as she eyed them for a moment, taking a seat. "The guys are looking forward to meeting you. Sam's wife, Emily, is probably working on packing a super large lunch for us to bring. I think they're planning on heading to the cliffs for some swimming which should be fun if you're into that kind of thing."
Jeremy looked up at Ric, who only smirked knowingly as he took his seat with his coffee. "Nah. I'm good. They have stuff like that back home but it never interested me."
She only nodded as she worked on her pancakes, turning her attention to looking out the window. The rest of breakfast was rather quiet with the exception of confirming few details and plans for Alaric's return to Seattle. Once Bella was finished, she grabbed her keys after setting the dirty plates aside. "Just leave them. I'll get them when we get back," she insisted, anxious to leave.
Ric watched the two drive off in Bella's old red truck that he couldn't believe she still had. Besides trying to get some answers about his brother's death and helping with the funeral, he now had to worry also about his niece as he wasn't sure she was handling the stress of everything well. He considered contacting a therapist once he got into the city to see what they might recommend for her, but he would have to wait and see for now as he could only handle one thing at a time.
~o.O.o~
The drive to the reservation was quiet as neither Bella, nor Jeremy knew quite what to say to break the awkward silence. He looked out the window at the passing scenery, seeing nothing but trees passing before he took a chance. "So, uh, you were close with your dad?"
Her hand tightened slightly on the steering wheel as she considered the question, wondering the best way to answer. "We weren't for awhile, but after high school, yeah. I like to think we were even though I went to school in Seattle instead of staying closer to home."
He looked at her sympathetically, smiling in understanding. "I think I know what you mean. I lost my parents not too long ago myself. Not so violently like you, granted, but it's...hard. It's hard to get over it and I'm still having issues. Ric helps, you know, being around since he's dating my aunt. Kinda sucks sometimes too having to deal with your history teacher at home too."
Bella didn't respond as she stared out the window while she drove. Initially she wanted to dismiss the kid for not being able to understand, aside from the deranged vampire danger looming over her, but he did. "How did you handle it?" she asked, her voice wavering from the emotions she'd been trying to hold in.
Jeremy was hesitant to talk about the previous couple years. Even though he didn't know the girl well, he liked her well enough and didn't want her to start of with a negative opinion of him. "I don't know," he replied uncomfortably. "I wasn't in a good place. Like at all. I'm doing better now, which is what's important. I get along with my sister - sometimes. She's still a grade A bitch sometimes, but she's my sister. Nowadays, it's her bringing the trouble around."
"Maybe it's her turn for a little help like you got?" she suggested.
"No. It's got nothing to do with our parents like that. It's just trouble that her boyfriend and his brother tends to bring into town. They're okay. I don't have a problem with them really, even if the one guy is a dick, but it's always one thing or another with her. That's why I wanted to get away from there for awhile."
Bella glanced at him as she turned off the main road and onto a small one that brought them up to the cliffs where a bunch of the guys from the reservation were messing around. "We're going to have to make sure they don't eat everything up right away. You would think they were raised by wolves," she said with a coy smile as she jumped out of the truck.
He watched her for a moment as she ran up to one of the larger men of the group. It was clear as they hugged, that they cared for one another deeply. They exchanged a few words before the man looked up at him. Jeremy wasn't sure what to make of his expression. They both appeared concerned over something as she shook her head at whatever he told her before she said something that made him flinch and give her a guilty look. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on between them as he slowly got out of the truck, not wishing to draw too much attention to himself as he was the outsider there.
"We'll take care of it Bella," Jeremy heard the guy tell her lowly, making her huff in response. He half expected her to come back with something with the look of indignation on her face, but she only glared at her friend as he walked away towards him. The guy gave him a bit friendlier smile as he held his hand out. "Hi there. I'm Jake. Bella said you're in town visiting with her uncle for the funeral?"
"Yep," he replied as he shook his hand, blinking at the guy's alarming temperature for the climate. "Alaric is heading back to Seattle tonight to talk to the detectives, so unfortunately for Bella, she's stuck showing me around. I have to say, it is nice out here though. Peaceful - circumstances aside."
Jake's smile drifted slightly as he looked back at Bella who wasn't paying attention to them. She'd gone over to where a couple of the younger boys were trying to get at some of the food that their leader had brought with him, shooing them away before seemingly claiming guard duty over the food.
"Is she normally so…" Jeremy started to say as he searched for the right words to find, but coming up short. "I don't know. I do know Ric is worried about her."
The young native let out a sigh as he debated internally on the amount of disclosure he was comfortable with giving to the stranger. He knew he couldn't reveal himself or the true nature of his friend's father's death, but his whole tribe in general was also concerned about the girl more over the years. "Bella - is stronger than she looks at times. She's a fighter so I know she'll pull through this," he said quietly. "She will probably make things difficult for you at the house but don't let her get to you. She'll push you, so just push back."
The girl in question had looked up at them, narrowing her eyes as she stared each of them down suspiciously before coming back over. She eyed Jake for a moment before turning to Jeremy, "Come on. I'll show you around and you can meet some of the other guys. I'm sure Seth would love to meet someone new. Watch the food Jacob."
Bella practically dragged the boy off as he attempted to look back at Jake. The guy only gave him a cheeky wave before moving over to the table and watch as she pulled him from one person to another, making sure he met every single person that came to the cliffs that day. By the time she got him over to the oldest, and respectively one of the youngest, Jeremy caught on quickly to what she was doing. Whatever was going on, she was attempting to keep him distracted and from talking to any one person for too long alone, which made him wonder what he might learn.
"Hey Sam! Seth!" she greeted as they got closer, ignoring the clear look of disapproval on the older man's face.
"Bella," he replied, nodding towards Jeremy. "Everything okay at home?"
"Yeah. My uncle and his friend, Jeremy here, are in town. They'll be here for the funeral," she said in a tone that Jeremy sensed hinted to something underlying her words.
The man, Sam, nodded mutely as he gave him a weak smile. "You staying with Bella while you're in town?"
"That's the plan sir. I'm not sure what Alaric has in mind because he wants to get more answers about Charlie's investigation so we might be around for a couple weeks. If it gets too crowded, I'm sure we'll just end up moving into a motel or something," he shrugged, glancing between each of them. Sam seemed to quickly look to Bella who appeared bewildered and slightly illed by the information he shared. The Seth kid, who wasn't much younger than he was himself, didn't seem bothered.
"So Jeremy, right? You play video games?" Seth asked as he attempted to break up the uncomfortable tension that begun to build in the air.
He nodded slowly as he looked away from Bella. "Yeah. I do…" he managed to get out before the boy had begun to assault him with questions about various games as he lead him away from the others some to talk.
Sam and Bella waited until the two were out of hearing range before they began to speak. "I thought you were going to talk your uncle out of coming here," he said.
"I tried," she whispered harshly. "I can't exactly tell him no! It's his brother! Tell me, if it was your family, wouldn't you move heaven and earth to make it to pay last respects and try to find out what happened? I can't blame Uncle Ric, but I did try to convince him that I had everything under control until the funeral itself. He showed up out of nowhere this morning with his friend."
The pack leader grimaced as he looked out at his friends cliff jumping and the new guest on the land as he tried to think of some way of dealing with the extra people being so close. "Victoria has been running perimeters but staying a distance away. I don't know what she is up to. She hasn't come into town for some time though."
"She's letting us know she's still around," she said knowingly. "There is little I can do against her but you guys just be careful and just keep pushing her back. That's all we can do until we can find a way to actually finish her. I'm still working on something for the Cullens."
Sam looked down at her and frowned. "You still getting those packages in the mail?"
"Yep," she answered as fire seemed to light her eyes with her fury. "More pictures. Edward will get his in time. He's got all the time in the world. Victoria comes first. Somehow. I'll think of something and run it by you. I can't stay too far away from this guy though. He's been watching me like a hawk."
"Newsflash Bella. Since Charlie, everyone has. We're all worried about you," he said gently, not wanting to anger the young woman.
Smiling back at him, there was something there in her expression that he had to suppress a shudder through his body. "I'm not a child anymore. I know exactly what I'm getting myself into. More so now than ever before," she said as she walked away, joining Jeremy and Seth.
"God help us with whatever that girl has in mind," Sam muttered to himself as he looked up the bank where his second sat watching her as well. Jacob shared the same concerned look that he felt. Bella Swan was certainly up to no good.
In Seattle, it had taken some time before Alaric had managed to get some one on one time with the investigating detective on Charlie's murder. By the time Detective Mills finally came to see him, he was all levels of annoyed and frustrated by the lack of professionalism of the police department in treating the victim's family and could not help but wonder if they behaved that way frequently.
When a woman opened the door to the small room that the desk sergeant had stuck him in to wait, Alaric glared as he had not moved from his position. "Mr. Saltzman? I apologize for the wait. I'm Detective Mills," the woman greeted as she held out her hand but he refused to accept, leaving her awkwardly holding her hand in the air. "Okay then. How may I help you?"
"I've been waiting here for nearly - four hours to speak to someone about my brother's case," he said after checking his watch to confirm the amount of time that he'd been in the precinct. Slowly, he stood up to his full height as he stared at the woman. "In that time, I was given the brush off by more than one officer, of rank mind you, shoved in this closet where I was told that someone would come talk to me shortly and that was hours ago. I flew here on the red eye from Virginia last night after hearing about my brother's death. Drove all the way to Forks from Seattle to make sure that his daughter was alright with my own eyes before driving all the way back so that I can deal with the stuff that she shouldn't have to. That's eight hours of driving after an all night flight after finding out that your only brother is dead, only to be ignored repeatedly by the people who are supposed to be finding his murderer. Now tell me how you can help me?"
Mills took in a breath as she was clearly overwhelmed by his anger. "I understand you are upset but it won't get you anywhere by taking it out on me," she said as she resolved herself to stand her ground once she realized which case he was referring to. "I'm afraid there is little information about Chief Swan's investigation that I can give you at this time."
Alaric couldn't help but laugh as he scratched at his brow before looking back at her. "Is that so? Or are you just saying that so that you can stonewall me. I don't know what kind of place you people are running here but he does not deserve this kind of piss poor disrespect for a murder investigation. Perhaps I should go to the media and see if they are interested in a story of Seattle's finest not doing anything in finding a small town police chief's murderer while he was visiting his daughter for her graduation. What do you think?"
Detective Mills appeared conflicted but not in the way he thought she might be. "Sure, you could do that and while it would cause us grief with media relations for awhile, you may also want to take a closer look at your niece, Mr. Saltzman," she said frankly before turning to peer out in the hallway. Closing the door, she set her case folder on the table and tried to find the words to say to the man. "The night of the break-in, we held off on questioning her as she was hysterical for the obvious reasons. We had transported her to the hospital with the body but also had her admitted for a twenty four hour hold for observation for her own well being after such a traumatic event. An officer had stayed with her the entire time until my partner and I could come interview her and by then she seemed like a completely different person. Your niece is holding back more about what happened that night and that is why we haven't been able to do more about this case. Unfortunately, we also cannot prove any involvement on her part if she is responsible for her father's murder. You wanted to know what we have. You got it."
"That's just insane! Bella loved her father and would never have - you're sick to think that girl would have anything to do with whoever killed him," he growled. "Pathetic that a good man might not get justice because you people are too narrow minded and focused on his daughter to look to other possibilities."
Alaric pushed past her, throwing the door open, causing it to slam against the wall and leaving an indent in the panelling. As he stormed out, he knew he would have to end up looking into things himself and unfortunately, he knew he would need to ask those hard questions of Bella that the detective insinuated just to rule those possibilities out. Nearing the main desk on his way out, he overheard the desk officer finishing up a call he was taking, catching his attention.
"Hey Frank!" the man called out while he tried to listen on as covertly as he could. "We have another one! Pay up!"
Frank made his way over, much to Alaric's disgust, and pulled some money out of his wallet. "What does that make the count at now?"
"In Seattle? Twelfth this year. I heard there are more in the surrounding counties though. If we were to total them, we could be looking at close to twenty missing over the last year and half," the desk officer shrugged. "Thanks for the lunch money Frank!"
"Someone's gotta catch this freak. Whoever this serial killer is, no one has been able to get close enough to even get a profile on them. I heard that the FBI might consider jumping in on it soon if it keeps up," Frank replied, truly looking upset for the situation but Alaric stopped listening and left.
He was positive that Bella had nothing to do with the missing people, nor her father's killer. The detective was full of shit, but he'd have to keep an eye on her anyway now that the insane woman had planted that tiny seed of doubt in him and he hated her for it. Heading over to his rental, he looked at the time again before deciding to just get a motel room for the night. He'd just drive back in the morning to deal with the funeral.
By the time he got to his room, he called up Jeremy as he sat tiredly on the bed, waiting for the teenager to pick up.
"Hey Ric," Jeremy answered finally, after the man was beginning to think that the kid might have become the next missing person case.
"New rule while we are out here - answer the phone by the third ring otherwise we assume there is trouble. If you don't make it in time, you must call back immediately," Ric said firmly, giving the boy every indication of how bad the trip was going so far.
