By meekobb · Twilight & Vampire Diaries
Rated M · 16 chapters · 49,266 words · Complete
Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. When she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one but hope in a man who once saved her life. Maybe they can save each other along the way. Bella/Damon AU
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Author Note: This story is being written simultaneously with Sorry I'm Late. They are completely unrelated storylines and while I normally prefer to finish one story before starting and sharing another, Something To Hope For has been haunting me to be written. The plot bunnies have been very generous on both fics so don't worry about the other one being abandoned. I am still working on it! I do hope you all enjoy this next adventure...The early chapters (at least the first three I think) are going to be an emotional roller coaster so keep the tissue box handy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
After burying Charlie, Bella knew she would no longer be welcome in Forks. Jacob had protected her for as long as he was able but her father's death shook the whole tribe forcing them to take a stance. He managed to get to her before a final decision was made, giving the girl the time to pack what she could and get the hell out of dodge. The pack would no longer protect her and she wasn't welcome on their land anymore. If Victoria was to show up, they would hand Bella over willingly. Sacrifice one to save the many was their view on the matter.
Renee and Phil were killed first by her, though it was reported as a car accident. Bella didn't believe it for anything. Then Charlie was a victim of an animal attack. As she threw the few things that she wanted to take with her into a bag, she left a note for Jake, letting him know that she'd send for things in the future whenever she get settled where she going. Bella left no forwarding address because she wasn't even sure if the only one she could think of helping her would even be there.
Bella had known about another breed of vampire that existed. He had found her purely by accident when she finally located Edward's meadow on her own. Damon, his name was, found her just as Laurent was about to feed on her and killed him on sight. She had expected him to pick up where he had left off, draining me of her of her blood but she passed out for the overload of stress the whole event caused. When she came to, Bella learned he had taken her back to his hotel room and took the time to bandage any injuries up before he actually spoke.
As deadly as he was with Laurent, he possessed incredible tenderness that had her trying to figure him out. He had a way of making her talk, to calm her screaming nerves and just made her feel better. He made her feel hope for the first time in months since the Cullens left. In return, he told Bella about himself and where he was from and it stuck with her. They just shared our pains with one another because they both felt the same sense of rejection that no one else appeared to relate to. He didn't seem the type to her to tell just anyone about his feelings and she was right when he tried to make her forget him before sending her on her way. It annoyed him that his gift to compel humans didn't work on her and she explained that he wasn't the only one that their abilities failed with.
Damon and Bella came to an understanding, forming an odd friendship. He gave her his number if she needed help in the future, though she had promised herself she wouldn't use it. She had the pack then so she would be fine. Of course life just doesn't work that way. That's how she made the decision to just make her way to Virginia anyway possible. Cashing out her bank account from her inheritance of her mother and Phil's policies, Bella locked up the house and got into Angela's car as she agreed to take her to the airport. Their goodbye was bittersweet and she tried to make her promise that she would keep in touch but Bella couldn't. For all she knew, she could be dead the next day or the next month.
The plane ride was quiet and Bella had no one next to her to have to deal with idle chitchat so she managed to get a little bit of sleep. It was more than she was able to in a long while so when the stewardess shook her awake, she thought she finally was found. That my running could finally end. After grabbing her back and hailing a taxi, Bella gave him the address to the Salvatore Boarding House that she located online. Damon only mentioned the place in passing, but she remembered it. Bella doubted that he believed that for all he told me, that through her own pain, she wouldn't remember anything he said, but now he was her only hope.
By the time the car arrived at the large, creepy looking mansion, the taxi driver tried talking her into letting him drop her off at a hotel where she might be safer. Bella could only give him a tired smile and promised she would be fine. Paying the fair, she grabbed my bags and set them on the floor while she stared at the door to gain the courage to ring the bell.
It took some time before someone answered, but it wasn't Damon. It was another guy, younger than her vampire savior looked, but judging from the brooding expression Bella assumed this to be his brother. He looked at her confused before catching sight of the taxi that was already leaving the driveway.
"Can I help you?" he asked. "Do you need help finding someplace?"
Hesitating, she shook her head. As it was, everything over the past two weeks were catching up to her now that she was so close. Bella's voice almost broke from the little I've had to use it. "I'm looking for Damon? Does he still live here?"
His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked her over, trying to understand why she might be looking for his brother. It wasn't like him to have human friends, or at least ones that he hadn't slept with then compelled to forget him, so having an unfamiliar human girl on their doorstep was something new. Stefan was torn at what to do, but with everything going on in Mystic Falls, the girl was probably safer with them than anywhere else. He pulled the door open more, allowing her entrance. "Come on in. Damon's not here right now but I'll see how long before he gets back for you."
"Thank you," Bella said quietly as she reached for her bags but Stefan waved her off. She gave him a grateful smile as he led her into a large sitting room that had a fire burning to fill it with warmth. Bella couldn't take her eyes off all the details as she looked around.
"Make yourself comfortable while I give Damon a call," Stefan interrupted her appraisal, his eyes narrowing her as he tried to understand the girl, who only nodded her acceptance and sat stiffly at the edge of one of the sofas. "Um, what's your name by the way?"
Bella glanced at him from the corner of her eye, afraid to move because she was quickly reaching the threshold of her emotions. "Isabella."
"Stefan," he offered his name back, getting a small smile that concerned him. "Be right back."
He quickly made his way out of earshot of her as he waited for his brother to answer the phone. "What's up Stefie?"
"How long until you get back?" Stefan questioned.
"Why? Miss me brother dear?" Damon chuckled from the other end of the call.
Sighing, he clenched his eyes shut to control him irritation. "You have a visitor that just showed up at the house. A human girl."
"Really? Is she hot?"
"Damon. Be serious. She asked for you specifically. Said her name is Isabella."
Damon was surprisingly quiet for a long minute before speaking again. This time all joking was gone from his voice and was replace with something that Stefan couldn't quite place. "How does she look?"
"If you're asking about her appearance, brown hair, eyes. Looks like she could be Elena's cousin. If you asking what I think you are, she looks like she is about to have a mental breakdown," Stefan answered softly, not wishing to do anything to provoke this side of his brother he never heard before in his voice.
"I'm on my way," Damon said quickly before hanging up.
Stefan stood there in shock as the door opened revealing his girlfriend Elena and their friends returning from a shopping trip. He heard them stop short as they found Isabella in the living room. He managed to make it over to them before they could say anything about her presence, pulling them back into the foyer.
"Who's the girl?" Caroline asked, her head peeking around the wall to take a look at the stranger curiously. "She looks so – broken."
"I don't know exactly who she is or why she's here other than her name being Isabella, and she's here looking for Damon," he explained, still clearly confused about the whole scenario.
"Damon has a normal looking friend? And one that is human?" Elena asked, though she felt guilty immediately after the words left her mouth because she was once a friend and human in her early relationship with him.
Stefan shrugged. "Apparently. I already called him and he sounded, I don't know – off – when I said her name. He's on his way back now. I don't think he'll be long because he sounded concerned about how she looked."
The uncharacteristic response of their friend spiked the girls' curiosity and caused them to peek around the wall again at her. "Oh stop spying on her," Bonnie sighed as she elbowed her way through and went up to introduce herself but fell back slightly at seeing the glassy look in the girl's eyes. "Hello," she smiled to her. "I'm Bonnie, one of Stefan's friends."
Bella's eyes shifted from the spot she'd been staring at up to her and smiled weakly. "Bella," she replied, reaching out to shake Bonnie's hand. Almost instantly Bonnie froze as she got ambushed by images of the girl's life. Her reaction was something that Bella was used to with Alice and immediately pulled her hand back and curled up into a ball almost as if trying to hide herself.
Bonnie stared at her frozen in shock as she tried to make sense of the visions. Caroline and Elena were immediately at her side questioning her but she refused to speak of what she saw. It wasn't her story to tell, and out of respect for Bella as she also saw that the girl would reveal her story when she was ready.
Thankfully the group didn't have to put up with the uncomfortable stretch of silence for long because Damon appeared in the doorway. He stood there staring at Bella in shock that she was actually there and deeply troubled by the emptiness in her eyes. "Isabella?" he whispered just loud enough to carry to her human ears.
Her head snapped to the sound of his voice and after her eyes and brain processed his familiar form, she just broke down crying rivers of tears. Damon flashed over to her side, one leg bent on the couch beside her as he held a hand up to push her hair from her face and tried to calm her down when her tears caused her to struggle for oxygen. "Shh, it'll be alright. Let it out," he murmured, shifting enough so that he could pull her against him as he wrapped her arms around her small body.
Elena and Stefan looked on, confused at the amount of affection he was giving this girl while Caroline could only watch on as she choked back her own emotions from the display. She had always been intuitive about others and while a small part of her knew that Damon was capable of such deep feelings, she knew it would take something earth moving to bring them out of him. Bonnie having seen their history remained as impassive as she could, trying to give them an illusion of privacy as she went to grab a book from one of the shelves that the Salvatores amassed over the years.
The group sat in relative silence for nearly an hour before Bella was calmed enough to speak without breaking into fresh tears. Damon could feel the shift in her body as she shifted from heartbreaking sorrow to apathetic numbness. "He's gone. Charlie's gone," she shared, her voice even and without emotion. "Renee is gone. The tribe wants nothing to do with me. I have no one and she's still after me."
Damon closed his eyes, knowing the pain she was feeling as his grip around her tightened slightly. "I'm here for you," he said, his voice soft. He shifted enough so that he could pull her face up to look him in the eye. Giving her a friendlier version of his trademark smirk, he said a little lighter, "We'll let her come and I'll tear her head off like I did with her friend. Besides, we're overdue here for a good fight."
"Damon," Stefan chastised from across the room. "We don't need any more trouble."
"Stefan," he mocked back, pleased to see the teasing bring a barely there smile on his friend's lips. "If you knew what happened, you'll want to be all over this too. Besides, when have you ever known me to pass up a chance to kill some sparkling Cold Ones?"
At the mention of the other breed, Stefan sucked in a breath. "You're involved with the Cold Ones?" he asked Bella. His tone sent her on the defensive and she tensed in Damon's arms.
"Ease up Stefanie. She's got enough on her plate that she doesn't need you as an enemy as well. Let's just say that she's got a deranged lunatic on her tail hell bent on revenge," Damon argued.
"It's okay," Bella sighed, her hand running over his chest to calm him down. She sat up enough to look over at Stefan. She was resigned to having to share her story and wasn't particularly looking forward to it.
"You don't have to do this Isabella. If you want, I can tell them so that you don't have to relive it again," Damon pressed, turning her attention back on him. "I think I have a fairly good idea of what happened after I left so how about I set you up for a much needed nap while I fill the Scoobies in and you can answer whatever questions that I can't later after you get a good long rest. Hm?" he held her face in his hand, his thumb brushing over her cheek to wipe away a stray tear.
Bella nodded her acceptance, relieved for the reprieve. "Okay," she whispered.
He studied her again, his eyes taking everything in to make sure she was really okay with him sharing her painful story and nodded. "Come on. You can stay in my room that way I'll be right there when the nightmares start."
She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped. She knew they would be inevitable and she was happy that he remembered something that small. Damon helped her up then went to grab her bags while she thanked everyone before following him out of their sight. She didn't like the looks they were giving her but she couldn't do anything to stop them and knew it would only get worse once Damon returned to tell them of her living nightmare.
~o.O.o~
Hope you like the first chapter. Always remember to read and review! I love reading feedback and thoughts on what you think about the characters and what you think may be going through their brains.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Author Note: This chapter contains a bit more vulgar language, hence the upgrade to M rated status. I don't know if I'll be including any adult level content in this story or not yet. We will see over time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
After Damon made sure that Bella was settled in and asleep, he slowly made his way back downstairs, dreading the conversation about to take place. He had anticipated his brother and the girls to jump him about his friend but was shocked to see them sitting quietly as he made his way to the bar. He was going to need liquid courage to make it through the details that he was aware of.
"Anyone want a drink? You'll need it," he muttered as he quickly finished off one glass and refilled it before making his way back over and stood staring into the roaring fireplace.
"Bella okay?" Caroline asked timidly. Her concern made him smile slightly as she did genuinely care for people despite her rocky start into the vampire life.
He shrugged as he took a deep breath. "As okay as she's going to be. She'll get better if I have anything to say about it though. I don't know where to start. Do you want to know how I met her or her story up until I met her?"
"Whatever you feel comfortable with sharing first," Caroline said. She seemed to have become the spokewoman for the group as Stefan and Elena simply stared at him as they worked on trying to figure out what Damon would be gaining from being involved with an emotionally unstable human.
He went back to staring at nothing as he recalled the previous summer when he took off for awhile after getting tired of seeing Stefan and Elena together, and then finally that Katherine had no real interest in him being something other than a toy for the passing moment. "When I left last year, I had no destination in mind and somehow landed in Washington state. I was in a mood one day and took a walk in the woods. That's where I found her, talking to a Cold One she seemed familiar with. I listened in for awhile and it seemed she was involved with a coven of them previously but they weren't around anymore. He tried offering her an out of a mess she was in, some crazy vampire he was running with was out to make her a personal plaything. Isabella later told me it was because he ex-boyfriend had killed the bitch's mate and among their kind, it's an eye for an eye philosophy. So she's been marked for dead by her. Isabella – she was different. She didn't fear this guy even though it was obvious he wanted to drain her and he was going to. I had no doubt about it. She was just so broken. Her eyes...Well, I jumped in, kicked some sparkly ass and saved the day. She passed out and I took her back to my hotel..."
"So you took advantage of a troubled girl? I never thought you'd be so callous and low," Stefan interrupted.
Damon's rage flared as he turned and threw his glass of bourbon into the fire place causing it to burst as he rushed his brother and pinned him to the wall. "Don't you dare assume anything about me. You weren't there to see what she looked like. If what you witness here just before was bad, she was worse then."
They stared each other down before Stefan nodded slightly in apology. "Sorry. You just aren't known for doing something nice for a person."
"Fuck you Saint Stefan," he glared. Bonnie got up and pulled Damon away, her silent support of him staggering as he eyed her. The corner of his lip turned up but never quite completing the smile he wanted to give her. "Anyway, she was all scratched up from the woods so I cleaned them up and bandaged them. I would have given her my blood but something told me she wouldn't be receptive of it. When I was done, she woke up and we talked. It took awhile to tease the details of what got her there but she confided in me. First she told me about why she was there in the woods that day, her boyfriend killed another vampire and his psychotic mate is after her. The group that the dude I killed mentioned, had took an interest in her because of the coven she was with protected her setting off the hunting instinct in their leader. Her coven she said are a rare kind in their circuit. They feed on animal blood like Steffie here, but while the bunny diet does him okay, they always struggled more with their blood lust. One of them was fairly new to the diet and needed to stay well fed when around her but she explained that as he got more comfortable around her, he would skip a day or two. Of course that was because she wasn't bleeding around him. They threw her a party for her 18th and she got a papercut that got the guy going. Isabella said that they were starting to calm him down but her boyfriend, who also had a raging blood lust for her as she was what they call a singer, threw their buddy over the edge. One thing led to another and he broke up with her."
He took a moment to think about the rest and just pressed on. "She told me about how he dumped her, leaving her in the middle of the woods and telling her that she was never good enough for him and that she'd forget about him in time. After all she was only human. What does her feelings matter?" he said sarcastically. "If I ever come face to face with that fucker, I'm going to torture him the way Psycho wants to torture Isabella. Anyway. They took off without so much as a nice to know ya leaving her with the mess of an avenging mate."
Damon brow furrowed as he looked back towards the stairs that would lead them up to Bella and frowned. "She had friends nearby that were capable of fighting that type of vampire and were doing a decent job of keeping her away from her but they were still pups. Not werewolves but shapeshifters. Isabella had just lost her mother and step dad to the bitch and she went to the clearing to let off some of the rage for her ex only to find more trouble. I know I'm jumping back and forth here guys but it's a lot to explain and its hard. Just try to follow where you can."
"It's okay. We're piecing together the nightmare just fine," Elena frowned, her feelings for the stranger softening as it was nearly as much loss as she had suffered herself so she found herself relating more than she wished to admit.
Damon nodded, making his way over to the window. He didn't want to have to look at anyone as he spoke because his anger was still bubbling like a cauldron of hot lava. "Based on what she said before, it sounds like the bitch finally got to her father. He was close to the tribe of shapeshifters and for them to refuse to help her, they reached their limit. I doubt she knew of anyone else in their world to call or go to for help. She had tried tracking down the coven after they left but nothing came about. I'm actually surprised that she remembered our talk enough to know to come here. The girl with a death wish was tapered back and she had a little spark of life, the desire to fight, in her so I was sure she'd find her way. I didn't completely leave her like they did. I spoke with one of her puppy friends and gave her my number to call. We hung out for awhile and I got to know her more. She doesn't look like much but she is really something else. I didn't just leave her when it was time to come back. She had a way to get me, and I would have gone in a second. I thought a lot of how she was doing though. I never got her information to check up on her."
"Okay, so now we add a lunatic Cold One. As long as Bella has one of us with her the entire time, she'll be fine," Stefan started planning, but Damon shook his head. "You have a better idea?"
"Actually yes. First, I want to get her back to doing normal shit. Get her enrolled in school. She'll hate herself if she doesn't finish and then include her with the Scooby gang's outings. Treat her like you would treat your human friends that know about us. That's another thing that she is sensitive about. She's not going to break easily. Her ex treated her like a 50's housewife porcelain doll. Like hell will she get the same kind of feelings from any of us here. No matter the danger."
Caroline looked at him wide eyed. "But she's a danger magnet just like Elena. The odds of her getting hurt are high, no doubt. But the risk of death is beyond us. She may be ready to accept being dead, because it's been shoved in her face so much but with her boyfriend going on about her safety, why wouldn't he just change her?"
Damon clapped his hands and pointed at her. "I knew that was going to come up at some point. Just not so early. I'll definitely leave that one for Isabella to explain and we must have Stefan and Elena around when she does it. But in answer to what to do here if the threat gets that high, I plan on talking her into drinking my blood regularly. That way if she does die suddenly, it gives her an extra day to make the choice of what she wants between dying and changing. Hell I'm sure she'll be game as our transitioning isn't nearly as painful."
The one that had Damon on edge though he would say anything because he was hoping for her approval with anything to do with Isabella. Bonnie made her way over to him and pulled out of the room to a quiet corner. "Get me something of value that I can spell. Something personal a necklace, bracelet, or even a ring that I can spell for the sunlight if she does change."
"Awe, is my favorite Witchy-woo-woo agreeing to make my new girl a pretty collection of spelled protection jewelry," Damon teased
"Also, don't disregard Elena. Your friend can relate to her so much more and it might help with her own issues. Just something to keep in mind," Bonnie added. "When I shook her hand, I saw that she is in deep. Her friends in that tribe are more than willing to offer her up to the vampire that is after her. Unfortunately she's not the only one. Bella doesn't know that their ruling coven is also interested in her and are plotting to capture and turn her for their use. They believe her to be gifted and powerful as one of their own kind."
The thought of Isabella becoming a marbled Cold One left a sour taste in his mouth. "Like hell I'll let her submit to that life. It's what got her into this supernatural mess to begin with. I'll talk to her about and find out what she wants to do. There are other options that cannot be undone."
Bonnie stared at him as he said the words and she knew he wanted to make her his. Nodding, she smiled. "I think that would be the best option and I wish I could give you better odds as to how she'd go, but she's very much on not making decisions until the last minute."
"She wouldn't be Isabella if she didn't make me think," he winked at her and went back to the rest. "So! You all got the cliffnotes version. She'll have to fill you in on the rest pretty much," he said with disgust. "I'm sure once you hear her descriptions of this so called family, you'll want to join in the torture game. And trust me, it has nothing to do with humanity. For a human, she somehow flipped that switch but became nothing but a catatonic hot piece of ass in her bedroom."
Stefan had previously left the room in search for something, returning with a book about various Cold Ones. "Do you think any of the vampires in play may be in here?"
"Possible, doubtful. Let's waste time and check it out," Damon shrugged, taking the book from him and flipped it open. Thumbing through boring pagies, he found a Carlisle Cullen and scowled. "That's one page to be making its way to the fire-" He said before the book was yanked out of his hand. "What?!"
"Shut up," Bonnie said as she began reading about Carlisle, the family patriarch. "He was once involved with their royalty, the Volturi. It might be a good thing to assume he has friends there if they choose to come after us. He was one of the first to drink from animal blood, right from when he was turned."
"Blah blah blah. We don't know how much of those books is real. I prefer to hear Isabella's version of them as she actually had been around them more recently. And a good two-shoes animal drinker like that guy who might claim valuing human life should never have allowed his fucktard of a substitute-son to leave the girl abandoned in the woods like he did," he snapped. "He'll be third on my list to kill. The redhead, the ex boyfriend and Daddy. We'll see about the rest later."
"Damon, you can't go killing all of them. Just worry about the threat for now," Stefan commented earning a scowl from his brother.
"I am worrying about the threat. They all are a threat to her. I'm even thinking of skinning some puppies up on that reservation for hurting her. It'll be fun!" He grinned but an ear piercing scream from upstairs caught their attention. Everyone's head snapped to the stairs but Damon was the only one to disappear up them after recognizing who it was coming from. Calling out behind him, he let them know it was time to call it a night and they'd figure out more the next day.
When he reached his room, he quickly pulled his shirt off before climbing into the bed and pulling Isabella to him. Like expected, her face became buried in his skin, breathing in his scent allowing it to calm her as he rubbed her back. "It's okay. I'm here. Go back to sleep," he repeated softly before he eventually let himself slip into slumber with her in his arms.
~o.O.o~
Hope you like the second chapter! Any ideas on how the coming days may play out?
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
Bella hadn't known just how truly exhausted she was when she settled into Damon's bed. As much as she should feel uncomfortable there, the plush blankets and mattress surrounded her like a warm hug allowing her to nod off peacefully. So when the dreams started, she once again prayed for the end of the suffering.
In the dream, she was running, but it wasn't the one in her waking hours chasing her. It was Edward and his eyes were as red as blood that spilled from her vein. He had others with him, wrapped in dark cloaks and when he reached out, telling her that she would always he his, she let out a scream. It hadn't lasted long that scene because as soon as a pair of arms wrapped around her, Edward faded away and she was left with peace.
When she woke many hours later, she looked around initially confused as to her surroundings. The room was in tones of dark red woods that reminded her of the novels she loved. The fireplace in front of the bed was burning, allowing the air to warm. Looking over to her left, she saw an open bathing room, the large white soaking tub an easy view from the bed. The memories from the night before returned to her finally and she fell back onto the bed as she thought about Damon's concern for her. A small smile flitted her to lips as she remembered him holding her to his skin and despite the turmoil going on, a blush filled her cheeks.
She wasn't blind or stupid. She knew he was attractive and she certainly was drawn to him. They understood one another and she had been able to keep up with his sexually charged jokes after he helped her get into a better mind space to want to keep fighting. After Charlie was killed, she lost that will to fight again until she thought about their unlikely friendship and her promise to him.
Pushing the blankets off of her, Bella shuffed her way over to her bags where he had set them on a couch and pulled out her clothes for the day. Eying the open bathing area, she wasn't quite comfortable with getting naked and him just walking in – yet. If something was meant to happen, it would but she wasn't about to go chasing down a teenager crush on a man like that. Locking the bedroom door, she hoped it would be enough to let him have the space she needed until she found her way downstairs.
~o.O.o~
Damon knew she wasn't going to wake early for breakfast so when he heard her start to move around, he got up from his book to start on lunch. Pulling his phone out, he called his brother. "She's waking up so I'm making lunch. We should probably keep the group small," he said.
"That's a good idea. Elena and I will be back shortly."
He didn't think that would be a good idea considering how things went down the night before. "I was actually thinking of just Blondie and Witchy. Isabella seemed to be okay with them more than you two and she doesn't need more stress than she's got already."
Stefan was quiet on the other end as he tried to understand why his brother was being so protective of the girl. Granted she had a hard time of it but she got herself involved in a world that was too big for her. Though it wasn't like he had any right to make comment because he did the same thing with Elena even if she was meant to die for the supernatural. "Fine. I'll give them a call to meet you at the house."
