A/N: As promised, here is the Epilogue with questions answered.

Thank you Dark~Supernatural~Angel for being a wonderful beta.

Review you guys. I will answer any and all questions ;)

"The Devil You Know"

Chapter 28: Epilogue

Time stood completely still as the stake came down and pierced Bella's chest. No one could move. No one dared to breathe; they just watched in horror as the stake entered her body before she slumped to the ground.

Alaric immediately stumbled back, contorting in pain as the serum took effect as it catalyzed the cells in his body, causing the Hyde part of him that had taken over to recede and be neutralized.

Klaus had watched everything transpired and felt complete agony when he saw the stake enter her chest. He tried to fight against the spell Bonnie had placed on him, but there was no use. Bella had slightly turned her head to catch his eye before she disappeared from his sight; he had watched the light in her eye dim and he knew she was gone.

Bonnie was the first to finally move. She ran over and cradling Bella in her arms; screaming, crying, and begging for her friend to wake up.

"Come on," Bonnie said, "You can't do this to us. Wake up Bella, wake up now!" She desperately looked at Rebecca and Damon, "DO SOMETHING!"

Damon moved towards her, ripped open his wrist in the process before he held it to her mouth while he silently prayed that she was still alive long enough for her to drink. He knew better though because she had no heartbeat.

Rebecca did the same as Damon; she rushed over and ripped her own wrist open while Bonnie held open Bella's mouth.

Alaric sat away from the group, his head in his hands.

"What have I done?" he asked; he felt complete agony from the guilt.

.*.*.*.*.*.

For two hours they sat there; Bonnie holding Bella while Damon, Rebecca, and eventually Alaric bled into her mouth, but there was no use…she was gone.

"You have to let her go," Damon said as he pulled Bonnie away.

Bonnie slowly stood and finally looked into the coffin. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked back down to Bella's lifeless body before she said a few words.

Klaus felt his body being released and he immediately broke through the chains that held him. In an instant he had Bella in his arms and he was stroking her cheek.

"Please," he begged; his voice filled with sorrow, "Don't leave me…please."

Rebecca laid a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder as he pulled Bella into a full embrace, crying as he held her.

Finally Klaus stood up with Bella in his arms before he carried her out. He gently placed her in the car before he got in with her.

Damon, Bonnie, and Alaric followed Rebecca's car. No one spoke a word; all you could hear was Bonnie's heart beating. The shock was setting in on the events that had transpired. Rebecca's car turned off towards their mansion, but Damon kept driving; heading directly for Elena's.

The three of them pulled up and got out before they walked into the house while Alaric stayed outside.

"Hey," Jeremy said before he saw Bonnie covered in blood, "What happened?"

Elena, Matt, Caroline, Tyler, Meredith, Rebecca Black and Stefan came in at that moment.

Bonnie broke down in tears again as she tried to explain what had happened.

"No," Elena said, backing away in shock, "No, no, you're lying. She's not dead."

Rebecca had to grab a hold of the chair next to her to keep herself from falling. Her stomach dropped and she began to cry as she wondered how she would tell the pack or her brother about this.

Stefan held Elena as she sobbed, finally breaking down after several months of trying to be strong.

Jeremy looked pass the group and saw Alaric.

"You son of a bitch!" He yelled, fists flying at Alaric and Alaric just took them.

Matt pulled him off and noticed that Alaric wasn't fighting back, in fact he was remorseful.

"What's he doing here?" Meredith asked guarded.

"Bella saved him," Bonnie said, "She gave him a shot and he's normal."

"Where is she?" Elena asked, grasping Damon's hand as she begged for the answer.

"Klaus' mansion." Damon replied solemnly.

"What?" Matt asked, "Why is she there?"

"Rebecca and Klaus took her there," Damon said.

"You let him go," Caroline said shocked as she looked at Bonnie.

"She died to save him," Bonnie said, "She gave up her life for his because she loves him. This is our fault…if we hadn't have thought what was best for her, she never would have been there tonight."

"I want to see her," Elena said as she grabbed her coat, "I'm going to see her."

.*.*.*.*.*.

Rebecca had lit some candles in the house. Klaus had brought Bella in and he'd taken her into the sunroom to lay her on the only table that was left. Rebecca had found a pillow and a blanket to cover her up, hiding the wound in her chest. Klaus was in there now, washing away the blood from her face and kissing her forehead.

"Rebecca," Elijah called while walking in, "Is everything alright?"

"Elijah," Rebecca said as she pushed him back, "Something happened."

"What?" Elijah asked.