"Okay...So, then I shouldn't tell you that Bella seems to not want me talking to her reservation friends without her around for more than a couple minutes?"
That caused him concern and he ran a hand over his face as he tried to figure out what his niece was into. "Try to stay close to her and see who she talks to. Keep an eye out on anyone around that might be watching her because the detective I spoke to thought at one point she was behind Charlie's death but they found nothing. So now I don't know what to think."
Jeremy was quiet on the other end of phone for a moment before he spoke again. "She doesn't seem so bad. I"ll work on getting her to loosen up and trying to be her friend. She seemed to be warming up some to me today, and that kid Seth seemed cool. Same with her best friend, Jacob I think. I'll see what I can do here, but she seems innocent enough. I think she's cool. I like her."
"Yeah. Just - be careful. I think there is more going on out here than just random break-ins though. Don't go anywhere alone, and definitely don't let Bella go anywhere alone. There seems to be either a serial killer or someone kidnapping people because there are at least twelve missing in Seattle right now. Just keep your eyes open," Alaric warned. "I'll be back in the morning. I'm crashing here for the night."
"Sure thing. Stay safe yourself. I'll have some coffee ready for you when you get here. I brought vervain too - just in case, you know?"
Alaric pursed his lips as he eyed the newspaper that had been beside him with an article about a recent missing college student as he considered the vampire angle, but the vampires he was familiar with didn't operate like that. "Sure. I'll see you in the morning Jer. 'Night."
After hanging up, he stared at the newspaper article for a little longer, something about it gnawing at the corner of his brain like it was something he had read before. He was sure it was something to do with Isobel's research so it was vampire related but he wasn't sure just how. Until he knew more of what was going on, he didn't want to involve anyone else, especially back home right then when he was supposed to be there just for a funeral. Turning out the light and settling into bed, he had a bad feeling that things were much larger than they seemed.
~o.O.o~
After Jeremy hung up with Alaric, he sent a few text messages back home, letting everyone know that things were okay so that Jenna didn't worry about them. By the time he finished with his sister and returned inside, he couldn't help but feel like something changed as Bella was a little more reluctant to talk with him while Jacob, who had offered to stay with them the night since Alaric was still in Seattle.
"So, Jeremy. Bella had said that your parents died as well?" Jacob asked curiously, seemingly trying to learn more about the guy.
He looked back and forth between the two, trying to understand the change but chose to just go with it with an easy shrug. "Yeah. They went to pick my sister up from a party where she got drunk at and ended up having an accident on the way home, running off an old bridge in town. They drowned. Someone was around to pull Elena out of the water but couldn't get to my mom and dad in time."
Jake blinked in surprise at the sudden and harsh way to lose one's parents. Especially because of one's own sibling. "Do you get along with your sister?"
"Elena - she's alright. She handled it better than I did. I - didn't care and just looked for trouble wherever I could find it, let's just say," he answered as he went to get comfortable on the couch despite his clear dislike for the obvious line of questioning even though he didn't shy away from answering anything they asked. His face darkened at the memories of Vicky and how much he cared for her, but he knew that the feelings weren't in a healthy form. In the end, she still lost her life but she had never wanted the help that she needed as she was hurting inside much worse than he ever was.
"You okay man?" Jake asked as he looked at him, concerned that he may have went too far with his own curiosity.
Jeremy smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about my girlfriend at the time. She, um, actually died not long after that as well. Just not something I like to talk about because it was all a part of that dark period that Alaric helped get me out of. Is still trying to keep me out of."
Bella turned her attention from Jacob to her guest as she looked at him guardedly. "What did Uncle Ric have to say?" she asked.
"He didn't say much. Mostly complained about how they kept him waiting for hours before anyone came to speak to him about nothing. Said he'll be back in the morning and was staying in the city overnight."
She got up to start the fireplace as the night had gotten chillier. Often, she would look out the window before and after checking to make sure it was locked which made him curious as to what had her so paranoid so far from the big city and had to wonder if what her uncle said the police claimed had any merit. As she returned and sat back in the armchair, she pulled the knit blanket over her legs and looked at Jeremy. "So how do you know Ric?"
"He's our history teacher at school and my aunt's boyfriend. Of course our family history crosses in a strange way," he started to say as he made a face as he recalled learning more about Alaric's history in the beginning. "It's actually kind of weird because in a way - we're sort of related."
Both Bella and Jacob looked at him like he had lost his mind. "How do you figure?"
"Well Alaric was married to Isobel, who also happens to be my sister's real birth mother. We learned not long ago she was adopted. She's actually my cousin," Jeremy explained as Bella nodded in understanding.
"So that's one messed up family reunion. Who in the family did Aunt Izzy sleep with?" she snorted, clearly showing no love for the woman from the stories her father had shared over the years when she disappeared and left her husband without any answers to her whereabouts.
"My uncle. You're right, it is messed up. Trust me that Elena isn't thrilled either because he wants to be in the picture and she wants nothing to do with him now that she knows," Jeremy admitted, although he said nothing about Isobel's reappearance because he didn't know how much about her supposed death she knew.
Bella just simply continued staring at him for a minute before letting out a breath after he had answered. "Okay. So Alaric's ex-wife is your sister's mother and now he's dating her younger sister? Way to keep it in the family Ric!" she sarcastically jutted her thumbs up before turning to focus on the fire.
"What's your hometown like? What was it called again? Misty Falls…?" Jacob started to say but trailed off.
"Mystic Falls. It's a small town, though not like Forks here. Boring on one side, but has its share of problems as well. About the only thing to do is get drunk in the woods and have parties," he said with a shrug.
"Pretty much what the guys do on the rez," Jake grinned as he looked over at his friend before sighing. "What plans still need to be done for the funeral Bella? Anything you want me to do?"
She shook her head while she ran her fingers over the fabric of the shirt she wore that looked rather oversized and old to Jeremy. He assumed it was Charlie's and lowered his head, unsure of what words he could say in support because he didn't remember what was done for his parents' funeral.
"Ric wants to do stuff so I have to hold off on things for him. I already got the funeral home, just need to give them a call for the services. Charlie wasn't much for church but I'm sure Paster Webber would be willing to do something," she sighed.
"Is there something that I could do to help?"
"You're helping by not hounding me for information that I don't have. By taking my mind off of my life, my problems that no one can fix for me," Bella replied as she looked at him in the eye tiredly. Smiling gently, she continued. "But if you really want to do something, would either of you boys mind making some coffee or cocoa?"
Jacob shook his head as he stood up and headed into kitchen. She continued to study the boy who met her gaze unwavering, which earned her respect in a small way. "Do you watch sports?"
"I'm more into video games lately, but I like baseball," Jeremy answered, slightly confused. "You like sports?"
"No. Charlie loved them. I just know that there is a baseball game on tonight that I can put on for you and Jake. I don't mind," she said as she went to turn the television on and flipped it to the channel that had the game on.
He smiled gently as he watched her for a minute but she was so focused on the television. He knew she was craving the distractions and begun a random commentary about the game of what he knew of the players that were on. There wasn't much left of the game as it was fairly late and Jake returned soon with three mugs that he passed around.
As Jeremy took a sip of his, he looked up in shock. "Wow...this is really...wow!"
Bella snorted as she blew on hers. "I know. It's my recipe that he stole. Jackass."
"I'm not sorry. You can taste how great it is. I bet you want to take it back with you now, right?" he grinned.
Jeremy was contemplative for a hot minute as he looked at his drink before nodding. "Hell yeah. Jenna and Elena wouldn't be able to make it, but I'm sure I can talk my sister's dickhead friend to make it. He's good in the kitchen."
Jacob nodded. "She won't give it to you, but I will be sure to write it down for you before you go. Just remind me. Um, Bella? I'm gonna stay the night here since it's so late. I don't know how you guys have the arrangements going," he said as he met her eyes, causing her to stiffen slightly.
Setting her mug down, Bella stood from the chair and looked around. "Um. You'd probably be better up in Charlie's room tonight Jake," she said with a slightly shaky voice that made her company listen closer even though he kept his eyes focused on the game on the television. "We'll be right back Jeremy."
"Sure thing," he said as he waved them off, watching them over his shoulder as they went up the stairs. Pulling his cell phone out, he was sure Alaric was asleep, but he sent him a text anyway.
She is nervous bout something. I don't know what. She n Jake seem shady about something 2nite.
After putting his phone away and the two returned downstairs, they watched the rest of the baseball game together and chatted idly about random topics when someone would get some idea to talk about something. By the time they did call it a night, he was more than ready to go to sleep as it had been a long day. All he knew was that he hoped that Alaric was going to be back early like he promised as he set the alarm on his phone before setting it aside to sleep.
~o.O.o~
When Jeremy's alarm went off, he groaned as he reached for the device to silence the thing. Lifting his head, he looked around sleepily, quickly remembering that he wasn't home and sighed as his head fell back to the couch. Yawning, he had to slap his face a few times to really get himself moving for the morning before he could fully sit up and focus.
Behind him, he could hear a distinct female giggle that made him roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I'm seventeen and it's my winter break. I am supposed to be allowed to sleep late," he complained.
"But you volunteered to join your friend to fly across the country to the rainiest, most miserable place on earth to bury his brother. You're a good kid Jeremy," Bella smiled at him as she sat at the kitchen table. "Fresh pot of coffee is on. There's tea in the cabinet if you prefer, and if you want hot chocolate, tough. There's the boxed crap next to the tea."
"Thanks," he sighed as he scratched his head, unsure what to do because she beat him to getting things started for the morning. Grabbing his bag, he went to the bathroom to wash up and change before pulling out the small bag that contained several sprigs of fresh vervain.
As he joined her at the table with his coffee, he noticed her eyeing him as he added a pinch of the plant into his coffee, grinding it up between his fingers. "What was that?" she asked curiously.
"Uh, vervain. Just something a lot of people back home use," he said as he took a sip, wincing at the temperature. "Usually we have it liquidized, but we couldn't bring it on the plane so did the next best thing." He held up the baggie with the plant to show her.
"What does it do?"
Jeremy looked up, unsure of how not to say that it was supposed to be a deterrent for vampires and to keep them out of your head. "Herbal. Just some craze in town that everyone is on that seems to work. Not sure exactly how it's supposed to help your health, but I feel good," he smiled.
Bella nodded and before she could ask further on the subject, the sound of car doors slamming from outside reached them, causing them to turn their attention to the window. "Uncle Ric is back," she said before glancing at the clock. "He must have gotten up ridiculously early."
"He said he was planning on being back in the morning," Jeremy replied as he headed for the door to let the man in.
Alaric appeared quite tired still, but was more awake than he had been when they had arrived. After saying his good mornings to the two, his eyes zeroed in on the fresh coffee pot sitting on the counter. "Coffee," he grumbled, moving towards the device as if it was the messiah. Jeremy had held out his baggie of vervain, which he grabbed as he passed, making the girl, watch on with curiosity. After he managed to get nearly a half a cup down, he was finally able to hold something of a conversation. "You two are up early. I was actually expecting Jeremy to still be asleep even though he said he'd get up."
Bella smiled and watched as Alaric sat down, enjoying his coffee while opening up the morning's paper. "I was going to go see Pastor Webber about holding service at the lakeside where Dad liked to fish. I know it isn't conventional, but it's who he was. The funeral home wants to know if we are going to bury him. I was thinking of cremating and scattering him at the lake," she said hesitantly. "I didn't give them an answer as I was waiting for you."
He had been focused on the front page of the paper but had heard her suggestion. Dragging his eyes up from the page, he looked at her searchingly. "I think that's a great idea Isa. Do you want me to handle the calls or do you want me to deal with the lawyers to get everything transferred over to you?"
"That - actually works out perfectly. I never really liked Dad's lawyer friend. He got under my skin," she said as she let loose a shudder.
"It's not a problem. I was actually thinking about staying around a little longer than planned actually," Ric said suddenly, causing Jeremy to look up at him speculatively but he only got a glance. "I'll talk to Jenna about you and deal with the school. Maybe distance from Mystic Falls would do you some good."
"Um, sure. Sounds great," he said, unsure where these new plans were suddenly coming from until Ric pulled apart the paper and moved to a new section and set the one that he had been reading in front of him. Attempting to keep a passive expression on his face as Jacob made his morning appearance, and complaining about the lack of coffee in the now empty pot, Jeremy's face paled at the thought of vampires in Washington to cause so much damage that would reach the news the way they were indicating. Nearly a dozen bodies had been discovered brutally mutilated in an abandoned warehouse along the waterfront, and another article revealing a missing teenage girl not far from the same area.
Bella had appeared happy with her uncle's announcement to remain after her father's service but her eyes expressed anything but as she tried to be casual in her leaving the table to start another pot of coffee. The two could hear the low whispers between the girl and her friend, but unable to make out the words, however the stressed tone was clear. She wasn't happy about their extended visit.
Charlie's funeral was a subdued affair. Alaric was pleased with his niece's idea for how to give her father a proper send off in the place he enjoyed spending his free time. He knew the man much preferred the time with her more, but he remained silent on his thoughts as the pastor spoke on his brother's quiet nature and good deeds for their sleepy town.