Rolling his eyes as he hung up, Damon set about making lunch. While he was working on a dough for pizza, he smiled as he heard Isabella's feet bringing her closer. "In the kitchen!" he hollered out.
Moments later, after following his voice, she stopped at the doorway, peeking in. "Come on. I don't bite – wait no. I do bite, but I'd ask you first if I could have a bite. How'd you sleep?" he smiled as he moved about effortlessly.
"Surprisingly – well. Probably the best sleep I've had in months. What are you making?" she asked as she slowly made her way to a stool to sit out of the way.
"Lunch. I figured you'd appreciate something homemade so I am making you a pizza. Salvatore style," he smirked. "A couple friends are coming over to join us soon. They were here last night. Blondie and Witchy?"
Bella nodded as she continued to watch him. "I remember. Your brother going to be there?" she asked, her eyes expressing her nervousness.
He looked up at her to judge her mood and slowly shook his head. "No. I told him and Elena to stay away. I didn't think you'd be comfortable around him considering how much he can be like the Cullens from what you told me. Elena – she's recently transitioned and she's having a hard time with her blood lust."
She could understand the caution there and his keeping his brother away. "Thanks. So – how've you been?"
"I've been. I think it might get better now that you're around," he flirted shamelessly. As he started spreading the ricotta mixture he made over the pizza dough, he was quiet for a minute. "You know you're welcome to stick around as long as you want. You should still be in school, right? We can get you registered as soon as you're ready so that you can finish."
Bella shrugged as she played with a napkin that had been within reach. "I don't know what I want to do. Is going to school again really worth it if I'm going to likely be dead before I finish? I've had too many close calls to not care anymore."
Damon dropped the knife he had been using to slice tomatoes and went over to her, looming at his full height over her. "I don't want to hear you speak like that again. Just because you had some close encounters with death doesn't mean you should stop living," he pressed as he stared down at her large eyes. Swallowing he looked her over before taking a step back. "That just brings us to my next concern. I want you to start drinking some of my blood every day. If something does happen – if I'm not there in time, I want you to be able to make the transition. If you still want to give up, you'll have that option but know that there are those that will still want you around."
She was stunned into silence at the amount of emotion and sincerity he revealed to her, letting her believe that it wasn't just others that wanted her. He wanted her around. And just as quick as she saw that desire in his eyes, it was gone and he was back to working on their lunch. "Just think about it," he added, closing the subject for now.
"So tell me about these two coming so that I'm not going into this blind," Bella requested, reaching across to swipe a piece of tomato as he started to turn away.
He smacked her hand playfully and winked. "Bad girl!" he scolded before getting a tray of cherry tomatoes out from the fridge for her to snack on. "Blondie was changed a little over a year ago. She's a human drinker but primarily from blood bags. I'll kill you myself if you tell anyone this but she'll probably be the best for you to stick around if I'm not here. She's strong considering how young she is and she has the best control over her blood lust and emotions. Witchy – she's hit or miss. If you let her touch you, then she already knows your story but she'll also respect you in letting you share it unless she thinks there is something the rest of us should know or if it involves everyone's safety."
"Is she really a witch or just clairvoyant?" Bella asked.
"She's a witch from one of the strongest lines in the area. Bonnie and I don't always get along but we have an understanding. Now, before they get her, can you tell me what happened that your dogs refused to help you anymore?" he questioned, leaning onto the counter.
She grew sad again, looking around as if there was some magical way out of the mess. "Charlie was close to the members of the tribe's council. Instead of acknowledging that they were incapable of cornering Victoria, they blamed me for getting the into the mess by being friends with the Cullens. After Charlie – they wanted nothing to do with me even as far as told me that if she came back before I left, they would hand me over willingly just to have no one else hurt in the area."
"Of all the idiot bullshit!" Damon screamed, his hand slamming down on the wood cutting board, effectively splitting it. Before either of them could blink, Caroline had flashed into the room, throwing him into the wall furthest from Bella. She moved to stand in front of her protectively, believing that he was a threat to her due to his outburst.
"Oh for the love of – I'm not going to hurt her!" he complained, stretching out his arm that she twisted on him.
She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "How the hell am I supposed to know that? For all I know you were going to snack on her against her wishes," she snapped.
"Oh geez. Isabella, tell her I wasn't doing anything!"
"It's true," Bella said softly. "He was just reacting to what made me come out here."
Caroline glared at Damon lingered before she softened her eyes on her. "Okay. I want to know the story. I know what this idiot told us last night but what was so bad that set him off? Not that he doesn't have a short fuse to begin with."
"Her pack of puppies were willing to sacrifice her to the psychotic fairy vampire bitch," Damon answered for her, narrowing his eyes. "So I'm sure you can understand my reaction now."
Her head bobbed slightly and her large eyes turned to their new friend. "Okay then. Wow, you really are a danger magnet, aren't you?" she said lightly.
"I've heard that one before," Bella sighed, glancing back as Bonnie walked in with a small smile. "What is it you guys want to know now because I don't know just how much I can answer anymore."
Damon watched her as he finished up with the pizza before throwing it in the oven. He made his way over to her side. "I told you we can do this at your pace. We won't do anything you aren't comfortable with short of killing any son of a bitch that tries to kill one of us first," he said as he pushed her hair back from her face. His eyes looked over her and pursed his lips. "Maybe we should do something small to change your appearance. It might help cover you if she's just glancing for you in a crowd. Icky Vicky will be looking for brown hair, same if your mind raper ex shows up. He'd see the way you look now in everyone's thoughts."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Anything you want. Colored contacts and some hair dye is enough. Live a little on the wild side. I think you should go darker. Black or burgundy. It'll be hot!" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively making her laugh as she pushed him back.
"I don't know Damon. I don't think that I'd look good like that," she blushed and took a deep breath. Eying him, she could see his disbelief at her words and wasn't sure if she could actually trust what he said knowing just how easy she was to be thrown away. Not just by Edward and the Cullens, but also Jake and the Quiletes.
Bonnie reassured Bella that it wasn't a bad idea entirely. "I could change your eye color with magic so that you won't have to deal with the contacts. Your hair might be better going with dyes instead in case you want to change it later down the road."
Bella took a deep breath as she let what they were suggesting sink in. In truth, she was also seriously considering Damon's offer to help change her. It was something that Edward was always strongly against, which should have been a flag that he didn't want her for eternity, that he didn't love her enough to want to keep her. That was something that she was having a hard time accepting, or even considering, because Damon offered to change her and they've only known each other for such a short time and didn't have that kind of history. Changing would give her the ability to defend herself and not count on anyone but she was fearful that now that she was in the position to get to know Damon, and his friends here, she didn't want to be abandoned by them as well. It would be the third strike and she knew she wouldn't be able to come back from another rejection of that magnitude.
"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore," Bella murmured, her voice shaking with emotion.
Damon furrowed his brows as he considered the quote. If his heart still beat like that of a human, it would be racing with anticipation. "Faulkner. You know I have a few of his works around here somewhere."
"Okay. I'll do it," she said, looking him in the eye. He slowly gave her a blinding smile that made her heart melt and nodded. "I just don't want green eyes. I always associated green with Edward. Make them blue or hazel or something. Just not green."
~o.O.o~
Hope you like the third chapter! Leave me some pretty reviews and comments on what you think might happen. I really love reading them and considering that I'm working the rest of the weekend in my own personal hell, they will help get me through the workday! PLEASE!
Bookslover93: Yes there will be Cullens eventually. Of course there will be! It wouldn't be a real crossover if there wasn't! *wink*
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
While the group ate their lunch, they kept their conversation light as the girls tried to learn more about one another. Damon, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind by anything said that didn't come from Bella's mouth. After getting her to agree to changing her hair and eye color, he had another thought that would take more convincing.
While Bella was distracted in a discussion about what to expect at the local high school, Damon made his escape upstairs to get dressed. On his way out the door, he paused as he looked in on the girls. "Blondie. Can you stick by Isabella while I'm out? I just have some errands to run."
"Yeah, sure," Caroline waved him off before turning back to Bella to continue explaining the committees she was involved with. The girl however had her eyes locked on Damon in silent communication, trying to figure out what he was up to but he only had his usual knowing smirk that meant he was up to no good.
As soon as he was out the door and the sound of his car gone, Bella turned to the two. "He's up to something," she muttered.
"Damon is always up to something," Caroline laughed. "What do you think he's doing now?"
Her lips pressed together in irritation. "I don't know but whatever it is, he knows I won't be happy about it. There are only a few things he can do to really get under my skin and I have the feeling that he'll be testing each one."
"That sounds like Damon. Don't worry. You just say the word and I'll give him a brain aneurysm," Bonnie shrugged.
"You will not!" Bella screamed as she jumped up and paced the floor. The notion that she would be so willing to harm someone who had done nothing but accept and protect her pissed her off. "Why would you do something like that! I don't want him hurt!"
The girls' eyes grew large at her defense of the man, and while they were more than capable of subduing the human girl, the fire that lit Bella's eyes was something that stopped them short. She turned back on them with a sneer that rivaled Damon's. Before disappearing up the stairs, she snarled. "I'm going upstairs. You can do whatever you want. I don't care."
"Wow," was all Caroline could come out with. "If this is her human and mad, I'd hate to see what she'd be like if she transitioned and turned her humanity off."
"It would be deadly," Bonnie replied, frowning as she struggled to understand the strength of Bella's attachment to their controversial vampire. The possible reasons left her thoughtful as she voiced one idea. "How do you think Damon would react if she was to be threatened by one of us?"
The blond snorted. "He wouldn't hesitate to kill us. Why?"
The witch hesitated as she considered confessing her suspicions. "You can't tell anyone. It wouldn't be fair to either Bella or Damon to find out before they figured it out themselves. That is if what I think is true."
"Fine! I swear! My lips are sealed!" Caroline burst out wanting to know what she was holding back. "Does this have anything to do with why you've been nicer to Damon since last night?"
"Kind of, maybe. You know how Damon explained the mating bond with the Cold Ones? How they are driven by their emotions for their partners? The way that this Cold One is after Bella kind of looks like the way that Damon is fixated on protecting her from Stefan and Elena..."
Caroline stared at her as her brain worked to process what she just heard. "You think their mated? Is that even possible for our kind?"
"I don't know, that's why I didn't want to say anything if it isn't real. All I know is that whatever is going on, Bella does have strong feelings for Damon. How far they run, I can't tell. Her mind – I got a lot of the story when I touched her last night, but she was still able to hide things. I can only assume things that she feels more strongly for because when I tried to delve deeper to see what her relationship to Damon was, to see if she might be a threat to us, it was like I hit a wall. There are parts of her that's locked up tighter than Fort Knox."
"Wow. Imagine if she was turned into a vampire. She'd be really strong in whatever abilities she develops."
"It would be her humanity that keeps her grounded. I don't know if we should let her be changed or not if it ever came to it. One one side she could be a greater danger than Klaus on a good day and on the other, she could be something really good for Damon so that we all wouldn't be so damn miserable around him," Bonnie huffed in annoyance at the dilemma they just talked themselves into.
"So what do we do?" Caroline asked meekly, sitting down on the couch where Bella had been sitting before she ran off.
"Let it play out. That's all we can do right now. Do you have any idea where Damon went?"
"No but if it has to do with Bella, I'm not worried. He seems to want to do everything right by her. I'm just happy to see that he isn't all mopey over Elena's dumping him for Stefan since they managed to break her sire bond. I'm going to go check on Bella and apologize. You want to come?"
Bonnie considered it and shook her head. "I don't want to overwhelm her anymore today. I'll hang out down here and see if there is anything in Emily's grimoire that might help with the Cold One situation."
Caroline smiled and nodded before heading up the stairs, some fear on her face at what she might face against the angry human girl. Why did Bonnie have to threaten Damon, even for her benefit? She thought to herself in regret.
~o.O.o~
It was nearly two hours later before Damon made his way back to the Boarding House. He found Bonnie pouring over her ancestor's book, as well as a number of the Salvatore's collection of books of the history of the supernatural. "Where's Isabella?"
Bonnie looked up and grimaced. "She's been upstairs with Caroline. I kinda got her mad when I offered to give you an aneurysm if you annoyed her with whatever you were planning," she answered, her finger pointing to the bag in his hand.
He scowled at her, narrowing his eyes. "If I didn't know you were interested in helping protect her I would kill you for that but I'll talk to her," he warned. Damon started for the stairs then paused. He turned back to her confused. "Just how did she react to that anyway?"
The witch snorted and looked up at him with a small smile. As she thought about it, she selected her words carefully to see just much her theories would play out. "She bitched me out for wanting to hurt you without justification. Let's just say she is adamantly in your corner and there is no swaying her opinion of you."
A ghost of a surprised but pleased smile lightened his face but disappeared just as fast. "Huh," was all he said before waving her to continue as she was. When he reached his room, he pushed the door open, leaning against the door jam as he took the scene in before him. "Well if this isn't every male fantasy. Two hot women just sprawled out on his bed. All I need is some chocolate syrup and whipped cream and the three of us could have some real fun!"
Caroline rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the magazine she was flipping through while Bella let out a small, but embarrassed laugh. She threw the magazine she had been looking through at him. "You're despicable," she smiled.
"I know and yet, you still put up with me," he smiled back at her. He was happy to see something left of the girl he started to help put herself back together back in Washington. Soon his smile faltered as he tried to figure out if she would let him continue with his plan for her. "Do you trust me?"
The girls both eyed him skeptically, Caroline glancing at Bella to see how she would play his game, but the girl continuously had the uncanny skill of surprising these vampires. "Hypothetically? Maybe. What are you up to?" she asked indifferently, her eyes back on the glossy page in her hand.
"Do you trust me?" he asked again, all hints of his amusement gone as he stared at her.
Bella raised an eyebrow as she took in a deep breath, her eyes locked on his. "Yes," she said with every ounce of confidence and vulnerability within her.
He searched for something in her eyes, as if he didn't quite believe her. When he found that she was nothing but truthful in her belief in him, something shifted within him as he nodded his acceptance. "I need you to leave Blondie. We'll be downstairs as soon as we're done," he dismissed their friend as he made his way into the bathroom and unloaded one of the bags he held.
Caroline watched him as he walked by and as soon as he was out of sight around the corner, she looked back at Bella in awe. "I'll be close by if you need me. Just holler," she said, blinking her eyes as she left.
Confused as to what was going on, Bella climbed off the bed and made her way to the bathroom hesitantly. She watched as he set some things up on the counter and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"
"You said you trusted me, so trust me. I wouldn't do something if I didn't think it would be in your best interest," he explained, looking at her reflection in the mirror behind him. "I need you to change into something less then come back."
"Just how much less are you talking?" She asked, nervously fidgeting at what he might be wanting.
Damon rolled his eyes and smirked. "Certainly not what you're thinking...At least not yet. You're not ready to handle my awesomeness, but you will be. We need to start building you back up again and we're going to start with your hair so I need you in something less. Maybe that little cute wife-beater t-shirt you wore to bed last night," he grinned.
She eyed him before leaving to change as he asked. He watched her reflection again as she moved about, never getting enough of a peek to satisfy his male curiosity causing him to pout. When she returned, she wasn't the spitfire he had just seen. "Okay, so what all are you doing right now?" She asked, more in resignation than anything else.
"I'm going to color your hair and give you a bit of a hair cut. Nothing big, just a trim really. I like your hair longer. Makes you hotter when you got the just been sexed up bed hair later," he winked as she flushed bright red.
"Damon," she warned, her eyes flashing with fire at him that made him grin more.
"Don't worry. When have I ever driven you wrong?" he asked as he started to mix the hair dye, turning her on the stool he dragged in so that she couldn't see what he was doing until he was ready. Frequently as he worked on her, as his fingers brushed over her skin, their eyes would meet with a furtive smiles. Each time it happened, her skin would blush a rosey color that Damon wanted to kiss and her heart would race with anticipation. He could hear every beat and it made him lost in his thoughts at times of the attraction he had felt for her. Of course he liked her, any red blooded male would be attracted to such a beautiful woman, but she knew about him and had stuck with him in unwavering support. That knowledge made him feel things he never thought possible. Feelings that he thought he felt for Katherine and later Elena making him frown at his own naivety.
"Don't do that," Bella murmured as she reached up to smooth the lines that creased his face during his memories. "I like your smile more than the frown."
He leaned in and kissed her cheek, a seemingly innocent gesture but a safe one in knowing her limitations. "I can only promise to try Isabella," he replied sadly. He wasn't the happy go lucky type that she should have.
"I just want you to be you," she sighed, looking away as his fingers worked the dye through her strands. "I never asked you to be anything else, nor do I expect you to be. You shouldn't have to change who you are to be happy. Besides, snarky Damon is fun too."
Damon couldn't help but to laugh. "Okay Sugar Lips. Just sit here and I'll be right back. No turning around. I mean it. I want you to be surprised," he admitted.
"I hate surprises," she complained.
"Tough. I got lots planned for you and to be able to do them, I need you around so just let me make the decisions for you for awhile."
Bella swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and shook her head. "I don't know...they did that for me too and look where it got me."
He sighed at his mistake and knelt in front of her, taking her hands. "Isabella, I'm not them. I'm not him. If they are watching you, you know they will look at your decisions. I'm pretty sure they have been watching since they left to make sure that you wouldn't do something that threatened them. I know we would keep an eye on someone that knew our secret, so trust me when I ask you to let me do this. They don't know me so they can't see me. I want to protect you. Not only from that lunatic Victoria, but also from the Cullens because they hurt you this bad. I care too much about you for you to be hurt by them anymore."
She looked down at him, his broken eyes a mirror of her own. They weren't that much different other than the fact that he had the confidence in himself to pick himself up and do something about his heartbreak while she wallowed in hers. When he had found her, he had helped her find pieces of herself that she never knew she had. He allowed her to know that it was okay to be a little irresponsible and have fun. Bella wanted to be more like him, to own herself in a way that no one had any control over her.
That desire sparked a new feeling in her and before she could second guess herself or question her actions, she leaned in and pressed her lips to Damon's. The fraction of a second that caught him by surprise was too long for him before he slowly returned the kiss, allowing it to grow until the point where it might lead into far more dangerous territory for the two. Forcing himself to calm down and allow her to adjust to what she did, he pulled back with a smile. "I didn't think you felt that way for me Beautiful," he smirked. "As much as I'd love to continue this, let's get you finished. I can promise that we will revisit this little moment later."
Bella's face turned bright crimson as she tried to cover it, shock and embarrassment over her boldness. He pulled her hands away and dropped a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Don't do that. Don't hide yourself from me. I've never hidden from you," he pointed out. "We will talk about what was just going through your head later but for now, don't regret."
~o.O.o~
So, there is more B/D! I'm currently at work and bored out of my mind so I was able to work on this chapter for the faithful followers that left me so many wonderful reviews yesterday. If you have any questions regarding Bella or Damon, or any of the others, please leave them in a review and I'll see if I can address them within the next chapter or two! *kisses*
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
Once Damon was done with Bella's hair, he left her to get dressed in the clothes he picked up for her while he was out and waited downstairs. The smug smile that was on his face left Bonnie and Caroline amused. "Ladies," he purred as he went to make himself a drink.
"How's Bella?" Caroline asked sweetly, having heard nearly everything said upstairs.
"Isabella is just fine," he replied but couldn't help the smirk that came as he thought about her courageous kiss. It was just a small part of his Bella that he left in Forks but knew she was still a long way away from being where he'd like.
"Do I need to warn you to be careful with her?" she asked, prepared to go all mama bear for the girl. He looked back at her surprised and shook his head slowly.
"I know what I'm doing and I know she's not ready for anything more than what she is already has given. You can chill out, I won't hurt her intentionally," he said and there was just that something that made both of them believe that he meant his word.
Before they could continue their teasing and torment on Damon, Stefan and Elena walked in from their morning out. "What's going on?" Elena asked as she flounced through the room to get a blood bag from the cooler they kept behind their bar.
Damon scowled at her but said nothing. Bonnie luckily came to the rescue as she started talking about what she had been looking for through their records. "While Damon has been working on trying to get Bella to open up, I've been looking for anything about the Cold Ones. I hate to say that there isn't much documented. I think I may have found a spell that may help mask Bella but I want to look into it more. Possibly try to contact the spirits to get more guidance before trying it."
"Oh, so – she's still here?" Elena asked as she looked up at Damon.
"Yes and she's not going anywhere so get used to it," he sneered and walked away to avoid the urge to strike her. He dropped into an armchair and saluted his brother in greeting. "What's going on baby bro?"
Stefan had leveled a warning glare on Elena after her little display, making her pout for failing to get under Damon's skin. "We were just out and around. I thought we had come to an understanding but clearly there are some issues that will need addressing. Has Bella said anything else about what her plans are?"
"Her plans? She's..." He started to answer but was interrupted by the subject of the conversation.
"I'm staying wherever Damon is. If he wants me to leave, then I'll leave but not before he tells me himself," Bella announced from where she stood behind Stefan.
Damon's jaw very nearly dropped at the bombshell that glared at his brother. The fire in her stare went straight to his groin and he barely suppressed the aroused groan that escaped. Her eyes flickered to him in amusement before turning back to his brother as he too took in her new appearance.
Bella's hair was much darker than it had been before. While it wasn't black, it was a very deep red that was reminiscent of blood fresh from the vein. Bonnie's magic turned her eyes a bright hazel that flashed with darker hues when she was angry, as she was now. The outfit that Damon had chosen was conservative enough for her but also gently pushed her boundaries. She wore dark wash jeans that conformed to her curves and the satin red top that made her breasts look glorious had a sweetheart neckline and thin spaghetti straps holding it up. Over her arm was a fitted black leather jacket. Instead of wearing the strappy heels he got, he was still impressed with the black ankle boots she opted for. Either way, Damon was going to be a very happy man when they went to bed that night – even if was only to sleep. At least he would have this dark angel in his arms.
"That uh wasn't what I meant," Stefan stammered under her furious glare.
"No. You just wanted to know how long I'll be sticking around before you can go on and rub your relationship with Elena in his face," she snapped at him. If she was a vampire already, she might have been quite deadly in that moment and she was certainly a much different girl than the one that shown up on their doorstep the day before. Turning her attention from him, she looked at Damon. "How much did you tell them about what happened?"
"Just how you got involved with the Cullens and a bit about how they left. And your parents. I didn't tell them about their gifts or exactly what your ex douchebag said when he left," he replied. "I thought you might like to share that yourself."
She nodded as she took a deep breath to calm down. "Is there anyone else that you think should be here for that? I don't really want to have to repeat myself again after this. I'm kinda hoping this will be the last time I have to go through this."
"Alaric and Jeremy should know," Bonnie suggested. "Even if they aren't capable of killing one of these vampires, they should at least be aware of what they are capable of and what to watch out for."
"What about Tyler? His wolf senses might be able to pick up on their scents quicker than ours," Caroline added as she began texting the rest of their group to come to the house, making Bella pale some.
"A wolf?" she asked. "What kind of wolf?"
"He's a freaky hybrid. Too long of a story to get into right now but he's half vampire, half werewolf. Not like your shifter friends so don't worry. Although...I wonder if his werewolf venom would be as toxic to Cold Ones as it is to us," Damon mused, earning him a slap to the back of the head.
"We're not killing anyone if we don't have to. Well, other than Victoria," Bella said as she made a face.
"If no one else is going to ask the obvious, I will," Elena piped up as she came up to Bella and looked her over. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Damon happened. He went out and got this stuff for me today," she replied, looked down at herself then gave Elena a smile. "And Bonnie changed my eye color. I actually like it a lot."
The vampire gave the girl a long look and sighed. They seemed to have held some sort of silent communication that left the rest unsure of how this was going to end. Slowly Elena gave her a smile and nodded. "Okay then. You know, if I didn't know better, I would have thought you were a vampire right now."
"I guess that might be why I like this new look," the human girl admitted with a blush.
"A little bit of confidence goes a long way and I'm hoping you soon start realizing just how hot you are because after we finish business, we are going out. I should have thought this through better because now I'll have to beat the boys off of you," Damon grimaced.
"I am what you made me," Bella taunted as she went to squeeze in next to him on the armchair, flashing him an innocent smile as he glared back at her, though without his usual heat that would be there if he was truly pissed. If anything, he was actually quite pleased that she wanted to be so close to him.
