A small smile tugged at the corner of Shiloh's lips as she stepped off the bus and into the busy city of New York. Casting a quick glance around, she managed to spot a familiar blond making her way towards Shiloh with an excited grin of her own. "Hey, Shy!"
"Hey, Lexi!" Shiloh greeted back, throwing her arms around the vampire.
"We have to get back to my place quick, the sun is almost up." Lexi observed, pulling out of the hug.
"Right, just let me grab my bags." Shiloh smiled. "I can't wait to see your place!"
"It's not that big, but we can fit you in the guest room." Lexi replied.
"We." Shiloh asked.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention." Lexi ever so casually scratched her nose, clearly showing off the diamond engagement ring on her finger.
"Oh my god!" Shiloh blurted out.
"I know! He's visiting family now but he'll be back tomorrow!" Lexi gushed.
"Tell me all about him!" Shiloh demanded.
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"Liz, I came as soon as I got the message. Is she okay?" Damon asked, approaching the sheriff who was standing at the front desk.
"She's in surgery, it's ... they're doing everything they can. I need your help Damon." Liz sighed.
"Sure, anything Liz." Damon said.
"I can't find Shiloh. She isn't answering her phone or the house phone. I had a few deputies out looking for her at the grill and around town but nobody can find her. I don't know what to do, I'm worried but I don't want to leave Caroline..."
"It's okay. It's okay." Damon said, pulling her into a hug as Liz began to cry. "I'll find her. I promise." Liz left shortly after to talk to some doctors about Caroline's condition, leaving Damon to listen in on Elena and Bonnie's conversation.
"Is there something that you can do? Like a spell or something?" Elena asked.
"She doesn't know how, do you?" Damon butted in.
"No, I don't." Bonnie replied simply.
"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that." Damon said.
"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn." Bonnie quipped.
"I can give Caroline some blood." Damon offered.
"No, no way." Elena answered immediately.
"No, just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital and it'll be out of her system in a day, she'll be better Elena.
"It's too risky, I can't agree to that." Elena said stubbornly.
"Do it." Bonnie said suddenly, much to Elena's shock. "This is Caroline. We can't let her die." She explained to her friend. "Do it." She said again, facing Damon.
"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?" Damon asked.
"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Elena." Bonnie stated before turning a making her exit.
"I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now but we should talk about what happened tonight." Damon told Elena once Bonnie was out of sight.
"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John." Elena replied.
"What? When? What are you talking about? After I left?" Damon asked confused.
"You were there?" Elena asked.
"Come on, Elena, you know I was." Damon said.
"When were you at the house?"
"Really? Earlier, on the porch, we were talking, all cathartic, feelings exposed. Come on, we kissed, Elena."
"Okay, I don't have time for this, Damon."
"If you want to forget what happened fine but I can't." Damon said, glancing up at Jenna as she arrived by Elena's side. He quickly moved away, not missing the pointed glare the redhead gave him.
"Elena, I came as soon as I got your message. How is John?" Jenna asked her.
"Where have you been?" Elena asked.
"At the fire department, I had to fill out a report. I told you earlier."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
"No, Jenna, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
"Mmm, you got to be kidding me." Damon said to himself. He quickly realized he'd spoken out loud when both girls looked at him. He looked from one to the other before walking off without saying another word.
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Damon pulled out his cell phone, clicked on a Shiloh's contact and hit the call button as he walked. He was making good on his promise to feed Caroline his blood, though the medical staff were being less then helpful. He had already compelled at least a dozen nurses and doctors and would no doubt have to compelle more if any saw him leave Caroline's room.
"Hey, you reached Shiloh, I'm either sleeping or ignoring you. Leave a message and I might just get back to you."
"Shiloh, where are you? Liz is worried. Call me back." He said, keeping it short. He checked his watch once more. The seconds ticked by into minutes and now hours without a single reply from his little blond friend whom he had grown so attached. As he made his way out of the hospital at a brisk pace, he pondered asking Jeremy if he had heard from her, but thought better of it. He wouldn't get the little Gilbert involved without the big one sticking her nose in too, which would lead to super Stefan attempting to save the day and he really didn't want to deal with any of them right now. He huffed in annoyance, dialing Stefan's number and listening to the rings go through.
"What is it, Damon?" Stefan answered after a few rings.
"Well, that's an awfully rude way to answer a phone." Damon mocked.
"What do you want?" Stefan asked again, clearly just as annoyed as his brother.
"I'm going out of town for a while. Don't call, I need the line open." Damon explained.
"Where are you-"
"Sorry, Stef, no time." Damon said. "I have places to be." Hanging up his phone, Damon slipped it into his jacket pocket while sliding into the driver's seat of his car. He had a certain little blond to track down. And he was pretty sure where to start.
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"That's weird." Lexi commented.
"What's weird?" Shiloh asked.
"Damon's calling me." Lexi replied, glancing at her friend before answering the phone. "What do you want?" Lexi demanded.
"Geez, does anyone ever answer the phone with 'hello' anymore?" Damon asked.
"Hello, what do you want?" Lexi repeated the question.