Jeremy and he sat beside her silently during the small ceremony, respectively listening to his colleagues speak of his sense of duty. As they got into sharing stories of investigating animal attacks that had occurred in the woods, the two paid a little closer attention. As the teenager was about to comment to Alaric, the man subtly elbowed him as he adjusted in his seat to silence him before leaning over to check on Bella.
"You know if you want to get out of here, just say the word. I can always make a distraction for you," he smiled as he whispered his offer.
She couldn't help but to snort softly. "Thanks but I'll survive," she replied, keeping her eyes forward. The pain of her memories during the period that the officers were speaking was clear however.
Alaric noted her expressions and filed it away for consideration later. "How about we do something fun tonight? After this week, I think we can use it. Your choice of activity."
Hesitating, her eyes tightened as she knew she didn't want to get too close to her extended family with the secrets she held but at the same time, the invitation was incredibly welcoming. If anything, she knew she would be able to include her friend and it would offer them some protection as her eyes shifted to look at him sideways. Her lips struggled to remain passive but he saw that he had her as the corners lifted in her acceptance and he nodded. As the two turned their attention back to the service, Bella couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as she looked around, seeking out the source but failing.
She casually turned her head to look over where Jacob had stood with some of his pack friends, biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ear as she shifted her gaze to the woods beyond them. It had become a form of silent communication between them when around others that when she felt uncomfortable or like she was being watched in an unnatural manner, something they had grown to not discount for all the attempts that had been taken against her previously, that two of the younger additions to their group slipped away with a nod from Sam as he and Jake begun to pay closer attention to their surroundings rather than the words being said.
When the service ended and all condolences were given to Bella and Alaric by the visitors as they left, those within the group were more than ready to leave the lakeside. Jake had to carry his father back due to the difficult path that his wheelchair couldn't handle and when everyone was back at their cars, Billy turned his attention to the young woman. "He was so proud of you Bella," he said deeply.
"Thank you, Billy," she smiled as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Has anyone said anything?"
He looked back to where Alaric and Jeremy were speaking by their rental and gave her a small nod. "They picked up a scent but by the time they were able to get on it's trail, it was gone. It wasn't one of them though," he murmured. "One of hers."
"She's still watching. We knew that," she sighed as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"How long are your visitors staying?" he asked with concern.
She grimaced as she wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her sweater tighter. "Awhile. He managed to get Jeremy transferred out here for school so at least a couple months it looks. From what they've said of their life back east, I understand their need to get away, but why now? They are just going to get themselves hurt and it'll be my fault."
"It is not your fault Bella. You know where the blame solely lies and you remember that," the old man scolded her. "I won't hear of this talk and I know this isn't you anymore. Now I hope this is just the feelings from the day and I will let it slide but child if I hear these words come from you again! Charlie did not give his life so that you can suffer. You are a fighter Bella. So fight back."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "My uncle wants me to spend some time with him so I might not be able to make it to the rez for a few days to help with planning."
"That's fine. I'll make sure someone is around you to keep an eye on things. Spend time with your uncle. I've been watching him with you. He cares for you and is worried by your pushing him away. Don't push him too much," he smiled at her. "Now go. Have some fun for once."
"Thank you, Billy," Bella called as she watched him start to wheel himself away. He only waved a hand in response as he joined his son and their pack leader, leaving her to make her way to her uncle and his charge.
While everyone had been separated, saying their goodbyes, Alaric and Jeremy stayed off to the side to allow Bella her time with her friends and those she'd come to consider her family over the years. They've watched her closely, amused both at the fire and amount of genuine warmth that filled her as she spoke with the old man. "Animal attacks?" Jeremy questioned with slight hesitation in his voice.
"Sounds like it," Alaric commented, his eyes going from one person to another but no one stood out to him who might be a vampire - or at least the kind that he was thinking of. "All of these people have been coming and going from the house freely at one point or another. I double checked. Charlie added Bella to the deed when she turned eighteen so if anyone was one, at some point during these sympathy visits, the doorway would have stopped them."
"Maybe Charlie or Bella didn't know and already invited in whoever is responsible?"
An irritated sigh at such irresponsibility came from him as he tried to picture his brother randomly inviting a stranger into his house. "Doubtful. I don't know. I think we should ask one of our friends to come visit and check things out."
"Damon?" Jeremy asked curiously.
Alaric frowned slightly, only because he knew his friend would be all over his niece with his curiosity about her. He's already been dodging his calls and texts since they'd left Virginia. He knew his friend was more than slightly offended that he hadn't asked him along to help with his investigation into his brother's death, but he hadn't been ready to really discuss his family with anyone else yet. "I don't know. Damon - is well, Damon. He'll do what you need him to, but I don't know if I want him around Bella right now either. She doesn't need that kind of drama."
"We all know that he screams drama when he's around too," Jeremy grinned. "Stefan then? I seriously doubt he would voluntarily up and leave my sister with Damon lurking as well."
"Well we can't ask Caroline," Ric sighed. "If there is anyone who might annoy my niece more right now, it's a bubbly cheerleader. I'll call Stefan tonight."
The boy nodded and stood up straighter as he cleared his throat when he noticed Bella heading their way. He smiled slightly at her as his hair fell into his eyes while he moved to hold the passenger door open for her, causing her to laugh quietly. "Thanks," she said.
"Anytime," he murmured, closing it after her and went to slide into the backseat. "So what are we doing tonight?"
She released a breath as her head fell back against the seat and thought about what was in the area. "There is very little to do. The La Push guys like cliff jumping but I'm not in the mood for that and the last time I did, well it didn't end very well. Port Angeles has a movie theater but we can do that at home too. They have a bowling alley?"
"Bowling sounds good," Alaric replied as he looked over at Jeremy, who nodded as he steered the car onto the road and took off for the small city. His eyes had been on the rear view mirror, watching the reservation boys that stared at their vehicle until it disappeared from sight and sighed with relief once they were in the clear.
The conversation was light as the three made the hour drive to their destination. Jeremy helped break some uncomfortable silences, amusing Bella, as he complained about some text messages he received from his sister before continuing on, cracking jokes about her and their friends back in Virginia.
When they reached the bowling alley, Ric sent the two ahead to get their balls and shoes while he paid for their lane. Pulling his phone out, he quickly dialed up the number he'd been itching to call since the group set out on the road from the funeral service and waited for him to answer.
"Hey Ric. How are things in Washington?" Stefan greeted as he answered the phone. "I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Elena filled me in after you left."
"Yeah man, thanks. We just finished the service today but we're going to hang around a bit longer. I think there is more going on here than everyone is saying that I can't quite put my finger on. Jeremy and I been following the news since we got here and everything screams vampire but we've been watching and both of us haven't felt like we've come across any," he explained as he looked around to be sure he wasn't being overheard.
He heard his friend pull in a deep breath as he thought about the situation. "It could be and they are hiding very well but without being there to help track them, I can't be of much help."
"I know...Stefan, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think it wasn't something," Ric pressed impatiently.
"You want me to come out there? Honestly, I think Damon would be better to help you on this. He's more traveled and is a better hunter than I am for things like this. Stronger too if it comes down to a fight."
The human pressed his hand to his forehead, figuring that he would have made the exact suggestion he thought of himself for the same reasons but dismissed for one reason. "I would have called him but I really want to avoid him coming out here as much as possible right now. You know how he is and with my niece - Stef...I'm the only family she has left."
Stefan's sigh was audible and Alaric could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in his stress at the thought of leaving Elena behind as the new vampire she was in his brother's care. "Alright. I'll see what I can do and try to grab the first flight I can. I'll call you when I know the details."
"Thank you," Ric said gratefully before he hung up and quickly joined the two who waited for him by the shoe counter. He grinned as he showed the attendant their receipt so that they could get their bowling shoes. "We're on lane eight. You all want any snacks?"
"I guess I could use a soda," Bella shrugged as she dug in her pocket to pull out some money but he waved her off as he handed her a few bills.
"It's on me," he said. "Get something for all of us. We'll meet you at the lane? Just holler if you need a hand."
She eyed him curiously but said nothing as she headed off towards the food bar. While she gave her order, the boys could see that she was still watching them carefully so they too had to remain cautious as they spoke while they made their way to the lane.
"Stefan is going to come out and check the area for us," Alaric said as he looked over his shoulder.
"Okay...How are you going to get him into the house if it's in her name without telling her what he is? She's not stupid and I have a feeling she sees more than she lets on," Jeremy pointed out. "I think she knows way more about Charlie and what's going on around here."
Ric frowned, looking at him, not liking the sound of what he was hearing. "Why do you say that?"
The boy shrugged as he leaned over to change his shoes. "Just do. She's always watching everything around her more than people usually do. The way you and I do since we know about what's really out there. Plus she seems a bit paranoid at night. Have you noticed that she tends to check the windows several times to make sure they are locked?"
"Yeah. I thought that was because of the break in from Charlie's death," he muttered. "Maybe we're jumping things here. Let's just have some fun, cheer her up a little, relax, and wait for Stefan to scope the area. I still have to tell Jenna that we're going to be awhile longer."
"You are going to be in a shit load of trouble," Jeremy mumbled. He was worried that his friend's sneaking around would one day backfire and ruin his relationship with his aunt.
"I figured as much. As far as getting Stefan in…She'll invite him in. It's in her nature," Ric replied as he looked over his shoulder to find Bella heading their way with her arms full of food and drinks for them. "Hopefully he'll be here by tomorrow but we'll talk later."
Bella joined the boys, handing off the food she held. "I didn't know what you two wanted but I figured that if you were anything like the guys on the Rez, then you'd just eat everything anyway," she said as she glanced between them, noticing but not commenting on the tension the two of them held, causing her to narrow her eyes slightly. "So are we ready to get started?"
The boys nodded, eager to drop the subject in her presence and began filling her in on some changes of their plans to stick around longer, claiming to have a developed a fondness for the boring region. Alaric casually mentioned that one of their friends from Virginia would be coming out soon to bring them some extra things as a warning. While she wasn't too thrilled, Bella nodded politely as she focused on the game as she seemed distracted by it, though it was clear she wasn't pleased.
~o.O.o~
It wasn't for nearly three days before anyone saw or heard anything from back East because Alaric's girlfriend was upset. She agreed to let Jeremy stay with him for the extended stay after he pitched his excuses but she also made it clear that she wasn't happy at the same time. After he spoke with Jenna, he had the opportunity to talk with Elena and learn that Stefan was already on his way, having left early in the morning and should already have been on his way to town.
That knowledge had him feeling both anxious and relieved when he hung up as he looked over at his niece where she sat in the living room in Charlie's old chair reading. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand through his hair and looked around curious. "Where's Jeremy?" he asked.
Bella looked up and shrugged. "I don't know. I think he said something about heading out for a run. I warned him that the woods around here aren't that safe as I remembered we had a lot of animal attacks when I was here for high school and over the years."
"Yeah I read about those in the papers," he muttered. "We had similar cases back home. Our friend that I told you about the other day, Stefan? I just got confirmation that he's already on his way."
She stared at him with her brown eyes glowing with her secrets. "There isn't much room here Uncle Ric," she reminded him quietly.
Alaric nodded. "It'll be fine. Stefan knows of the arrangements. He can crash in a sleeping back on the floor or the boys can take turns with the couch. If he's not able to make that work then he can go get a room at the motel. Fair enough?" He knew her nature wouldn't let her kick his friend out, or at least he was betting on it as ashamed as he was to think about playing her that way.
Letting out a sigh, she looked out the window that faced the forest to the back of the house. He couldn't quite make out the thoughts behind the expression on her face but he knew one thing she was resolving when she next spoke. "No. No. We'll figure this out. No need to let your friend be around town not knowing what's going on in this god forsaken place," she muttered under her breath.
He stared at her, confused by her words as he wondered what she meant. It made him think more about the vampire problem in Mystic Falls and was all the more eager for Stefan to get to Forks quicker. "Great. I'll try giving him a call and see where he's at. If you need me, I'll be out. Just call."
Bella didn't respond as she continued to look out the window coldly, lost in her thoughts. It was an expression he'd seen before but only on his vampire friends. Damon and Stefan both had equally terrifying emptiness before. Only with Stefan, it was when he was in ripper mode and it was a nightmare for all around. He didn't let himself dwell on it long before he left the house to be able to call the man in question away from her ears.
Stefan thankfully was quick to answer to his surprise. "Alaric. I'm already in Forks," he answered, his voice low from wherever he was.
Looking around, Alaric frowned as he wasn't exactly happy that he was already there but hadn't let him know. "Okay. So should I expect to see you soon?" he questioned.
He could hear him let out a long breath and strained to try to hear anything on may give away where he may be on phone. "Yeah I'll find you soon. I was just checking out the area before checking in. Ric - we need to talk and you're not going to be happy."
"That bad?" Ric sighed as he ran his hand over his face, turning to look over his shoulder towards the house.
"We'll talk as soon as I get to you. I passed by the address you gave already so I know where you're at," he replied as sounds of rustling could be heard.
"I'm out right now. Jeremy decided to go for a run so I'm going to see if I can find him."