"So Bella," Elena smiled, stirring another cautionary look from the brothers. "Are you going to be starting school with us soon?"
"She'll be starting next week," Damon said, narrowing his eyes on Bella as she started to protest. "No arguments. We'll make sure that you're in a class with at least one of these guys. You'll be fine. Certainly the finest ass in the school but that's just me," he teased as he ran his hand over her leg, stopping at her knee to keep his touches in her safe zones.
"We're here!" Jeremy called out as he and Alaric arrived. "Tyler just called me. He's busy with something for his mom and will catch up later. I told him I'll fill him in. So what's going on?"
"Bella is going to share what Damon didn't tell us last night," Elena replied as she passed out glasses of liquor.
Jeremy had to do a double take at his sister at her sudden lack of venom when talking about Damon's friend and raised his eyebrow at her in question. She only responded with a shoulder shrug and smile back. Maybe she was actually over her jealousy issues, he wondered.
"Well, if this is everyone," Bella said, her shy and timid nature coming through again but Damon's reassuring hand squeezed her leg, letting her know she'll be fine. Smiling at him, she nodded. "Okay. Well last night Damon told you the essential story. What he didn't include was about their gifts. If you're going to help me hide from them as well as Victoria, you'll need to know this. As he quite so eloquently pointed out to me earlier, I cannot make my decisions for myself until we know they are definitely not coming for me, or until I'm dead. Which shouldn't be far away all things considering," she muttered and looked away.
Damon glared at her as he tapped on her knee to get her attention back. "What did I say about talking like that. I'm not going to let you die. You have options."
"Yeah," she dismissed, not wishing to talk about taking his blood in front of everyone. "Anyway, they have three gifted vampires in their family. Edward could read minds, but for some reason he couldn't hear my thoughts. It might be the same reason that Damon was unable to compel me but that's something to figure out another day. Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions. I'm not worried about him as I am his mate. I trust Jasper to do what would be the right thing, even if his attack on me was what spurred their leaving. Alice – she can see the future but only based on decisions made. People change their minds so the future changes with it. She is familiar with me so if she is watching for me at all, then she can see what I decide. There are ways around her gift, just as there are with Edward's. Last minute decisions, or not deciding anything at all usually helps. When I was in Forks, she couldn't see past the pack of wolves that had been helping me until Victoria killed my father to get to me."
"You hung out with werewolves?" Caroline asked.
"Yes and no. They were actually shapeshifters and didn't depend on the moon. They can change at will and the ancestory of their tribe actually chose the image of the wolf for their phasing," Bella explained. "Jake, my best friend and one of the pack, actually gave me the heads up of their council's decision to hand me over as a sacrifice to prevent more bloodshed. I was out of there the next day."
"That's...fucked up," Elena commented as she looked at her in shock. "You're only human and between what was said last night and that your own friends wanted to give you up. You came all the way out here on the off chance that you might find the one person who might help? How did you know that Damon would even be here or would help?"
She smiled back at her. "I didn't know but I had to take the chance. It was actually my last hope before I would have simply given myself up. In their world, humans aren't supposed to know about vampires. It's either die or be changed. I would have probably gone to Italy to give myself to the Volturi."
"Who are they?" Alaric questioned curiously.
"Basically the royalty of the Cold Ones' world. I only know what Edward told me but they aren't exactly the friendliest group there is. He told me about two of their members, one has the ability to cause the illusion of pain in your head and her brother can make you lose your senses. Like I said, they would have been my last option because I'm pretty sure that their leadership would prefer me to be changed if their mind reader was unable to get into my memories, he apparently is that powerful."
Elena frowned as she looked back at Bella and Damon as he continued to run his fingers over her lower leg, the light movement evidently calming her enough to keep from freaking out over all the stress and nightmare of a life she'd been living over again by sharing with them. "And here I was a bitch to you," she said sadly. "I'm really sorry Bella. I hope you can forgive me."
Bella raised her head and looked over at her and simply smiled. Forgiveness was easy, but trust on the other hand, she wasn't giving the girl so easily. For all she knew, Elena was pulling the 'keep your friends close, enemies closer' move.
"As I said, I don't know if the Cullens are watching me or not, but I reallly wouldn't put it past Alice to try to sneak a peek or two. I had started to feel like I could get over their leaving when Damon found me in the woods that day and I was doing good with his help but then everything went to shit," she sighed exasperated, causing a chuckle around the room at her language. "Now I feel like I have that chance again and I really do want to try but I know it will be hard. Until I can figure out my issues, I can't promise that I'll be an easy person to be around."
"Oh that's fine! Trust me that both Elena and I have our own mood swings with our transition. As a vampire our emotions are all out of whack, which is what I'm betting was Elena's issue yesterday," Caroline grinned, calling out on her friend's behavior for what it quite possibly was. "I was mostly a blubbering mess."
"You still are a blubbering mess Blondie," Damon whined. "But you are good people," he admitted reluctantly. "You're protective of Isabella and for that you're good in my book. Now that we got the low down on Cullens, what are we going to do? We need to know for sure what their intentions are because if they do plan on coming back, I want them to know that they aren't getting through to Bella without a fight."
Elena had been quiet as she was thinking about what she learned about these other vampires and one thing confused her. "Bella? If you trust that Jasper guy so much, then why did he attack you?"
Bella frowned as she fidgeted with the button on Damon's shirt as she considered her answer. "Let me ask you this first. Have you tried just drinking animal blood instead of human blood?"
"Yes. I couldn't keep it down but we figured out that was because of my sire bond with Damon," she replied confused. "Stefan drinks it with no problem."
"Really? I doubt that," she pointed out. "How are your cravings Stefan? What about when you're around someone bleeding? How controlled are you then? If you were given even a drop of that forbidden wine, do you think you can handle just what was given or would you fight to finish that glass?"
Everyone but Damon blanched at her response because that was what had happened the previous year. They also knew he was still having issues with his blood lust as he worked to gain his control back with restricting himself to animal blood again. "Okay. Point taken," Elena sighed.
"I don't have anything against drinking animal blood. I knew the dangers of being that bottle of expensive bourbon in a room full of alcoholics, and Jasper had been getting used to my scent but had he hadn't hunted that day so it was a domino effect of disaster. Couple that with Edward's own blood lust for my being his singer, Jasper just got the trifecta. That's why I can't blame him for what happened."
"Do you still have their numbers?" Bonnie asked.
"Alice and Edward disconnected their phones, emails. Believe me, I've already tried."
"Yes, but what about Jasper? Have you tried getting them through him?" she responded.
"No, I haven't. I never had the need to call Jasper for anything," Bella murmured as she pulled her phone out. Hesitantly she scrolled down to his name but quickly began to panic. "Maybe later. I can't right now."
Damon wrapped his arms around her to hold her close as she shook with nervous fear. "It's okay. No one is going to make you try to contact him. Maybe it would be better if one of us did it? You said that his mate couldn't see the wolves so we can have Tyler initiate contact if the number is working so her visions would be halted with him. How's that sound?" Bella nodded but said nothing else, seemingly done with the heavy talk for the day.
"Okay so let's go out and get drunk!" Alaric smiled, giving Bella a wink as he passed by her and Damon. "I thought I heard someone say that drinks were on Damon tonight."
"Oh you're so full of shit!" Damon exclaimed as he stood up, pulling Bella with him.
"No, Ric's right. Drinks are on you. You wanted to go out tonight and have the big reveal at the same time so you're paying for everyone's drinks to drown out the depressing details we had to hear – no offense Bella," Stefan smiled gently. "It's just a lot of hurt to swallow."
"Trust me, I know. I lived it, still am in fact. But a night out does sound good," she smiled back as she clung to Damon as he searched her own eyes to make sure she was holding up okay. He brushed his lips along her forehead as he led her out, he tried to think of ways to get his blood into her.
~o.O.o~
Okay, so Elena is coming around. That's good, right? Now I have a question for my loyal followers...I'm trying to work on Chapter 6 but am kinda blanking on which direction I can go. Should I have the Scoobies contacting Jasper or hold that off? Should Victoria start making her presence known or let her be running around like a chicken without a head for not knowing Bella is clear across the country? Or maybe have Bella starting up school again, though under an assumed name because obviously Swan would be a red flag for Victoria and the Cullens (if they are even interested in her yet)? Or maybe something else completely. How about YOU, the readers, choose the next chapter. Leave me your choice in a review and I'll go from there!
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
It wasn't a club but for a small town like Mystic Falls the only decent place to hang out for any kind of entertainment outside of the supernatural was the Mystic Grill. Bella had seen it on her way through town in the taxi that brought her to the Salvatore Boarding Home, but it was only a fleeting glance. That night the place was pretty busy. She could see a long bar at one end, pool tables and dart boards at the other side of the room. In one corner there was a stage area set up for live music and easily recognized the equipment for karaoke.
That annoyed the hell out of Bella. She glared up at Damon as he had her arm wrapped around his as he led her into the place, his grin fixed on her. "Damon," she warned, her voice edged with venom at quickly learning his motives for wanting to go out.
"Oh just relax Beautiful. I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do," he assured her. Leaning into her, she barely suppressed the shiver that threatened to course through her body as his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, "But don't deny you miss it."
She was skilled with controlling her breathing, something she had to learn a long time back and kept her face impassive as she looked away from him to fiend her interest in what else may be going on. As good as she had gotten at masking her feelings, she knew he was well aware just how much he affected her because she could not control her heart rate. "Whatever," Bella muttered.
"Oh don't be like that. We're just going to have dinner, maybe get a little drunk, and dance. That's all I planned for tonight. Scouts honor!" Damon grinned, holding up three fingers.
"If you're a boy scout then I'm Mother Fucking Theresa Damon. Don't lie to me," she replied with a small smile because he really was amusing. What she hadn't realized was that the larger part of his intentions was already working because two days before she never would have responded like that to anyone. He couldn't be more proud of his influence over her as well since when he first met her, she would have let everyone walk over her and now she showed spirit and a back bone that was just hiding underneath all the hurt she'd suffered. That and her potty mouth turned him on like no other, making him shift beside her as he tried to figure out a way to deal with his growing attraction to the woman.
"Fine. Then how about you take the girls and go find a table and order up some food. I have some business I need to handle," he said softly as he gave her a gentle push forward. She only nodded as she eyed him walk away to meet with an older blond woman that was eating at the bar.
"Don't worry about it. He and my mom have a really weird friendship," Caroline assured her as she tugged her along, chalky having caught Bella's staring.
"Sorry. It just makes me wonder what business he had with a cop considering he's the type to generally avoid them," Bella laughed.
Elena turned to them confused after checking out what they were talking about. Having seen Caroline's mom in her regular clothes and being pretty sure that Bella hasn't been out in town to meet anyone yet, her suspicious nature rose again. "How did you know she was a cop?"
With a small but wistful smile, Bella looked off, lost in her thoughts. "Charlie was the police chief in Forks. Having a cop for a dad, you simply know," she explained before turning away so that no-one could see the sadness filling her again.
Damon had been keeping an eye on his girl as he had started small talk with Liz before she looked him in the eye. "Just get to the point. What is it you want Damon?" She asked.
He sighed, really hating to have to ask favors of anyone but the circumstances pushed for uncharacteristic behaviors. "A friend of mine recently moved into town and unfortunately trouble tends to follow her. I was just hoping that you could have your people keep an eye out for new faces, people that act out of sorts and let me know so that I can look into it..."
"And by looking into it, do you mean handling it?" She asked carefully, her eyes narrowing. Glancing at the table where her vampire daughter and friends were gathering she saw the new girl with them that her daughter clearly developed a soft spot for. Nodding towards the group, she asked, "Is she human?"
Damon smiled and looked away briefly, avoiding eye contact. "As human as you are. At least right now. I'm working on a contingency plan for her but she's stubborn," he groused.
"She doesn't want to be changed?"
He frowned, not letting his own fear seep through his walls. "I think she did but that's part of the problem from her past she has following her. I know one in particular is a red head woman. I don't have any more description than that. As far as others, I'll see if I can get more information about them but Isabella isn't very forthcoming."
"Tell me, this threat against your friend. Will it affect the rest of the humans in town?" She asked quietly.
He sighed as he raised a finger to order his usual drink from the bar before dropping into the seat next to get dejectedly. "Probably," he admitted. "But I'll do my best to contain it. She came here only because she had nowhere else to go. The friends she thought she had were willing to give her up to save their own furry assess but that's another problem I'll deal with in the future. One she better not think I could just let slide," he complained, fire lighting up his ice blue eyes alerting the sheriff just how far he was driven for the girl.
Liz was quiet as she ate her dinner for a few minutes letting him calm down with his poison before coming to a decision. "Then we'll do all we can to help each other out. If you find out anything else useful, just let me know and I'll do what I can."
Damon looked up from his drink with some surprise on his face. Nodding slightly he threw back the rest of his drink. Standing, he pulled out several bills from his wallet and the it on the bar for his drink. "For the Sheriff's dinner too," he smiled and ignored his friend's protests, walking away with a wave of the hand.
Despite the group's attempt to distract Bella from whatever Damon was doing but a part of her was inexplicably connected to his presence. Caroline pulled her to where she was forced to sit facing away from the bar area allowing them to have her somewhat undivided attention. "Tyler should be here as soon as he's done with whatever his mom wanted and you'll get to meet Matt. He works here and should be around on his break layer," she babbled on, including every detail about their involvement in their supernatural world.
At some point Bella began tuning her out, catching Bonnie's eye as she rolled her eyes playfully. While she wasn't entirely annoyed, she just wasn't the gossiping type. Before long, she felt someone slide in beside her on the bench and stretch their arm behind her. All it took was the whiff of well worn leather to know it was Damon. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Finished with your business?"
"For now. Just securing more eyes around town for your protection is all," he smirked, brushing her hair back to expose her face and neck to him. "I never lied when I said I would make sure you were protected. I'll make sure you're well protected from Big Foot if need be as well."
"Well considering my track record, you might want to start studying up on every single mythical creature theorized because I'm likely to have stumbled upon them at some point and someone of their kind probably wants me dead or turned into one of them," she teased back.
Damon scowled and shook his head petulantly. "Wrong. They aren't getting you because I'm not going to let them. If you're turning into anything, it's going to be a vampire – and not the fucking gay ass sparkling kind. Not over my dead – dead body."
"Relax Damon," Bella sighed, reaching over to tug on the lapel of his jacket. "We have time right now to figure things out, to plan my options. Victoria's smart, but she's not the brightest crayon in the box so it'll take her awhile to figure out that I'm not even in Washington anymore. No one in the tribe knows where I am and Jake only knows that I left, just not where. He won't give that out willingly and if the others find out, it'll be only because it slipped in his thoughts while phased and connected to the rest of the pack. I explained to you how they work when I told you about Edward and Alice's gifts before you left. Don't tell me your vampire memory is failing you in your old age."
"I'm not old! I'm perfectly well preserved at a virile age of twenty five," he smirked as he loomed closer to her face.
Bella ignored the entranced stares that were locked on them as she gave him a saucy smile back. "Virile? Vampires can't procreate. As much as you love trying to, maybe I'd like to stay human long enough to find a man capable of getting the job done."
"If you wanted to have kids, you would have dumped your frozen popsicle for the overgrown puppy, but you didn't. You also came to me, so your argument is null and void. Try again Gorgeous," he replied, pushing his drink in front of her attempting to get her at least somewhat tipsy that night if just to loosen her up to relax a little.
She glared at him as she easily finished his drink with a wince. Choking out, she managed to ask, "What the fuck is in that stuff? I swear I just swallowed gasoline."
"Oh come on! You've had it before! We got to get your back up with what it used to be. Those mongrels really did a number on you. They are definitely making it an appearance on my kill list now. Right behind Daddy Veg-Head."
"As long as you don't kill Jacob. Remember he's the one that gave me the warning to get out. He has no control over a lot of his actions because of the whole alpha command thing," Bella pointed out tiredly, not wanting to get into the discussion. She was granted her reprieve in the form of dinner arriving.
Not realizing just how hungry she was, Bella dove right into the burger and fries that someone had ordered for her. Damon eyed her curiously, making her glare at him as she hovered over her food protectively. "What?"
"I thought you were vegetarian yourself," he said, though it sounded more like a question.
She shrugged before turning back and taking another bite thoughtfully. When she cleared her throat to answer she looked back at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "In the last couple months, I've developed a healthier respect for my natural diet."
Damon stared at her for a beat before laughing. She quickly joined in as the others were mostly confused. The only one that understood the 'joke' was Stefan and while he wasn't offended by it, he just rolled his eyes before explaining. "The vampires she was friends with called themselves vegetarians because they feed on animal blood. Evidently Bella was a human vegetarian, not eating meat and has since started."
"It's nothing personal against you Stefan," Bella said as she looked at him. "But it was just a hard lesson I learned about repression and now – I know just how much I fucking love cheeseburgers!" She continued to eat her meal, taking another bite and allowing her eyes to roll back in her head as she let out a moan that went straight to Damon's groin.
He shifted in his seat as he tried to make eye contact with whoever was servicing their alcohol for the night for refills because it was certainly going to be a long one for him. As soon as the waitress set down his drink, Bella's slender hand reached across and swiped it out from under him, taking a healthy sip before setting it back down with that saucy smile.
The two were engaged in some kind of mating stare down, or that was what their friends interpreted it as. Feeling the need to do something, Caroline and Elena quickly pulled Bella away from Damon, though not without some struggle as they dragged her to the dance floor with them. As shy as she once was, she felt comfortable enough with this group that she allowed herself to be more free, less responsible for her actions as she danced.
While she was on the floor with the girls, she could feel him watching her. The sensation, normally foreign and unwelcome, but from his eyes, it only boosted her. As Caroline went to spin her around on the dance floor, Bella's eyes kept catching with his and smiled. Her smiles were more light and carefree than she could remember. Before she knew it, his arms were wrapped around her from behind as he held her close. Damon's nose nestled itself through her hair and into the crook of her neck as he breathed her in before turning her to face him, pulling her into a slower number.
"Do you have any idea just how much of a tease you are?" he asked her.
Bella looked into his eyes, confused at his question. All she could see was sincerity, but also amusement as they twinkled back at her. "What do you mean?"
"Nearly every guy has had their eyes on you the entire time you were dancing with the girls. Now I was never worried about them. Everyone around town knows they are off limits, but you're an anomaly to them, someone new. What they don't know is just how unattainable you are."
"I am, am I? And just how is that?" Bella murmured, her hands idly sliding up his shoulders as the tempo of the music changed slightly to meet rest behind his neck, gently playing with the edge of his hair.
Damon's breath hitched slightly, his eyes darkening with some untold emotion as he leaned in to her ear and whispered, "That would require we complete that conversation that we were meant to have in my bathroom this afternoon after your kiss."
~o.O.o~
Hmmm... Well there is Chapter 6! I *had* half of Chapter 7 done, but considering how this chapter actually ended, what I have done for Ch. 7 will actually be pushed back further. We'll see. You may actually get 3 new chapters this weekend! No promises though! Keep the reviews and comments coming!
New food for thought. I been considering this story and how I will kill Bella. Who's hands it should be at... Voluntarily (Bella/Damon/Friends?), Edward (Intentional/Accidental), Jacob or Pack (Intentional/Accidental), Alice (Intentional/Accidental, motive?), Victoria, Katherine (motive?), or someone else? Maybe an Original? Not like they need an excuse for anything they do, right?
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
Author Note: This chapter, while already posted late Thursday night (June 12th, 2014), I had found some errors and inconsistencies while rereading as I waited for my appointment this morning. It is revised and reposted. Sorry for any inconvenience! Much love!
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
It was late in the night when they returned to the boarding house, Damon and Bella making their way quickly to their room. She had drunken enough during the night to have gotten brazen enough to make out with him on the dance floor, but it didn't end there. With her hormones in overdrive, she soon found herself laying beneath him in his bed. Their kisses quickly turned into touches. Touches that had hands disappearing beneath clothing.
Bella pulled at his shirt, struggling to get it over his shoulders, forcing him to break their kiss. He hastily tugged the offending fabric over his head and threw it to the side before his lips were back on hers, hungry for her taste. His hands sought to feel every inch they could reach over her clothes and under her shirt. He was still hesitant about how far she was truly willing to go so he was respectable enough to keep his advances above her waist – unless of course she wanted more. He wasn't about to argue.
His hands slid back up her hips, over her jeans and under her top to slowly push it up. Damon slowly exposed more skin with each breath before he pulled it over her head, sorely tempted to just rip it from her body. He pressed himself into her core and covered her gasp with his mouth as he ground his desire into her, they both let out a groan when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Go away! We're busy!" Damon called out, causing Bella to blush underneath him. He hoped that this interruption wouldn't force her to change her mind about where they were going in whatever they were to one another. He could see determination in her eyes as he looked at her but his vampire ears picked up what he knew hers would not. It was his brother telling him that it was information they just got about Bella. "Alright. I'll be right down."
He leaned in to kiss her, more gentle and slow this time. Savoring her taste on his lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised.
"Take your time," Bella smiled as she pushed his hair out of his eyes. "I'll still be here."
"I hope so," he grinned, though his eyes tightened fractionally with his own insecurity about the chances of losing her were.
Sighing, he closed the door to his room behind him, already thinking of ways to torture his brother for leaving the gorgeous half naked woman behind in his bed as he made his way downstairs. When he got there, he stopped short as he found Stefan gathered with Tyler, Alaric, Jeremy, and Bonnie. "Okay. What's with the late night powwow?"
"While we were at the Grill, Jeremy went to fill in Tyler," Bonnie explained, her eyes looking around nervously. "Um, I told you all that I believed she had those other vampires after her, the Cold Ones, right?"
"Old news. Move it along Witchy," Damon snapped impatiently.
"Well, my visions when I touch someone aren't always accurate, but they aren't entirely inaccurate either. Anyway, Jeremy gave this Jasper guy's number to Tyler to contact and he called him..."
"Why the hell would you do that? I thought we agreed to give her some time to calm down and get settled before letting herself worry about all the big bad that's after her?" he turned on the hybrid, ice blue eyes turning red in his anger.
Tyler held his hands up submissively as he backed up. "Chill out dude. Wait until you hear what we found out before you try killing any of us. Your girl will have the chance to chill but there's more going on that he filled me in on and I'm just relaying the details."
Damon glared at him for a long time as he worked to calm his rage before taking that necessary step back and nodded. As Tyler watched him, he was careful how he started. "As I was saying, I called the number Jeremy gave me. The guy was suspicious, as I had expected. I was quick to explain that I was a friend of a friend of this Bella chick who was in trouble and he just hung up on me."
"I guess Isabella was wrong that we could depend on him for help then," Damon commented as he shook his head and went over to the bar to pour himself a drink. Knowing of the guy's gift, a part of him knew he would have been a good one to have been allied with.
Tyler followed at a safe distance but with a sly smile on his face. Similar smiles echoed on the other's as well making him narrow his eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"
Stefan took the lead from there, standing up. "While Jasper was obviously unwilling or unable to speak, shortly after, someone else called back. Thankfully, Tyler had already joined up with Bonnie and Alaric so they were able to fill in details that Jeremy didn't know. A friend of his phoned back. He questioned what we knew about Bella, assuming to confirm that it was definitely the right girl and we weren't pulling their chain. In the end, Jasper isn't with the Cullens anymore, having left recently after learning some troubling news."
"And this news is related to Isabella?" Damon said sardonically as he swallowed a shot of his bourbon. "So what's got the Cold One's panties up in a twist?"
"Bella's reasons for wanting to hide from Alice seem to be justified. This Peter guy, who called her a demented fairy, always had a few screws loose in her head. He told us what Jasper told him after he left that coven and dude it was seriously fucked up," Tyler said as he sat down. His dark eyes were wide, still in his surprise. "Alice would do anything for her favorite brother – Edward. I mean anything. He wouldn't go into detail on that and I got the feeling he was even kinda skeeved out by the thought. That girl is supposedly obsessed with him, to the point that she would even be willing to pretend to be the best friend to his current favorite toy. Edward only was on a high over his self control over not draining his singer or whatever and was more interested in keeping her around to prove himself even more. They want her back so that they can continue their little power trip. They don't give a damn about this girl and when Jasper realized this after they left her, he took off himself and has been searching for her since. He returned to Forks literally only a few hours after she left there the other day."
