When in Mystic Falls

Epilogue- A Sort of Happy Ending

Bella's P.O.V

"Are you sure you want to go to this party Alice is throwing?" Damon asked me for the millionth time today. We were sitting at the kitchen table in the apartment we'd moved into a few months ago. Charlie hadn't agreed but I'd eventually 'persuaded' him to give me permission to move in with Damon. I believed compulsion was wrong but I knew that Charlie would no way in hell agree in any other way.

"Yes," I said, firmly, "Besides, Edward is coming on his break from the Volturi. I promised to be there for him and be his friend,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Damon muttered, "Whatever,"

I rolled my eyes, knowing that Damon didn't like the fact that Edward was going to be there, as well as Stefan, Elena, Bonnie and Jacob. Caroline wasn't able to make it due to the fact she was travelling with her Dads to Florida or something for the summer. "Damon, I'm not going to run off with him, I promise," I exclaimed, teasing him as I leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek.

Damon raised an eyebrow, "Come here," He said, and he pulled me hungrily onto his lap. We kissed a few seconds, before I got up, grabbing the dirty dishes from on the table and heading towards the sink. I soaped them up and then rinsed them and Damon just watched me, a tired look on his face.

"Why do you do that? We have a dishwasher, Bells," He reminded me, before he pulled out a flask of blood and took a big sip of it before placing it on the table. "I'm going to take a shower, there's blood on the table,"

I nodded, as he left the room. When I was done with the dishes, I wiped my hands on the dishrag and then took a long gulp of blood. I closed my eyes and sipped some more, emptying it before pulling a couple of packets of blood from the fridge, warming them up in the microwave because blood tasted better at body temperature, then refilled the flask. We'd probably need it later today when we went to the Cullens.

I looked at the kitchen clock; there was about an hour left before the time we had to go pick Elena and Stefan from the airport. Bonnie was already here with Jacob and they'd be coming to the Cullens house in a few hours for the party. We still had to get Elena and Stefan's stuff here because they were staying with us, much to Damon's dismay. For some reason, I felt he didn't get along well with Stefan.

I was looking forward to see them both. I'd missed them greatly in the couple of months since we'd left Mystic Falls. Now it was summer so we were off school and maybe we'd be able to hang out. They were staying here for 2 weeks so I was going to hang out with them all I could. Elena had come to be a close friend of mine; we'd stayed in contact through emails, phone calls and SMS messages for the past few months.

I headed into our room and changed into something Alice would find party-suitable: a little black dress with some black heels. They would kill me but at least my little pixie friend wouldn't kill me. Besides, I'd come to discover that fashion could be fun when I was shopping on my own and found some clothes that looked good.

I brushed my hair so that it was long and flowing down my back, long wavy brown waves. Damon often said my hair was like the waves in a sea of chocolate. I smiled at that, and then outlined my eyes in black eyeliner and put on some clear lip gloss.

I felt some arms slip around my waist and I turned around to find Damon's blue eyes staring down at me intensely. His black hair was wet from the shower and he was dressed in some black jeans, like he always wore, and a light blue shirt to match his gorgeous eyes. "Hey," He murmured, touching his lips to my forehead.

"Hi," I replied, "Are you ready?" I asked, whirling around to face him. He pulled me close to him, hugging me to his body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. He smelt of Paco Robane's 'Million', a deep delicious smelling scent.

"Yes, but I don't really want to go," He grumbled, "I don't want to go pick up my Dear brother and his Angel from the airport,"

"It is kind of annoying that we'll have to drive to Seattle but I know that if it was reversed, Stefan would have done the same," I reminded him, stepping out of his arms and moving to load my purse with my little silver wallet and my new Blackberry Curve cell phone that Damon had gotten for me as a summer gift whatever that was. I didn't want to accept it but he'd seemed insulted when I'd tried to give it back so I took it.

"He was always such a saint," He complained, looking down to the ground. He knew I was telling the truth about Stefan though. Stefan was nothing if not kind and caring.

"Yeah, but you care about him. Go get the flask of blood and then we can head out." I suggested, and Damon was gone in a flash and then appeared at my side with the flask. He laced his hand through mine and then we headed out of the apartment and down the stairs. We'd gotten an apartment in an apartment building a little between La Push and Forks. It was directly between Charlie's place and Jacob's place.