"Do that. I'll keep an eye out on my way in the meanwhile. From now on, don't go anywhere without someone with you. Trust me on this Alaric. You need to call Damon. I'll explain when I see you." He hung up leaving Alaric irritated and frustrated. Whatever Stefan found that made him insist on calling his brother for his help might truly be a reason to be scared. Picking up his step, he started calling out for Jeremy in the meanwhile, hoping that he'd find him soon.
Alaric eventually caught up with his charge at a nearby corner mart and soon they returned back to the house together while he filled him in along the way. Jeremy shared in his concerns on whatever could put the vampire on edge and want a somewhat unstable one to help.
When they reached the house, they found Stefan and Bella on the front stoop talking as they waited for them. As amiable as their conversation appeared, Stefan had a peculiar look as he stared back at her while she responded to something he asked. His eyes flicked over to the two and smiled, apologizing as he interrupted her and stood. "Ric, Jeremy. Nice town," he greeted as he met them halfway,reached out to shake Alaric's hand and pulled him in for a hug. Whispering in his ear, he added, "She knows more than she lets on. We need to talk. Soon."
Ric nodded as he sucked in a breath, smiling tersely. "Yeah, it's smaller than Mystic Falls, but Charlie loved it all the same," he answered back, glancing over at Bella, who started back inside already to leave the boys to their reunion. "Bella invite you in yet?"
"Yes. That's fine, but you have a bigger problem here," Stefan said seriously as he looked around cautiously as if to make sure no one was around to overhear them.
"Yeah you implied as much on the phone. How about you tell us why you want to call your brother in. What do you think is going on?" He asked, his patience growing thin.
He seemed even more agitated as his eyes swung over to the forestline, looking searchingly. "The area is steaming with the supernatural and Bella has the scent of something covering her. Not quite like the werewolves we've encountered but it smells similar. Just like a wet dog but I know it's not human, or at least not completely. I don't know. I've never encountered it before."
Alaric nodded slowly as he let it sink in. Jeremy had been quiet until then and was rather serious as he turned to look at him. "She's been spending a lot of time up on the reservation with the Quileutes. You think they know anything about this? I remember when I did that paper on vampires for you, I found references about tribes having a number of legends about things like vampires."
"I don't know. Like I said, call Damon. That's the other thing," Stefan hesitated as he looked back to Ric. "I picked up another type of scent. I don't know just how much you really know about vampires but I doubt you know about them."
"Them?" Ric prompted, not knowing where this was going.
Leaning in, Stefan looked into his eyes as he was as steady and serious as he could be. "There are two breeds of vampires, Alaric. My kind and another. Cold Ones. I've never actually came across them, only heard of them. Damon has experience with them though. He told me once what to watch for and this area has that sickly sweet scent he described all over it." He paused as he waited a moment. Turning to look over his shoulder, he frowned at the sight. "Including Bella's house."
"There is some other vampire species scent all over my niece's house?" he asked almost in despair.
"It's faded but it's there. Covered by layers of the wet dog scent. Alaric, you need Damon here. I wish I could tell you something else but this is way out of my league. I don't know what they are really like, so please take my advice. I'll stick around to help out if he thinks you'll need it of course."
Alaric let out a sigh. Nodding slowly as he closed his eyes, he knew he was right. "Fine. Let's call him," he agreed finally. "Anything to protect Bella now."
Author Note: Here is your long awaited update! I know that some may have been upset because of how long it took, as I had received a rather disturbing review from a guest that I removed. Let me just say that just because a story hasn't been updated right away, doesn't mean that I am not working on it. If anyone is following me on my website, or on my facebook, then you would know that I have been working on all my stories in some way. I don't have the luxury to sit in front of my computer day in and day out writing all day. I have a job. I have family. I have responsibilities. Most of the time, I am just plainly too damn tired to even turn the computer on by the time I get home to write. If you don't like it then go find some other story to follow because I will update this and other stories of mine as I am able to. Not to a single reader's satisfaction. I will not, repeat, will not release a chapter that I feel is halfassed just for the sake of an update. If you don't like it, then stick it. Have a nice day! Much Love, Meeko
~o.O.o~
Stefan had noticed early on when Bella greeted him at the door that something was different about the girl. As nice as she was to him, he was able to sense the slight deception in that her carefully worded answers to his questions about the region. Admittedly, she was good. He had asked her about her college life and was listening to her try to avoid speaking about herself as little as possible when Alaric and Jeremy returned.
He was grateful that she excused herself quickly to the refuge the house provided while they caught up outside and he laid out everything he had out to Alaric's dismay. As sympathetic as he was to what he was trying to do in stepping in to her father's shoes, he would eventually need to learn that Bella was a grown woman and did not need a new father.
Once he had his permission, Stefan nodded and pulled out his cell phone, dialing out. He closed his eyes as he raised the device to his ear and waited. He almost believed he would get the voicemail but at the last moment, the phone was answered to both his relief and dismay.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call, brother? I haven't drained any cheerleaders since you've been gone, but I'm sorely tempted if I have to babysit Elena and Barbie much longer. Where the hell are you?" Damon's voice echoed over the phone.
"I'm - helping out a friend with a problem. I just got here and realized it's a little bigger than we thought it was. Any chance that you're up for a trip?" he asked, rubbing his temple to try to hold back the headache that would come inevitably.
"What problem you got? You're a badass vamp Steffie. You should be able to handle whatever it is. Just drain a human or two, and you'll be top notch!"
"Damon. I'm being serious. This is something that I think your expertise is warranted. I didn't know what it was until I got here but - please just… will you come? We'll give you all the details when you get here."
Stefan could hear him exhale over the phone line before he replied. "And what the hell am I supposed to do with the girls? You know they are bound to find themselves into some pile of shit without one of us to be here to pull them out."
Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "Figure out a way to get Jenna to okay Elena coming out. Compel her if you have to. Bring them. Bonnie, too. We may need her help as well."
"What-? What the hell kind of problem did you find that you need a witch and me for?" Damon demanded.
"Believe me, if I thought I could handle it I would but you'll find out when you get here. Get a flight to Seattle as soon as possible. Send me the info and I'll be there to pick you all up."
"Stefan. Give me something right now otherwise you can forget it. This isn't like you to be asking favors of me. Of all the people you could come to? How many turned you down before you called little ol' moi?"
"No one. Just you, alright? We're helping out Alaric…" Stefan offered, refusing to give more information.
Damon was silent for a minute. "Fine. I'll get us all out there. Last he said, he was going to Washington to help family with a funeral. What the hell does he need vampire help for?"
"You'll see. I need to get back before his niece gets more suspicious of me than she already is," the younger Salvatore muttered as he glanced back towards the house where the girl peered out the window at him.
"Intriguing. Alright, count me in. I'll get back to you when I know the deets," Damon said cheerfully before hanging up, leaving his brother with a grimace on his face.
He slowly made his way back to the house where Alaric was waiting on the front steps. Neither man appeared happy despite the outward display they put on. "He's going to be a headache, isn't he?"
Stefan shrugged a shoulder, feeling unsure. "It's hard to say. Knowing how he is, more than likely but you and I both know that he has his moments of surprising us. She means a lot to you so he'll help. I don't have any worries about that."
Nodding, Alaric waved him into the house. "Let's worry about it when he gets here I guess. I'm betting we have two, maybe three days until he arrives so let's enjoy the peace while we can."
The vampire couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he followed his friend inside. "Yep. Things are bound to get interesting. That's for certain."
~oOo~
Over the following two days, things were fairly quiet around the house as the boys watched how Bella frequently disappeared from the house at random times. Alaric had gotten Jeremy enrolled in the local school with Stefan's help, even though the school was technically closed for the holiday break.
By the time Stefan left Forks to head up to Seattle, he attempted to compel the girl but was surprised when it didn't take. It relieved and scared him at the same time. At least he knew his brother wouldn't be able to pull anything with her when he got in but it also meant if she did learn more than she was meant to, they wouldn't be able to make her forget. The drive was long and allowed him to think about Bella and how she could be involved with Cold Ones.
He was still at a loss when he saw his brother walk through the terminal at the airport with their friends and his own girlfriend - whom he hadn't anticipated on.
With a tight smile on his face, even though he was happy to see Elena, he welcomed her hug as she ran up to him. His eyes met with Damon's questioningly. "Why did you bring the girls?"
The man merely shrugged his leather clad shoulder as he hoisted his carry on over his shoulder. "Like you could talk Barbie out of anything and once Elena found out, that was the end of it. Witchy was a stowaway, I think. I didn't invite any of them along."
Elena rolled her eyes as she hung herself from Stefan's side. "I did. You two were willing to leave us back home to come and help out Alaric with his family issue and we wanted to help, whatever it is. It's not fair to leave us out," she scolded. "and considering that you actually requested Damon, of all people, to come out after everything, well, it had us curious."
Damon gave his brother a cocky smile as he walked by him to head towards the doors. "Hey! We have to get our bags!" Caroline yelled after him.
"No one told you to come with, Barbie!" he called back as he kept walking, sliding a pair of sunglasses on that he didn't need as he peered out at the overcast sky once he cleared the doors.
Sighing, Stefan turned back to the girls as they stared at him waiting. "Let's go get your bags. Is Jenna really okay with you being out here, too?"
"I replaced her vervain so that she went the day without it and compelled her to let me come along. So are you going to tell us why we flew across the country or what?" Elena asked.
His jaw clenched at the deceitful actions his girlfriend pulled that could potentially put their entire group in more danger than they might already be in. Knowing that it was too late, he said nothing in response as he turned to start walking towards baggage claim. Bonnie had managed to catch his gaze with a curious and concerned look to which he shook his head slightly. The airport was not the place to be discussing what he'd been up to, and even the ride back to Forks, he knew wasn't going to be pleasant.
By the time the four made it outside, Damon had already disappeared. Despite the girls looking around and trying to call his phone, Stefan merely continued walking to the car. "Don't bother. He probably decided to go ahead just to avoid us," he announced, reaching their rental and eyeing them from across the roof of the car. "he knows where he is supposed to go."
Elena pouted as she ended the call, the ringing obvious that the recipient was ignoring her call. "Fine, but you have to tell us what the hell is going on. All these secrets usually get us into more trouble Stefan," she said as she got into the car.
He didn't respond as he slid into the driver's side and started the engine. Thinking about what he would say and what Alaric would want to share, he was torn in his loyalties as his friend had come to him first for his help in his new problem.
~oOo~
Damon walked slowly through the trees, carefully stepping over fallen logs as he looks around. He had caught a whiff of a sweet scent and chose to follow it. A while later, a grimace marred his features as the smell of wet dog filled the air. He exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to clear his nose from the smell. The trees began to thin and he picked up his pace, seeing a light from ahead, most likely from the sun.
'Damn green everywhere blocks out everything...' He thought bitterly then considered it as he thought about the rainy region further. 'Ideal breeding grounds…'
He stopped where he was, stretching his hearing out until he picked up a single human heartbeat. Looking in the area where it originated, he was careful as he began to walk away in the opposite direction, keeping at a pace that whomever it may be would easily catch up with him. A smile came to his lips as a female voice cursed under her breath and the faint scent of blood reached his senses, causing him to stop short again to breath it in deeply. If the Cold Ones that had been around had discovered this girl, he was surprised to learn that this human was still alive with such a delicious aroma.
Blinking as he debated about the potential meal or continuing on with investigating the area, the decision was taken out of his hands as a gorgeous brunette limped through the trees. He turned to look at her more closely, her hand covering the large scrape that she'd obviously suffered on the fallen branches and trunks.
Damon stared at her curiously until she stumbled close enough to look up and notice that she was not alone in the vast woods. His lips pulled back into a smirk. "Hello there," he murmured.
She tensed as she stared back at him, her eyes darting around as if looking for anyone else. "Um, hi? Who are you?" she asked, her nervous demeanor relaxing up a bit as she gathered up some courage to face the imposing stranger.
"I could ask the same of you. I doubt the woods is a safe place for a pretty thing like you to be prancing around in. Obviously," he grinned slightly as he waved his hand towards her leg causing her to look down when she seemed confused and insulted.
"I don't think so. I'm from the area. You aren't. How about you tell me why you're prancing around where you don't belong?" she smarted back as she leveled large, dark eyes on him.
Damon's lips quirked at the corner as he fought down the rising attraction to the bravery she displayed. "Hm," he hummed as he looked back at her with his blue eyes. "And just how is it that I don't belong? Do I need a special invitation to explore the woods around Forks?"
She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "These woods aren't the safest place to be if you aren't from around here you know. You should really head back to wherever you were going."
"Awe, don't worry about me princess. I can take care of myself," he said as he looked around at the trees surrounding them. "I'm Damon, if you're interested," he added, his stark blue eyes flashing back to her amid his black hair and clothing.
"I'm not," she said easily, turning away from him as she begun to walk away. "Just be on your way Damon. It's not good to be around here - or me."
"Now I don't believe that princess, but I'll head on to my buddy for now. Maybe I'll see you again one day," he grinned as he walked backwards, increasing the space between them. "See you around gorgeous!"