Damon stared at them like they had all lost their minds. He couldn't seem to wrap his head around what he had just heard, or even if he had actually heard right. "So wait. Am I understanding, that this guy implied that there is some kind of incestual relationship with these two? Just – wow. I um, I don't think Bella should know about this. At least not yet. She was right when she said something wasn't right with them and to take the precautions she did to hide herself from the freak's visions."
Tyler nodded with a small smile. "Peter was impressed with us using me to contact them to get around her visions. He wants to keep it that way. He explained that she can't stand him as he purposely makes split decisions in ways that she hates so she avoids looking into him. That's why Jasper had him return my call, he didn't want to chance her seeing. Even though he knows what I am and what we're doing, he wants to play things safe for Bella... So when am I going to meet this girl finally?"
Scowling, Damon shook his head at him. "Not tonight that's for sure. She's probably either pissed off at me for not coming back to bed or passed out by now," he muttered as his eyes glanced up to the ceiling in disappointment. "After all this tonight, we really need her to just relax and get comfortable around here. I don't want her being afraid around us. Right now, we're the safest people for her – all things considering."
"She is going to start school soon, right? You said you wanted her to finish?" Alaric said, bringing up the subject from earlier in the evening. While the man hadn't said or contributed much to the overall situation, he still watched and listened to everything, absorbing details, ready to offer what help he could. As a vampire himself, he wasn't happy with his nature and tried to keep to the sidelines but was ready to step in when the time was right.
"Yes. She had just started her senior year last year, so she's behind. Obviously she's older than everyone else in Mystic Falls, but she can look the part with Blondie's help. We just need the right cover for her because I don't doubt that the sparkly freaks are just using their abilities. They have to be up with the times just as much as we are," he sneered, thinking about the all the things he wanted to do once he got them in his sights.
"Well – there's enough gaps in my life that can help with that around here," Ric shrugged. "I can get her set up in the school as my niece, who's parents died. Car accident or something back in Massachusetts. It'll be easier than coming up with anything else. If these other vampires are as determined as they claim, they might not consider her connected to another human. They would look for supernatural relationships over something more obvious."
Damon and Stefan were quiet as they looked at one another in silent conversation as they debated the suggestion's merit. While it had it's potential, there was always a concern that it would be discovered and exploited by someone and that concerned the man. She had come to him and if he failed to protect her, he didn't know what he would do. "Does your witchy ancestors think it's a good plan?" he asked quietly, seeking the girl's approval to her surprise.
She hesitated as she shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. I can ask them, but you know how they feel about you. They might not tell me if it would work or not..."
"Can you try?" Damon stressed, need filling his words for some level of security. At this point, when it came to Isabella's safety, he wasn't above begging – but he wasn't there yet.
"I will ask," Bonnie nodded, squaring her shoulders in resolve to defend this particular vampire's actions against the witches she knew would be angry. She just prayed that because it was for the purpose of pure intent that they would help.
~o.O.o~
By the time that Damon made it back to his room, Bella had fallen asleep. Her face was pressed into his pillow and her arm stretched out across his side of the bed making him smile as he stood there watching her. For the first time since she arrived, this was the deepest he'd seen her sleep and he really didn't want to disturb it. With a sigh, he scooped up his discarded shirt and went over to try to pull it over her head without waking her the best he could.
He was careful in unbuttoning and pulling her jeans down her legs, regretting the decision because it only made him want her more. When he had her sufficiently covered from his view, he quickly made his way into the bathroom to take a long, cold shower. He let himself get lost in his thoughts about everything, wondering how he ended up where he was. After the drama with Katherine and later Elena, he never considered anyone else. Certainly not this danger magnet girl he had met the year before. Sure, he thought she was hot. She had all the makings but she was lost. He did what he could to help her but with trouble brewing at home again, he couldn't stick around and she had her wolves at the time to help her so he believed she would be fine.
Then Isabella showed up in Mystic Falls. Suddenly all he wanted to do was take her and run her from everything that goes bump in the night, himself included. Except Damon was too selfish to be willing to leave her the way that Edward did, or claim he did to her face. Now that she had no family to question her disappearance, they were looking for her, that much was clear. Only they didn't know she had someone. Multiple someones to watch her back.
Falling asleep beside her, having nothing else than the ability to have her wrapped in his arms was a breath of fresh air as Damon closed his eyes and tried to slip himself into her dreams to see just how she was coping through everything.
Damon found himself standing alone in the middle of a dense stretch of woods. A part of him wanted to let out a frustrated sigh at the scene, recognizing it from the area around her old house in Washington. A slightly younger, and definitely more insecure Isabella, stood in the distance reliving her break up with Edward. He listened to the douche's speech from her memory and it took everything in him not to intercede right then, to call him out on his lies.
What she needed was the strength to fight back and he would give that to her. "You're better than he let's you be Isabella," Damon announced, speaking up as he appeared behind her. Dream Bella didn't even flinch, even in her unconsciousness knew he wasn't a threat considering the way her body held itself with tension in Edward's proximity.
"All you ever told me was lies Edward. Why is this any different?" she whispered as she shook her head, ignoring both men. "If you want to leave, then go. But don't treat me like I don't matter, that my opinions aren't important."
"Gattina, let him know what you really think. Don't hold back now," he continued to encourage her.
Edward flashed a coal black glare up at him but gave no other response. "Bella, you're not good for me..."
From behind her, Damon could just feel the fury rolling off his girl and it made him glow with pride as she flared. "No. You're not the one that's good for me Edward. Now I'd appreciate it if you would leave like you were just promising and never come back. After all I'm only human. I'll forget you soon enough, right?"
His hunger for her overrode his common sense and lunged forward but before Damon could step in, something in the dream changed and Bella pushed Edward back. He never was able to get a finger on her, leaving him sprawled on the forest floor in a confused heap. Damon, who had taken a protective stance in front of her, turned to look at her to check on her well-being but was surprised to find a vampire version of his vixen glaring fire at the walking ice pop.
Damon was pushed out of Bella's dream as she shifted in her sleep, waking slightly to find him back in bed with her. He kept a smooth smile on his face as he brushed his fingers over the back of her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"What was so important to pull you away?" she murmured sleepily, her head falling to his chest as she curled up to his side.
"Just some logistics for you around town. We'll fill you in tomorrow," he said, swallowing as he told her only the partial truth. He knew quite well that when angered, she could be one force to be reckoned with and he hoped that if she found out and was upset with him for any reason, she would be rational about it. Staring up at the ceiling, he knew they were in for a long ride.
~o.O.o~
And that concludes Chapter 7! I hope you all enjoyed it! And I hope I addressed some of the hopes that were expressed in your reviews! Please do let me know what you think! And as a giant thank you for your guidance, I will admit the next chapter will feature Bella starting school in Mystic Falls. Have a good night! *kisses*
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
It was nearing a full week with Bella being in Mystic Falls and aside from getting familiar with the general layout of town, Damon made sure she knew exactly who the key figures were to know. He pointed out the names and faces that were allies, and those who were not so friendly, but Bella knew to take certain opinions with a grain of salt simply because this was Damon.
The two seemed to have been doing a dance of sorts around one another. It was clear the amount of affection they clearly held but neither one was willing to voice it. He wanted her to be the brave wildcat he knew she was to call him out, as he had seen in her eyes in her dreams, but she wasn't ready. And he was simply still too terrified of rejection to bring it up himself.
Everyone was frustrated just by being in the same room of them, their tension so palpable but knowing it wasn't their place to say anything. It was something the two just needed to figure out on their own but Elena was nearing her wits end and every time she went to open her mouth to say something, Stefan would drag her out to take her hunting or to the mall to distract her.
One thing though that kept Damon from confronting Bella was that he was afraid of her completely turning down his blood to turn her. While she had plenty of other vampires around her now that could turn her when the time came, he wanted his blood to sire her. It had nothing to do with sire bonds that he seemed to have the unfortunate luck to develop. It was just the intimacy of it that for once he wanted to give someone and not allow someone else to do. Isabella was his and he would fight for her to his last breath, to his last drop of blood.
While the unusual mating dance between Damon and Bella had progressed, and Elena watched from afar, she continued to feel those pangs of jealousy. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was the first night but it was something she realized, seeing them together, that she could get over in time. When Jeremy and Stefan told her about what had been going on with Bella's ex, she had gotten an idea that could possibly be used to their advantage, but didn't want to tell anyone yet. She would first need to speak with Bella about it alone, if only Damon trusted her enough after the way she had treated her initially. She understood his skepticism, but something inside her just knew that for him to get what he wants, he would need her help.
~o.O.o~
Bella stood between Caroline and Bonnie as she looked up at the building. She was frozen in place since she stepped out of Elena's car as she tried to mentally psych herself up to walk into school. It wasn't the whole school thing that bothered her. It was the new student syndrome that she hated. Despite the girls' stories and gossip that they tried to fill her in on with the students they were familiar with, she was also slightly uncomfortable with the fact that she was older than her classmates. While she should have graduated that past June with her class back in Forks, her depression after Edward leaving kept her out to the point that before Charlie died, he was considering sending her to a psychiatric hospital because he was at a loss of what to do with her.
She started turning around and coming back to life after she met Damon, but that only lasted so long before her life shattered again. Taking a deep breath, she smiled back at her new friends and even Elena. While she still didn't quite trust her, she was giving her the benefit of a doubt. Caroline was sure that this was the same girl now that she grew up with, and she did trust Caroline.
"Okay so you remember your cover story? Alaric already registered you and he'll meet us in the office with your schedule," Elena grinned happily. Whatever the girl took that morning was so peppy that it made Bella want to vomit rainbows and butterflies.
"Isabella Saltzman. Ric is my uncle and I just moved here from Boston, where he was raised. My parents died in a car crash, drunk driver, and him being my last known living relative, here I am," Bella repeated robotically. "Let's just get this over with already."
Bonnie squeezed her hand in encouragement. "Why don't you all go to class. I have first period free so I'll show Bella to the office so that it's not so overwhelming," she smiled, giving them a small nod.
Elena and Caroline looked to her to see if she'd be fine and all Bella could do was nod, flashing Bonnie with a grateful smile. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No problem. I actually wanted to get you alone for a few minutes to talk away from the others. Damon told me he asked you to drink his blood in case something did happen to you and we couldn't get to you in time. Have you thought about it at all?" she asked curiously.
Bella hesitated. "I honestly don't know. When I was with Edward, all I wanted to be was a vampire like him so that we could have forever together. He was always against my turning, claiming that he didn't want me to lose my soul to become a monster. I mean how could he say loves me but not want me with him forever, right? So I'm not sure about the whole vampire thing anymore," she admitted. "I'm just so tired of losing everyone I care about that I don't know what's worth anything anymore."
Bonnie listened patiently before moving so that she couldn't avoid her gaze. "I need you to listen to me, okay? I didn't always like Damon. Hell, half the time I still can't stand him but he's proven himself loyal to all of us, even me considering how many times I've tried to kill him in the beginning. But if you want to use your reasoning with Edward as a basis, Damon does want you to change. He wants you with him, and before you try thinking that he asked me to talk to you about this, he didn't. He doesn't even know. I'm just looking out for my friends, and that includes you Bella. You belong with us. You can have forever with Damon, and with him comes Stefan, Elena, Caroline, and Tyler. You can also count Alaric in as well because this cover of him being your uncle was his idea. He knows the pain of losing family to the supernatural world and he may not be your dad, but he is more than willing to help you in that area when you need it. He's already like a step-dad to Elena and Jeremy and you know they think the world of him."
Each time Bella tried to say something, Bonnie had pushed through with her speech, the next thing negating the exact thought that she had wanted to say leaving her with no argument. As she considered everything, she knew she was right. Everything Damon had done for her since she arrived in Mystic Falls last week was to prove that he wanted her there with him. "I still don't know about the blood thing, but I will consider it more than I was before. That's all I can promise right now," she said.
"That's all I can ask," Bonnie nodded in approval. Weaving her arm through the girl's, she grinned. "Now let's go see your uncle. I hope we have a few classes together!"
~o.O.o~
After school, while everyone was busy with their usual business, Bella sat outside waiting for her friends. She wasn't into cheer leading so she didn't need to sit through that for Caroline and Bonnie had some questions about some of her homework. She didn't know the guys very well and Stefan was reluctant hadn't returned to school due to some of their own supernatural drama that she didn't want to ask about.
Still, she had no issues waiting outside, enjoying the sunshine for everyone to gather. What surprised her was that it was Elena that showed up first, looking nervous and kind of flighty, immediately putting her on edge.
"Please, Bella. I just want to talk. I don't know how much Damon told you this week but I had an idea or rather a contingency plan for you that I wanted to talk to you about..."
Bella looked at her confused, but as she listened, her expression quickly became more guarded and closed off. She definitely liked Elena's plan, especially when it came to Edward and Alice, but the question was would they be able to pull it off when the time came because it would take a long time to lay the ground work for. And ultimately, it could very well hurt Elena more in the end but with what she knows of her former friends, it could be her only option. When the girl asked her, no practically begged her to drink Damon's blood for him, Bella balked and was ready to run off but she continued on with her plan, she could see that she was only speaking to her as a friend to both of them, just as Bonnie did that morning.
Still, she was angry that information had been kept from her. That they had been in contact with Jasper and at least one of his friends since the night she told them about him and she would deal with him. She had enough of secrets with the Cullens and later the Quiletes. She was not going to tolerate it with him too, and that was where Elena had earned her respect, despite her reservations on her feelings for him.
Damon was lucky that he was busy with his errands that he couldn't pick her up from her first day back to school so when he returned home to find her effectively ignoring any attempt he made to talk to her, he turned to his brother baffled. "What crawled up her ass today?"
"Beats me. She's been ignoring me as well," Stefan admitted.
Elena released an amused snort from her relaxed position on the couch where she was reading her assigned work for the day. "Are you two really that dense? I wonder if Stefan failed to notice just who else she also suddenly got pissed with after school today," she pointed out.
Her boyfriend looked back her confused as he thought about the girl's sudden cold shoulder to Bonnie, who she had begun to warm up to after their initial clashing over Damon. He had also thought that she seemed a little more reluctant to get to know the others but she still seemed fine with Caroline and said as much.
"Well then I wonder what happened recently that excluded Caroline from the bunch that Bella might have found out about. What is it that she has issues with that might have been going on right under her nose?" Elena huffed as she glared at them. "For two vampires that are supposedly so smart you both are dumb as shit. It's a wonder if she learns to trust either of you once this whole mess is over with. She barely trusts me as it is and that's only because I told her what Damon should have told her nearly a week ago!"
The sudden understanding that dawned on his face quickly morphed into absolute misery as he started to turn to go up the stairs to confront Bella about why he didn't tell her about what was going on but Elena had stopped him. "Don't bother. She's pissed yes, but she's just letting you all suffer. I already explained it to her and she does understand – to an extent. She'll forgive you, this time. She told me as much, but I have a feeling it's going to be your one free pass from her Damon. Bella doesn't seem to be the kind to forgive easily."
He glared at her as he turned to eye her curiously. "And what is up with you? Suddenly you're like BFFs with Isabella?"
"It's not like that but she and I have an – understanding. You don't need to know about it," Elena sniffed and walked away leaving him suspicious again. Stefan too eyed her as she left the house, standing next to Damon.
"What is she up to?" Damon questioned.
"I don't know but I'll see if I can find out. Just talk to Bella. For everyone's sake? We can't keep dealing with you two if you don't know what you're doing when everything goes down. If Bella won't start taking your blood now..." he trailed off in clear worry.
Damon waved him off, not wanting to go down that road but knowing he couldn't put off that talk any longer. "I'll talk to her -"
"Tonight Damon."
"I will talk to her!" He repeated, leveling his eyes on him before stomping up the stairs. He tried to drag his feet as much as he could to their room, as he thought about what he wanted to say, what he needed to say but he just didn't know.
He found her sitting at the foot of the bed, just looking off at nothing. She surely knew he was there watching as he didn't try hiding himself. Taking a deep breath to ready himself, he just blurted out the first thing he could think of. "I didn't keep it from you to hurt you. I just wanted to let you have as much normal as you can get before shit hit the fan."
Bella's eyes blinked as she turned to look at him and nodded slowly. "I know that," she replied. "I – Damon, it just hurt that you didn't tell me. I understand. I really do, and like I told Elena, I can forgive and forget it this time but please, no more secrets. If something comes up, no matter what it is, please tell me. Even if you're afraid of hurting me. Please know I'm stronger than what everyone assumes me to be, you know I am because you helped make me stronger. I can't take being lied to again, especially you since I don't even..."
"You don't what?" Damon asked as he braved his way closer to kneel in front of her. He looked up her, trying to see into her eyes where she wouldn't be able to hide herself from him to search for what she was feeling.
Taking a deep breath she met his gaze. "I don't know what we are to each other," she answered in a whisper. It was soft and a little shaky but she still pressed on. "Sure we've made out – a lot. We sleep in the same bed and done a few things. More than I'd ever done with Edward but I'm not experienced..."
"Bella I know that. That's why I haven't pushed for anything I know you're not ready for. If you don't think I want you, then you're mistaken because believe me I fucking do!" Damon grinned at her. "I move at your pace because I want you. That's why I asked you to start drinking my blood so that you can transition if something happens. I want you with me. Edward, when he was with you deluded you so much that it really messed you up and it was all a lie, but now everything is different and we both can have something real that no one can take from either of us. Don't you want this? Me?"
She eyed him, quiet for such a long time as she just stared at him. For a vampire, he found himself becoming uncharacteristically nervous to where he started to fidget. Putting him out of his misery after what felt like an eternity to him, Bella leaned down to kiss his lips in a feather like touch as she whispered, "Yes. I do want you."
He smiled slightly at her words, reaching up to weave his fingers through her hair. Damon was peculiar in how he held his arm so that his wrist purposely touched over her lips, his eyes drinking her in. "And you'll drink?"
Bella turned her newly hazel eyes on him and in the moment he did miss her bottomless pools of chocolate. "Yes, but I just can't from you like that. Not yet. I'm still – ugh... Damon..." Her face turned a slight tinge of green and he remembered how much she hated the smell of blood, even vampire blood. She had tasted his blood before, only to help her heal to avoid a trip to the hospital and it turned her stomach then. He hoped she would get over it when she was changed because she would need it to survive.
"I'll get some vials from the hospital and you can drink one daily. While I'd personally prefer you to drain me on a regular basis," he teased, wagging his eyebrows suggestively and earning an exasperated look from her. "A vial a day would be enough. Just make sure you take it regularly – for me?"
"Yes Damon. Every day," she smiled, turning to get a change of clothes from the closet and hiding the fear on her face as she thought about her conversation with Elena that afternoon.
~o.O.o~
So...? I don't know what to say for an end note this time. How about you all tell me something witty? Love ya!
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
For several weeks, life was actually relatively normal for Bella and she was happy. If she allowed herself to think about it, the most she could ever remember being, even when she had believed things were good with Edward. She was getting along well with everyone, getting to know all of the guys and even developing her own bonds with them as they got closer.
Elena and her kept a distance, not quite talking to one another since they spoke that day. While a part of Bella was hurt by the attitude she received, she did know it was a necessary front. She was just uncomfortable enough around her that Damon had offered to speak on her behalf to Elena but she declined, explaining that it was a girl thing that would take a long time to resolve. He wasn't thrilled about that but she was insistent on letting it go.
She knew he was well aware she was lying to him but also that she wouldn't do so if she didn't believe it there wasn't reason for it. It only made him more observant and suspicious of Elena around his girl. Damon had gotten into the routine of watching Caroline driving the girls to school, then going to picking Bella up after and spending the rest of the day and night together, if there wasn't any supernatural ass kicking to be handed out. Before bed, he would watch her drink one of the vials of blood he had filled in the beginning of the week, though small, it was just enough to have enough vampire blood in her to initiate the transition but not enough to make her smell of his blood. That thought disappointed him thoroughly to his surprise.
As the unconventional family prepared for another day, Damon and Stefan prepared breakfast for their girls in the kitchen, giving themselves a short window of privacy to talk. "You should just change her now and get it over with," Stefan said, sipping on his coffee.
Letting out a sigh, Damon's eyes flashed up towards the door in irritation. "I know. I want to, believe me but she doesn't. Not yet at least. She's accepting of it as it's inevitable but she wants it on her terms. She knows it will have to be done otherwise she'll have glittering freaks on her ass until she dead however it doesn't mean it has to be before it absolutely has to be. First we deal with Victoria. I need to figure out a way to lure her out here and I need to get in touch with her mood ring friend for that."
"I'll tell Tyler to meet up with you at the Grill after school," Stefan offered but Damon shook his head.
"No. Tell him to come to the house. See if he can cut if he can. I have things around here I need to get done preferably before Isabella gets home," he replied hastily.
Stefan eyed him before grinning. "Still kissing up to her for keeping secrets?"
He scowled back at his younger brother before answering. As much as he hated the teasing he was getting for having gotten sucked into such a relationship, he still wouldn't have changed a thing about it. "Yeah. I know she said she's forgiven me but I still feel like I need to do something about it."
"May I ask what it is you are planning?"
"No," Damon replied, glaring at him. "As it is, I know Isabella will be pissed off when she finds out but it's a necessity so I hope it won't be too bad."
"Why would she be pissed?" Stefan asked confused, only to get an amused chuckle from his brother in response as they heard her make her way down the stairs. Before he could press him more about what he was up to, she bounced into the room.
"Good morning Beautiful," Damon called out, watching her carefully. There was more than one reason for his extra treatment of her that morning and with good reason. "I got your disgusting Pop Tarts by the toaster for you and your coffee on the counter."
Bella smiled as she walked in, ignoring the jab that he made about her favorite snack and settled down next to Stefan as she ate while the boys made faces at the offending food.
"How can you eat that? It tastes like stale cardboard to me," he commented beside her.
"How can you drink salted rust bags?" she retorted with a smirk.
Stefan's eyes furrowed. "Humans can't smell blood."
She rolled her eyes partly in amusement and annoyance. "Heard that one way too many times. I can. I can't stand the smell and it's only gotten worse since this bite," she explained as she held up her wrist to show him her souvenir from James.
He leaned over and frowned as he inspected the scarring over her wrist. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?"
Bella's eyes met Damon's before looking away and shrugged. He knew how she felt about it and answered for her. "Because she doesn't like talking about it at all," he replied in her place as he settled down across from them as he pulled her hand across the table to run his fingers gently across the teeth marks. "The way Isabella described it to me, it's what made her know that I wasn't human in that field that day. That was was a vampire. It tingled, right?"
She only nodded in response as she kept her attention focused on her breakfast allowing him to continue. "Anyway, as you can see, she isn't comfortable with this subject so I'll be quick about it. You know about the sparkly vamp bitch after her and how her ex and his family killed her mate. Well, before it, he had managed to get to her and bite her but pretty boy didn't want her changed into one of them so he sucked the venom out and it left a permanent mark on her. It makes her extra sensitive to the supernatural."
Stefan continued to stare at her wrist as he thought about it more before glancing between the two of them. "I understand why you don't like talking about it," he started quietly. "But if you do make the transition into one of our kind, you understand we don't know how this will affect your change?"
Bella looked up at Damon who for once didn't have a joke waiting in his eyes and was equally concerned. "Believe me the thought has crossed my mind more than once Stef," he admitted. "But enough with the Debbie Downer talk. Isabella woke up in a good mood today, so let's keep it that way."
He had filled her favorite to-go mug with extra coffee while she finished getting her things together and Stefan ran back upstairs for his. Tugging her to his side for a quick kiss, he looked into her eyes searchingly. "You alright?"
She sighed, knowing what he meant. The night before, she was restless in bed, finding sleep difficult and when she did, all she could dream about was Edward finding her and it not ending well. "You were there. You know what happened," she murmured. "I just want to finish today on a high note before things go bad – and I know they are bound to go bad very soon."
With that she pulled away from him with a forced smile as Stefan reappeared with her school bag and a curious look on his face at their expressions. Damon gave him a minute shake of his head and gestured too quickly for Bella to catch that he'd give him a call about it later. As soon as the two were out the door, the man was on the phone.
"I thought the agreement was that your dog would handle communications," Peter answered on the other end, making Damon irritated.
