Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play.
I've always wondered what that first conversation between Damon and Liz Forbes would have been like after she tried to kill him.
Friends, Lovers, Family
Chapter Two: Talking it Out
The afternoon sun cast the bedroom in a golden glow. Reluctant to wake his beauty, Damon shifted slowly so that he could watch her sleep. Bonnie tightened her grip on the arm wrapped about her waist but did not rouse.
It still amazed the vampire that she was his in every sense. He'd told her the truth when he'd claimed that he'd known her all her life. Keeping his distance when she was smaller, he watched over her. Something had told him that she was special even compared to the other witches of her line. Then Sheila called him. He was due to return to Mystic Falls because of the comet but Sheila wanted him back sooner. The youngest Bennett was at risk of becoming too much like her father and Sheila was determined that this would not happen.
It had thrilled him to no end when she opened the door the first time and checked him out. Then it scared him when he kissed her in Atlanta realizing that he was falling for her. He'd assumed that Katherine's betrayal had destroyed his ability to love. Obviously, this was not the case. And despite his belief that he needed to keep her at an arm's length, she foiled his intentions at every turn. He was hers, no escape.
A gentle hand knocked at the door. After a ten count, Lexie poked her head inside the room. "Hey." She smiled as she took in the sight of the sleepy lovers. "I figured that Bonnie probably hadn't eaten yet, so I brought back Chinese."
"Thanks, Lex. Give us a moment to dress and we'll be down." Damon responded.
A muffled, "Thank you," came from the face buried in the pillows trying to hide from the light.
Damon laughed as Lexie closed the door and went back to the lounge. "Come on sleepy head, I've been listening to your stomach growl for the last half hour."
"Liar."
"What do you think woke me?"
Bonnie sat up and smacked him playfully with her pillow.
Damon fended off her attack and tugged the blankets off her body. "Let's go eat."
Lexie had a small feast laid out on the coffee table when the pair made it downstairs. She was already noshing on a container of sweet and sour pork when they sat on the couch.
Bonnie looked through the remaining choices and picked up a tray of lemon chicken. "How's Elena holding up?" She asked, feeling guilty for not reaching out to her best friend.
"She's worried about Stefan like we all are but she's tougher than she thinks." Lexie answered between bites.
"Any ideas on where we should start looking for him? We don't know much about Klaus and we can only assume Elijah is with them."
"We watch the news for unexplained animal attacks," Damon said as he snagged the container of sesame beef.
"And if the police cover up such attacks? Then what?"
"The police may not tell the press much of anything." He explained. "But they will tell another cop."
"What are you thinking?" Lexie leaned forward.
"I'm thinking that Liz Forbes and I need to have a chat."
"She tried to kill you."
"She owes me." He said with conviction. "We'll find him. That's the easy part. It's getting Stef back on the wagon that will be difficult." He pointed his chop sticks at the blonde vampire. "Which is where you come in."
"I've done it before. I can do it again."
The next noon time, found Damon bouncing up the steps to the Sheriff's office. A large brown bag with the Mystic Grille logo emblazoned on it in his hand.
"Liz? You here?" He called from the entry.
"Damon," Liz stopped short as she stepped out of a back room. "What?" she swallowed. "What are you doing here?"
"Lunch." He held up the bag as though waiving a white flag. "Caroline told me that you left the house this morning without taking anything for your lunch."
"I tried to shoot you two days ago and you bring me lunch." The sheriff smiled in spite of herself. This was so ludicrous.
"And before this you actually succeeded in shooting me but that never stopped me from buying you lunch before." He took a seat at her desk and began pulling Styrofoam trays from the bag along with a couple of soda cans.
"Caroline explain to me about what I was compelled to forget."
"And you thought my friendship was a charade." He added.
"Yes. Why else would you want to hang around."