She ignored him as she continued to stumble her way out of the woods to the road where she had her car parked. He could see even from the distance how she was continuously scanning the area, as if she was waiting for some unseen threat to jump out at any moment before she got into the vehicle and drove off. The girl's behavior struck him as odd, but he was more concerned about the wet dog and Cold One scents that stuck to the woods worse than the creation he left in New Orleans decades before with a sire bond.
If there was nothing that annoyed him more than Stefan and his girlfriend pretending to be happy in front of him, it was Cold Ones thinking they were real vampires. With the human girl out of the way, he took a more in depth tour of the woods around the area. He was careful to stay away when the scent of the dogs grew heavier, not interested particularly in getting into a tussle with one. The last thing he really wanted was to have to beg a Mikaelson for a favor and be in his debt - if his cure even worked as the scent was different than the wolves he had previously dealt with.
In avoiding the stronger scent line, seemingly marking a border territory, Damon started back towards where he had picked up the stronger of the Cold One scents. Though they were faded, their 'cousins' particular brand of odor had the tendency to linger much longer for their kind to pick up. As he cleared the treeline to the drive, his face scrunched in disgust at the house he found. Shaking his head, he wanted to strangle his brother for getting him into whatever it was that was going on with Alaric and his family.
Deciding to take his time in making his way over to the address that Stefan had given him, he picked up his duffle and began walking. His mind struggled as it turned over numerous thoughts and possibilities as to what might drive such a large coven away.
~o.O.o~
When Bella pulled up in front of her house, she was surprised to see Stefan back with a group of people, whom she assumed were his friends, not realizing she was out for that long. Stepping out of the car she shot a questioning glance at her uncle, who was making his way towards her.
"What's going on Uncle Ric?" she asked as she kept her eyes on the girls questioningly.
Alaric let out a sigh and ran a hand over the back of his head. "The one girl is Jeremy's sister and Stefan's girlfriend. She didn't like it too much that we didn't include her in everything so she insisted on coming out, against every argument I could come up with. The other two are friends. They tend to go everywhere together," he tried to explain quietly.
Her eyes jumped from one girl to the next as she watched Stefan talking to them. The blond and brunette returning her stare during their own conversations. "We don't have enough room here for everyone," she commented under her breath, her anger starting to peek through her calm facade. "What the hell were they thinking?!"
He swallowed as he tried to smooth the situation over. Thinking quickly, he looked over at the small group. "Stefan can easily get a room at the motel with his brother. Jeremy can go stay with them while the girls stay with us. How does that sound?"
Bella's voice only continued to climb in octaves as she found that option not pleasing either. Mainly because she'd started to become fond of Jeremy and if anything were to happen to him, she'd never forgive herself. "No. And Stefan's brother? How many more are coming to fucking Forks?!" she screeched as she stared at her uncle with wide eyes. "This is the worst fucking vacation spot in the world! Inside a week I've seen more new faces than I can count on one hand in this town than I've ever seen in this place my entire life!"
Movement from the corner of her eyes caught her attention, making her head snap over to look at Stefan who shook his head slightly while his girlfriend watched them with a bored expression on her face.
A slow clapping came from behind her, forcing her to turn around to see who had the audacity to piss her off even more. As her eyes narrowed on the culprit, Alaric let out a sigh. "Damon, now isn't the time."
"I don't know about that," he grinned in response, although he kept his sight trained on Bella. "I like that fire. I happen to think that Princess here has a point. After all, we're the ones intruding on your stomping grounds. I'm betting that at no point since Alaric and Baby Gilbert got here, none of them bothered to ask for your say in their visitors. Right?"
Bella stared at Damon, the ire that had been ready to fly off her tongue stunned frozen at his words. He wasn't wrong. At all. In fact, he had hit home much more than he even knew. Swallowing back her irritation with the intruders to her home, she glared back her uncle. "Jeremy and Damon can stay here. The rest can find somewhere else," she announced finally before storming into the house and slamming the door behind her.
"Well - that went better than I thought it would," Alaric laughed nervously as he looked around. Turning his attention to the man that he was surprised to have garnered his niece's acceptance, he raised a curious brow. "I suppose you're invited inside now. Just be careful around Bella. She's still dealing with Charlie's death."
"Not a problem, Uncle Ric," he smirked as he sauntered past Stefan and Elena, wagging his eyebrows playfully. Taking a dramatic step through the doorway, he turned to lean against the door jam. Looking over his shoulder quickly, he made sure that Bella wasn't within hearing range on the floor. Pointing upwards, he silently asked if the windows were open before he spoke aloud.
Stefan glanced up to find Bella in her bedroom window, which was shut tight, but glaring down at them and sighed. "No, but she is watching us."
"Oh I don't doubt that. Somehow I think you tried something that pissed her off for her to be so willing to kick your saintly ass out. But that's neither here, nor there. It is a good thing however that Witchy came along. Did you bring your grimoire?" Damon continued as he focused on Bonnie.
She looked confused as her hand slipped down to hold her satchel closer to herself. "Yes…" she voiced slowly. "Why do you want to know?"
He only nodded and eyed the area. "Can you see if you can come up with some sort of protection spell on the house - and your hotel room? Something that will keep out or repel Cold Ones."
"Cold Ones? What the hell are those?" she asked, looking over to Stefan who only met Damon's eyes and nodded slightly.
"Seems that our Princess upstairs has a lot of secrets and I think it has to do with them. They are another breed of vampire - if you can call them that. Unfortunately, they don't need an invitation into your home like we do, so we will have to find another way of keeping them away until we figure out just what kind of mess she has going on," he ventured with a shrug of a shoulder.
Elena didn't seem to like anything about the situation. As she listened to Damon trying to take charge and Alaric's niece so quick to throw Stefan out to the curb to take in a wildcard such as him, she shook her head defiantly. "I think we should just go back home. She obviously doesn't want our help if she doesn't trust anyone, even her own family, to share her problems with. It's bad enough that she invited Damon in without even knowing a thing! If she really knew...I doubt she would have been so quick to accept a mons-"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, Gilbert," Damon sneered, his stance straightening up to prepare for a fight.
"Hey now! Relax! Both of you!" Caroline interrupted as she moved up to the porch to try to hold him back. "Elena - that was uncalled for and for all we know, she doesn't think that we know anything about this world so cut her some slack."
"No. No, let's hear her out. She's just upset because Bella didn't bow down and welcome her like the doppelganger royalty she thinks she is. News flash Elena, you transitioned. Your blood isn't important anymore to Klaus. Get over it!"
Elena looked over at Alaric, her eyes wet with unshed tears as she tried to shake her head in denial. "That's not true!"
"Honestly Elena, right now, I don't give a shit," he said tiredly. "If you want to go back home, no one is stopping you. Bella didn't extend an invitation to you so you would have to go to the motel tonight at least. It might be a good idea right now if just for everyone to cool down."
Damon and Caroline both turned to look towards the stairs as footsteps sounded as the human girl began to come down. Her face was still tense, anger still flooding her veins as she pushed past them at the door. She paused briefly as she took in the change of positions, seemingly as if there was a shift in alliances since she had gone inside.
Stefan stood with his girlfriend, his hands around her arms. She could easily tell that on the surface it appeared to look as if he was comforting her, but she too saw that it was also in restraint. The dark skinned girl stood off to the side of them, looking conflicted. Jeremy and Alaric had both begun to move closer to the house where she turned to find the blond attempting to push Damon back, while trying to give her a friendly smile in the process.
The irritation she felt fell slightly but she shook it off when she heard the old engine of her friend's car coming down the road. "I'm going to the reservation. I might crash there for the night. I don't know yet," she grumbled loud enough for her uncle to hear. "If I stay, this one can stay here," she said as she jutted her thumb to Caroline. "I don't trust the others, especially Stefan. They can catch crabs at the motel tonight."
There was a stretch of silence as Elena's face grew red and Damon and Caroline's laughter filled the air. The two were laughing still when Bella's friend pulled up to the house and she jumped into the passenger side, giving the group a small wave of her fingers before pulling away.
Damon had begun to calm in his amusement as he stared after the car, the stench of the wet dog having hit them with a renewed force. He looked to Caroline for her reaction, her face scrunched up in disgust. "I think I'm going to throw up. Remind me to never beg my mom for a pet again," she gagged.
"What the hell was that?" Elena mumbled behind her hand. The odor seemingly enough to break her of her attitude for the moment.
"That is the other issue. There seems to be some other creature here that Bella is familiar with, or at least in their human form. She comes back smelling of them frequently," Stefan explained. "I'm just going to go inside and get my things so that we can go find a room."
Alaric nodded. "Bonnie? What do you want to do?"
The young witch looked at her friend apologetically. "I'll crash here tonight. I need to get more information about these Cold Ones if I'm going to do this spell. We can figure things out more tomorrow as far as arrangements are concerned."
"I may have an idea for that but give me some time to work it out. I want to get more information first," Damon said as he frowned, looking off towards the woods.
"Damon?" Stefan pushed, having heard the everything. "What…?"
"Not now. I need to look into something first. Just put up with the motel for now. Trust me," he said before turning and going into the house. He stopped in the living room and let out a sigh. Shaking his head, he didn't know where to begin.
It wasn't long before the others began to say their goodbyes to Stefan and Elena outside and filtered into the house. The girl was still upset at not being the center of attention, no matter how adamantly she denied it. He knew she was so much like her predecessor that it was terrifying.
He sat in the armchair that held Bella's scent the strongest, a faint smile on his lips as he thought about the scene he had walked in upon. Resting his chin in his hand, he watched as his friends soon made themselves comfortable for the conversation that needed to be had.
"Alright. Let's get on with this. Stefan said that you were the one that I needed to call when he came out here. What exactly is a Cold One?" Alaric asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Another type of vampire. Younger than our kind, but a pain in the ass to kill. You have to quite literally tear them apart and burn them," Damon said as he matched his friend's heated gaze with one of his own. "And they can have gifts which can make it all the more complicated."
"Gifts? Like your compulsion?" Bonnie asked.
He started to nod before shrugging. "From what I understand, when one of them turn, the strongest attribute they have manifests in some form after. The Cold One that I knew had a thing about humans and well - he didn't have any special gifts other than being easy prey as a pansy. I've heard of others that can make you feel pain just by looking at you. Much like Witchy's voodoo mind trick. Another who can read every thought you had just but touching you. I'm sure there are more - dangerous gifts out there as well."
"Any reason why these Cold Ones might be after Bella?" Alaric asked as his face had paled at the information he was hearing.
"Not a clue. Best guess, she crossed paths with one and managed to escape their hunt. It can really piss off any vampire when a meal gets away. Another possibility is that she could be potentially gifted and they wanted to turn her - again getting away. Only she can tell us at this point," Damon pointed out. "There is no use in speculating. It's late for us. You guys go get some sleep while I work on this spell with Witchy. We can figure this shit out some more tomorrow."
"Sounds good. I need to head out and stock up on more food anyway. Make yourselves at home. Just - don't go snooping any more than necessary please," Alaric pleaded as he grabbed his keys and headed back out the door.
Bonnie waited until Jeremy left the room with Caroline to show her to Bella's room before she pulled out her grimoire. "I hope you know what you're doing Damon," she muttered, concern and fear coloring her voice.
He looked up at her in understanding. "So do I, Witchy. So do I."
Author Note: Sorry for the long wait for an update! I haven't forgotten the story at all! Nor you followers on it! I hope this chapter is worth the long long wait! Stick around. I don't anticipate Chapter 7 to be a year long wait... Maybe a couple weeks as I have a vacation coming up that I'm dedication to writing. Enjoy! Love Meeko!
~o.O.o~
It wasn't until late in the night, Forks time, when Bonnie and Damon were able to complete the spell to prevent Cold Ones from entering the small house. Even then, neither of them were positive it would work until it could actually be tested and without having one of the other race on hand to give it try, they would be forced to wait and see should it become needed.
When Bonnie went up to Bella's room to bunk with Caroline, Damon was soon joined by an exhausted Alaric. He didn't look up from the papers of scrawled notes that had been used for the spell until a glass tumbler half filled with liquor appeared in front of his face. Accepting it with a silent toast, he pulled a healthy sip back with a grimace. "She's not coming back tonight, is she?"
"Nope. She isn't happy with me right now for springing everyone on her like that," Ric sighed. "Stefan was supposed to make sure that you were going to come alone."
Damon raised an eyebrow at him. "And what? Leave a newbie vamp Elena back home to snack on random humans in case she got a case of the munchies? What if it was Jenna? I just let her think it was her own idea to follow me out because anything else would just become a damn headache."
Alaric's face scrunched up painfully and he waved his hand to end the argument, knowing he'd been beat. "Alright, alright. You win. I haven't a clue about what to do about Bella now. She's up on that reservation, doing god knows what. It'd be easier to protect her if she was here when I can get to her but the locals up there would just hide her away if I tried to go get her."
"Aside from the fact that she's an adult. Sure Ric. Go piss the girl off some more and drag her stubborn ass back home," the vampire suggested in a distracted tone.
"She would just kick us all out if I pulled something like that I think. I don't know what to do!"