"Yeah well, I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important. Is your mood ring around because I need to talk to him. Bella thinks trouble is coming soon," he replied, not even in the mood to rise to the man's jibes.
Peter was quiet on the other end, as he too had felt trouble brewing himself but was unsure of its origin. "Yeah. Hang on. Let me get the fucker."
Damon let himself smile slightly, thinking that he might find himself getting along with the guy if they ever met. The trouble the two would cause would be enough to give Stefan nightmares for weeks if they were truly anything alike in that department.
"This is Jasper. Who am I speaking to?"
"Damon Salvatore. I don't know what the others have told you about me –"
"That you're an asshole with little to no regard for life?" Jasper interrupted causing him to scowl.
"Well that's true but not completely. I'll admit I'm an asshole, and probably always will be, but that's not important. I'm calling about Isabella."
Jasper let out breath that Damon could hear through the phone and just knew that the creature cared for his girl. "Just what is she to you anyway? From what I've heard about you, you just use women for blood and pleasure. What makes her different from any other because believe me I won't her be treated like something to be thrown away again."
"She's my future," he replied instantly, without any thought or hesitation. There was no questioning his response of what she was as it was something that he knew exactly what he wanted. "If you are asking if I plan on changing her, then the answer is hell fucking yes. But I think the question should be does she want to be changed because if she doesn't then I won't force it on her like it was done to me. Regardless that's not the reason why I called. I don't know if you're aware of her dreams. After your freak of a former family left her and she and I met, I learned that she had prophetic dreams of sorts. She had invited me into her house after I was hanging around and helped to chase away her nightmares. One of our abilities is to enter dreams... It wasn't easy getting into her head, which was weird in itself but that's another theory for another day, but last night when I was in her head, Edward was trying to take her away. He wanted her for something specific, and not just her blood. She's afraid that he's getting closer to finding her and right now, I don't know how to help her feel better about it until he's here and I can rip his head off his shoulders."
He was quiet on the other end for quite some time but Damon could hear whispering between him and Peter as they discussed their ideas on what to do before getting back on the phone. "Right now, keep your dog with her at all times. That will keep Alice blind to Bella. Your friends told me how your kind change. Make sure you keep a good amount of vampire blood in her in case something happens. We're actually in Seattle as we are attempting to corner Victoria and her newborns. I'm hoping to be heading your way by the end of the week if all goes as planned."
Damon couldn't help but to let out a sarcastic snort. "Yeah and when does anything ever go to plan?"
"That's what I been trying to tell this fucker!" Peter exclaimed in the background as he laughed hysterically.
"I'll get word to the mutt," he said as he agreed. "Just take care of that red headed bitch so that Isabella can get a decent night's sleep for once. I can only help ease her dreams so much."
"How is she doing?" Jasper asked concerned.
"Truthfully? She's okay I guess. Better than she was when she got here. She was barely holding it together then. She smiles now. Genuine smiles that lights up her eyes," he grinned to himself as he thought about how she laughed when he and Stefan got into it when she dared them to make pasta from scratch for dinner a few nights prior.
"You and I will be having a little chat when we meet in person. You know that, right?" Jasper questioned, the threat clear in his voice but Damon understood it loud and clear.
Despite knowing him being physically stronger and more powerful than any Cold One, including the infamous Major from the Southern Wars, Damon swallowed back his nerves because he knew the other vampire and Bella saw each other very much like siblings and that was a very dangerous combination when it came to the welfare of one another. He was bad enough with her as he was in love with her and it was messing with his head enough with his realization of it that he didn't quite what to go down the other avenues yet of their relationship.
"I hear you loud and clear," he replied. "We'll be in touch if anything changes." Damon hung up and nearly threw his phone across the room when it rang.
"What?!" he snapped, not caring who was on the other end but calmed immediately at the news he was hearing. "Got it. I'm on my way now." Grinning to himself, Damon fist pumped the air as he was pleased that as least one thing was going right that day.
~o.O.o~
By the time that Damon got back to the house with Bella's belated birthday present, he stashed it in the garage under a tarp knowing she hadn't gone in there once since she arrived. He shot Stefan a text with a warning to keep her out in case he was around if she happened to decide to explore in there, though he doubted it.
Glancing at the time, he cursed when he realized he was going to be late with picking up Bella and was just pulling out of the driveway again when his phone rang. "Yeah?" he answered in greeting, not bothering to check the ID.
"We got a problem. Victoria snuck through a mess of newborns and is on the way to you. She managed to turn a tracker and she is back on her trail so keep an eye out. We're finishing up here then catching the next flight out," Jasper growled into the phone but all Damon could do to react was crush the device he held as he picked up speed on his way to the school.
~o.O.o~
I want to thank everyone for their support this weekend. I managed to finish this chapter today and I am hoping to get at least one or two chapters on the other stories done for my other followers as well. I am feeling a little better, although I did end up in the emergency room for the pain yesterday and was forced to take off work today. Even though the doctor wants me off the rest of the week, reality doesn't allow for that but my schedule is thankfully light this week and I have awesome coworkers that support me. I couldn't ask for a better team.
So, when I am semi-lucid (I was given some nice pain killers), I've been working on a new website to host my writings, as I do plan on some Bella/Damon naughtynaughty action that FFnet frowns upon. If you would like to bookmark it, the address is: .com
I am planning on getting active on Twitter again! If anyone is on there, please feel free to follow me meekobb but please do shoot me an meekobb message to let me know you are from FFnet. I will be mentioning updates on there as well. I also have a newsletter sign up on the website if you wish to follow me through there for updates as well.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
Waking that day, Bella knew it was going to be a bad one. She wasn't sure how, but it was going to change things dramatically and she found herself anxious throughout the morning. On the way to school, Stefan was more than a little upset with her that she hadn't shared with them before about her bite mark previously, though he did admit to understanding why she didn't want to bring it up.
Throughout the day, she was skittish, always seemingly seeing something just out of the corner of her eye but when she looks, nothing is there. By the end of the day, her anxiety and fear was so palpable that it had Elena's thirst for her beginning to climb.
Scribbling a note, Elena passed it over to the girl. What the hell is up with you?!
Bella bit her lip as her eyes darted around, continuously seeking out for the threat that she just knew was there but couldn't see with her human eyes. Elena had watched her and easily picked up on the cues, looking around herself, further out with her own ears and eyesight through the windows, unable to find anything in particular.
I don't know. Just something isn't right. I need to get out of here. Do you know of anywhere safe that I can hide that 'others' won't know or find easily? Bella sent back quickly, which Elena quickly tore up after reading with a quick nod.
"Mr. Fischer? Isabella isn't feeling so great. Would it be alright if I take her to the nurse?" Elena questioned, giving them an excuse to get out of the classroom before the end. After giving the girl a cursory glance, he nodded his permission and the two quickly slipped out of the room.
Dumping their books in Bella's locker, which was closer, they quickly fled the school grounds and headed into town on foot as quickly as they could to the best place that Elena thought of that she would hide Bella to lure whatever Cold One may be in the area out.
Elena debated on which route to take, whether to set out to locate the Cold Ones herself or to meet up with the group and work on 'helping' them look for Bella with them. She knew that Damon had been less than trusting of her lately, so she wasn't exactly confident in his reaction to her appearing with Bella being missing now, even if she knew she was safe.
She had snuck back in and out of the boarding house with some of Bella's clothing and a few vials of Damon's blood, working on setting a false trail that she had heard was used before to mislead a tracker and figured it was worth a shot. It would at least draw anyone away from the tomb by at close to ten minutes, even at vampire speed.
~o.O.o~
Damon nearly skidded to a stop as he pulled up to the school, the panic in his eyes evident to his friends as they rushed up to the car. He was busy searching for one person though that was only increasing his fear. "Where's Bella?" he questioned.
"She hasn't come out yet. She and Elena has last period together," Bonnie replied, frowning as she looked around for the danger that he was obviously sensing. "What's wrong?"
"Jasper called. Victoria figured out where she is and is on her way. He's not sure how much of a head start she got but they got stuck cleaning up newborns and can't leave Washington until they are dealt with so we need to find Bella now," he demanded angrily as he stormed passed them as he very nearly tore into the school building to search for the girls.
The group had split up but after an hour of searching the entire campus, no one was able to find either Bella or Elena. "When was the last anyone saw them?" Damon questioned, his voice a deadly calm as he paced in his frustration.
"I had sixth period with Bella," Caroline answered meekly, while Matt mentioned seeing her walk past his class during seventh but seemed fine, thinking she might have just been on her way to the girls room. That only left everyone even more confused and worried that Victoria may already be around.
"Okay, split up and start looking around town. Look anywhere, everywhere. Just find them," Damon snapped, slamming the door to his car as he sped off in search for the two missing girls. He was pissed off and scared at not knowing which threat was in town that forced his Bella to go missing the way she did. He also couldn't help but feel suspicious of Elena having something to do with it.
As he drove through town, he passed through some of the group's more regular hangouts. He knew she would be smart enough to stay in well populated areas enough to cause a scene if necessary if any Cold Ones came around. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of one sniffing around and smirked as he pulled into the Grill's parking lot and quickly made his way over behind the midget.
"You're not going to get to her so I suggest that if you want to keep your head, you'll leave town faster than you can blink," he whispered in her ear.
Alice had flinched slightly, growling. The movement was enough to suggest to Damon that she hadn't been able to see Damon's decision to approach her, making him grin maliciously. The midget vampire turned as she eyed the taller creature, unsure of what about him was to be able to get around her visions as he appeared human to her. "I assume Bella has told you about my family?" she questioned, playing the innocent friend role quite well.
"Nu-uh," Damon smirked as he wagged a finger at her. "She didn't just tell me about her ex and that piss poor excuse for a family. Isabella didn't need to tell me everything for me to know as much as I knew. I was able to fill in the blanks and if you think that you are going to try dragging her back – take a look into that crystal ball in your head and tell me how you see that ending."
She scowled as she realized that this man knew her gift, that the Bella that they were forced to leave behind would have actually spilled their guarded secrets. "You think so? Bella and my brother are mates. No one will be able to break that kind of bond," she said with such confidence that would make Damon laugh hysterically if he was sure that Bella was safe while there were psychotic Cold Ones running about town.
"If they were mates, then I'm Mother Fucking Theresa," he smiled back, not biting on her bait. "I know who and what you are so you don't fool me and your mind fuckery won't work either."
"You think so?" Alice grinned in response, far more confidence in it than he felt she should have which made him hesitate. "Edward is already on her trail so it won't be long until he finds her."
He frowned and glared at her, trying to see if she was lying or not. Not taking the chance, Damon backed away from her as he looked off as his mind tried to figure out what it was he was missing. He took off for the boarding house in hopes that Bella may have gone back there.
Immediately, he picked up on the stench of another Cold One that he assumed was Edward. What he was surprised at was the more fresh scent of Elena that was coming from the his room. He went in and stood there for a moment, eying the surface for any disturbances. He went over to the closet but nothing was unusual there and his instincts pulled him into the bath where he looked around confused.
Suddenly his eyes fell on the hamper where her clothes that she had worn most recently would be, as neither of them had done any laundry that week yet. Flashing over to it, he threw the lid open and slammed it closed to find it empty. Someone had taken it for her scent, he just knew.
He ran down to the door and looked out the back into the woods, the need to kill something growing stronger as he shot forward, tracking Bella. He pulled his cell phone out once he realized where he was going and texted the others.
Damon's eyes glared at the two that stood, in all appearances in a standoff with one another but Bella nowhere in sight. Elena was in front of the entrance to the tomb and he could only assume that she might be held down there and hoped so as it was where her scent disappeared.
"Elena," he said evenly, not giving her anything else until he was sure of what her purpose of her presence was in this.
"Damon," she smirked back, giving him a look that reminded him too much of Katherine in that moment and he could barely suppress the shudder. "Seems that we have some issues that no one can quite agree on."
He looked at her, raising an eyebrow before glancing at the Cold One who growled back at her. "Just give me the girl and we'll leave. My interests only concern her," he said, playing the martyred boyfriend card from the way it sounded to Damon.
"I told you. I'll happily give you the girl if you handled something for me," Elena replied casually, inspecting her nails.
"What the fuck are you bargaining for?" Damon demanded, flashing up to her and having her neck in his grip in a blink.
"I'm not saying until I get an agreement," she replied as she struggled for breath.
As he held her in a stare down, each trying to gain an upper hand, but not fully knowing what was going on, Edward tried to use the distraction to zip past them to gain access inside the tomb. Damon threw Elena aside as he flashed forward and collided with the frozen vampire, vamping out himself and sent him flying backwards into the trees.
"You stay away!" Damon growled out, not in warning but a threatening promise. "I have killed for far less than protecting my family and you've already got enough strikes against you that you were marked before you even stepped foot inside Mystic Falls."
"Bella is my mate and belongs to me. I will have her," Edward snarled as he charged back but was easily deflected back by Damon. They exchanged a blows back and forth, the older vampire growing more pissed when a couple lucky shots got through drawing blood, but enough was enough for him.
Punching the pubescent vampire back down, Damon was reaching the limit of his toying with the fight and was ready to end it. "There is only two ways she is leaving here. With me or dead. There is no third option."
While the two were battling it out for entrance into the tomb to get to Bella, they weren't aware that Alice had arrived but Elena had been ready for her. No matter how much she trained to fight with Damon and Alaric, she was still a young vampire but she could hold her own well enough. However since leaving Forks, Alice had worked on her own gift, around her blind spots and managed to get past the girl and into the tomb to draw Bella out.
Hearing Damon's statement, and with Alice's own selfish desires for power, she wasn't about to give into Edward's every whim as he had believed she would. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm here now, isn't it?" her voice chimed out.
Damon paused as he just finished ripping Edward's arm out of its socket and stared at a frightened Bella as Alice held her in a vice grip, the vampire's slender fingers tight around her neck, allowing the slightest amount of air through for her to breath. Their eyes met as they communicated together silently, trying to assure one another that everything would be fine in the end. Bella tried glancing back to search for Elena but she was laying in a heap on the ground nearby, causing Damon to frown and shake his head just enough for the girl to see.
"It'll be okay Isabella. I'll get you out of this," he said calmly, never taking his eyes off of hers.
She couldn't get any sound out the way Alice held her but was able to mouth out I know.
Alice laughed at him and shook her head. "She isn't getting out of this alive. Besides, what purpose does this human have for you other than a blood bag and a bed mate? I've done my research. Sure I could let you keep her as your little pet. Really, I could care less, but for the position that Edward wanted her take as a human, it should be mine! I guided him in everything! If I hadn't come to the Cullens, they would be nothing! I brought them their money and prestige. I am the one that will lead him to the throne in Italy and it should be me beside him as Queen. Not some human that would only die in a few years because he wants her blood and a child with her," the psychotic bitch snapped as she hissed and spit at the vampire that was in pain on the ground from missing his limb.
Damon could only raise his eyebrow at the new details on exactly what was going on, that they hadn't known before, and clearly that Jasper didn't know of. All he knew at that moment, was that he was actually hoping that the girl would finally crack and kill Bella already so that he could kill the crazy nut and her – whatever he is to her, then help his girl with her transition.
"Vampires can't have children," he scoffed at her, trying to get her own to get more information. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Elena starting to stir, waking from her most recent supernatural death. She sat up slowly and silently as she looked around to get her bearings, everything coming back to her very quickly as she saw the scene before her.
He hid his emotions well as she looked fearful that Alice had Bella in her grasp. She turned her eyes to him and motioned, asking him if she should move closer. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, not trusting her since this stunt.
"Alice?" Edward questioned, almost begging her for her help.
"Nu-uh Sparkles. You're as good as toast as far as I'm concerned," Damon said as he silenced him by ripping his head from his shoulders. He cringed at the screeching that came from Alice, who was only angered further by the action.
"Bella could have lived her human life if she never came to Forks. Now she just won't live at all and you can blame yourself," she growled as she moved her hands to twist Isabella's head, twisting it until she was dead on the ground. Alice smiled maliciously as she eyed her body while Damon and Elena stared at their friend in shock, despite preparing for the event since her arrival. "Now I have plans to revise thanks to your interference. Imbeciles." In a flash, she ran off before either vampire could move to grab a hold of her or their friends could catch up, Caroline and Tyler running after her as they approached.
"Sorry we couldn't get here sooner," Stefan said as he approached Damon cautiously as the man knelt beside Bella as he cradled her head in his hands.
The older brother was silent as he shook his head, holding back the tears. "I know she'll be alright but I can't right now. We have too much to do right now. Just – I don't know. I need to get her back to the house," Damon murmured, trying to figure out how to pick his girl up, afraid that he'll hurt her, even though he knew well enough that it wasn't possible.
"I'll go get some fresh human blood. I'm sure Bonnie or Jeremy will be willing to volunteer some," Elena muttered, eager to get away from everyone.
"NO!" Damon growled as he turned his eyes up onto her. "Until Isabella wakes and I hear the story from her first, you're on lock down. I don't trust you for anything right now. Stefan. Deal with her. I'll have Caroline get her the blood when she gets back." With his final words, he scooped Bella's limp body up in his arms and disappeared into the woods.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
Author Note: Second chapter in two days! Hope you enjoy it! Also, be sure to visit my personal website one day (address link available on my profile page). I updated the layout that's a bit more update friendly for me as I add chapters to the stories. Also, if you follow the stories, I recommend visiting the site time to time because I update the blog page on the website with thoughts on recently updated stories so you might get some insights and hints to upcoming chapters that you won't find on FFnet. Anytime I update the blog page, I 'will' mention it on Twitter (meekobb) so if you follow me there as well, then all is good on being on the inside track for updates and information!
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
Damon laid Bella's body down on their bed and looked her over closely for a moment. The bruising and mottling around her neck from the bitch's hands were already healing was a relief to him, showed that his blood was taking effect and she was officially in transition as he intended for her to be. Leaning over the bed, he pressed his lips to her brow before leaving her side only long enough to get her a change of clothes and fill a wash basin to clean her up. If there was any time he would truly take care of her to the level of sensitivity that he found it difficult to display when she was conscious, now would be the only chance he could care for her the way he truly desired without breaking the walls he put up to everyone else.
With Isabella in even more vulnerable state, his senses were even more sensitive. He could hear Stefan and Elena downstairs moving around as he tried to ask her what she was doing with Bella, why she would turn on them the way she did. Every time he asked her the question, he would only feel the rage build inside him but was forced to quell it down because he had to focus on their newest addition.
He kept his focus on changing Isabella out of her clothes, but a part of him still listened in as Elena refused to say anything until Bella woke to explain everything, knowing that they wouldn't believe her. A small part of his anger waned at her behavior, unsure of what to make of her confidence that his girl will back and support her when she wakes.
Damon finished dressing her in an outfit he had gotten especially for whenever she would make the transition, though he had hoped it would be some time away yet. Glancing at the time, he hadn't realized that so many hours had passed that he had sat there staring at her and grew concerned. Evidently he wasn't the only one with the time, because he could hear Stefan's footsteps approaching and knocking lightly on the door.
"Come in," he barely let out after not having said a word since returning to the house. It took everything in him to drag his eyes from her face to look at his brother. "She hasn't woken yet."
"She will when she's ready," Stefan said as he looked her over cautiously but not daring to get too close. "She healed so we know it worked. It could be the Cold One bite that is making it longer. I was thinking about it this morning after we left for school since their change takes a few days."
Damon shook his head, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes not wanting to hear what he said. "She has to drink within a day to complete the transition. We're already several hours in. She needs to wake soon to drink," he pointed out, not wanting to let out his emotions.
"She'll wake up soon. I'm sure of it. She loves you Damon. We all could see it when she looks at you. Don't doubt her. She won't give up," Stefan said as hesitated, causing his brother to look up at him curiously.
"What is it?"
"Well, we didn't burn the Cold One. Tyler and I finished dismembering him and have him down in the cage in case you or Bella might want to put him back together for some questioning on what the seer might be planning," he explained, updating him.
Damon nodded, accepting that. It excited him slightly at the thought of the amount of torture he could put the bastard through, causing a smile to form on his lips if barely. "And your bitch of a girlfriend?"
Stefan shrugged. "She swears to her innocence, that it was planned but that she'll wait for Bella to explain because she knows none of us will believe her. I considered putting her on lock down too but I can't help but believe her and she hasn't done anything but sit there waiting. She hasn't done anything since we got back so I don't know what to say really."
Sighing, Damon wasn't sure what to say either. "Same here," he muttered. "We got the blood for her?"
"Jeremy is here and willing. Bonnie came by too and donated some of her blood. Bella has a lot of people in her corner," Stefan smiled at him. Turning his attention back to the subject of conversation, they were quiet for awhile. There was starting to be some changes that weren't there from before which eased his own concerns even further.. "She's getting more color."
"She is, isn't she?"
"I'll leave you to tend to her for when she wakes. We'll be waiting downstairs. I'll bring up the blood when I hear that she's ready," he said as he made his exit before stopping and turning back. "I almost forgot. Bonnie brought this for her. She said you're welcome and to call her later to let her know how she is doing." He went back over to the bed and laid the item that he had in his pocket on the comforter before walking out, closing the door quietly behind him.
Damon reached out and picked up the ring and smiled softly at it. It was simply and elegently Bella. It had the lapis lazuli stones but also with a couple small diamonds that made his own heart skip a beat at the implication of the meaning it represented. He silently made a promise to Bonnie to repay her for the ring because he knew he wouldn't be able to find a better ring to promise himself his heart to her that suited them any better than that piece of jewelry that she had given them. (See the ring on my profile page)
He looked at the clock on the end table, noticing that it was nearing two in the morning, he breathed out loudly in relief when Isabella finally begun to stir. Raising her hand, he slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger, praying that she would one day truly accept him as his brother claimed she did, he kissed it and caressed her face.
"Come back to me Isabella," he whispered to her. All discussion and movement that had been going on downstairs had suddenly halted as he knew they strained to listen for them. "Let me see those gorgeous eyes of yours."
Bella let out a small moan as she scrunched her face, grimacing from the pain as her head throbbed. It felt like she had the world's largest hangover and she yearned to punch Damon in the face for allowing her to drink so much.
"I'm never going drinking with you again," she mumbled as she turned over to bury her face in his pillow, earning a low chuckle from him in amusement but it died down as he allowed her to gather her thoughts while her memories slowly returned to her. Sighing, she didn't move as she began to recall everything. "We didn't go drinking last night, did we?"
"No Sweetheart," he said, running his hand comfortingly over her back, trying to sooth her as she pieced things together. "What do you remember?"
She was quiet for a moment before shifting so that she could peek out from under the pillow at him. "Alice. She did this," she replied, narrowing her eyes, looking at him searchingly for a minute. Sitting up, she looked around. "Where's Elena? Is she alright? She was dead..."
Damon pursed his lips but didn't comment immediately. "Elena is fine. She's downstairs. We don't stay dead long as long as its not a stake to the heart," he reminded her.
Bella nodded as she reached up to hold her head with a wince and rubbed at her gums, obviously feeling her fangs beginning to form. "Fucking headache..."
"It's the transition. You were under for much longer than normal. We need to get you some blood to complete it. I'd rather get it done sooner rather than later because we don't know how much time you have left because of your little Cold One bite affected the change in some way."
"I want to see Elena first to see she's really okay with my own eyes first before anything else," she insisted, glaring at him.
"Why are you so worried about her? She took you from the school and was ready to hand you over to them! I thought a person would need more than a couple hours to develop Stockholm Syndrome," he snapped, irritated and confused at her concern for a traitor.
Bella looked back at him incredulously. "Didn't she tell you what happened? Why we left the way we did?"
"No. I want to hear it from you because right now she's no better than her ancestor. A lying, double crossing bitch the way I see it so how about you clear it up for me?" Damon questioned, staring at her with his hands on his hips as they squared off against one another.
She glared back at him, considering his history before saying something she knew she would later regret. Grinding her teeth to reign in her emotions that were running wild in her frustration with his clear suspicious nature, though she honestly couldn't hold it against him. Taking a deep breath to ground herself, she nodded. "Fine. Let's go downstairs, I'll see Elena, get me some blood, and we'll all sit down and talk. Sound fair?"