"Ready for the long journey?" I asked, once we were down in Damon's new black Jeep.

Damon mock-glared at me from the driver's seat. "Hmmphh," He muttered, and didn't reply as he turned the radio up and stared out of the window. He pulled the car out of its parking space and we were on the go.

I giggled a little at his staid expression and smiled. I realized I was glad that I was with Damon. Even after all those months, I still felt like the luckiest girl in the world that he'd chosen me; he could have had any girl at all but he wanted me for some reason. I leaned back in my chair and decided I'd spend the journey looking at him, picking out every single color in his eyes and comparing his strands of hair. He was the most interesting thing in the world to me.

"I can't see them," Damon muttered, once we were standing in the Arrivals section of Seattle Airport. I tried using my Vampire vision to see where they were but the area was so busy with people hugging and crying and kissing; one guy even had flowers and a ring, so I knew he was proposing to whoever he was waiting for.

Suddenly Elena and Stefan appeared, walking by each other with grace. Elena's hair was as long as I remembered it, hanging stick straight down her back like a long dark brown curtain. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she raised her hand up to wave at us. Stefan saw us too, his green eyes lighting up. Then they were in front of us and Elena dropped her bag and leaned forward to hug me. I hugged her back and watched as Damon and Stefan stood there awkwardly in front of one another.

"Elena, how are you?" I asked, once we'd pulled back from our hug.

"I'm great. I'm so excited to be here! I haven't been out of Mystic Falls for an age, since my parents were alive…" She trailed off but then smiled again, looking happy. "This is going to be fun,"

"It sure is. Do you know about the party Alice is throwing?" I asked, and Elena nodded.

"She emailed me about it, warning me about getting suitable clothes. I believe it contained a death threat," Elena raised her eyebrows and I giggled.

"That's Alice for you. Fashion VS Death," I put in, and I noticed that the Salvatore brothers were silent. Elena noticed too, and she turned to Damon.

"Damon," She smiled, and she gave him a quick hug. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Damon mumbled, in a voice unlike his own. I kind of got a vibe that he was uncomfortable around Elena for some reason. "How about we head home so we're not late for the party?" He put in, slipping his arm around my waist.

"That sounds like a good idea," Stefan put in, smiling at his brother in a tight lipped way. It was no secret that the brothers had issues.

"Awesome," Elena said, and she picked up her bag and started dragging it along. We all started towards the car together, Damon and I leading and Elena and Stefan coming up together in the rear. It was an hour's journey back to our apartment and I had a feeling we would feel every single minute of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is the guest bedroom," I explained to Elena and Stefan on their brief tour of the apartment. Damon said he was thirsty and needed to grab a drink and withdrew. I'd have to ask him what was going on later.

Elena nodded, and they placed their bags on the floor. "You have a lovely place here, Bella," She put in, and I looked around at the crème colored walls and brown oak double bed with the light blue flower bedspread. There was a desk set up in the side of the room with a blue desk chair in front of it. The room had a calming sort of ambience, exactly as Damon and I had intended of the guest bedroom.

"Thank you. It's actually more Damon's place than mine," I replied, just as Damon appeared in the room. He smirked at my comment.

"Don't be silly, Bella. What's mine is yours and all that," He put in.

"If you say so," I put in, ushering Elena and Stefan out of the room to show them the restroom. I showed them where the bathroom was then allowed them to retire to their new room for some time to get ready for the party.

Damon and I headed back to our room and I sighed as I slumped down onto the bed. "These heels are killing me," I complained, as I yanked them off and lay down. Damon sat by my side, a cup of bourbon in his hands. I sat up too, and took a hungry sip from his cup.

Damon chuckled at my behavior, stroking my hair gently as I placed the cup back into his hands.

"Damon, what's up with you and Stefan? You don't really get along. I get the whole Katherine thing but that's in the past. You should really bury the hatchet," I advised, running a hand through my long wavy hair.

Damon sighed. "It's not Katherine, actually. It's Elena," He admitted, looking a little shame-faced.