With a sigh, Damon rubbed the back of his neck and stretched it out. "Once I figure out what the Cold Ones want, then I'll see what I can do. I have some things to take care of tomorrow. In case Bella does decide to kick everyone out, or force the problem children into the corner, I may know of a place for them other than the motel."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like where you are going with this?"
His lips pulled back and blue eyes looked up at him through dark lashes. "Normally, you wouldn't. But it'll be fine. I just have to check things out first, make sure there aren't any surprises around. It'll be fine!"
"That's always what you say, right before a supernatural shitstorm hits."
"Blame your hot niece for this storm. I have a feeling she's in it up to her eyeballs," Damon started jokingly before growing serious. "We'll take care of it once we find out what she is hiding. I'm already all over her…"
Alaric pinched his nose before addressing his friend's comments. "Can you not be all over her? She has enough problems in her life at the moment, that she doesn't need your special attention on her as well."
He grinned as he leaned back on the couch and eyed him. "It'll happen eventually. I could see it in her eyes. She wants me. We have a - magical connection," he taunted. "You'll see."
"Isn't that what you say to all the girls before you compel them? Newsflash: Bella can't be compelled. So you'll have to keep your 'magical connection' zipped up for now."
Damon looked at him sharply with renewed interest. "She can't be compelled? Did you give her vervain already?"
"No. She saw it and us taking it before we could lace her coffee with it. Your brother tried compelling her-"
"Well it's more likely that his bunny diet, while in abundance here, he's not exactly the best candidate to try something like that and it work without some level of failure," he scoffed. "I'll take a crack at her. If I can't get in her pretty little head then she's likely already on some and none of you know it."
"And if she's not, then what? She's already surrounded by wolves, possibly these Cold Ones you told us about, and now original vampires. I mean, come on Damon. What more is she going to have to face in her life?"
"And her little display outside earlier doesn't scream that she's more than capable of defending herself when the need arises? Come on now, Alaric. I know you're not that naive. Remember. Stefan told you that you needed me for this little pile of shit your family stepped in. I'll do the honorable part and get you your answers but that doesn't have to mean that I'm playing by your rules. I have experience with these parasites and if Saint Stefan trusts me enough to take care of this problem, then you need to back off and let me handle it. I'll tell you what and when I need you and right now, I need you upstairs getting some decent rest because you'll be no good to the rest of us, oh great vampire hunter," Damon sneered as he turned to look over at the window where a crow had landed on the window sill. He stared at it for a long minute before letting out a breath through his nose. "And if you want to know, your niece is sound asleep on one of her friends' couches on the reservation. She's just fine right now but I want to see more about that place soon…"
Giving his friend a sharp nod, Alaric made his way upstairs to try to get some sleep, hoping he would be able to fix the tenuous relationship between him and his niece. He's all the family she has left, not including that mother of her's, and he'd rather them be on at least amicable terms, so that means apologizing as soon as she comes home.
~o.O.o~
Instead of going straight home the next day, Bella took some extra time on the reservation with her friends and by herself. She was the first to wake in the small house, which was unsurprising to her. Especially after the long night of nightmares that she had kept Jacob and Billy up with. Pulling her hoodie and jacket on, she slipped out of the house so that she could take a walk; try to clear her head after the stress of the previous day.
She could not believe what her uncle had done. Granted, she did see the remorse on his face and the surprise that he hadn't anticipated the presence of the girls. She was simply angry that he hadn't considered giving her any warning for any of it. It was bad enough that she had to think about him and Jeremy being hurt because of what was going on, but now there were five new faces involved. One of them questionable.
That Damon had her confused, having first met him in the woods. Since everything that had happened, the changes in her life, the self preservation that she lacked in high school had finally kicked in after the Cullens had left her and it certainly was running on overdrive. While she had the urge to flee around these strangers, mostly, she also was so pissed at most of them she just wanted to take her father's old baseball bat to them and ignore her instincts.
As she carefully made her way through the fallen branches, attempting not to fall and injure herself more than necessary; Bella could not help but stop to look around frequently in a panic. Despite her increased balance growing up, she was still a bit on the clumsy side, and the woods would forever be a danger zone for her, no matter the solitude she found in it.
Her eyes sharply darted around, high and low, searching for the familiar flaming red hair only to see a few crows flying around high up in the trees. Trying to calm her breathing down as she eyed the birds, she knew they would never have been near the area if a vampire was in the vicinity.
"Fucking paranoia is getting to me," she muttered to herself, trying to shake the images of the nightmares that plagued her. Shaking her head, she tried to ignore the squawking of the birds above as she pushed her way through the woods, seemingly too familiar with the route she was taking before it brought her to an open clearing.
She went straight to a large boulder and crawled up on top of it to make herself comfortable before pulling out a book that had been tucked inside her hoodie. Looking around briefly, she still hadn't shaken the feeling that she was being watched. Bella pulled a pen from her back pocket and started writing in the book and had been so lost in her words that she hadn't heard movement from the trees behind her.
The crow sitting in the tree across the clearing that had been watching curiously, kept an eye on the girl as several large wolves emerged from the brush and slowly sniffed the air before largest of the group, a mammoth of a black being, released a bark that sent them all running back into the trees.
It wasn't long before a bunch of boys came running out, struggling to pull their shorts up, and laughing. Looking up with a smile, Bella shook her head and put her book away as they made their way to her, pulling her into a hug and tossing her between them.
"So when is that uncle of yours leaving town Bells?" the one that had picked her up from the house asked as he sat beside her after they all began to calm down.
Not one of the group took notice of the crow that flew closer to perch above them to get a better eye and ears on the conversation as she answered with an irritated sigh. "Not anytime soon. I can't exactly just tell him to get the fuck out of town. He's suspicious of Charlie's death and went asking questions in Seattle. Of course they don't know anything and he came back annoyed but made plans to stay longer. Even some of his friends came out and it looks like they are planning on spending some time now. I thought I had only the two of them to deal with, now I have seven!"
"We'll do the best we can to make sure none of them get hurt," the oldest looking one announced.
A random boy laughed and shook his head. "It's almost like another coven of Cullens! There were seven of them, now you got seven more!"
"Embry!" Bella grimaced. "Last thing I need is more Cullens. They can burn in hell for all I care. Once we take care of Victoria, I intend on going after them eventually but on my terms. And with a blow torch or flame thrower or something. That asshole won't live to see another day if I have anything to say about it."
"You're only human, Bella," the largest male said, causing the crow to focus closer.
She was quiet as she looked up at him and shrugged. "I know. I don't know if word of my knowing about them got back to their royalty either. They told me enough about them that if they do know about me it's a turn or die scenario, so it's something to be concerned about guys. If it comes down to a choice, I'm going to have to make a decision."
"They're the enemy, Bella," he said slowly.
"I know," she replied. "I also know that it's not a decision that I would make lightly. I don't exactly want to die either, Sam. I've been fighting them for the last four years because of what they did. I want to make their lives as miserable as they made mine for as long as I possibly can."
Jake bristled next to her. "So because you want your revenge, you're willing to die and become one of them!?"
Bella sighed with boredom as she rolled her eyes. Letting out a breath, she narrowed her gaze on him. "I told you this already. I can do a lot more to them if I was one of them. They think I would have a gift if I was turned, a strong one if Edward can't get read my thoughts as a human now. So whatever I would get would be pretty damn strong if I was one of them. I heard Jasper mention something of a shield once, though they didn't know I heard them. Supposedly it's pretty fucking rare in their world and I'm banking that it could be used against them. They ruined my life. I already lost mine when Victoria killed Charlie. They are just as much to blame. They are going down as well."
Jake shrunk back as her voice rose, looking very much like a scolded puppy. "Look, I get it. I just, if you become one of them, you become our enemy."
"I'd be one of them, killing my own kind then, Jake," she pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Enemy of my enemy and all. I think we'd be able to get along. You all had that treaty with them for generations. I'm sure you can make one with lil' ol' moi as an exception."
Sam, the large one that Bella had been speaking to before that the crow noticed, hesitated. "And what would you believe you would feed on? Animals or humans?"
"Not fucking animals for certain, Sam. They were barely able to control themselves. You didn't see Edward in school and Jasper… He even admitted to having issues. I'd travel to Seattle or up to Vancouver to hunt criminals or junkies or something. No one truly innocent. I've thought about this if it were to happen, but it all hinges on finding one of them to turn me for it to work and I don't know any of their kind like that."
Sam sighed, dragging one of his big hands down his face, before locking eyes with the girl that has become a sister to him. "I suppose it's something we can consider, if you do in fact find one of their kind to change you."
"Great. So that's settled. Victoria. What the fuck is she doing?" she asked bluntly as she stared at them. "The bitch has been getting away from you guys too often."
Jake and a few of the boys exchanged worried looks before he answered her. "We think she might be gifted, Bells. We don't know with what but she is always able to get away, no matter how we go at her."
"How close have you've gotten to her? Or her to you?"
The crow cocked his head, seemingly interested in this answer as well.
"We haven't let her get to your house. We've managed to steer her away each time she's attempted a go for it," one boy voiced, trying to be helpful but only received a rueful expression from her.
"She plays games with us, Bella," Jake said with irritation, annoyed by her attitude. "We're not happy with this any more than you are. You can chill with the bitchiness."
Bella stood, the anger she has been holding back since losing Charlie, making it's way to the surface. "Excuse the fuck out of me, Jake! I just buried my father and the person responsible for it, has been running laps around you!"
She gave them all a withering glare as she shoved her way past them for the treeline, taking a different route she came and headed for the direction of the main road instead of the reservation where she stayed overnight. "Fucking dogs," she cursed under her breath. "Can't do a simple task to take out one fucking vampire that they were born to do."
The crow that had been watching her let out a squawk and flapped its wings as it gave one last glance over the group of boys before flying over the girl, following her as it flew from tree to tree as she made her way through the woods as the day passed. In her anger, she pushed through, stumbling and cussing over vampires and wolves, leaving the raven bird highly amused in its observation.
Once she reached the main road, luck seemed to be on her side for once, as she saw on of her father's deputies taking the curve right before where she stood. Waving him down, she breathed a sigh of relief that she made it without one of the pack catching up to her. After he asked her where he was dropping her off, Bella gave it some thought and told him her house, figuring she needed to talk to her Uncle and try to convince him to leave sooner rather than later.
Seeing that Bella was safe and enroute back home, the crow took off to the sky, disappearing past the canopy of the trees. He would see her again soon and he would be eager for that encounter.
~o.O.o~
When Bella arrived home and thanked the officer for the ride, she scowled at the sight that awaited her. As her eyes glossed over from one person to the next that stood on the porch, the two that exited the car that pulled up behind her as the patrol car that just drove off certainly rained on her parade.
Now she had to decide if she wanted to deal with these morons or that idiotic wolves she just ran from.
"What the hell is going on here? This not some high school hang out," she snapped as she glared at her uncle. "What happened to respecting people's privacy and personal boundaries?"
Alaric cleared his throat and looked around uncomfortably before his gaze settled back on his niece. "We, well I wanted to talk to you about this, them, actually."
Bella's eyebrow raised skeptically. "What about them? I won't have more people staying here. I am uncomfortable with the amount that are already here now! I've lived by myself or taken care of Charlie for years, which is essentially raising another person myself. What makes you think that I would be okay having other people around me like this? What do you want to hear Uncle Ric? You want me to say it? I will! I don't like people! I don't want these people here! Happy?!" She hissed as she waved her arms at the two that offended her the day prior before she pushed her way into the house and slammed the door shut behind her. Glaring at it behind her, she smiled to herself and reached out and turned the deadbolt before doing the same to the back door then continued up to her room with a satisfied smile on her face.
It wasn't normal behavior for her but she was beyond pissed still from her friends and overwhelmed that it was about the only sense of control felt she was able to have. Throwing herself onto her bed, she waited to hear if there would be any shouting as the window was still open.
She didn't hear any shouting but what she did hear were a pair of boots hitting the floor in her room. Sitting up she looked towards her window and really wasn't surprised to see the one friend of her uncle's that has been irking her.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she asked as she eyed him cautiously as she sat up against her headboard.
Instead of answering her, he just gave her a lazy once over before smirking, which seemed to infuriate her more. He moved around her bed slowly as he glanced around curiously before he spoke. "It would seem that Princess here is keeping some big secrets," he smiled at her before he stopped at her dresser. "That's fine because I happen to have a big secret of my own that I might exchange…" he murmured, glancing at her as he toyed with the handle of dresser drawer.
She didn't even realize she got out of her bed, before she marched up to him and swatted his hand away from her dresser. Giving him a once over, she sneered. "I don't want what you're offering."
Damon leaned in until his face was a breath away from hers and smiled. "I doubt that very much," he whispered, and stepped back. He went and laid back on her bed and smiled up at her. "You know, nature is really peaceful up here. I can understand why some would want to move here. People like Alaric. I can see him living here full time. What do you think, Isabella? You told me it wasn't safe, right?"
She eyed him skeptically. She gets the sense that he knows more than he is letting on, but she's not stupid enough to give him any information, especially if it will do the opposite of what she wants, which is to get them all the hell out of her house and her town.