He glared back at her as she negotiated a reasonable arrangement and hated that she was right. Nodding reluctantly, he gestured for her to go ahead of him as they went down the stairs to join the others that chose to wait for her return to the living.
"Bella!" Caroline exclaimed as she jumped up, running to wrap her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! We are so going to have to hunt that crazy psycho down for doing this to you but I'm glad you're going to be with us forever now!"
"Thanks," Bella smiled slightly, glancing around as she received similar, but to her relief much more subdued hugs and well wishes. After everyone had their say, her eyes searched the room for the main reason for wanting to come downstairs. She found her standing back, away from everyone else. It didn't pass her attention the way the others were skeptical of Elena and kept their distance from her and it pissed Bella off. "Elena."
"Bella," she smiled back sadly. "I'm glad you're alright. They were worried when it took so long for you to wake up."
She flashed a glare at the others before making her way over to her, ignoring the objections to stay away and hugged the girl. "I understand. Still, it doesn't excuse bad behavior against friends. Let's get me some blood to finish this change and explain why we took off the way we did."
The two shared a small smile that confused everyone, but Bella couldn't be bothered by that because suddenly the room was filled with a scent and her head snapped up and zeroed in where Damon stood beside Jeremy as he held a glass under the boy's hand that dripped with fresh blood.
Elena wrapped her hand around Bella's arm to hold her back. "It'll be alright," she reassured her, trying to keep her away from her brother while Damon got a healthy serving for Bella to get initial edge of her blood lust knocked off before trying her onto the blood bags they had waiting on the table for her. Bella swallowed nervously as she could feel her new fangs beginning to protrude, the veins growing out from her eyes as her face transformed in her thirst.
"Here you go Gorgeous," Damon said as he handed over her first glass of blood and kissed her cheek lovingly. He stayed close with her as she stared into the glass nervously. "You'll be just fine. I think you were born for this life already because anyone else would have already tried tearing their way through the room for that little bit after being newly risen as you are."
Her eyes darted up to his as she searched him to make sure he was being honest, knowing he was never anything but with her. Raising the glass to her lips, she threw it back like a shot of Damon's bourbon that she had grown fond of. Setting the glass down, he turned her chin up so that he could look into her eyes and smiled at her. "Thank you," he said, knowing that as much as he wanted to say something else, he wasn't ready and certainly didn't want to say it for the first time in front of everyone else. He pressed his lips to her still blood stained ones, kissing her only briefly before pulling over to the sitting area. Licking his lips, he winked over to Jeremy. "Tasty blood you got there!"
"Asshole," Jeremy replied, shaking his head, amused.
Damon rolled his eyes as he pulled Bella into his arms protectively as Elena slowly followed them over and sat across from them. He continued to glare at her until Bella elbowed him in the gut. "Behave," she admonished him. "You don't know the story so you have no right to be rude. None of you do."
"Alright, so just tell us what we don't know already because I'm more than just a little annoyed at being left out of the loop on this," he replied, making a face at her.
"Fine. I'll tell you why I didn't tell you the plan that Elena and I discussed not long after I got here, but first I need to start the story before I came. You all know most of it, and Damon – and Stefan and Elena has heard parts of this but hasn't actually experienced it and I pray they never have to. Before Jake warned me that I needed to leave, I had already had the feeling I would one day need to come here because I knew I would need you Damon. Just a feeling I had from a few dreams. In them, Alice wanted me dead. Edward – he was after me too, but he was always obsessed though for my blood.
"The dreams, they were frequent then, driving my need to do something until Jake gave me the cue that sent me here. Only then did they ease up until something changed that I had a couple really bad ones that startled Stefan and Elena. I'm really sorry for your loss of sleep those nights. When Damon found me in Forks and he hung around to help me, he helped me with some of my dreams so he was familiar with my issues."
"Yeah and they're a bitch to get into because of that little quirk in your head," Damon snorted before looking at his brother. "Did you try walking through one of her dreams when I was out dealing with business?"
Stefan frowned as he looked apologetically at Bella. "Yeah, sorry. I couldn't get in though. It was the strangest thing really. I know I tend to be weaker from feeding on animals but I never had an issue with the dream walking before."
"It's fine. I know that any intrusion like that by you guys isn't meant to be vindictive and meant to help me so it's a bit more acceptable. I guess now that I'm changed, I'm hoping they will stop," Bella sighed.
The brothers exchanged a look as Damon tightened his arms around her fractionally. "I wish I could say they would but as a vampire, and I'm sure that even those Cold corpsicles explained this to you, everything becomes heightened when we change. I hate to say it but it might be better to anticipate them to become stronger and more vivid. Wait and see how they are first. We can ask Bonnie to see if there is something she might be able to do to suppress that gift."
"Anyway, so one of those dreams were of Edward finding me here in Mystic Falls. Knowing Alice as I believed, she would never be too far away from him in any form, always having some plan of hers in play, a distraction to allow for him to get whatever he wants done. One afternoon, after school while we were getting to know one another, we decided to play it out that we weren't getting along very well. We didn't know if Edward or Alice's gift worked you guys so Elena was the best option that would give a cushion that would delay them long enough to allow you guys to get to me if it became necessary – and it did.
"I thought I was paranoid in school all morning," Bella started about the day before, looking off thoughtfully. "I saw his crazy coppery hair out of the corner of my eye and whenever I looked again, it was gone. The problem though, since this bite, it always made me feel off in the presence of supernatural. Around you guys, I got used to certain feelings, but there was a new feeling so there was something that I hadn't felt which to me meant that someone new was around and I needed to run. By the end of the day, when Elena and I were in class, I was positive that it was Edward."
"She asked me to take her somewhere safe and I figured the tomb would be the best option, hoping that the spell on it might work on their race if they were to go in there after her," Elena added in. "After I dropped her off there, I came back here to get some of her clothes and a few more vials of Damon's blood so that I could get them to her to make sure she had extra in her if they did get to her and I couldn't hold them off."
Damon was quiet as he thought about the initial false trail that he easily recognized and dismissed. It would have caused him to waste time that he didn't want to lose. He lowered his head to Bella's shoulder to kiss it, he sighed as the girls continued their version of events.
"Edward's gift works on our kind it seems," Elena scowled, but Damon looked at her confused.
"It didn't work on me."
She raised an eyebrow. "It did on me. It was annoying. I did the only thing I could think of and channeled Katherine," she replied. "That's when you showed up. I had already had the idea of coming up with some bullshit reason for wanting to get rid of Bella if he went digging in my head. Bella had been working with me on what to think about if I were to run into him so that he would buy the act to give you time to get there. That's why he was still outside of the tomb."
He couldn't deny it anymore. Bella and Elena were one dangerous duo where it came to plotting counter intelligence as he couldn't have planned it out better. In fact, if they hadn't done what they did, Bella might very well be off somewhere else as the Sparkle Brigade's prisoner.
"He probably couldn't read your mind because you're older and stronger than he is," Bella explained. "Your kind gets stronger as you get older, whereas they stay the same, or weaken over time." She brought his hand up her lips and kissed his daylight ring. That was when she noticed the newest addition on her own hand. Her eyes snapped up to his questioningly. "Damon?"
Damon smirked as he weaved his fingers through hers and pulled her hair back from her neck to kiss her there. "Your daylight ring that Bonnie spelled for you. I promised you forever. What makes you think that you would have it without being able to go out and enjoy the sunshine that you love so much?"
"But...but...? Damon," she stammered, knowing he was clearly sidestepping her unspoken question, staring at him. She was focused on him so much, needing an answer from him, that they ignored everyone else as they quietly left the room to give them their privacy.
"Forever Isabella," he repeated.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
Author Note: Always looking for new friends to follow and followees on Twitter (meekobb). Just follow and tweet a msg that you know me from FFnet so that I know, and I'll follow back!
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
"Damon," Bella whispered, searching his eyes for answers that he needed to give her. "What are you asking? Because if it's what I'm thinking, I – I honestly don't know. I don't think..."
He hushed her with gentle kisses on the outside of her mouth as she tried to talk until she finally settled down enough until he felt she would allow him to explain without interrupting. Smiling he shrugged a shoulder as he took her hand, studying the ring on her finger. "First, I didn't choose this ring personally," he said. "Bonnie brought it over when she heard that you were in transition and we were waiting for you to wake up, leaving it with Stefan. He brought it up about an hour or so before you woke and I put it on your finger right away."
"Damon," she repeated, her tone slightly harsher because he hadn't given her the answer she was truly looking for.
Running a hand through his hair nervously, Damon took her hand again and fiddled with the ring, unable to take his own eyes off of it. "It's not an engagement ring so don't get all panicky but I'd like to think of it more as a promise to you," he explained with a grin as he looked up at her. "After I left Forks, I always was concerned, worried about how you were doing but we had been so busy with shit here that I never was able to make it back there to check on you before you showed up here. It fucking sucks the shit that you had to go through to bring us back together but it happened and here we are. I'll be the first to admit I'm a selfish asshole and I wouldn't change a thing because I have you with me, but I am relieved that you're here and like me now. And – and I'm not going to let you go."
Bella was quiet while he spoke, allowing him to get what he needed to say out. She let out a slow, deep breath as she looked into his eyes. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his as he sat there, stilled in surprise. It took him a moment before he reacted and responded to her, pulling her closer to him. She fit so perfectly inside his arms that he never wanted to let her go as he just held her there.
Letting out a sigh, she looked at him with a small smile. "Well, while my change came sooner than we would have liked, we knew it was inevitable. Only we had believed it might have been Victoria coming first and not Alice and Edward. Speaking of them – where are they?"
He sighed as her question broke the spell of happiness that was around them broke. His hold tightened fractionally. "Edward is in pieces downstairs. Stefan and Tyler thought it would be a good idea to keep him around for questioning later. For once, he thought with his brain."
Bella smirked as she rested her head on his shoulder. "He can chill out there for awhile. I'm in no rush to deal with him at the moment. From what I remember that Jasper told me once, the longer they are apart, the more painful it is when they are put back together."
Damon grinned as he pulled her hair back and kissed her neck. "You just are a saucy little devil aren't you?"
"Well, he doesn't deserve anything less. Now what about Alice? She got away, didn't she?" she asked, frowning.
"Yep. We'll get her. Whatever she is up to, she wants you. I doubt that she expected you to stay dead when she killed you. If she knew how our kind changes, then she would have anticipated that we would make sure that you would have someone's blood in you to ensure you would survive to transition. Also, we have the mind raper as our prisoner."
She sighed as she moved to get up, pacing the floor in front of him as he watched her with concern. "We can't keep him in the house here. He'll still be able to hear our thoughts even dismembered. I don't know about me now, and not you, but we don't know about everyone else. It's not safe. Can Bonnie secure him in the tomb?"
"It's worth a try. Come on. You need to drink some more," he said as he held out a blood bag for her.
Bella took it reluctantly, knowing that it was now a part of who she was and she would need more as a young vampire until she would get a control of her later. Pulling open the port, she sucked on it with a sigh, enjoying it more than she knew she should.
Damon watched her with an appraising eye as she drained three more bags, trying not to look concerned. "Okay there Princess. We'll get you more in time. Now what would you like to do for your first day as a brand new vampire?" he asked.
She thought about it for a moment, but with everything so fresh in her mind, her anger and thirst for vengeance was at the forefront. "Deal with Edward. I want the bastard to pay for what I've been through," she said, turning her eyes to him as he nodded.
Pulling her hand up to his lips, he kissed her ring with a smirk. "As you wish," he said as he led her down to the cellar where the vampire was being kept.
Tyler, who had been standing guard, despite the man being in pieces, smiled at her. "Glad to see you feeling better Bella," he said. "What can we do for you?"
"I want to see him," she said simply, her tone indicating that she wasn't taking no for an answer.
He glanced up at Damon for confirmation that it would be alright and he nodded his permission. "We're both here to back her up but she's running the show. She's been since the beginning."
"True that," the wolf grinned as he moved to open the door.
Slowly, as it opened, Bella could see more of the floor being revealed. Stalks of vervain that were normally piled in the corner were dumped on the pieces of Edward's body that hadn't been halfheartedly reattached to his torso so that he couldn't get up and run. "Who all is in the house?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the marble vampire she once cared so deeply for.
"Besides us, Stefan is in his room. Everyone else is out," Damon answered from behind her.
Edward grimaced in pain as he looked up at her. "Bella. Please. Don't let them do this to me. Don't let them separate us like this," he begged, venom spitting from his mouth.
She ignored him as she continued to study him, pleased that he obviously couldn't hear her thoughts in her newly undead form. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't in denial that she was actually dead because of Alice and his actions.
"And he can't hear Tyler's thoughts either?" she asked curiously, glancing at the hybrid.
"Oh he can. I just been regaling him with memories of times with all the girls I've been with as you told us about. He's been a simpering idiot in here since we put his head back on his shoulders. Kept his limbs under the vervain. I was actually surprised that it actually causing a reaction. It's like its burning the marble of his skin, causing it to darken. Reminds me of gangrene," Tyler replied as he moved the vervain aside with his foot to show her.
She wondered idly if it would heal after he fed but decided it wouldn't be worth testing for awhile. If she could cause permanent damage and let him live, it might be worth pursuing. "Call Bonnie and ask her when she will be ready to see if we can lock him in the tomb. I don't want him in the house longer than necessary.
"Bella! What is wrong with you! They are brainwashing you! This isn't you!" Edward cried out to her but she continued to act as if she hadn't heard a thing he said, making Damon smirk in amusement.
"Anything else your highness?" Damon questioned, making her smile as she stared down at the vampire as she thought.
"Actually yes. There is," she said before turning around and looking him in the eyes. "Does he really need a guard here? Because I would like the house to ourselves for awhile. In fact, tell Stefan to get the fuck out as well, or find some ear plugs."
Tyler burst out laughing and shook his head. "I'm going to go find Caroline. Maybe she's up for some fun since I'm all riled up from thinking about her all over my car..." he said as he walked out.
"Bella! Don't do this! What has gotten into you?!" Edward screamed but could do nothing to stop her as she pushed Damon out of the cellar, pulling the door closed behind her and securing it.
"Edward. Shut up. You lost the right to have any say in my life when you told me you never loved me and left me in the woods to die, left me in the supernatural world to fend for myself without any defense. I lost my family, my life. And you think that by lying now and claiming you love me still that would change things. You're an idiot. Alice is using you just as you were using me and don't pretend like you weren't. I know more than you think I do. Enjoy the show," she smirked at him before pulling Damon with her.
They barely made it around the corner before her restraint broke and she had him against the wall. Taking a breath, pulling in his scent, she grinned as she leaned in to kiss him. His hands came up to gently caress her cheek, his fingers burying deep into her hair, as he deepened it.
She ran her hands over his shoulders, to the collar of his shirt to trace it down to find the buttons as she worked to undo them as fast as she could before giving up and ripping the damned fabric right from his body. "You know that was my favorite shirt," he grinned at her.
"You have four more identical to it in your closet," she replied back, looking up at him through her eye lashes.
He growled at her before he picked her up and spun her around, quickly repeating her actions, and leaving her in her bra as she panted breathless against the wall. Bella blinked back at him as her legs were wrapped around his waist and he ground himself into her. "You were saying?" he asked, earning a low moan in response.
Before they could continue, the sound of footsteps paused near the door to the cellar. "I really hate to interrupt you two, but Bonnie just called with disturbing news," Stefan called down. "You need to get dressed. Everyone is heading back now."
Damon dropped his head to her shoulder and sighed. "Fucking cock-blocking brother and witch."
She chuckled as she ran her hand through his hair reassuringly. "Eventually. When you and I are meant to be together, they will let us. Trust me, I want this too."
"Good to know because as soon as I get you naked in bed, damn anyone that interrupts because they are going to get an eyefull," he warned, making her laugh. "Hang on tight. I'll run us up to our room since you've shredded our clothes."
Bella held onto him but glared. "I did nothing of the sort to my shirt. That was all you asshole!"
"Semantics! You enjoyed it!"
"Jerkface!"
~o.O.o~
Authors Note: Another short chapter but I been wanting to update for awhile. I've been so stuck on this chapter and I've had no idea why. For the most part, in the beginning when I started the chapter, Damon just felt soooo off to me. I can't explain it. I just didn't feel like it was good enough and it kept me from wanting it to go to posting. But I wanted to get you all something and I hope you like it *bites nails*
Now...thought of the day...What do you think Bonnie's emergency news is that interrupted Damon and Bella's hot vampy sex that would torment Edward?
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
When Damon and Bella finally made their way down to the living room where their friends were gathering again after their break from the excitement of her recent transition, their jovial mood was quickly turned somber at the expression on the witch's face. He knew he wasn't going to like whatever she wanted to tell everyone if she was willing to kill their greatly deserved personal time after a visit by the likes of Alice and Edward Cullen.
"What's the 911 about Witchy?" he questioned as he moved to pour Bella some alcohol and shove it into her hand as he hadn't missed her extra long glances towards the humans in the room.
Bonnie hesitated as she looked to the new vampire that she'd slowly come to call a friend. "The other Cold One is definitely around. Grams sent me a warning so that we can prepare."
Damon and Bella exchanged a glance. She was worried about the lives of the people in town and that of their friends, but he was irritated. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. The Whitlock crew are on their way to help, last I talked to them. They were finishing off some of her creations," he muttered as he took a sip of his drink. "So does Sheila have any spiritual voodoo from the Other Side that will help us banish psychotic, obsessive, she-devil walking statues that seem to have a knack for getting themselves out of trouble?"
"Sounds like she's got a gift that's right up your alley," Stefan murmured from his spot where he had been standing in the back, quietly observing.
The comment had made Bella think about her past history with Victoria deeper, while Damon moved to try to square off with his brother, however Alaric had showed up to intervene. "Just relax, will ya? Tensions are running a little high and considering the circumstances, I think we can lay off for awhile. We have enough to worry about that we don't need a war among ourselves with a mind reader downstairs," he pointed out, reminding everyone that there was more than just the one threat going against them.
The guilt that Bella felt grew more and more as she tried hide within the decor and disappear. The seemingly easy life that they had, she interrupted, all on the chance for one man whom she had some familiarity with and once gave her a sense of hope. "I'm sorry for all of this...I should just let her come and take me already. It would get rid of so many problems for all of you…"
Damon had flashed in front of her, looming his entire body over her so that he overwhelmed her new vampire senses. "Don't you dare speak like that. If you weren't worth the trouble, wouldn't you think that any of us would have told you to take a hike a helluva long time ago? Even if any one of these idiots didn't want you here, I would tell them to fuck off because I promised you that I would be there for you no matter what and I want you. In case you've forgotten, I was ready to change you from day one but you're the one that wanted to wait."
"I'm not worth you all getting hurt for me," she insisted as she tried to pull away from him.
Before she could get too far, Damon grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside, barely yelling a "Be right back," over his shoulder. When he thought they were far enough away from prying ears, he stopped and turned towards Bella.
Looking her over, he started to get pissed. "This self sacrificing, woe-is-me attitude you have going on right now, sucks."
"I don't know what you want from me Damon. I can't change who I am when it comes to worrying about those I care about - just like you can't change who you are about - I'm not going going to get into this with you now," she said as she shook her head, trying to pull herself from his hold. "Damon…"
"Don't 'Damon' me, Bella. You need to realize that just because things get a little bad, it doesn't mean that we're just going to up and leave you, or that we regret knowing you. We aren't going to chase you out of town like those pathetic excuses for dogs - who are on my list for an eventual meal one day after we get this shit with these sparkling bastards resolved, but we got you. You are stuck with us - well at least me for eternity. And since I promised my brother an eternity of misery, you're stuck with him too. And you know what? He likes you! But if he tries to put any moves on you, I'll do so much worse than stake him, that he'll be begging me to end his miserable existence for messing with my girl, just like this bitch will be doing soon. I still have some ideas for that pathetic excuse for an ex-boyfriend of yours in my basement."
She stood there staring up at him, unable to move or barely breathe beyond pulling in the minimally necessary amount of oxygen she needed. In all his angry rambling, she'd rarely seen him grow so emotional with her like he was now. He'd given her pep talks numerous times before, knowing the damage to her self worth caused by the Cullen family and she'd never had anyone push to hold her back from herself.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Bella knew that he was only being honest with her about his feelings, as he had always been. "You cannot expect me to change overnight," she replied quietly as she looked at him. "It's not who I am."
"No. You are so selfless that it's unbelievably frustrating. You really need to think of yourself more, and in this case, your survival. Don't worry about us in this. We've been through worse than a psychopathic Cold One. Trust me on that Bellisima," he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair slowly causing her eyes to drift closed at his touch. "You and I will stick together through this and as far as everyone else is concerned - if they are with us, great. If they choose to leave us, that's their problem but we will also be out of here and never come back."
"I thought you wanted to make Stefan's existence a miserable one," she smirked.
He couldn't help but to chuckle at her remembering the story from their meeting and his complaining about his family history. "Okay, so we'll be back, but only when we know he thinks he's happy."
Sighing, Bella shook her head in exasperation with him. "Alright. Let's deal with Victoria then figure out what Alice is up to. Maybe after all that, we can figure out where you and I go from there," she said, eying him. There was a very subtle and quick flash of hurt that ghosted across his eyes but if she hadn't been watching, she would have missed it as it had been so quick.
"Of course," he replied with a casual shrug and smile as he avoided looking at her. Damon wasn't one to hide himself if he felt something should be known, so she narrowed her eyes on him for a moment. "What?"
"It's nothing Bella," he dismissed as he turned her to start for the house, closing his eyes in avoidance.
"It's not nothing. You wanted me to talk about my issues so let's talk about yours. Did I say something wrong?" she asked, biting her lip in her self doubt rising again and making him stop to throw his hands up into his hair. She stared at him as she waited for him to turn to look at her, to say something and could only hear his heavy breathing, indicating that he was struggling to control whatever emotions he was feeling.
Slowly, Damon turned to face her but his eyes were closed and his face lowered towards the ground. "Isabella..." he started before pursing his lips, bringing a hand down and fisting it at his side. He finally looked into her eyes, his blue ones glassy with unshed tears he was holding back. "You are so afraid of being abandoned, of being left behind by your friends you've made here, that you still haven't seen the truth yet. I thought I made it clear to you when you woke up before but obviously I haven't and still have a lot to prove by you," he said roughly as he looked her over. "I wasn't expecting you to jump to this self doubt so soon. I knew it was coming but not the same day that I confessed what I could just hours ago in the living room. So please, forgive me, Bella, if I need a little time to get over the slap to the face you just handed me so that you and I can get back on track to where we were before you decided to go Beric Dondarrion on us."
Bella swallowed while they stood there staring at one another. Lowering her head, she nodded her acceptance of his request. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He let out a slow sigh reaching out to grab her hand, pulling him to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Pressing his lips into her hair, he inhaled her scent into his lungs. "We'll be okay. Just give it time. Let's get back and deal with the other psychotic bitch that's after you."
She shrugged her shoulder, knowing it was necessary. Guiding her back to the house, everyone was gathered in the living room waiting. Their conversation quieted down as they watched Damon sit her in his chair and go make themselves some drinks. "So what's the red alert Witchy?" he asked cheerfully, like they hadn't taken off the way they had.
"Victoria is around. I don't know how she got here so fast. Be careful when you go out. Grams is having a hard time coming to give us information but said she did notice that she is watching everyone in town trying to find Bella," she explained.
"Well they are fast, like really fast. I don't think they need to stop and rest the way um, our kind do," Bella commented.
Tyler leaned on the back of the couch behind Caroline and looked over at Damon. "Any idea how long much longer until our friends make it here?"
The girl quickly turned to look back to Damon questioningly, fighting against the smile that wanted to emerge at seeing that he was already on his phone waiting for her old friend to answer. "Major. How you doing?" he greeted once the man answered the phone, quickly putting it on speaker.
"Salvatore. We're just getting out of the airport. How are things going with Bella?" Jasper questioned.
He hadn't taken his eyes off of her as his lips pulled back in a smirk that had her blushing. "She's just fine. Part of the undead now thanks to your miserable bitch of an ex-wife, but I can't say that's a bad thing personally."
"Alice got to her? She didn't take her?" he asked confused as sounds of him and his friends getting into a car filtered through the phone.