"Go on," I pressed, interested to hear yet another piece of Salvatore history. It was incredibly exciting for me to hear.

"Well, before you came, I was sort of crushing on Elena, though not very much. Stefan kind of figured it out and there's always been some tension between us. He fears history to repeat itself," Damon explained, nodding his head matter of factly as he spoke.

"Hmm, so he fears that Katherine will happen all over again?" I asked, ending my statement with a question mark.

Damon nodded. "Yup. He should know now that it never will," He murmured, looking at me with a look of admiration. He ran his hand down the curve of my back and hugged me close to his body.

"And why is that?" I teased, sticking my tongue out at my cocky boyfriend.

"Because I prefer Swans," He teased, leaning forward to kiss me on the lips. The taste of bourbon was still on his lips and I was sure it was on mine too. I kissed him back, just as there was a knock on the door.

I pulled back, flustered, before hopping off the bed and walking over to the door. "Come in," I called, and I saw Elena dressed in a vivid red dress that reached her knees and had a sweetheart neckline. She smiled shyly at me, holding her black purse in her hands. It matched her black stiletto heels. Her long brown hair was tied into a French braid.

"Are you guys ready for the party?" She asked, peering inside the room. Damon was spraying himself with some cologne, a rich, masculine smell that reminded me so much of him.

I nodded. "Yes, is Stefan ready?" I asked her, as I turned back to look at Damon. "Damon, meet us in the living room okay?"

Damon nodded and Elena nodded too. "Yes, he's dressed." She responded, before she took me by the arm.

She yanked it and led me out into the living room where Stefan was sitting by the bookshelf, looking at the floor. He looked up as we came in and smiled.

"You both look gorgeous. Bella, you look a little flushed." He noted and I peered into the hallway mirror and saw that indeed my cheeks were pink, probably from the proximity of Damon.

I smiled a little, and Elena took a seat on the couch next to her boyfriend. "I put on some blusher," I explained, and I sat by Elena. "So do you guys like Forks?"

"We haven't seen a lot of it," Stefan put in, amusedly. "You'll have to show us around,"

"I'll give you a tour tomorrow if you want," I suggested and Elena nodded eagerly.

"That would be great, Bella. Thanks," She replied, and she smiled up at me as her cell phone buzzed indicating a message. She pulled out her phone and stared at it, then sighed and closed it again.

"It's from Alice," She explained to us once she'd stuffed it back into her purse, "She wants us to hurry up. She says she sent you messages but you didn't reply,"

I'd put my phone on silent after I'd received 50 something messages concerning the party. I was sick and tired of it already. "Well, Alice can be pretty persistent," I muttered, because I'd forgotten what Elena said.

"Yes, I'll second that," Stefan put in, just as Damon entered the room, smelling heavily of cologne and more bourbon. I could smell it across the room. I knew he had a secret stock in his wardrobe.

"Ready to go?" I asked, jumping up and hurrying to his side.

He nodded, smiling a little at me. "Sure… I can't wait to get to Alice's little bash," He said, sardonically.

Elena laughed and I realized she and Stefan were standing by our sides. "I have a feeling that it's going to be unique," She spoke up, laughter in her voice.

"Unique, yes. Untiring, no," Damon responded, and with that, we started down to the car to get to Alice's little party. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized Edward was going to be there. I hadn't seen him for months, and I wondered if he'd changed or if he was still pining over me. I was afraid of what had happened to him. If he'd changed for the worse, the blames were all going to be pinned on me. I'd have more pins on than a pin board.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bella, ELENA…You guys made it… you're late though," Alice, clad in a canary yellow dress that reached halfway up her thighs though she was so thin she could work anything, reprimanded. Her short black hair was as spiky as ever and the shine in her topaz eyes was prominent- a sign that the party was going well.

"Our flight took off late," Elena excused us, reaching forward to hug our crazy friend.

Alice nodded tiredly and hugged her back, before taking both of our hands and yanking us forward. "At least you made it. Bella, you look ravishing in that dress and Elena, you look gorgeous," She noted, smiling at us both as she pulled us into the living room.

There was the sound of chatter in the living room and then someone laughed.