He only continued to smile as their attention was drawn to her window as Ric's voice started calling her name and banging on the door, pleading for her to let them in. "Eh, they can wait," he shrugged. "Are you planning on going for your thrill seeking, moonlit walk in these dangerous woods Gorgeous?"
"What's it to you?" Bella questioned.
"What is it to me?" Damon repeated slowly as he stared up to the ceiling. "I can answer that for you - in detail tonight. Just not here. Trust me Princess, with what I now know, your uncle would find some other solutions. I happen to know my way is best."
He looked back at her and smiled before standing up from her bed, starting for the her door. Pausing in front of her, his lips pulled back in a smirk as she watched his every move silently. He reached out and swept her hair away from her neck, his fingers lightly brushing over her neck as they slowly drew back. As her breath caught in her throat and her heart raced, he admired that her gaze never faltered. "Hm…" he hummed. "I'll go let the children in. We'll talk later Carina."
Bella narrowed her eyes on his back as he casually walked out of her room without a care in the world. As she listened for his footsteps disappear down the stairs, only then she felt it safe enough to breath and move. She slammed her door closed and locked it as she glared at it, wondering what the hell this Damon was up to.
Sure she appreciated his support in her not wanting everyone around the day before but the invasion of her privacy of her room was something she did not appreciate. Added to the fact that he seemed to know that he knew more about her than he implied worried her deeply. Especially if it would come to affect her family and the rest of the town. As the thoughts circled in her head, she wandered over to her window and looked out absently. The action only spurred on more questions in her thoughts, causing her to look down to the yard where he was now standing, talking amicably with her uncle.
As if feeling her eyes on him, Damon looked up to her window and waved his fingers tauntingly. Bella looked away from the group and back at the tree that her friends, and her ex, used to climb to get into her window throughout high school. The branch that had extended close enough to reach her sill had been cut before her high school graduation so there was no way he could have been able to humanly climb in without a concerted effort.
Pressing her lips together, she had questions that demanded answers. And she would get them on that walk he requested. If not for herself, then at least for the safety of her uncle and his young friends if they didn't know what they were involved with themselves. But she would continue to play the game, she knew. Looking back at them, she knew even among their group, all wasn't well and she certainly did not care for what she saw.
~o.O.o~
Even though Bella had finally emerged from her room, she was stubbornly refusing to welcome Stefan and Elena into the house after they had insulted her the day before. She failed to understand why Alaric attempted to convince to invite them in, leaving her to stand there in the kitchen as she was cooking dinner angrily.
"You're making this sound like something out of Dracula. What the hell? I said I don't want them in here!" she argued as she glared at him.
Caroline and Bonnie sat in the living room listening with concern. Damon stood in the doorway between the rooms, leaning on the wall watching with amusement as his friend was getting cut down by a girl half his age and who actually wasn't far off from the truth without actually knowing it yet.
"Bella…" Ric tried to speak but she slammed the frying pan she had in her hand down on the stove. The reverberations caused each of the vampires to jump and cover the ears, even the two on the porch, unable to enter the house.
"I don't know them! I don't trust them!" she admitted as she stood there. "You take me for naive. You think I'm an idiot? I'm not blind. I may not know Damon or - Barbie - in the other room, but Damon doesn't know me either and he understood what my issue was with all of you rather quickly. I saw you all attacking him for agreeing with me and the only one to defend him was her and she doesn't even look like she likes him much! Tell me how that works out!"
"Bella, you don't understand the kind of person Damon is," Elena voiced from the door, making the young woman's face to twist in disgust. "The things he's done. You can't trust him. Not completely."
"Oh cry me a river," Bella sighed. "I don't want to hear your shit you little bitch," she said as she made her way out of the kitchen to the hall to be able to look at her. "Until you learn some respect, I don't want to see your ugly faces."
Elena opened her mouth to speak but Alaric shook his head quickly as he came up behind his niece. "I'll call you later. Just head back to the motel or sight seeing or something."
At his suggestion, the girl tensed up and hesitated to protest. Her eyes instinctively jumped to Damon after their conversation in her bedroom and found him staring back at her with smirk firmly placed on his lips. "Yes. That sounds like an excellent idea Ric. I heard there is a great hiking trail that Stefan can take Elena on in fact. Takes you pretty deep in the woods for some scenic shots," he challenged as he held her gaze.
Stefan eyed the exchange between them with concern. Knowing that despite calling his brother in because of his experience with Cold Ones, he knew it would be a gamble when it came to Alaric's niece and he felt they were losing that one. "I don't think a hike would be the best idea right now…"
"Actually it's a great one. Why don't you two take a long one and not come back. Maybe you'll get eaten by some monster that lurks in the woods," Bella bravely answered as she stared them down. "Leave. I might feel more welcoming in a day or two. Don't come back unless I ask."
Damon smiled proudly as he looked to Alaric who appeared surprised and confused. "Uhh…" the human hunter muttered. "Bella?"
"I'm hungry. I'm going to continue cooking dinner now then I'm going to go for my walk. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked as she turned to glare at him.
"Uh, no. Carry on," he stammered as he waved her back to the kitchen, watching her as she walked past Damon, whom kept a silent eye on her the entire time. His own eyes narrowed with suspicion as the vampire closed the door on his brother and girlfriend on his way into the living room to join the girls.
Something was up and he didn't know what.
Author Note: Here's the next chapter! Wow! Aren't you all being spoiled this week! Don't get used to it! It's only because I'm on vacation from work and it ends in 3 days. Sorry my minions. Play time must come to an end soon... Enjoy! Can't wait to hear what you all think! Love Meeko
Alaric stood between the kitchen and the living room, trying to figure out what he witnessed. He knew Damon had spoken with her when he snuck into her room through her window in order to get the doors unlocked so they could get back inside without raising her suspicion but he didn't know what was said. As tempted as he was to try to plead for Stefan and Elena's inclusion with the rest of their group, he knew that with what he'd witnessed so far with the changes in his niece, Bella would not be receptive at all to his presence.
Making his way into the living room, he found Bonnie flipping through her grimoire, Caroline painting her nails, with Jeremy and Damon watching a baseball game on the television. He went over and eyed his friend, still finding himself at a loss.
Damon looked up at him with a smirk on his lips. "How's it going, Ric?"
"What are you up to?" Alaric asked instead, causing Bonnie to look up and around to make sure that Bella wasn't nearby.
The vampire gave him the most innocent look he could muster. "I have no idea what you're referring to. I thought I was called out to help with a Cold One problem. I'm working on it. You need to trust me," he teased.
Alaric scoffed, pressing his thumbs into his eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what you are planning. What did you find out this afternoon? Or better yet, how about when you were upstairs in my niece's room?"
He raised his eyebrow and smiled. "Now why would I do that? We need to gain her trust and right now - the best candidates are Barbie and I. Myself more than Blondie. Don't worry! I haven't thought of sinking my teeth in your pretty niece's neck - much."
"Funny. Look," he started before glancing around, "I just want this to be over with. I want to be able to give Bella some kind of piece of mind so she can start to heal and I can't do that without knowing what the hell is going on around here."
Damon stood and laid his hands on his friend's shoulders. Looking into his eyes, he let out a sigh. "If there is one thing I have learned so far, it's that Bella is a fighter. If there is something that you need to know and worry about, I'll tell you. Deal?"
Alaric sighed in resignation. "I think that is the best I am going to get. So yeah, it's a deal."
Turning around, the vampire looked to the witch. "Any luck on the voodoo?"
"I'm still looking. I might have to get in touch with my Grams to see if she can tell me anything."
Jeremy shushed them as he saw Damon's face beginning to redden in his upset. "Chill. Bella will hear you and I'd like to hear the game!"
"Don't make me break your neck again, Gilbert," he threatened with a hiss. Looking to Ric, he pointed at him. "Go talk to her and get your shit straight so that she isn't pissed at you. Let her take her issues out on my brother if she wants, but she'll need you."
Alaric looks towards the kitchen, an unsure expression crossing his features. "Right. Fix things. Wish me luck."
"Luck? You need a fucking leprechaun buddy," Damon joked as he patted him on the back before making his way to the recliner that Bella often claimed.
Glaring to his friend, he continued on until he found himself staring at the back of his niece as she moved around the kitchen as she prepared dinner for everyone. She was still, clearly, very upset as she slammed items around and closed cabinets with more force than necessary. He couldn't help but have second thoughts to Damon's suggestion. "Bella?"
The only response he got was the slight pause in what she was doing as her shoulders tensed.
He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know that they would all come out like this," he quietly apologized. "There is so much going on here and with your dad's murder...I called home for some advice. I really didn't think…"
"Seems to be a lot of that going around."
"What do you want from me Bella? I know I fucked up. I'm trying here," Alaric pleaded with her as he fell into a nearby chair. "What can I do to make it up to you? Short of sending them back because I know they won't listen to me as I didn't ask them all here."
Bella slung the frying pan in her hand down on the stove and turned to face him. Her face was carefully composed as she stared at him. "And why would you ask any of them here? Granted I can understand the whole Jeremy thing with his history about his parents that he told me, so I can let him slide. But I can't see the reason for any of the others."
His face pinched in a grimace as he truly regretted not being able to tell her what he wanted to, not sure if she was aware of the true danger she could be in. "I - can't tell you. I'm still working on finding out the details but when I know more, I promise I'll tell you but please, for my peace of mind, stay inside?" he asked her.
Her eyes narrowed on him, shaking her head and smiled to herself. "I've lived in Forks my entire life almost. I'll be fine."
"Bella - there's been six deaths in the woods in and around Forks since I've been here. It's not safe. Please. I don't want to lose you too," he repeated as he looked at her.
She couldn't help but let out a sigh. "I don't know Uncle Ric. You're asking to change things that's customary for me now. Give me time to think about it, okay?" she offered, her tone easing up as she relaxed slightly. "But I'm not going to change everything without justification. Now the food is almost done. I think you can finish it up but I need some space to clear my head so I'm going to go for my walk."
Alaric went to open his mouth to object but quickly closed it before anything came out, knowing that she was right. If he couldn't, or wouldn't tell her why he didn't want her out, then he had no viable reason to stop her. "Alright. Just be careful. We'll be sure to save you a plate," he agreed, reaching out to pull her into a hug. He couldn't help but to smile when she leaned into him and hugged him back.
After he let her go, he followed and watched her as she grabbed her coat and left through the front door, but was curious about the look exchanged between Damon and her as she walked out. As soon as the door was shut, he looked to the vampire again who sat with a smug smile on his face.
"Well, I guess I will finish dinner," Caroline piped as she jumped to her feet and started for the other room. Passing her sire, she smacked him on the back of the head. "You can at least go follow her to make sure that she doesn't run into any trouble."
"You know what? That's a great idea, Blondie," Damon said, standing with an exaggerated stretch. Pleased that his own plans were so far going as expected, he paused at the door. "You need to relax, Ric! I'll make sure that I'm the only trouble she runs into!" he remarked, his eyebrows waggled suggestively.
Before the human could react, he took off in a blink, leaving Alaric standing in the house more worried than ever. "I'm going to shove a stake in that bastard's heart one of these days," he muttered.
"Don't yet. You still need him and he's purposely holding back information about these Cold Ones because of it," Bonnie reminded him. "He's playing his usual game, and unfortunately we have to play it as well in order to help Bella."
"Maybe," Alaric conceded eventually, once his temper calmed down. "But does he really have to be a dick about it?"
There was a pause of silence between each of them that the only sounds were of Caroline finishing up in the kitchen and the game on the television. When the player at bat got a hit and Jeremy threw his fist up in a silent cheer, he looked over at his guardian. "It's Damon. You really have to ask that?"
~o.O.o~
Bella had made her way from the house, her frustration returning when she saw the two she'd dismissed not an hour before. She barely suppressed a growl as she glared at them, especially when Elena started to make her way for her only to be held back by Stefan. She couldn't hear what was being said, but by appearance's sake, she could see that he was clearly scolding her over something.
The corner of her lip twitched as it fought a smile. Continuing, she headed for the road, walking away from the house. Once she was out of immediate eyeshot, she begun to look over her shoulder frequently to see if Damon would soon be following behind. He had hinted that he would join her once she left, and she certainly wanted more answers.
She made it maybe three-quarters of a mile down the road with still no sign of him behind her, that when she turned to face forward again, she let out a breath and stopped short as she blinked at the sight. There he was, leaning casually against the trunk of a rather large maple tree. "How did you…?" she started to ask as she looked back behind her, blinking again as her mind sped to process what she knew.
What she knew was that he was clearly still sitting back at the house, watching the game with Jeremy when she left. That there was, in no humanly way that he could have made it to that point ahead of her. Her eyes glanced around and there were no cars parked and he was not out of breath if he had attempted to run that length of distance.
Damon looked up from his cell phone that he was playing a game on and smiled. "How did I what, Princess?" he asked. "Beat you here? That was easy."
Bella kept her distance as she stared at him. Everything in her screamed out the threat that he posed but what she knew of the supernatural world, he didn't fit. Running would be pointless if he was capable of moving that quickly. "What are you?" she demanded, her heart picking up in speed.