"Alaric, he found out where we were, he tried to kill Klaus but Bella," She stopped as she tried to compose herself, "Bella stopped him…she got in front of the stake at the last minute and…"

"My God," Elijah said before he walked into the sunroom.

Candles were lit everywhere and Klaus was kneeling by the table with his head down.

"Niklaus," Elijah said kindly.

"She did it for me," Klaus said absentmindedly, "She sacrificed her own life for my miserable wretched one." He looked to his older brother, "How could she do that? Why would she do that? I know I wasn't worth it, I know I don't deserve it; how come they allow her to die instead of taking me!" He began to shout.

"She believed you were worth it," Elijah said, "She saw something in you no one else saw. She would have rather died than lose you."

"I would rather be dead than her!" Klaus growled before he threw a chair across the room, "I would gladly take her place. Why won't they take me instead? Is this my punishment for all my wrong doings? Why should she suffer for my sins? She was innocent!"

Rebecca and Kol listened from the entryway as their older brother began to lose it.

"He doesn't deserve this," Rebecca said quietly.

"He really did love her," Kol added.

Suddenly the front door opened and Elena came running in.

"Where is she?" Elena demanded.

When neither Kol nor Rebecca responded, she followed the angry shouts from Klaus which led her to stand in the doorway. Her gaze fell to the table in front of her where her friend laid, covered from the neck down.

"Bella," Elena whispered before she rushed forward.

She broke down in sobs while she stroked Bella's hair.

"Hey come on, you have got to wake up," Elena said crying.

"What are you doing?" Klaus asked angrily as he rushed towards her, "Don't touch her!"

"She's my friend," Elena defended.

"It's your fault she's dead," Rebecca hissed.

"Stop it," Rebecca Black said as she walked into the room with everyone else close behind her, "That's enough from all of you. Each and every one of you had a part to play in this."

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked, appalled at the accusation.

"We thought we knew what was best for her," Bonnie said as she stared at Bella's body, "We thought that we were saving her and instead we drove her to do what she did. We went behind her back and took away the man she loved."

"I turned on her," Klaus said quietly, "I took Elena and I was going to kill her."

"Bella wouldn't want any of you fighting," Rebecca Black continued, "She loved you…all of you. Yes you betrayed her, but still Elena…she took the shot that was meant for her and used it on Alaric because she knew you needed him. She gave her life to save Klaus, but in doing so she knew it would save not just you but practically every vampire in this room."

Everyone stood in reverent silence as the reality of what Bella had done sank in.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Three Days Later - Forks Cemetery:

"Jake," Rebecca said as she touched her brother's shoulder tenderly, "It's time for you to speak."

Jake nodded before he walked towards the casket that held his friend. The casket was open and the funeral director had done a good job. She looked angelic, peaceful, as if she was finally free.

"Thank you all for coming," Jake started, "I've known Bella since I was a baby; her dad and my dad were best friends. She was the clumsiest, accident-prone person I have ever met." The crowd chuckled, "But she was also caring, humble, protective of those she cared about," his eyes fell on the group in the front row, "And most of all, she was selfless. She would rather trip a thousand times in front of a packed stadium then to watch those she cared about get hurt. You know in life you get knocked down and most of us well we give up…not Bella. She was so stubborn she refused to let anything keep her down. She also wouldn't shut up until you admitted she was right and I hated when she did that because most of the time it was about things I didn't want to admit to. I love Bella, I will always love her and I wish to God she was here," Jake's voice started to crack before he took a deep breath, "She should be here, but in true Bella fashion she sacrificed everything for those she cared about. She once told me she had never given much thought to how she would die, but dying in the place of someone she loved…well that was a good way to go."

Jake stepped down and walked over to the casket, placing one final kiss on Bella's forehead.

"Goodbye," he whispered before stepping away.

Damon stood up next to speak.

"I didn't really know Bella that long. She just sort of came breezing into town and took over." Damon said with a smile, "She had a beautiful body and soul. The one thing that was different about her, other than the fact that she didn't fall for my charm, is that she was honest; she called me out on my bullshit. I won't understand why she had to die when most of us should be in her place, but what I do know is that this world made a mistake by taking her."

One by one people stood up as they recalled stories about Bella until finally it was Klaus' turn.