"Yeah, we're not sure about that. Pretty sure she and Carrot Top still have plans for her but we'll get to that in time. We have another pain in the ass bitch out there that we have to deal with before I have my fun with your former brother that's well, turning into a brother in my basement."
A new voice, feminine, sounded confused as it spoke. "What do you mean?"
Tyler and Damon couldn't help but to snicker while Bella only smiled behind her hand as she leaned on on the arm of the chair. "It would seem that vervain has an interesting effect on Cold Ones' marble skin," he replied cryptically. "You'll see for yourself when you get here."
"Sounds intriguing. We shall be there soon. Tell Bella I look forward to seeing her. Stay safe in the meanwhile," Jasper said.
"Yep. You too," Damon added before hanging up and looked around. "So, we'll have more Cold Ones hanging around but at least these are allies. Think you can handle yourself Witchy?"
Bonnie and Elena both gave him an exasperated look. "Almost all of my friends are vampires Damon. I think I can tolerate a few more around here as long as they don't feed on the humans around here."
"We're not sure of how they feed," Stefan commented.
"The humans die. They drain them or they change. It's one or the other. No in between," Bella said stiffly, rubbing her wrist that continued to hold her scar from James' bite. "I don't know what Jasper feeds on now. He was the newest to the Cullens' diet when I saw him last and I know nothing about his friends. I can only assume they are human drinkers."
"We can ask if they have any special diet requirements when they get here. Order take out," Damon grinned as he threw back a mouthful of his drink. "Which - are we going to be feeding our guest downstairs Bellisima?"
She scowled at him, her lips curling back in distaste at the thought of Edward. She had forgotten about him in the excitement of the news of Victoria's arrival, being reunited with Jasper, and the lingering issues she held of her insecurities in her relationship with her sire. "He's been feeding on humans."
"I've noticed. Do you want him to continue with human blood or -"
"Collect some rats and drain them," she interrupted sharply, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows in surprise. She didn't miss their curious looks, begging for explanation, especially Stefan. "After the bullshit he spouted that you all were brainwashing me, insisting that I was still in love with him, we'll feed him but we'll give him bread and water."
The brothers watched her as she showed little emotion. While Stefan was concerned for her mental welfare, Damon held her gaze with a pride. He knew she needed a little bit of this darkness in her to get over the damage they caused her over the years. It could always be worse if she went and flipped the switch. "We'll send Steffie out to trap some vermin when the Major gets here. Should only be an hour or so if he's flooring it," he smiled.
"Great. Are you going to get some volunteers to be their meals while they are helping out?" she asked.
"No - maybe. Look, there are options. Just wait and see what they want to do when they get here. Who knows. Maybe they still eat the big game that they did in Forks? Just wait and see what they want to do when they get here and let them have a say in their choices," he said firmly, his eyes widening slightly in warning on what she just might say.
Bella stared back at him, blinking as she understood what he was trying to get her to understand. Closing her eyes, she turned away from looking at anyone. She had tried taking Damon's decision in their future together because of her not believing he would actually want her, then she was deciding Edward's diet while they held him prisoner. She was close to doing the same for Jasper. All after she had her choices stolen from her.
As it was, Damon was controlling much of her actions on her behalf because of Alice, and as much as she knew that he was well aware of what her preferences were compared to what Edward once did, it was still bothering her and the new vampire emotions were bringing that animosity out more. But the awareness of her actions seemed to bring out a darkness in her eyes that he recognized. He made his way over to her with a glass of bourbon and turned her face to look up at him. "We're in this together Bellisima," he said as he handed her the glass and she knew that he had her back completely.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Author Note: Wow! This hasn't been updated in so long! I had said I've been working on it! And I have! In increments! I have also been working on Revenge and Sorry I'm Late, as well as others, in bits and pieces, but I cannot and will not guarantee an update for anything due to real life obligations and there are so many storylines going on. I can only go where the inspiration goes. I am trying on working on one or two stories at once right now in attempt at completing them first. My main focus right now is Something to Hope For & Taigai Ridatsu. So please, bear with me and have patience for everything else, I PROMISE I am coming back to EVERYTHING.
Disclaimer:I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
During the time the group waited for Jasper and his friends to get to town, Bella repeated her opposition to having Edward in the house. She didn't care that the tomb hadn't been resealed yet. Keeping him dismembered and the body parts away from each other and under the vervain stalks, she was satisfied that he was in sufficient pain until they could do more to get information out of him when their mood ring arrived to try to work his own gift on him.
Her lack of empathy for her ex-boyfriend drew concern by her human and vampire friends but no one commented as Damon stuck close to her the entire time and whenever someone went say something, he subtly shook his head and shoved a fresh blood bag into his girlfriend's hands. As they set Edward up in the tomb and turned to leave, he tried again to garner her sympathies.
"Bella, you can't let them imprison me and hurt me like this! You love me, or you loved me once. Surely you still feel something for me," Edward called after her as she walked back to entrance with the blood bag in her mouth, causing her to stop and listen.
She turned to look back at him, finishing her meal as her eyes blazed in irritation. "Isabella," Damon murmured to her in warning, afraid for what she may do.
She tossed the empty bag aside as walked up to his limbless torso as she looked down on him with nothing but a frown on her face. He still seemed to have hope that she could be reasoned with. "I know this isn't you Bella," he spoke softly. "Remember. Remember that you wanted to be like the family and not hurt humans. Feed from animals. They have you drinking human blood."
His twisted reasoning did spark a reaction but not what he had hoped. A snort escaped through her nose and she covered her face as she seemed embarrassed but waved it off. Bella then started laughing uncontrollably at him, tears running down her face as she pointed at him. "That is the biggest load of shit you ever spouted at me! Even more than when you dumped me and claimed that I wouldn't remember you and it'd be like you ever existed. You are such an arrogant prick, Edward Cullen. Don't speak to me about what I decide to feed from, especially when you're feeding on humans as well. Don't worry though. You'll get yours soon enough," she grinned at him maliciously, a snarl in her words as she turned away and strutted back to the entrance where Damon stood waiting with Tyler and Stefan.
He smiled at her as she leaned up to kiss him and brushed her hair back from her face. "Stefan and I will finish up here. Tyler will go back to the house with you in case the crystal ball is still able to see you. Whitlock should be there real soon so I'm sure he'll be happy if you were there to greet him," he whispered to her.
"Alright. Only because you were so nice about it," she smirked as she patted his face. "Besides, I'm thirsty. You're going to take me out soon and show me how to feed properly, right?"
Damon practically had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting to her question and nodded. "Of course. Let's just get through this shit right now and we'll find the right time to get you a live meal. For now we're well stocked on the bagged stuff."
With a glare over her shoulder at the simpering vampire, she nodded and followed Tyler out, leaving the brothers behind. They listened to make sure that she was out of hearing distance as they pushed the stone closed over the tomb before speaking.
"What's wrong with her?" Stefan asked. "You're worried about something. She can't have turned her emotions off already."
"She didn't," he muttered as he eyed him closely. "But she is reminding me a lot like you when you turned, just - I don't know. Darker?"
"What do you mean like me? I couldn't control my bloodlust. She has remarkable control around Alaric and Jeremy. Just tell me what you're thinking so that maybe I can help watch for whatever it is."
Damon looked around and hesitated. "I'm afraid to have her feed from a vein right now. She woke up, what? Three, four hours ago to complete her transition? Do you have any idea how many blood bags she went through already? She had three at the house before we went down to basement right after she had Jeremy's blood. She slugged down another two after that little meeting and five bags since we've been here. Think Stefan!"
Stefan's face dawned with realization as it seemed to pale slightly. "She might be a ripper," he whispered. "After the Cullens, she definitely won't want to feed on animals."
"She might if she realizes the danger she is. She has her emotions and she does care about who she hurts. Unfortunately, the only way I can think of to test the theory is to let her feed and see if dinner survives," the dark headed vampire hissed in his frustration.
"She's also angry, Damon. She hates Edward and she looked almost giddy that he's in pain in there. That's not something I thought I'd see from her," he admitted. "Hell, I was with that idiot's thinking myself that she would have something in her that would give him some sort of reprieve but she only wants to further his torment along."
Shrugging his shoulder, Damon seemed like he didn't care but he understood exactly what his brother was thinking. "Can you blame her? He lead her to her death. Him and the rest of his retched coven's actions killed her family. I'd want to prolong his torture too and it's not like we can kill him right away. We need him for information to get the psychic bitch and she knows it."
Stefan ran his hands through his hair, holding them there as he stared at his brother. They had problems coming at them in every direction it seemed and he hadn't a clue of what to do. "Well besides the seer, we have Victoria, right? Edward is locked up tight. Go back the house and send Bonnie here so that she can reseal the tomb. I'll stand guard in the meanwhile in case she shows up here."
It took a moment for Damon to stare at his brother before nodding. Walking away, he kept his senses open as a feeling he couldn't quite identify kept nagging at his consciousness. His eyes searched the woods, finding no threat in the area. Despite that, he used his vampire speed to return to the boarding house more quickly.
When he walked inside, he wasn't surprised to find Bella sipping on another blood bag as the girls were gathered in the living room. While his gaze was locked on her lips around the tubing, drinking happily, he almost missed Tyler approaching. "Has everything been going as planned?"
"As can be," the hybrid whispered back. "We've pretty much been shoving a blood bag in her hands as soon as her temper flared. Someone is going to have to make a trip to stock up soon."
It wasn't something that the older vampire really needed to hear. "What about Whitlock? Any idea how much longer he will be?"
"Any time now," he said after glancing at his watch. "Peter called just before you got back saying that they were about to cross Wickery Bridge."
Damon nodded in acknowledgment before entering the room, heading straight for his bar. Pouring himself a glass of his favorite bourbon, he paused before filling a second one. "Bella, my sexy minx. Let's take a break from the bags for a bit and have some of this," he smiled at her as he brought her the glass.
She frowned at it, looking between the liquor and the blood in her hand. The blood was certainly more appealing as she hadn't been a big drinker as a human, but it had started to register with her just how many she had. Her eyes darted up to his as he narrowed them slightly, shaking the tumbler in his hand to bring her attention back to it. Bella reluctantly accepted the glass, sniffing at it and made a face.
"Yeah, it's not the most pleasant if you're new to drinking but you'll get used to it. It helps curb your bloodlust," Elena smiled as she reached over to take the blood bag from the newborn's hand.
Bella pulled it back, out of her reach. "I can finish it. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste. I'll drink the damn alcohol too," she sneered as she held both possessively.
Damon stood back, letting his eyes fall closed as this was a reaction he hoped wouldn't happen. "Of course Kitten. You can have both," he assured her as he kissed her temple. Hearing the gravel out in the drive from a car approaching the house, he started to make his way to the door. His eyes met Tyler's who had been waiting in the foyer, standing there shocked and almost terrified by the scene he had just witnessed.
The hybrid went to say something but Damon quickly shook his head and shoved him outside. "Not a word," he hissed in his ear.
"I wasn't going to utter a thing," he defended himself until they made their way out to the drive. He stood next to him for a moment, gathering composure over what he witnessed. "Is she-?"
"I don't know," Damon interrupted sharply. The two remained silent until the car continued up the drive until it stopped in front of them. The lithe man stood with a deceptively tense and relaxed posture as he watched the three exit the vehicle. He never cared for Cold Ones and despite these being on their side, working with them would continue to leave a sour taste in his mouth.
The first one out had a rather cheerful smile on his face, if cocky, while the other male fell back as he eyed the two more cautiously. Damon could see the threat in the man, in all three with the scars littering their sparkling skin, but he was the worse of them. "Major I assume," he muttered as he narrowed his eyes a fraction.
"Jasper will do," he replied with a nod. "How's Bella doing? Staying out of trouble I hope."
Peter let out a snort, earning a curious look from his friend and a sigh from Damon and Tyler. "Something happen and you decided not to share asshole?" The Major questioned as he looked to his companion.
"Something like that. Thought it would be a nice surprise!"
Jasper growled at his friend, punching him hard in the arm as he passed by him as he approached the locals. "What happened?" he questioned more seriously, concerned for his young friend.
"A Doucheward and Pixiebitch problem," Damon answered under his breath, his eyes darting around anxiously. "The bitch got away but the asshole is stuck in the tomb, dismembered and underneath a shit load of vervain. Let's just say that Isabella has no issues with desires to torture the bastard."
"That's not all. Tell him the rest," Peter pressed through gritted teeth as he rubbed his arm. The female rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head but said nothing, nor did she offer him any comfort.
Damon eyed the exchange between the three with skepticism but continued. "Alice killed Bella. We don't know if she was aware or not that she had my blood in her but she did complete the transition."
Jasper nodded as his strategic mind pieced together the likely scene. "So we have a prisoner, my lunatic ex-wife on the loose, and a newborn. Okay…"
"That's not all…"
"Shut the fuck up!" Damon and Tyler both snapped, annoyed already at their guest, knowing exactly what he was fishing for.
Narrowing his eyes on the tradition vampire, Jasper tried to pull what he was feeling. "What has you scared? Is it something with Bella?" At the mention of her name, there was a flutter of irritation and annoyance.
"Stop reading me. This is the only time I will warn you," Damon said with a growl. "She's thirsty. Abnormally thirsty. Ripper kind of thirsty. It's only been hours since since she completed the transition. So yes, I'm a little upset that my girl might be worse than my brother when it comes to feeding."
Jasper frowned. "Let me see her. Maybe I can see what she is feeling and get a better understanding for you. We can see what we can do from there."
With a reluctant sigh, the dark haired vampire let out a grunt and turned to show the visitors inside. "There are plenty of rooms that you can stay here. I know you don't sleep but whatever," he muttered. Two more turns and he walked into the living room where the girls were keeping Bella distracted.
Damon couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he took in the sight of the bottle of whiskey in her hand and glanced to Elena, who merely gave him a shrug. "Isabella, your friends are here," he said as he made his way to her side.
She looked up past him to see Jasper walk in with two unfamiliar, red eyed vampires that set her instincts on edge. If it weren't for Damon's calming touch, his hands running over her arms to settle and hold her down, the urge to attack was high. Her eyes swung back to the former Cullen and gave a wane smile. "Jasper," she whispered.
"Bella," he nodded as he studied her, taking a small step closer only for her to step back into Damon's chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her firmly. "How are you holding up?"
Her eyes flickered with an unspoken emotion while her face maintained a calm appearance. "I'm doing okay, all things considered. How are you?"
"Good, good. Been worried about ya," he admitted, cocking his head to the side. "I'm glad you were able to find some friends to help you. I hear you did a number to Edward…"
Bella smiled as she peered up under her lashes, her eyes sparkling as the topic shifted off of her a bit. "He's rotting in a hole where he should," she hinted, her voice taking on dark undertones that surprised the vampire. "We'll find Victoria and she will join him. There is a special place right next to him, plenty of vervain to shove up her ass."
The male with him let out an amused snort as he looked over at her. When then turned their attention to him, being a mixture of curiosity or annoyance, his smirk grew into a larger grin. "You certainly have a thirst for this life Sugar. Of course, let's let you loose on the crazy red head. The bitch will be in for one helluva surprise when she comes for you."
"Who are you?" she asked as she stared at him confused.
"That would be Peter," Tyler answered from where he sat on the step, near the doorway to the upstairs. "The one Major Whitlock affectionately referred to as asshole on the phone frequently."
The girl nodded, "Ah. Okay."
"That's it? Just Ah, okay? What the fuck? We just took out an army of newborns in Seattle for your pretty newborn traditional ass and all you have to say when you meet me is ah, okay? No respect!"
Jasper glared at him as he stook a step closer. "Peter. Now's not the time for your games," he warned. He, besides his female friend may have been the only one to know that the man was doing what he was doing intentionally and for a reason, but the others were just watching on with continued confusion at the display or increasing anger.
It was quite clear where Damon was positioned as his arms had been locked around Bella as he had been holding her back, but as his own emotions rose for upsetting her, he was becoming more unstable himself - not that he was stable to begin with. His hands started to slip down her arms as he spoke up, "Look asshole…I don't know who you think you are but she never fucking met you before today save for one or two short conversations on the phone however brief so give her a fucking break!"
Faster than he could have anticipated, she had escaped from him and charged across the room for Peter who had stood with a smile on his face, squarely in the middle of the hallway. Jasper tackled her into the wall, flooding her body with as much drowsiness as he could but she fought against it, knowing how his gift worked.
Tyler, having had come in with the group and had been closest, rushed up to the two and made the split decision and grabbed Bella's head and twisted it, snapping her neck. Looking up to Damon as he approached her unconscious body, he winced in regret. "Sorry man."
"No sweat. She snapped. Not your fault," he muttered under his breath before bending to pick her up. Sighing, he moved her over to the cough, dumping her on it unceremoniously. "Okay! So do you want to tell me what the fuck that was about?" he demanded as he turned to the Cold Ones, knowing that they were fucking with his girl as they were having some sort of silent communication going on between the two.
Peter's annoying amusement never left his face even as his mate smacked the back of his head and he rolled his eyes at her. "Go ahead Major. Tell them," he pushed. "Tell them what you felt from their pretty newborn."
Feeling everyone's eyes turn on him, Jasper ran his hands through his hair feeling frustrated by his friend. "You weren't wrong about her. She is abnormally thirsty for your kind. If anything, I'd peg her for one of our kind after turning, but she's more controlled emotionally in one sense. She's volatile when provoked, granted, but we all are to a certain extent…"
"Some more than others," Stefan muttered as he smiled indulgently at his brother.
"Regardless," Jasper stressed as he continued. "Bella needs to find some balance with her feeding and fast. Find out what's driving her thirst soon and don't let her feed from a human. She will be a ripper without a doubt and with her history with my former family, she won't turn back willingly. I have no doubt of that. That girl is as stubborn as a mule."
Damon looked down at Bella and sighed at the image of the innocence she portrayed, laid out before him. He only wished she were naked and under him in their bedroom upstairs and this drama over with already. Of course she just had to make things even more complicated for them. Shaking his head, he looked up and his eyes met the Major's. Raising an eyebrow, he had an idea for how to deal with everything, but knew it wouldn't go over well with certain parties.
When the Major smiled back, he knew he had the Cold Ones at the very least in support for his plan.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Author Note: I've finally figured out how to proceed with this story and I'm both pleased and saddened to announce that there is likely only one more chapter after this. I hope have certainly enjoyed the extended ride and the long wait for updates. Much love, Meeko.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
With everyone keeping an eye on a very angry and a never ending, thirsty Bella, Damon and her Cold One allies left the house under the guise of showing them around town and the tomb. In truth, they truly intending to discuss the radical plan that he thought up and by the nervousness that he had been radiating, it only had Jasper growing more suspicious with each passing moment.
"Your plan has its complications and while it can work, I don't know for certain that it will," Peter said seriously as he followed behind the silent vampire, sparking the empath's concern higher.
"Damon?"
He let out a breath and stopped while he stared up at the star filled sky. "I have an idea of how we can take on Alice and the Volturi bastards but it would be a risk. A bigger gamble, because if they do agree to help, which is very slim considering our history with them, the moment they catch wind of Bella, the bastard would want to use her against us."
Charlotte stared at him wide eyed as she realized who he was speaking about. She looked to her mate and at the very serious expression on his usually chipper face, she knew that they weren't joking. "You all are freaking insane to be entertaining this idea. I'd rather go up and deal with Maria than to have to deal with them!"
Peter and Jasper had been exchanging a silent conversation with one another before they offered a stronger opinion. "Unfortunately, it's the best shot we have with everything right now. We can easily take care of Victoria here with all the traditionals around but when it comes down to Italy, the only ones that have any leverage over the kings is that family. We just need something to offer them to make the deal that they will accept," Peter murmured.
The traditional vampire was conflicted as he ignored the conversation. Shaking his head, he knew it was worth the risk just so that his Bella could live free from the worry of the psychotic Cold Ones. Pulling out his phone, he still had the eldest's number and sighed as his finger hovered over the screen.
Making his decision, he hit call and waited for the guy to answer. When he did answer, his greeting was nothing short of what he expected. Unfailingly polite, and cautiously curious.
"Hello?" Elijah Mikaelson answered.
"Elijah," Damon gave himself a tight smile, rubbing his browline at the headache beginning to form. "Long time, no talk! How is New Orleans?"
The older vampire was silent as he was seemingly trying to find the ploy in his words before responding. "It is as expected. May I ask what has prompted this call Mr. Salvatore? I sincerely have my doubts that it is simply just to - catch up."
He let out a reluctant sigh. "Would you believe that I was calling for your help?" he asked. After a moment, he added. "Perhaps even your bastard brother's."
The silence was numbing as the desperate man waited for a response. Instead he continued on, giving an abridged version of events. "My girl has some trouble with a group of Cold Ones. A pair of them having had a hand in events that ultimately lead to her death. If I hadn't been making sure she had my blood in her… Anyway, she's been sucking down blood bags like they are juice boxes are going out of style and one of the two Cold Ones is on her way to Italy, looking to get their leaders involved in either killing her or taking her for whatever crazy plan the bitch has."
"Well...that is certainly an unexpected situation you've found yourself in Damon. I do give my condolences for the loss of the girl's human life. I cannot make any promises though. I will however speak to Niklaus about your problem and see if there is something we can do," the Original answered.
"Thank you," Damon replied quietly, blinking as he tried to suppress his emotions. The fear of potentially losing the one girl that truly understood and accepted him in every way that mattered was bubbling to the surface. Again. And it sucked.
Elijah hesitated at the soft response he had received, his breath releasing over the phone line. "I will call you back as soon as I have an answer for you. I give my word that I will see if there is something we can do from here, at the very least. Until then."
When the Original disconnected the call, the Cold Ones stared at the shaken vampire. "He sounded open to a possible agreement," Charlotte voiced carefully.
"Yeah, well, that's not what I'm worried about. Klaus enjoys the hunt and kill, no matter the cause. It's when they get interested in Bella that I'm concerned. They can compel her to do whatever the fuck they want, and unfortunately, that's why I need them," he hissed.
"Then all you can do is wait and see what their intentions will be if they agree to come and help," Jasper remarked. "We will do all we can to help defend her."
~o.O.o~
It took two days before Damon heard from the Original family. Elijah said they would assist them but said nothing else other than ask a few questions regarding Bella and that he would be in further contact as he made some calls.
It was another two weeks before anything else was heard from them again. He had been busy running around, trying to keep the house stocked on blood bags and alcohol so that Bella could be fed and try to learn to control her thirst. He felt guilty in brushing off her questions about taking her out for a true hunt, promising her that he would take her soon - every time.
Soon enough, her asking stopped as her irritation and glaring grew when he came around her. He had just handed her another bag to feed from when the doorbell rang. Before he could hold her back, she flashed to the door, opening it to find an attractive blond haired man smiling back at her as she held the pouch to her lips.
"Hello, Love," he greeted as his eyes flickered over her form. "Aren't you a pretty thing. Is Damon home?"
Her curiosity fell and a scowl formed on her lips at his endearment, as charming as it was coming from his lips. It reminded her too much of Edward, causing her to growl, her eyes darkening with her feral emotions. He only blinked at her, smiling at her reaction and curious as to its underlying reason.
Before he could ask further, a sparkling flash of marble and the familiar dark-haired vampire were in the foyer as they had her pinned against the far wall from the threshold where their visitor stood, watching with fascination.
"Sedate her or something!" Damon yelled as she thrashed against them, fighting to get free from their tight hold.
"What the fuck do you think I'm doing?! She's fighting against it!" the Cold One argued back.
In frustration, Damon growled out as he reached out for Bella's head, twisting it in a single motion before stumbling back. Looking up to the open door, he was just tired and defeated now that the man arrived. Pointing to the unconscious body of his girlfriend. "This is why we needed one of you here. You think you can compel her to control her thirst?" he asked as he eyed him.
Klaus turned his eyes back to the girl before slowly stepping into the house. "I will admit that when Elijah told me that you had taken on a new interest, and given up on our doppelganger friend, I was curious. Then he informed of the Cold One issue that she seemed to drag your lot into, I became even more - invested," he smirked. His blue eyes moved to the Cold One that was staring at him, as if studying him. "I assume that this one isn't one of the ones you need help in disposing of."