"Ooh, so quick. I can practically feel the judgment beginning and you haven't a clue just how small you are in this big, bad world," he boasted, slowly making his way to her. He circled around behind her, the movement causing her heart to skip a beat and sparking curiosity to rise in him.
"You are so - different. You are very good at controlling your emotions, Gorgeous. I was even surprised at your ability to keep your heart as calm as you had earlier," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her hair back from her neck. There was that skip in her heart again and it made him smile. "You tell me, Isabella. You know exactly what I am."
She glared up at him as he backed away from her, his smile so smug that she had the urge to smack it off of his face. The whole event felt like a replay of a sick memory from high school that she'd rather not relive. "Is this some sick joke to you? You said that you wanted to talk, so talk. Otherwise I'm going to go back to the house and tell Alaric that he can have his buddy find other arrangements to stay somewhere else."
Damon's smile fell, as did his arms to his side as she wasn't up to playing along. He sniffed at her ultimatum and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I said we needed to talk. You have some dangerous secrets you're keeping from your uncle and I want in."
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," she denied, turning on her heel and started to head back to the house. In a blink, Damon was in front of her again and she stood frozen as he was before her with a wry smile on his face.
"As I was saying, I want in. If you think those shifter mutts are capable of taking down a dancing disco ball that's obviously been eluding them for the last five years, then you're sorely mistaken," he finished with his arms crossed, waiting for her response.
All Bella could do was continue to stand there, her face carefully controlled as she stared back at him. However, her thoughts were running a marathon as they repeated his words unendingly. He knew what the Quileutes were, what Victoria was. No amount of denying would deter him from his knowledge, she could see. His capabilities that he'd already demonstrated in front of her already shown that he was something other than human.
"What are you?" she asked, her voice soft as her eyes stayed on him, perceiving him as a new threat.
"What do you think I am, Princess?" he smirked as he walked closer to her, causing her body to tense and step back. "Oh come on! If I wanted to hurt you, I could have fed and killed you and you wouldn't have been able to stop me, Bella."
His smile darkened as she visibly faltered as he knew that his choice of words would have struck a chord with her. Her eyes flickered over him and shook her head, still stubborn as she met his eyes. "No. You make it sound like you're a vampire but you can't be," she argued.
Damon chuckled as he scratched at the corner of his eye, stopping just before her. His blue eyes drank her in, drawing in a deep breath and smiled at her scent. "Oh, but I am. What you know of vampires, are just pitiful imitations. Parasites if you will. Cold Ones like to flaunt themselves to make themselves seem more than what they are but in reality they are nothing more than walking insults to the truth. I'm the real deal, and if you want to get rid of the one that is giving you problems, I can help."
Bella swallowed as she raised her chin, refusing to back down. "What makes you so much better than them? You say you're a vampire, but all you've done is just make some creepy gestures that any horror movie obsessed freak could pull off. Granted the speed thing is a bit over the top, and - questionable..."
"You want proof?" he asked, almost demurely as he eyed her. He looked over her head, his gaze flickering past her to the road as his cocky smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "There is a car coming up the road. I'm feeling rather...parched. I think I'll have myself a snack."
She was silent as they stared one another down, a wordless duel for dominance in whatever messed up relationship they were searching for. Soon the sounds of the car reached her human ears and she balked first from the battle of wills, turning to her face to the direction of the car. In a blink she was moved from the middle of the road where they stood and found herself behind large bushes, out of immediate eyesight from the pavement.
Bella was able to see Damon as he was lying in the middle of the road, careless to the approaching car. He lifted his head and wiggled his fingers at her before resting again just in time for the vehicle to turn the bend. Recognizing the car immediately, she was tempted to stop what was about to happen but the more sadistic side of her held her back.
She wanted to see this strange new vampire and his claims.
As Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory jumped out of the car to check on the seemingly unconscious man, Bella couldn't help but shake her head as she heard their comments about his being 'hot' and other lewd remarks before questioning what to do with him as he started to act as if he was coming to. Crossing her arms, she watched on as they helped him up, leaning him against the front of the car while they fawned over him to make sure that he was unharmed.
Damon smiled and winked over in Bella's direction before he turned to Jessica and looked her in the eyes. "You're going to be fine. You won't scream," he said, his voice soft and alluring, before repeating a similar mantra to Lauren.
The girl in the woods watched on as his face changed and he bit into their necks, his red eyes and black veined face looking over at her as she stared at him in a stunned silence. Pulling back, he licked his lips from the crimson fluid and grinned. As fast as it happened, his face was as human and smooth again, only smeared in blood before he bit his finger and forced a small amount of blood into the girls' mouths. "You don't remember stopping, you don't remember seeing me. You both partied too hard and got a little rowdy with one another. Go home, take some iron, and clean up," he said as he compelled them, stepping back as he watched them get back into the car.
As soon as they pulled away, he started for Bella, surprised to find her standing her ground as he approached in his bloody appearance. "Need anymore proof, Gorgeous?"
Her eyes dropped to his lips and the blood covering his chin, as it coated his neck. Blinking, she let out a breath. "You're a messy eater," she stated.
Damon froze at the unexpected response, cocking his head to the side. "I'll admit, it was a bit exaggerated," he drawled. "Though I was worse in the past. Mostly I drink from blood bags, or an occasional human. I'd be happy to drink from only you and leave everyone else if you're willing," he smiled, waggling his eyebrows.
"I think I'll pass," Bella answered as her eyes grew, first in fear, then in curiosity. "I do have a question. How are Jessica and Lauren both still alive?"
"Unlike your parasite friends, real vampires don't have to kill our meals. While we could, and I'll admit that I'm no angel, we don't have to. We are capable of making our meals forget about our encounter and have them go on their merry little lives," he answered with a satiric smile. It soon became softer as he bent his knees to come to her eye level. "I won't hurt you, I promise you that. As much as Ric gets on my nerves, he's my friend and you're important to him - which means that you're by proxy, important to me. Now, are you going to include me in your delusional little plot or not?"
Bella was slow to nod her acceptance, watching him as he turns to start walking away from her. "Hey! Wait! Are there more of you here?" she asked, her brows furrowing.
Damon stopped short, amused by her want of information. "Actually, yes, there are," he admitted, turning to look at her again. "You'd be surprised just how well we blend in - and how well you are able to pick up on certain vibes. You, Bella, are an intriguing woman. What is it about you?"
"Who?" she demanded, ignoring his curiosity, blinking as the memories of the Cullens and her own particular ability they claimed continued to haunt her.
"You play hardball, don't you? Here's the deal. I'll be frighteningly honest with you, as long as you don't hold anything back from me. I don't give a shit if you keep your secrets from Ric and the others, that's between you and them. Hell, it was actually Ric and my pansy brother that called for me because they are in way over their heads with the Cold Ones. I do things my way and they don't like that, but with you… It will be you and I against them, no holds barred. Agreed?" he proposed, his arms spread out in an unspoken gesture that she was able to read all too clear. What you see is what you get. He wasn't planning on hiding anything from her.
"Deal. Now who is what?" Bella blinked, not quite prepared for blatant response she got back.
"Stefan, Elena, and Caroline are like me, vampires. Bonnie is a witch, quite a juju force to be reckoned with. Jeremy is a lowly human, but in the know. Your uncle, dear Alaric, is a hunter of sorts. He pretty good at killing my kind of vampire but knows we all aren't that bad."
She turned and moved slowly to lean against a nearby boulder as the weight of everything came crashing over her. "I'm hosting a fucking supernatural convention at my house," she mumbled to herself.
"On the bright side, I already have Witchy working on a spell to keep out Cold Ones from the house that works similarly to the invitation mumbo jumbo that you need for us. You would have to invite one of them inside before they can enter. Caroline has been on protection detail when you've actually decided to hang around since they've arrived and not invited Saint Stefan and his pet inside. Kudos on that, by the way," he grinned, making her glare back at him.
"Why are they so insistent on my inviting them in? Those two were nothing but asses?" she wondered aloud.
Damon shrugged a shoulder, appearing next to her. "Who knows. To them, I'm the bad guy most of the time. Even if I do have more experience, I never do anything right in their eyes. In this case, when it comes to walking disco balls, you have to fuck with their heads in order to get the upper hand. That just happens to be something I'm very good at, and I have experience with them."
Bella pulled in her bottom lip as she looked around at the darkened woods. Any other time, she would have been nervous, frightened, that Victoria would be close by, ready to grab her. With Damon there, even as much of an irritating asshole as he had been thus far, she felt several degrees safer. "You'll tell me more about your kind of vampire, right?" she asked, her voice dropping as it barely carried through the quiet of the breeze as it swept through the trees.
"Of course," he said after a breath. "If you tell me more about your Cold Ones and how you ended up in this mess."
The idea of letting someone else in on her history was something that she had a great deal of trouble with. "I became friends with a group of them that were living nearby," she said, leaving out some details that she felt were too private. "At one point a group of nomads came through and one took a liking to me, and they managed to chase them off but one came back and they killed him but his mate has been coming around since, looking for revenge I guess."
"And this - group of Cold Ones? What happened to them?" he asked gently, looking at her as she avoided his gaze. He could see the pain in her eyes, and the rage. He already knew, simply by the fact that she was dealing with the problem still, but by what he had learned through his observations of her with the shifters.
"They left, lost interest as their kind do I suppose," she murmured, her fingers picking at a loose thread in her jeans. Drawing in a deep breath, she looked up at him and smiled. "I think we should head back."
"Sure, but we have a few things to gloss over first, Princess. First, do you want to let everyone know that you are aware of what they are? Or let them continue to think you're naive to their game? Second, your plan for the parasite. I overheard it while you were talking to your doggies. I don't like it. Not an iota. It won't work and it will only get you or one of your friends killed if you insist on going through with it," he warned her.
Bella's nerves got the best of her and she shot to her feet and shoved past him, pissed off at his demands but with everything she just learned, she could no longer ignore what he was saying. Turning back around again, she had her arms crossed across her chest. "You have a better idea? Tell me. What is this marvelous plan of yours?"
He wavered as he thought about how to truly answer. Damon slowly moved to come in front of her again, the dance she'd slowly become familiar with that evening. "Well it's not like your idea is completely bad. There is no such thing as a bad idea. Only poorly executed awesome ones. Revenge is something I am very good at," his voice husky, dripping with untold promise. "I will help you get your revenge on anyone your heart desires. Just say the word."
They were caught in a stare down, a battle of wills as his icy blue eyes attempted to capture reigns of deep brown that had a fire lit brightly in them. Her head cocked to the side as a smile dangled at the corner of her lips, making him pull back as he raised an eyebrow curiously at her sudden change in demeanor.
"What if I were to ask to be changed? Would that be included in this deal?" she questioned, her eyes dropping down over his form rather predatorily that he had to remind himself that she most certainly was still human.
"Perhaps," Damon answered slowly, curious now as to why she wasn't a member of the supernatural world more than she was already. The sudden flirtation from her end was nothing short of suspicious. "I'm game to lend a helping hand with that, so if it's something you want, we can start precautions considering that your life seems to be a constant code red."
He saw the immediate backtracking in her eyes as her smile faltered. "Hm, and it wouldn't entail three days of burning in the firey pits of hell?"
"Now what would you know about the burn, Princess?" he teased as he moved closer, standing over her to regain the power he previously held.
"I know enough, but if you must know, I had the pleasure of starting that process before their venom was sucked out," she sneered as she waved her wrist up in his face, causing him to grab it quickly.
His eyes locked on the scar before moving up to meet hers. Bella never removed her gaze from his face, noticing as the muscle in his jaw twitch. Any and all sign of amusement gone from his charming features. "Does this have something to do with your asking if I'd change you?"
"Perhaps," she countered, challenging him again, using his answer that he'd given her.
The corner of Damon's lips twitched again before he brought her wrist up to his lips. His ears picked up the change in her heartbeat and they pulled back into a knowing smirk. "You'll be relieved to know that our transition is much less painful," he confessed, stepping into her personal space. "All you would have to do is drink my blood and I kill you. A couple hours later, you wake up and snack on a tasty human to complete the cycle and presto! A new baby vamp is born."
"I have to drink your blood?" she repeated, her face paling at the idea.
"Yeah...drinking blood kind of goes with the territory of being a vampire. Like I said before, if it's something you're serious about, I would start you on it now as a precaution. On the plus side, you won't have to worry about injuries or getting sick until you do turn," he explained, confused by her reaction. "Don't tell me that the girl who ran with imitation vampires and face werewolves has issues with blood."
"Shut up!" Bella snapped at him, shoving him away from her. "You're such an asshole!"
"That's me, Gorgeous," he grinned. "I recommend you get over this aversion fast because with what I've observed of you so far, I have the feeling that you're going to need my blood."
"I'll think about it," she glared at him. "Come on. Let's get back before my uncle and your retarded friends burn down my dad's house."
Damon held out his hand as he zipped in front of her. "Shall we take an evening stroll or would you like the express route, mi lady?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. Bella couldn't help but to let out a laugh as she gave him her hand, shaking her head, wondering what it was she was getting herself into - and confident she was going to enjoy the ride.