"I'll admit," he confessed while opening his soda. "I sought out your acquaintance to infiltrate the Council. We needed to know how much you all were aware of. But believe it or not, I do actually like you, Liz. Over the years, I've met a number of the Forbes heirs. You marrying into the line was the best thing to ever happen to them. Your gave them back bone when Caroline was born."
"She told me about how you've been teaching her how to control her urges." Liz finally sat in her usual chair and opened the food placed in front of her.
"Your daughter doesn't give herself enough credit. She's always been in control. " Damon told the Sheriff. "Were all vampires like her, there would be no need for the Council."
"But instead we have you helping the Council dispose of the problems. Sheila came to see me last night. She told me about Klaus and his designs on Elena Gilbert. She also told me about what is happening with Stefan and his problem. What can I do to help?"
"Thanks Liz. If we can track down Stefan's movements, Lexie and I can go get him before he can cause more damage. Can you keep an eye on any reports from other Sheriff's about animal attacks or missing persons?" He'd already spoken to Ric over coffee that morning who agreed to go road tripping with Damon and/or Lexie to check out possible incidents. Ana was also up for scouting though she'd be better as protection for the ever danger magnet of Elena as Caroline wasn't yet strong enough to even attempt facing off with Klaus, should he come back and discover their ruse.
"I'll start throwing out feelers and let you know what comes up."
"So what does the mayor know of the current situation?"
"I'd told her that there were vampires in town but I never named suspects. She doesn't even know that Tyler or any Lockwood was a werewolf."
"Good. Let's keep her in the dark as long as possible."
"Agreed." Liz picked up her burger and bit in. "I hope you brought dessert. I'm starving."
Damon laughed but pulled a clear container from the bag which contained two slices of strawberry cheesecake.
After polishing off their lunch, Liz dug through her database, and Damon headed home with a folder of leads and a stack of maps. It had only been two days but he suspected that if Klaus truly wanted a Ripper, he'd allow Stefan to go wild for a bit and get a good taste for the hunt and the kill before reigning him in.
Bonnie was flipping rapidly through a magazine as she sat cross legged on Damon's bed.
"I understand that those things are far more entertaining if you actually take time to look at the pictures or read the articles." Damon dropped his parcel on the dresser as he walked in.
Abandoning her spot, the cheerleader launched herself into the waiting vampire's arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Hi." was all she said before kissing him.
"Hi," he responded when allowed to speak. "What brought this on?" I thought you were having lunch with Elena and Caroline then going to a movie."
"That was the plan but then Elena showed up with a piss poor attitude."
"Huh?"
"She went off on Caroline and me for wanting to spend an afternoon enjoying ourselves while Stef was somewhere at the mercy of a maniac. She got angry with me because Stefan chose to barter himself for your cure and then she went off on Care because as she put it, you would never have been bitten by Tyler if she and Ty had paid more attention to what was going on around them instead of making sheep's eyes at each other."
"Sheep's eyes?" Who the hell uses the term sheep's eyes anymore?" He carried the girl to the bed and crawled on.
"Apparently Elena." Bonnie unwound her legs as her back came to rest against the mattress. "I know she's upset what with losing Jenna and John and Stefan missing, but she knows that you and Lexie will do everything in you power to find him. Anyway, Caroline decided she'd rather do the grocery shopping and make dinner for her mom and I left.
"No one gets to mess with my little brother but me." Damon agreed.
"Elena will calm down soon and be calling to apologize,"
"In the mean time, looks like I get your undivided attention." He grinned as he flicked the button on her denim shorts.
"Well you and Grams." She hummed as he kissed her neck.
"Yeah Sheila too." he murmured before resuming his attention on her skin.
Bonnie woke hours later to the sound of a printer. The bed was empty aside from herself. Looking around she found Damon sitting at his desk reading an article he'd just printed, She watched as he made a notation on an open map.
"Is it him?" She whispered as she read the article over his shoulder.
"Too soon to say." He stood and taped the article to the inside of the closet door. "I will find you little brother."