Damon wiped his bleeding nose with his thumb, Bella having gotten a good elbow in during their struggle. "No. He's one of the few friends from her previous life that stuck around to help but the one that is lingering seems to have a skill for escaping. Every trap we set up, she found some way to slip out. Then there is this fucker's ex-wife that took off to the Volturi just before I called your brother."
The hybrid knelt beside Bella and pushed her hair away from her face. "She is certainly a lovely girl. Why don't you tell me more about her while we wait for her to awaken," he suggested in a tone that he wasn't about to budge on his request if he was going to give his former enemy what they wanted.
The two looked at one another, a silent consultation, before the Cold One nodded. As the man went to scoop up his lover, Klaus watched the way he handled her curiously. Once she was settled on a nearby couch in the Salvatore sitting room, he made himself comfortable in an armchair where he was able to observe the girl in her slumber.
Making his way to his liquor bar, Damon poured himself a generous glass as he kept an eye on their guest. "You want?" he called out.
"Sure! I would love a glass," he replied, turning his attention back to Bella. "I believe I was perfectly polite to the girl. She'd never met me before unless you spoke some torrid tales of my history for her to react so violently."
"I haven't said a word to her that I made contact with your family. I didn't even tell Stefan, so fair warning for when he and Elena drag themselves home," Damon muttered as he handed off the glass to the Original. "As far as Sleeping Beauty, it's more than likely you said something that got under her skin. She's been like a hair trigger since she transitioned and so far we've been able to narrow most of those triggers being reminders of the disco ball family. Save for this asshole here."
"Fascinating," Klaus said thoughtfully. "What was all that about sedating her?"
Jasper's lips pursed slightly as he sorted through the emotions coming from the man before deciding to answer. "I'm capable of manipulating emotions and it takes a great deal of effort to get any sort of influence over Isabella. I've got my theories, but I would rather wait and see if your ability to compel her works."
"Why wouldn't it work?" Klaus asked, suspicion dripping in his tone.
Knowing it would come out sooner or later, Damon decided it was easier to play it safe. "I was unable to compel her when she was still human."
"She had vervain then…"
"She never heard of it and her blood was clean."
Klaus turned to stare at the girl again, shocked. "Well. That does pose a problem if she, is too, immune to myself. You've shared this information with Elijah?"
Damon nodded slowly, staring him down as he tried to figure out the man's angle. "Well, that would explain why he insisted I come here while he went to Italy. He's going to handle the Volturi for you. They won't be a problem for the girl," the hybrid murmured as the topic of conversation began to stir.
"Fucking asshole," she complained as she held her head. "Stop breaking my fucking neck."
"Well, if you would actually try to find an ounce of control when you get pissed off at something, we wouldn't have to resort to knocking you out each time, Princess," he muttered as he swallowed back his bourbon.
Bella glared at him as she pushed herself up before she noticed the visitor she had attempted to attack. "What are you looking at asshole?"
Klaus threw his head back as he looked to the other vampire, whom was unsurprised by her attitude. Setting his glass down, he moved slowly to lower himself before her. "My name is Klaus. I'm here to help with your little problem," he said, his voice like silk as she eyed him and pulled away as she pressed herself against the back of the couch. Catching her eyes, he held her gaze. "You'll want and have full control over your bloodlust and emotions," he continued, waiting for her reaction.
Damon sat at the far end of the couch on the arm as he watched the exchange, worry covering his features. He had been too invested in awaiting her reaction that when his brother walked in to find someone they all hoped to never deal with again, tensions rose quickly.
"What the…Holy shit!" Elena exclaimed as she witnessed Klaus compelling her friend. Her eyes darting to Damon who looked back at them before going back to Bella.
Bella blinked as she stared at Klaus, confused at what just happened. "I have control," she repeated, unsure of her words.
The hybrid looked to Damon who stood quickly and pushed him out of the way. "How are you feeling Gorgeous? Are you hungry?"
Stefan quickly realized what they were doing, nodding to Elena as he proceeded slowly into the room. "I take it this visit was kept between you two," he stated.
Klaus shrugged as he narrowed his eyes on Bella, his constant curiosity about the girl left him unsettled. While she was a beautiful specimen, he knew it enough that his interest wasn't sexual. He was concerned about her, but it was strange because of the kinship that she sparked inside him. He had to wonder if this was why his brother insisted on his handling the Salvatore's newborn problem.
"You said you had another Cold One in the vicinity?" he asked as he stepped back. "I'll go see if I can track the bitch down. What do you know of her?"
"Victoria has wild, red hair. She's not exactly sane," Bella answered and he nodded in response. "Who exactly are you again?"
He smiled gently at her. "I am a friend, I assure you. We can discuss this more later. My brother has some questions he needs to answer regarding this - setup," he sighed. "I'll be back." In a flash, he was out of the house.
Stefan and Elena relaxed once he was gone and immediately turned on Damon. "Why the hell would you invite him back to town?!"
The vampire ignored them as Jasper handed him another blood bag so that they could test her thirst. While it seemed the compulsion worked, it was different compared to any other they've seen. Damon hadn't missed the look of confusion on Klaus' face, that even he was unsure.
"Here you go babe," Damon murmured as he opened the valve to let her get a whiff of the crimson fluid.
She scrunched her face as she pushed it back. "I told you I wasn't hungry. Maybe in a bit though. What the fuck was all that Damon? Seriously? What was that guy's deal?"
He sighed as he ran a tired hand over his face, partially relieved that at least something of the compulsion took. "Your hunger was out of control Bella. We've been having a hard time keeping up with your thirst," he explained as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. Taking her hand, he avoided looking up at her as he toyed with her daylight ring. "I know I promised you to take you out to feed on from the vein, but I was scared when you've constantly been craving blood like Stefan was during his Ripper phase."
Bella blinked as she started to protest, looking to the others to deny his claims but as soon as she saw their faces, she knew they too agreed with him. That they were also scared. "Was I really that bad?"
Damon wove his finger through hers and brought her hand up to his lips. "I called the only ones I could think of that could help you, to compel some control over your thirst. Even knowing how Klaus operates, that he might get interested enough in you to take you away from me."
"He compelled me? But…"
"Klaus is an Original," Stefan explained. "Only an Original can compel other vampires. They are the first of our kind. Besides that, he is also a hybrid. Vampire and werewolf."
The information made her curious as she was once drawn between both before being forced to choose a side. Remembering Damon's difficulty in compelling her when she was human, she looked back at him to find him studying her with hesitation on his face. And something else he tried to hide from her.
Fear.
"I'd like to meet him again," Bella admitted.
Heartbreak crossed Damon's face before he covered it quickly with casual indifference as he started to pull his hand free from hers. "I'm sure he'll be back," his voice croaked out.
She looked hurt at his actions and held onto his hand, refusing to let him go. "What's the matter Damon? Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm not acting like anything Bella," he denied as he met her gaze coldly.
"Then stop being a dick! I haven't done anything for you to be like this! All I said was that I wanted to meet him again and all of a sudden the famous dickhead Damon is back! I thought you were over this! That stranger doesn't know me from Adam, and obviously you all can't stand one another but he just helped me be less of a monster. I think that at least earns him a thank you from me. Don't you?" she defended herself. "Are you really that insecure about us that you think I'm going to instantly fall for some handsome face that decides to show me some kindness like you had?"
Growling, she didn't wait for him to answer as she pushed him out of her way and ran upstairs. Their bedroom door echoed through the house when she slammed it shut.
"Damon," Jasper started, not fazed by the irritated breath that the vampire drew in. "You should know that I was studying Klaus' emotions. While he is most certainly curious about her, he is confused. He is drawn to her but he feels a kinship. He isn't sure what to make of it."
"That might be the comment he made about wanting to speak to Elijah," Damon sighed, dropping his head to his chest. "How much longer of this shit are we going to have to deal with?"
"As long as it takes," he said calmly. "Might I suggest you follow her upstairs and apologize to her?"
"Yeah...that would be a good idea. I doubt she'll be very receptive to hearing from me right now though, but what the hell." With that, he threw back the rest of his alcohol and slowly made his way upstairs.
Summary: Bella was saved by a strange vampire that day in the clearing. After developing an odd friendship with the mysterious man, they learned that they were both very broken souls, lost on their paths. After she is abandoned by her friends who once protected her, she is left with no one. Taking a chance on a stranger, she moves to Virginia to search him out, but finds not only a new family but a chance at forever.
Author Note: Here is the final chapter. I hope it covered everything. I may or may not write a sequel someday, but it won't be for a long time as I have many, many other stories I need to complete first. Thank you all for this long ride!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I would love to own Damon and have my way with him but alas, it is but a dream and thus this story is a fabrication of my unresolved thoughts. Please don't sue me for having naughty thoughts for such an attractive man.
~o.O.o~
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:
someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
~Tom Bodett
~o.O.o~
For nearly three and half days, Bella refused to come out of the bedroom. She would not open the door for Damon, though he knew she was just on the other side as he attempted to explain his fears. To explain exactly why he was so afraid of the more powerful vampire taking her from him.
That he would be losing the only person to have a reason to find hope in anything in his long existence.
To hear her open that miserable piece of wood for his brother, pained him. He took to remaining in the living room, trying to drink every last drop of alcohol he could find when the bastard hybrid returned after running from the house days prior.
"You don't look like you're holding up very well mate. The compulsion didn't hold?" he asked, concerned as he looked around for the pretty young newborn.
Damon looked away from him as he swallowed a large mouthful of whatever liquor he made his way to from the bottle. "She's upstairs in our room, or her room now. I don't know what my place is anymore considering she won't speak two words to me since that afternoon."
Klaus' mouth fell open as he found himself at a loss for words. Even more when he continued on his drunken spew of verbal vomit. "Oh, but she did mention, before telling me off, that she would like to speak with you. So I'm sure that she would welcome you to our room with open arms. Possibly our bed. But I'm sure you came here with an idea of trying to take her from me," he smirked as he eyed the contents of the bottle.
"Well - I won't deny the thought crossed my mind before my arrival…" the hybrid admitted, but he wasn't feeling in the mood to kick the man while he was down. Especially with the emotions for the girl that he'd been struggling with himself. "However I do give my word that I have no further interest in her in such a manner. I...I'll see if I will be able to do something about setting this right. Surely it's only a misunderstanding."
"No. She knows exactly how I feel and she still refuses to say anything," he sighed. "I've lost her before I truly had her."
The hybrid let out a breath as he narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are your feelings for her? Is she a distraction from the sweet Elena Gilbert?"
Damon smiled ruefully to himself. "Far from it," he whispered as he stared at nothing before him. "I never considered the idea until Bonnie gave Stefan her daylight ring, but it'd been in the back of my mind ever since. Even though she freaked out at the possibility. I had to talk her down, but…" He trailed off with a shrug and stood to face him. "It doesn't matter anymore."
Klaus frowned. "Go out, grab yourself a fresh meal and sober up. Allow me to get to know the girl and I will see if I cannot find out where her own thoughts are on this situation. Granted it is rather a jumbled mess that you lot created out of nothing. She's upstairs you said?" He asked as he picked up the canvas bag he had dropped when he walked in before continuing up the stairs, determination covering his face.
Following the scent he recalled from his previous visit, he soon found himself standing outside the bedroom door. He listened carefully and could hear her pacing. Knocking on the door, he waited for some acknowledgment but other than her light footsteps coming closer to the door, nothing.
"It is just I, Klaus," he gently called out. "Damon told me that you wished to speak with me?"
He heard her turn the latch for the lock before the door opened a crack. Her eyes peeked out at him and he couldn't help but to smile. "See? Nothing to fear, Love," he assured her.
Her face twisted with displeasure and he could see the pure rage flicker in her eyes. Thinking back to their first meeting, he took a deep breath and nodded. "You don't like hearing that word, do you?" he asked.
She dropped her eyes and shook her head, her grip on the knob tightening to the point he could hear the material begin to protest. "Well then, we shall find you another name. How about we get to know one another a little better? May I come in so that we can speak?"
Bella looked back over her shoulder at the room before disappearing behind the door and opening it enough for him to slip through. The moment he was in the room, she closed it quickly and flashed to the other side of the room to stare at him from a comfortable distance. As much as she desired to speak to the man, she also did not want to help facilitate Damon's fear more than she needed to.
Klaus was unsure of where to begin as he observed her, moving to face her. "I know it must be frustrating for you, to remain confined in the house with such threats out in the world after you."
"One is in the tomb," she whispered as she eyed him.
"Then I'll be sure to pay the tomb a visit before I return home," he said with a charming smile. "The red head, Victoria, you said? She is no more… I've spent the last few days in the woods hunting her. I brought you her head."
He nodded to the bag sitting by the door, and was surprised to see her move as eagerly as she did to dig through it to see the evidence for herself. Pulling her out by her hair, Bella smiled as she held her enemy in her hands. "I think she would look lovely mounted on the wall. Don't you?"
"I can see about having that done for you if it's what you wish," he responded slowly.
She looked up and nodded. "She killed my entire family. As merciful as it would be to burn this final piece of her, she should spend the rest of eternity in misery."
Dropping the head onto the bag, Bella looked up at him. "Why is it you are here? I mean besides to compel me? Damon explained all of that to me and while I'm grateful for your help there, you have no reason to stick around and help us. You don't know me and from what I hear, you clearly don't get along with my family and friends I've made here. So if you do have some plan to take me from the home I've made here, tell me now."
The fire that lit her up when she was angry was rather breathtaking and he wished she had been a werewolf and time had been a bit earlier. He'd had loved to turn her into one of his hybrids and told her so. "But I have no wish to take you from your friends here. As to why I wanted to help with this, I cannot explain. I felt the need to - terminate a threat against you. As much as I would have done for any other member of my family. Perhaps more."
Her growl that he was not stranger to already made him smile. The vampire visage slowly bled out from her eyes as she stalked up to him. "If you have some demented idea that I'm your mate, you can go fuck yourself! I have a boyfriend! He may be an asshole the majority of the time, but he's my asshole!"
"I am sure that he is pleased to hear you say that," Klaus shrugged as he stepped away from her and sat back on the chaise in the room. "But I have no interest in you as a mate. You can rest easy. Why don't you tell me more about this other problem that my brother is handling on your behalf in Italy?"
"Argh!" she screamed at him, throwing the closest thing within reach at him, one of her journal's that Stefan had insisted she try to keep.
~o.O.o~
It'd taken quite a bit of convincing, but by evening Klaus was able to coax the young vampire to end whatever she was trying to accomplish by sequestering herself from her friends. She did so, however reluctantly. As the two headed for the stairs, the hybrid winked at her as he wrapped her small hand around his arm while he escorted her down the to join the others waiting.
Damon looked up from where he stood at the fireplace, his eyes focusing in on where they were joined before turning away bitterly. The action made her only roll her eyes in annoyance, but as she glanced up to her new friend, she could see he intentionally was provoking her boyfriend by the action. "Must you both behave like jackasses?" she demanded, yanking her arm free.
Klaus smiled and shrugged his shoulders innocently. "It's in our natural, Kitten. I do apologize for upsetting you however. Now," he paused as he looked around. "Has anyone heard from my brother?"
"He should be here soon. He called that he was on his way from the airport," Stefan answered from where he sat as he eyed Bella as she approached his own brother cautiously.
"Splendid! I'm eager to hear his tales of how it went with the sparkling royals!"
"I hope he wasn't harmed at all," Bella voiced as she looked back at Klaus, stepping closer to Damon. He silently looked at her, almost as if wondering why she was there by him instead of across the room. "Can we talk?"
He stared at her, her large brown eyes as she pleaded with him silently. They'd been through so much in such a short period of time and he'd never felt so tied to anyone. He didn't want to hear the words from her if they weren't what he wanted, but knew it would have to be said. Looking over her shoulder to Klaus, he was confused as he found him reuniting with Caroline - and appearing rather pleased about it. "I suppose it has to be said," he said as he looked back to Bella.
She blinked owlishly at him, not having expected to continue to receive such an icy reception from him. Lowering her head, she nodded and fiddled with her fingers, turning to start to walk out so they could find some privacy but a stranger had walked in stopping them short.
"Mr. Salvatore," he smiled at him then looked to the girl who appeared to wish to be anywhere else but there. "Any you must be the lovely Isabella Swan."
"Swan? Little Bird!" Klaus cheered as he pointed at her. "That shall be your name!"
The stranger sighed and held his hand up to him, silencing him. "Allow me to introduce to myself. My name is Elijah. I am Niklaus' brother and have been working on your behalf in regards to the - complications with the Volturi. May I ask that you delay your discussion for a short while so that we can go over what has occurred?"
"Sounds great," Damon announced loudly from behind her and Elijah could see that she was uneasy.
The older Original looked between the two as everyone got settled as he prepared to share the details of his trip and he couldn't help but to study the young girl that drew so much attention in the supernatural world. Looking at her and to his brother, he opened his mouth and closed it before opening it again to speak. "Before I begin...may I ask, how has Miss Isabella and Niklaus gotten along thus far?"
Klaus eyed his brother with his usual level of suspicion, but it only rose as he had previously voiced his own concern that the man had been up to something more than just wanting to be helpful with a troubled, young vampire. "What reason do you ask?"
Elijah's tongue darted out to moisten his lips as he continued to eye the clearly uncomfortable girl as everyone's attention was on her. "WHen Damon contacted me, I was unsure about responded to his aid but the more he spoke, I was curious about the girl who was so desired by so many supernatural creatures. There are only so few and in our long existence, every one of them has been in relation to our family, most directly to Niklaus so I wanted to look more into her."
Damon seemed to break out of his cold facade as his arms that had been folded across his chest fell to his side and then went to lean on the back of the chair protectively where Bella took residence on. "That's why you asked about her family history?"
"Indeed," Elijah nodded. "It is difficult to narrow down formal documents but I did seek out a witch before taking the trip to see to the - Italian matters. It was a complicated process with the spell, but with Niklaus' blood, she was able to give me a list of all of his bloodline, vampire and...more."
"What are you speaking of Elijah?" Klaus asked, his voice dropping several octaves as he stepped closer to him. "What do you mean my bloodline?"
"Is it not obvious? What is it you feel for the girl? It's not love, at least not romantic love, but you do feel something for the girl before you even truly knew her. A draw, no?"
Klaus turned to stare at Bella who looked at the two silently, afraid to interrupt as she was receiving more information than she was prepared to hear. It was Damon that voiced what they all were thinking but afraid to say aloud.
"You're family…" he breathed out, his blue eyes bright almost with relief as he looked to her. Swallowing, his face clouded with guilt for his behavior the previous days and opened his mouth to say something more but was unable to get the words out.
"Indeed. It seems that Niklaus' father had a sister that none of us were aware of that survived Mikael's assault on their pack and continued their line. Had Isabella the opportunity, she could have triggered her gene and become a werewolf. If she'd come to Mystic Falls last year when we were here and learned of this, he could have assisted in making her his equal," he continued but hesitated. "The Cold One bite is concerning as the witch pointed out does make her different from us as well."
Bella lowered her head and spread her hands over her thighs, trying to quickly process that she now has new family after recently accepted being alone besides the friends she had made through Damon. "Can we come back to this soon? What happened with the Volturi and Alice? Klaus already took care of Victoria. Damon and the others have Edward in pieces in tomb - which I ask that we never let him out while he rots."
"Oh yes! That reminds me...I shall need the red head's - head - so that I can have it mounted as you requested, Little Bird," Klaus commented, earning an eager nod from the girl.
Elijah let out a breath at the quick bonding over the souvenir of revenge and shook his head. "Splendid," he proceeded dryly. "I managed to reach Volterra before this Alice had. As it seems, she became easily distracted when she had landed in Paris."
"No doubt. She lives to shop," Bella smirked as she leaned back. She softly smiled when Damon's hand moved to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"The three kings of course were curious over why I had decided to come visit without contacting them without prior notice. Usually, we tend to give one another a warning when we have business in each other's regions. Out of respect, we tend to avoid their city and stay out of their business as they do cover their actions very well. Naturally they were wondering what happened to incur my unexpected visit," the eldest vampire smiled in memory. "Aro was extremely nervous and Caius was - angry to say the least, when I began speaking of a girl being hunted that happened to be a member of the Mikaelson family. As expected, they attempted to speak their way out of their predicament however your former friend had arrived not aware of my presence, behaving as if she'd been more than comfortable with the kings and the environment."
He took a moment as he considered how to continue while everyone stared at him with mixed reactions. "Delving into her mind was not a pleasant experience, I assure you. As it turned out, she and the kings had been in league with one another the whole time. If she supplied the human shield to them, in any form whether it be human or original, she'd be granted a high ranking position within their ranks. This Edward fellow was always intended to be sacrificed."
"That is - entirely fucked up," Bella mumbled as she blinked. "Where is Jasper to hear this?" she asked as she looked up to Damon.
"He left not long after Klaus arrived. He tried convincing me that he had well intentions with you but I didn't want to believe him and gave up on me, leaving with his friends. He said you would be in safe hands with everyone now and didn't need him," he sighed. "I'm sorry Bella…"
"I know you are Damon," she whispered and smiled. "We'll be okay."
He lifted her hand to his lips, relieved as he kissed her knuckles. They weren't given more time to share in their moment as Elijah chose to continue.
"I reminded them of their place in our world and declared that the seer's existence was forfeit for their participation in their attack on our family. It was as simple as that," he smiled.
Damon clapped his hands together. His voice loud and boisterous. "Great! So how about we go out to celebrate? Dinner on Bella's long lost relatives?"
The girl stood in a blink and punched him in the shoulder and spun to look around. "So that's it? It's over like that? All that hell and you two swoop in and clean it up?!"
Klaus nodded and did a half shrug. "Pretty much. You have to understand that we are stronger than others in our world and many fear us as we are quite difficult to kill. Myself, impossible. Normally we would not help just anyone like this but as Elijah already explained, you have a draw to you that includes us. We were more than curious and it made us wish to help and obviously it lead to his discovery of our relation. Something I do wish that you are open to exploring now that you share immortality with the rest of us."
"I'm sure she will, but Bella and I have some unfinished business we need to resolve first," Damon declared as he wrapped his arms around the agitated girl and ran her out of the house.
~o.O.o~
He didn't stop until they were at the waterfalls outside of town. The moment they were still, Bella punched him in the arms, chest, anywhere she could reach repeatedly. "You are such an arrogant asshole!"
"I know," he admitted softly, not once blocking her attacks. "And I'm truly sorry for how I've treated you for the past week."
"You've apologized already!" she screamed at him.
Damon sighed as he looked at her. "Then what do you want from me? I confessed my fears to you already. I know now that one of my worst enemies is no threat to you, not like what I thought. And you just said at the house we'd be okay - but how can I get us back there?"
Bella walked away from him, her hand running through her hair as she looked out at the water. Shaking her head, she knew the problem wasn't with him. It was entirely on her. She'd been so afraid of everything. Losing everything, as much as he was of losing her. "I forgave you for what you did days ago. Klaus even told me that I was being a bitch about it," she huffed.
"Well, considering you are descended from his wolf family, technically you are a bitch," he mused.
She glared back at him. "Watch it."
"You love me," he smiled at her, his body relaxed for the first time in days.
Sighing she shook her head. "God help me, but yeah. I do. Are we always going to be like this?"
"Fighting like it's going to be the end of us? Maybe. But think about how awesome the make up sex will be. Bella, as long as I'm with you, I don't care how hard it will be. Put me in my place. Do what you have to. But know that I will do what I need to make sure that you will be safe, always. If that means I have to go to face my biggest enemy and risk losing you to make sure that you would survive, then I will. With no regrets."
Bella stood still as he made his way closer to her. Reaching out, her cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips. "I want my forever with you. In every way possible. I know you aren't ready to hear it but I need to say it. When Bonnie spelled your ring and I saw it for the first time, it's been damn near the only thing on my mind. So yes, I know you are terrified of the idea, but I will ask you in the future to marry me and I hope to heaven and hell that you will say yes because it's only you that I want. Not Katherine. Not Elena. So get them out of your gorgeous mind because I know you. Don't let it go down that road," he said breathlessly as he stared into her eyes so that she knew how serious he was. "You. It's only you. I love you, Bella."
"I love you, Damon," she answered him, pushing herself up on her toes, her mouth claiming his in a long awaited kiss that she'd been denying him since their troubles began between them. She repeated herself against his lips with a grin, as he held her to his body tightly, "I love you. Forever."