"Shiloh. I know she's there. Put her on." Damon said.
"Shiloh's not here, Damon. She's in Mystic Falls, remember." Lexi said slowly, as if talking to a child.
"No, she's not. She asked for a rather large sum of money from me a few days ago. Had a mysterious heart to heart with Alaric last night, and now she's gone. You're the only one she talks to from out of town. Put her on the phone." Damon demanded. Lexi gave Shiloh an apologetic look as she handed over the phone.
"Hello?" Shiloh asked in a small voice.
"You left town. I didn't deserve a goodbye?" Damon asked.
"I was gonna say goodbye, but you were a total jerk to Jeremy." Shiloh replied crossly.
"Speaking of..." Damon trailed off. "You need to come back."
"Why?" Shiloh asked. "Give me one good reason."
"Is your mother not a good enough reason? Or your sister? Your friends?" Damon listed off.
"That's not fair." Shiloh huffed. "They don't need me, Damon. I need to get away. I don't belong there anymore."
"So, you left Mystic Falls because of the vampires to go to New York and live with a vampire?" Damon asked. "Great plan."
"Lexi's not an evil vampire?"
"It's not like I'd ever hurt you."
"I wasn't talking about you, Damon. I was talking about the endless line of vampires that seem to flock to Mystic Falls."
"I didn't want to have to tell you this on the phone." Damon sighed.
"Tell me what?" Shiloh asked.
"Caroline's in the hospital. She should be fine, but she was in a car accident. And then there's Jeremy..."
"What happened to Jer?"
"Attempted vampirism. He tried to turn himself."
"What?! Why?"
"How close were you to Anna?"
"What? The vampire girl that Jeremy liked?"
"I'm taking that as not very." Damon assumed.
"What does she have to do with this? What'd she do?" Shiloh asked.
"She died." Damon answered.
"Oh... my god." Shiloh said.
"Tell Lexi I need an invite."
"What?" A sudden knock on the door answered her question however, as Damon was revealed to be standing on the other side when Lexi opened it.
"No." Lexi said sternly, crossing her arms. "No way."
"Then she comes with me." Damon said, hanging up his cell phone and putting it in his pocket.
"I-" Shiloh didn't know what to say. She wanted to be there for her sister and her best friend, but she had finally gotten away.
"Not home, just come out so we can talk. We'll go eat." Damon offered.
"Fine, but you have to promise you won't force me to go back." Shiloh said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I promise." Damon said, a smirk present on his lips.
"Are you sure about this?" Lexi asked. "I can tag along if you want."
"No, I'll be fine." Shiloh said. "I trust him."
"Well I don't. Call me if you need anything." Lexi said. Shiloh nodded, not bothering to point out the fact that she no longer had a phone.
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"We're having lunch at the Statue of Liberty?" Shiloh asked, raising an eyebrow at Damon once she stepped out of the car.
"Not exactly." Damon said, strutting forward into the side door. Shiloh followed his lead, glancing around to make sure no one saw. As soon as the door closed behind her, shutting off the light from the outside, she felt her feet leave the ground as she was swept up into stong muscular arms and rushed up a countless amount of stairs at vamp speed.
"Damon!" She shrieked as soon as she was returned to her feet at the top of the tower.
"What?" He asked innocently. "It would've taken us forever to do it the human way."
"Why did we have to come here at all?" Shiloh asked.
"To enjoy the view of course." Damon said, motioning out the large windows. Shiloh couldn't help but let a small gasp escape her lips as her eyes fell upon the vast city of New York in awe.
"This is..."
"I know." Damon smirked.
"What's the real reason we're here?" Shiloh asked after a short pause.
"I thought you should see the best spot in New York. Without the pesky tourist." He added.
"Please tell me you didn't compelle anyone into closing the Statue off for the day."
"I didn't. It was closed anyway." Damon shrugged, taking a seat on the floor. Shiloh soon joined him as it became clear he wasn't planning on continuing until she did. "You're gonna come back." He said matter of factually.
"You gonna make me?" She asked.
"No. But you're a nice person. You aren't gonna leave your family when they need you so much. Or little Gilbert after his attempted... ya know." Damon said, making a mock vamp face and curling his fingers into claws. Shiloh rolled her eyes, but the tiniest of smiles was still noticable.
"So, are we going now? Or tonight?" Damon asked.
"Does anyone know I'm gone?" Shiloh asked, still looking out the window at the city.
"Liz is the one the sent me. She's worried. She's been calling you since the accident. I haven't had time to talk to anyone else but I think they're probably busy enough with Caroline and Jeremy. If we get back soon they might not question it." Shiloh sighed, leaning softly on Damon's shoulder.
"Can we just sit here. Just for a little longer?" She asked.
"Of course."
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After a quick stop at Lexi's apartment, a tearful goodbye between the girls, and promises to call each other more, the duo began their trip back to Mystic Falls. Shiloh was still unbelievably worried and rather scared to face Jeremy after he tried something like that, but she knew she had to. "You're doing the right thing." Damon commented, as if reading her thoughts. Shiloh looked at him sideways, smiling softly.
"I know."