Elena grinned. "That's Bonnie!" She exclaimed, and she took off into the living room. Bonnie and Jacob were seated with Emmett and Jasper with Rosalie a few seats away, fingering her way through a book and shooting looks of contempt towards the witch and the werewolf who were hogging her family members.

Bonnie's eyes lit up as she saw Elena and she ran into her arms. Both girls hugged and I smiled at their interactions. Bonnie led Elena to the group and introduced her, and I felt an arm slip around my shoulder. I looked to the side and knew it was Damon before I even looked. He smiled at me and I grinned back at him. Edward hadn't arrived yet, and for that I was incredibly glad.

Stefan stood by my other side, watching his girlfriend interact with Emmett, Jasper, Bonnie and Jacob looking amused. "This looks fun," He noted.

"Yes, so fun," Damon noted sarcastically.

"Stop being a downer," Alice complained, shooting him an annoyed look as she came to stand beside us with a tray of something green in champagne glasses. She offered me a glass.

"You still drink right?" She asked, referring to my vampire drinking.

I nodded, "What is this?" I asked, but Damon had already taken one and was gulping the contents down.

"Appelini," He responded, taking another glass and sipping from it gingerly.

Alice and I exchanged amused looks and I took one from her. It burned my throat in a good way and tasted of apple and honey at the same time. I decided I liked it.

"Where's Edward?" I asked when Alice looked my way expectantly.

I took a sip as she said: "He's not here yet," There was a sparkle in her eyes, "He's on his way though…with his new mate,"

I spluttered on the drink, spitting some out onto the ground. "New M-mate?" I asked, and Damon steadied me with his arm whispering: "Easy now,"

Alice nodded, happily. "I can't wait to welcome her into the family. Edward says she's gorgeous but she's one of you so I can't really see her in the visions," She explained, and by 'one of you', she meant a Cambiare vampire; the ones with normal colored eyes and the ability to digest other kinds of food if they had enough blood, the kind who could compel…

"Hmm, how did they meet?" I asked, curiously. I remembered that curiosity killed the cat, but then again I wasn't a cat…

Alice giggled, "Why don't you ask him? They're coming in 5," She told me, eagerly. I knew she was happy her brother was happy again. I was just shocked at the concept that Edward had already found someone in less than a couple of months. It was unnerving, when he'd just been confessing undying amour for me back in Volterra. I felt like it was just yesterday. I decided his new mate was a good thing….

I nodded, "I will," I murmured, downing my drink and taking another from on her tray.

"Easy! I'm going to go see if Elena, Stefan and those want some," Alice said, and with that, she danced off to offer them some drinks.

I tossed the 'appelini' into my mouth backwards, finishing it in one gulp and Damon laughed, patting me on the back. "Easy there, tiger," He sang, in an amused tone of voice. "The return of the ex, eh?"

I sighed, "This is so hard," I admitted, "It hurts, Damon… I don't know why but it does,"

Damon nodded at me empathetically looking like he actually understood what I was going through. "I have many years of expertise, believe me, I know it hurts… but you just have to be happy for him, like you promised," Damon reminded me.

I nodded. I had promised that. But it seemed so much easier back then when Edward hadn't had another mate. Was she prettier than me? Was she more amazing than me? Was she more graceful than me? These questions rushed through my mind and I hadn't realized I'd actually voiced them until Damon whispered:

"She'll never be prettier, more amazing…or…actually she could be more graceful," Damon stuck his tongue out at me causing me to smack him.

"Shut up!" I complained, but I was only joking with him. I loved him to bits, really.

"Nope. I think your clumsiness is cute," He put in, hugging me to his chest briefly. He breathed into my hair and I could smell the appelini in his breath. It smelt good. I noticed he had a half drunk glass in his hand. I took it from him before he could protest and downed it.

Damon just watched me with a bored expression on his face.

Bonnie came over, Jacob on her arm. They both smiled at me and I stepped out of Damon's embrace. I could tell Bonnie understood what I was thinking. There was sympathy shining in her eyes.

"It'll be okay," She murmured, as she stepped forward to hug me. "Gosh, you smell of alcohol,"

"Yeah, little Bells has been hitting the booze hard," Damon muttered, causing Bonnie to actually laugh and Jacob to chuckle. I glared at Damon who shrunk back, but then grinned.