"I met Isabella in London and she took my breath away," He started, "She was unlike any woman I had ever met; wise beyond her years. It was as though her soul reached out and engulfed me, beckoning me to know her and I'm glad I did. I've never believed in love or in trust, but with her that changed. She loved me for all my faults, my mistakes, my grievances; she took me for what I was and didn't ask to change for her. She never wanted that from me, she wanted me to change because I wanted it and I did. I wanted to be the man she deserved, but in the end I screwed up yet she was still there, defending me and she gave her life for me. I don't understand why she did it and I don't think I ever will, all I know is that she saw something in me that she believed was worth loving. It's completely insane to me that she loved me because I never thought anyone could, but she proved me wrong. She did that a lot; proving people wrong about her. She had a tenacity that was unmatched and a fire that was snuffed out too early."

Klaus finished before he walked over to the casket. He gently kissed Bella's lips before he closed the lid of her coffin. Klaus returned to his seat and watched as Bella's coffin was slowly lowered into the ground.

"Where are you going now?" Jake asked as he and Klaus walked away.

"Back to Europe I suppose," Klaus replied, "There's nothing here for me."

"What about them?" Jake asked angrily as he glared at Elena and the others.

"I'm not going to do anything to them," Klaus answered.

"Why not?" Paul asked, "It's because of them she's dead."

"Do you really think Isabella would want them to be harmed?" Klaus questioned. "Bella was incapable of hate…you know that better than anyone. Anger is one thing but pure soul-consuming hate was something she couldn't nor wouldn't have ever felt towards anyone."

"So I guess this is goodbye," Jake said before he held out his hand.

"It is," Klaus said as he took the proffered hand, "Goodbye Jake."

"Take care of yourself Klaus…Bella gave her life for you, don't waste it." Jake replied before he and the rest of the pack walked off.

.*.*.*.*.*.

"Jake hates us," Elena whispered.

"He'll get over it one day," Rebecca Black said as she tried to comfort her, "The pain is still fresh."

"He should hate us," Elena said as she looked towards Klaus, "I deserve to die."

Klaus walked over to the group and solemnly said, "There's been enough death don't you think? You betrayed your best friend and in the end she died to protect those you care about and she died to protect me. I'm not going to hurt you or your family ever again. Enough blood has been given for this pursuit of mine and I am no willing to shed anymore. That's not what she would want and I have every intention of honoring her memory, not staining it."

Klaus walked away and Elena looked on as he got in a car and drove away.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Two Months Later (December):

Life seemed to return to normal for everyone, but there was void. Going through the motions is what Bella had called it and that's what everyone did.

Bonnie had found a spell and she had erased the memories of the council members.

Alaric returned to teaching.

The rest of the Mystic Falls gang went back to school, but it was never the same. None of them had set foot into the Grill since Bella had died…too many memories.

Bella had left Matt the house and the Grill in her will, but he just couldn't bear to go near either one so the house was boarded up. Tori was given control to run the Grill while Matt decided what to do.

Elena's guilt weighed heavily on her and she had become nothing more than a recluse.

Damon spent his nights at the Grill drinking heavily. He had known Bella only a short while, but he felt the loss too. He had enjoyed her company and insight into everything.

Jake returned to Forks, but he wasn't the same. He ran patrol but other than that, he mainly spent his time alone and away from the pack. He was grieving in his own way.

Across the sea in London, Klaus and his family were living together as they tried to rebuild what's left of their family but Klaus was still so distant. It pained Elijah, Kol, and Rebecca to see their brother like this; his mind was always somewhere else and he would go days without drinking. All he thought about were his times with Bella; everyday he would disappear to his room and draw for hours. He drew so that he would never forget her face, her eyes, her lips; he couldn't bear the thought of forgetting anything about her.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Mystic Falls Cemetery:

Snow covered the ground and the granite stones that were scattered around the area. The cold wind whipped through the trees as the sun set; a few minutes later and there was nothing but darkness surrounding the area where the dead now reside. The full moon rises shining some light that is reflected back on the snow.

In an area towards the back of the cemetery under a weeping willow near the frozen pond stands a grave on its own. An angel statue marks the grave and the inscription reads;

Isabella Marie Swan

September 13 1990 - October 5 2012

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.

That myth is more potent than history.

I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts.

That hope always triumphs over experience.

That laughter is the only cure for grief.

And I believe that love is stronger than death.

Klaus had insisted on placing that on her grave, seeing as he had quoted it to her during their first dinner together; Robert Fulghum.

Beneath the hard dirt, down about six feet lies a coffin and within it a beautiful girl who was sleeping.

Thump…thump…thump…thump.

Suddenly her eyes fly open and all she could see was darkness until finally her eyes become accustomed to it and she realized where she was.

In the dark cemetery the quiet reverie is interrupted by a piercing scream and the cracking of wood.

See you all soon,

emeraldphoenix23