"I just…" I trailed off.

Bonnie smiled, "I get you, B," She promised, and she slipped her arm around my shoulder.

"I'm glad someone does," I responded with a sigh.

She laughed and Jacob stepped towards us. "Hey, I'm insulted. I've always 'gotten' you haven't I?" He teased, just as Alice screeched out in her high soprano voice:

"THEY'RE HERE!"

Those two words caused a knot to be tied in my stomach and I shrugged out of Bonnie's arms and wrapped my arms around my waist. Everyone walked over to the door and Damon stood by me comfortingly, ready to support me, as he always was. I leaned into his side. Bonnie came to stand by my other side, Jacob beside her. Elena and Stefan crowded around us, and then the Cullens formed a semi circle.

The knock on the door was delicate, practiced almost and I heard her alluring laughter before I even saw her. She sounded so familiar…

Alice bounded forward and practically tore open the door she was so excited. There was Edward dressed in snug jeans and a white shirt, his arm wrapped around the waist of a tiny girl who looked like Elena's twin except she had curly-wavy hair, devious eyes and she was dressed like the men in black.

I looked to see everyone else's reactions. Stefan's jaw was dropped and so did Elena's. Damon looked like he was in another world, his eyes popping out of their sockets. The rest of the Cullens rejoiced with the return of their brother, cheering and pounding on his back.

The girl with Edward stepped forward, grinning playfully at Damon and then at Stefan. "Hello Damon, Stefan. Remember me? I'm Katherine," She sang, before she brushed past them into the house. I guessed the invitation thing worked only in human houses, houses where people slept.

I gasped. So this was the infamous Katherine.

Alice closed the door and welcomed them in, and the party dissipated a little, each one going to do their own thing. Bonnie and Elena spoke in hushed tones of voice, hissing words like 'doppleganger' and 'what the hell' and other words but I was too shocked to reflect on the fact that my ex was dating Damon's ex from hell, the one he was crazy in love with for however long.

I looked beside me and noticed that Damon and Stefan had zipped to the other side of the room, the side farthest from Katherine who Edward was introducing to his family. He locked eyes with me, then looked at the ground then back at Katherine, before kissing her on the cheek. She smiled at him and I saw genuine love in her eyes. I thought she was supposed to be a lying, conniving bitch… Guess love changes people, huh?

Carlisle and Esme joined the party and welcomed Katherine with open arms. After all, she was the one who had 'convinced' Aro to let Edward come visit. Besides, they didn't know her bloody history with the Salvatore brothers. I wonder if Edward himself knew or if Katherine was keeping it a dark secret.

I stood in my place, not knowing where to go. I found myself headed to the table with the refreshments and I grabbed a glass of punch because I didn't want to get ditzy. I sipped it slowly, sitting down at a seat on the dining table and watching the festivities. Elena joined the group with Stefan and Damon and Bonnie retreated towards Jacob who was watching TV, a plate of food on his lap. He couldn't care less about the party. He was here for Bonnie and Bonnie alone.

After Damon, Elena and Stefan had been gathered for 15 minutes, I decided to go see what they were doing. I knew it might be a bad idea if they were doing something secretive but I knew it was better than me driving myself to insanity on fruit juices. The Cullens and Katherine were one happy family in the sitting area, entertaining their new guest with snacks and chattering. Even Rosalie seemed to be getting along well with her. It made me burn with jealousy at the fact, even though I knew I was being ridiculous.

I approached the trio cautiously, leaning precariously forward to hear what they were talking about.

"I didn't know she was in Italy. That's how they met, I assume," Stefan was saying, in a hushed tone of voice.

"Yes, probably. I never knew she left America, for god's sake," Damon responded.

Elena furrowed her brows. "If she's as big a bitch as you say she is, why is she acting like that… she looks like she's," Elena peered over to look at her as she laughed along with the Cullens, "happy and in love," She finished.

"She never seemed like the type for sparkly vampires," Damon quipped, sounding miffed for some reason. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach because I knew he might still love her. I don't know what I'd do if he did. I composed myself and stepped into their circle.

"What's going on? Damon, is this the Katherine you were telling me about?" I asked, in a quiet but firm voice. My voice expressed nothing of what I was feeling inside which was nervous and shaky.

Damon nodded, "Yes, Elena's her doppelganger," He explained, gesturing to my friend who was standing on his other side. I knew what a doppelganger was because of some classes I'd taken in History class last semester discussing some myths and folklore legends.

"Are you going to do anything?" I asked the brothers.

Stefan shrugged, "If she steps out of line… She seems perfectly fine though." He noted, as he looked over at her once again.

Damon simply shook his head, "This is too much for me to take," He muttered and with that, he turned on his heel and started out of the room. I heard the slamming of the Cullens front door and I felt my heart sink in my chest.

I sank into the nearest chair and Elena and Stefan looked down at me. Stefan placed his hand on my arm, his green eyes earnest. "He loved her a long time. He needs some time to process the fact that she's back," He explained to me.

I nodded, "I understand," I muttered, though I didn't really.

Elena shared a look with Stefan, just as Katherine suddenly appeared at their side. It was freaky seeing two doubles in the same place on either side of Stefan. Elena's kindness radiated from her heart though, but Katherine possessed a sort of omnipotence that colored her with power, in addition to her deviousness which was implicated in the form of a cheeky grin.

"Stefan, I missed you," She cooed into his ear.

Stefan shrunk away from her, still shocked about her presence. He shook his head a couple of times before gulping: "Katherine…it's been a long time, huh?"

Katherine laughed, her laughter resonating like bells ringing. "I'll say. How about we walk, you and me and talk? If it's okay with my little clone that is…" She eyed Elena with speculating eyes, before smirking back at Stefan.

"Don't call her that," Stefan's voice was firm and Elena's eyes were fixed on Katherine with interest in them. "Are you sure that's okay with your new 'mate'?" Stefan asked.

Katherine waved her hand. "Ed's cool," She put in, and I think it was the first time I heard anyone referring to him as Ed. It was weird but I couldn't contain the chuckle from escaping from my mouth. Katherine's naughty brown eyes flashed to me, "What are you laughing at? You're Damon's new whore, aren't you?" She laughed again evilly this time.

I felt like she'd slapped me in the face with her words.

Stefan growled at her. "Don't go there, Katherine," He warned, and Elena's face was colored with revulsion for the ancient vampire.

"Watch me," Katherine responded without flinching. She tugged on Stefan's arm. "Come on, let's walk. We have a lot to catch up on," She teased, touching his cheek.

Elena glared at her. "He doesn't have to go if he doesn't want to," She responded.

"Sure, sure, my ugly carbon copy. As if you could do anything to stop him," Katherine snapped back, but then a smile flashed onto her face. "He loved me, Elena. Accept that,"

"You compelled me, Katherine. But I'll walk with you… Let's see how this ends," Stefan said, sounding slightly annoyed but interested at the same time.

Katherine beamed at him, before calling across the room. "Edward, Stef and I are going to go rekindle our ancient friendship," She then took Stefan's arm and they started towards the door.

Edward appeared by Katherine's side in a flash. "Do you want me to come with you?" He asked her, a concerned look on his face. I almost scoffed; I remembered when he used to wear that concerned look when he was talking to me. He was such an actor.

"Did I say I wanted you to come with me, Ed?" Katherine asked, but her tone was softer as she said his name. She stepped forward and placed a kiss to his cheek. "We'll be back," She sang, and then she and Stefan exited.

"What just happened?" Elena asked, sitting down next to me and looking confused.

"We, my dear, just got Katherine-d," I muttered, burying my head in my hands and thinking about Damon. He had been acting weirdly ever since he'd seen Katherine. He'd been foreign, not like the Damon I knew. I worried if the one I knew would ever come back or if he was gone for good now that Katherine dearest was back in the picture. He'd told me he wanted to get revenge on her, but I knew that there was a thin line between love and hate. Damon and I had crossed it when we'd first met. Maybe he loved her with the passion to hate. I knew it was stupid to think of things like that after all Damon and I had been through, but I couldn't help it. He'd been pining over Katherine longer.

"You're thinking about Damon, aren't you?" Elena murmured, sounding compassionate. There was the kind Elena-like look in her eyes that could never let her become as cold hearted as Katherine.

I nodded sheepishly, a little. "Yes, I think he still loves Katherine," I muttered, before I could stop myself. I needed to talk to someone about this. Elena was the perfect person for that.

"Don't be ridiculous," Elena's brown eyes warmed kindly, "He's crazy about you,"

"But he pined a hundred and something years over Katherine. She has nothing on me," I retorted, butterflies dancing about in my stomach.

"You have everything on her. She was, is, heartless, manipulative and just mean. You're warm, kind, funny… and everything Damon has come to love," Elena assured me.

"I'm not sure, Elena. He's been acting weird since she came,"

Elena laughed at that. "It's only been five minutes, Bells. Besides, he wanted to kill her at first. Stefan and I had to convince him otherwise. He wants to get revenge on her for leaving," She whispered in muted tones. I looked around the room but no one else was listening. Bonnie and Jacob were still sitting in front of the TV, arms around one another, eating and the Cullens with Edward at their center were in the sitting area, chatting. I wondered what they were talking about. Probably Edward's adventures in Volturi wonderland…

"Oh," I said, "But he loved her…" I added, pathetically.

"Past term," She corrected, biting her lip and smiling up at me. "I swear, you've changed him and he's head over heels for you, B. And for once, I'm glad that the one he chose isn't dead or drained of blood,"

I chuckled a little at that, even though it brought a horrible mental picture to my mind as well as a twinge of bloodlust. We'd drunk blood in the morning but I could certainly use another bag or two. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Edward standing there. His topaz eyes were smoldering and his mouth was curved in a slight smile.

Elena smiled back at him, "Hello Edward," She said, kindly, and she got up from her seat. "Well, I'll be joining Bonnie and Jacob. They need some awesome Elena. Have fun," She added, and I glared at her as she left me alone with Edward. I didn't want to talk to him. Not now when I had Damon drama.

"Hi," He put in, sitting down next to me.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Hey," I replied, awkwardly.

None of us spoke for a few seconds, then I forced myself to speak: "So how's the Volturi?" I asked, grasping for an easy topic.

Edward looked taken aback at my question, like he'd been expecting me to say something else. His mouth formed an 'o' before he shrugged. "It's not been too bad, actually. Aro has been very kind to me, taking me under his wing. He hasn't even forced me to feed on humans," He said, sounding happy, "It's nice. I feel like the Volturi have become my second family,"

"Are you going to go back to them?" I asked, because I honestly wanted to know.

Edward hesitated, "I don't know… Aro's expecting me to come back, but with Katherine and all that, I'm not sure. I mean, a girl like her is once in an eternity, you know?" He muttered, and I felt like he was the biggest jerk on the planet. I couldn't stop my hand from hitting his cheek.

He looked at me shocked, touching his hand to his now reddened cheek. It healed in a matter of seconds. "Whatever is the matter?" He asked, in that annoying old fashioned Edward way.

"You're a big fat liar, Edward," I seethed, "You obsess over me and then you forget me just like that," I snapped my fingers together, "You're a first class a-hole,"

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Edward said, in a quiet voice. He stood up, turned away but then paused. "You said you'd be there for me," He added, in a choky voice.

I felt my cheeks dampen with tears and I nodded. I sniffed, "I know, I know.." I muttered, and I didn't know why I was crying. "I'm sorry. I'm being selfish Edward. A small part of me expected you still to love me, to still care for me." I continued.

Edward's eyes softened and he sat back down, taking my hands and squeezing them. "I'll always love you, my tua canante. I'll always care for you, that extra little bit, you know that don't you?" He asked, with warm eyes.

I nodded, squeezing his hands back and smiling. "I know that now. Edward, you were always a good friend.." I murmured, "So how did you guys meet?"

Edward looked slightly embarrassed but then he smiled. "I was on a mission actually for the Volturi doing something in Italy. Then I saw her in an open marketplace, she was buying apples and our eyes met. She smiled, in her Katherine sort of way and I knew she was the one for me." He ended, and I realized I was smiling too.

"Aww, that's so sweet," I murmured.

"It is, isn't it?" I heard Damon's gruff voice mutter from behind Edward and I looked up at him, tiredly. His eyes were fixed on my hands which were still entwined with Edward's.

I let go of Edward's hands quickly and stood up, clearing my throat. "Damon. Where did you go?" I asked.

"I went for a walk, to clear my thoughts… Guess I was gone too long. The pair of sparkly pants have descended," He muttered, and I bit back a grin at his tone of voice.

Edward just rolled his eyes. "I'll see you around, Bella," He responded, and he started over to Elena who was standing with a newly arrived Stefan and Katherine. Stefan still had an annoyed look on his face but it melted when he pulled Elena into his arms. Alice came over to drag Katherine back to their seating and I felt with a twinge of nostalgia that that should have been me, but it wasn't. I decided that everything had happened for a reason; an amazing reason who was standing in front of me right now.

"He was telling me how he met Katherine," I told Damon, smiling a little.

Damon sighed, "I bet it was interesting," He said, in a bored voice.

I touched his arm, "Hey. What's going on?" I asked, softly.

Damon sighed again. "I don't know. I don't like Katherine being here," He scowled and folded his arms across his chest.

"Do you love her still, Damon?" I blurted out, even though Elena had assured me of the answer.

Damon's blue eyes fixed on mine for a couple of seconds, fervently, before he answered. "I don't know, Bells…I feel a mixture of emotions when I see her; anger, betrayal, hurt but I also feel some sort of regret,"

I felt like I'd been punched in my stomach a million times. I knew my brown eyes were dimming. "You regret her leaving… you regret being with me… you regret not looking for her… right?" I asked.

Damon shook his head, "I surely regret her leaving because I was a different person back then but I've changed now," He gulped as if making a decision, "And as much as it's weird for me…I've got to move on,"

"Yeah?" I asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Damon replied.

"Hey guys, we're starting a firework display outside. Come on!" Alice cried out.

Damon took my hand and we followed the rest of the party goers outside. We sat down on the grass and pretty soon everyone was doing the same. Elena and Stefan sat side by side to one of my sides and Bonnie and Jacob took the other side. Katherine, a smirk on her face, wrapped in Edward's arms, sat to our diagonal and the rest of the Cullens stood around as Emmett made the preparations for the fireworks.

We ooohed and ahhed as the first one burst across the sky, red and yellow and silver bursts of color like splashes of paint on a black canvas. It was so beautiful I could hardly breathe. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen fireworks so magnificent. I assumed it was a vampire heightened senses thing because all the colors were so vivid and breathtaking.

"They're gorgeous," I heard Elena mutter at my side and Stefan kissed her on the cheek.

I leaned my head onto Damon's chest. "They're the prettiest things I've ever seen," I muttered, as a silver firework rippled like a wave across the sky, sending erupts of light everywhere.

Damon's eyes were focused on me, the spectacular blue orbs filled with other swirling colors. His eyes were like a firework display of their own. "I've seen more beautiful things," He murmured and he kissed me straight on the lips, igniting 'aww's from both of my sides.

And there as I sat between Damon's arms and saw Edward with his arms around Katherine and Jacob with his arms wrapped around Bonnie's petite figure and Elena tucked into Stefan's side, I believed in something called a happy ending. Sure, Edward had been a very important part of my life and I would love and cherish the time we'd spent together and I'd never forget it, but he was the past and Damon was my present and he'd always be my future. We would be together for the rest of our lives, I hoped. Heck, who was I kidding, we'd be together for eternity, and I owed it all to Alice's trip to Mystic Falls that I'd been reluctant to go on. Talk about fate.

A/N: And that's the end of When in Mystic Falls! I wanna cry, it's been such an awesome rollercoaster ride with you guys!

I've decided to do the Boncob one and it will have some Bellmon so be sure to read and review on that one too (: I'll be posting the prologue some time today, and I'll post a chapter first on this telling you…

Thanks to all the fans of When in Mystic Falls, I'm sure Bella and Damon and the rest of the crew all appreciate very much the support the story has been receiving..

Love and I hope to see you on some of my other stories!

Lily CullenSalvatore x

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or Twilight. Duh!