Damon's Chance at Love
by Haldirsbaby
Note: Okay so here it is the chapter everyone has been waiting for. Arie and Damon's first actual meeting well, kind of. Also certain members of this story will see something about her, and come to realize she is different. This is going to be told in third person. Enjoy...
Chapter Seven
Stefan made it home within minutes after Damon had called. He found his brother, thoroughly unglued in the main parlor, standing beside one of the matching couches looking down at something.
"Whose PT Cruiser is out-?"He was stopped dead in his tracks, when he saw the girl, lying there, blood covering the front of her shirt, pale and out like a light. Stefan was angry now. "Damon, what in the hell is this?" he demanded.
Damon looked up at him, his eyes wide. "Now, little brother, I know what you are thinking, and I did not do this." His eyes grew wide, a trademark expression he used when trying to convince him that he was innocent.
Stefan was not buying it. "Damon, that is the girl from the Mystic Grill. You were looking at her like a meal then, and now here you are trying to convince me that you did not do this? I am not falling for it." Stefan threw his hands in the air, thoroughly tired of his brother's antics.
Damon felt the rage grow the instant his brother spoke. Loosing all restraint, with 'lightning' speed, he threw Stefan up against the book shelf on the other side of the room. "I. DID. NOT. DO. THIS!" he spoke harshly through his pursed lips.
Stefan held up his free hands to ward off his very angry big brother. He searched his brother's eyes, " Alright. If you did not, then who did?"
Damon released him and walked back to sit on the coffee table next to the girl. His eyes not leaving her. "I do not know, but they are gonna come back for her. They said they would." He clasped his hands together while resting his elbows on his knees. He was confused. On minute he saw her as food, and the next, he wanted to protect her, claim her. He shook his head, then ran his hands through his hair, letting out an aggravated breath.
Stefan seeing his brother's state, was completely blown away, by how unglued he was. He had never seen his brother act like this. Normally, Damon was domineering, coy, sly, arrogant, and completely, in one word...a prick. Concern crossed Stefan's face as he walked over to stand beside the girl. "Damon, who is she?" he asked bending over and feeling for a pulse. She had one, but it was weak. Reaching out, he brushed loose hairs from her face to get a better look and Damon's hand caught his arm.
"Do not touch her!" he commanded.
Stefan looked at his brother, then removed the hand from his arm. "Damon, she is hurt. Why are you so protective of her?'
"I do not know. I am just as confused as you are." he said rolling his eyes a little. "Trust me, I hate this feeling."
"Would you mind telling me what happened?" Stefan asked as he took up a seat next to Damon on the coffee table.
"All I know is, that after you left, I noticed she was gone. I wanted to find out who she was, and yes, I thought on feeding from her, but following her, I found I could not do it. I followed her into the book store and then into the convenient store. While I followed her, I caught her scent. It was soo good. Cherry blossoms, and bamboo, and something else, I cannot describe. The 'something else' drove me crazy. Like catnip does a cat." Damon stood up and went to the decanter for a drink. "It was then that urge to protect her, happened. So I continued to follow her to her car."
"Damon, you are rambling, out with it, get to the point!" Stefan told him irritated.
"Well, anyway, I hid by the old oak tree, in the parking lot and was making sure she got in safely, when all of a sudden. BAM! There they were. Four vampires, all centering their attentions on her. I strained to listen to the conversation, but only caught a few things. The one, she called Maximus, was talking about someone titling him as 'THE ONE', mentioned a guy named Nigel, an old boyfriend I am assuming." Damon took a long swig of his scotch. He gulped, "The guys sounds like a real dick. He told her she was a mistake, but this Nigel, guy thought she was a success. He was scaring the crap out of her and had her back against the car." he stopped and thought a moment. "But I am impressed with her, she put on her game face, and kneed him. God, I love a woman that fights back!"
"Damon, stop rambling about unimportant stuff and tell me, what happened?" he stated once again.
"Well, the kneeing pissed this guy off and the other three. Their fangs came out, they hissed, growled. But when she kneed him, this Max guy screamed. Funny thing is, he screamed like a girl, but his fangs came out, and he pushed into the side of the car and bit her, hard." Damon chuckled at the thought of the vampire screaming like a girl, maybe it was not really funny, but the alcohol was still affecting him. "Anyway, I sobered up just enough to rush to her aid, and fought them off, and save her. They said they were coming back for her, and bringing help to do it."
Stefan heard this and nodded. "Well that was decent of you Damon, but one problem, what are we going to do with her? She cannot stay here, and she needs not to know what we are. Apparently she is new in town, and this kind of thing, is not something we want just anyone know." Stefan looked at the girl, then leaned to look at her neck, it was closing, but still oozed. He looked up at Damon. "Did you give her blood?"
With the glass to his lips, he swallowed the drink he just took and let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, and lots of it. She was almost dead when that asshole got done with her. This all happened something like an hour or so ago, most wounds have already healed up by now." Damon said walking over and standing behind the couch looking down at the sleeping beauty. "I wonder who she is."
"I don't know. Let's get her upstairs and get her cleaned up. Let her heal then in the morning, you can compel her and send her on her way." Stefan stood and looked down on her one more time. "You know, Damon, it amazes me, that you did not finish her off." he looked up at his brother, "I am proud of you, for once."
Damon did not acknowledge the compliment and came around and picked up the girl. He held her gingerly, her hair falling in waves over his arms, she was slightly chunky, but not enough to call heavy. Just right. He looked down at her, feeling a strange feeling coming up in him. Compassion. Stefan walked up the stairs before him, and was leading him down the hall, but realized that Damon, was not behind him anymore. He turned and found Damon carrying the girl into his own personal rooms. He backtracked and entered the room. "Damon, she is not sleeping in here." he said as more of a statement.
"Oh, yes she is. I told those bastards that I was not gonna let them hurt her. So she is sleeping in here, where I can watch her." He was not taking 'No' for an answer. So Stefan did not argue. He helped Damon to position her on the bed.
"So which one of us is gonna undress her and clean her up?" Stefan asked.
"Neither of you are. We are gonna do it." Elena said from the door, Bonnie and Caroline behind her. "So Damon, what kind of shit have you done now?"her voice cold and accusing.
"I did not do this. I saved her." Damon defended himself.
Bonnie looked at him intensely. Then looked at Elena. "He is telling the truth, Elena." She said passively.
Elena shrugged and began rolling up her sleeves. "Who is this girl?" she asked looking at the pretty girl lying on Damon's bed.
"We do not know. But Damon and I saw her at the Grill today and Damon said she was there last night too." Stefan came over to Elena and kissed her cheek. Elena stepped forward with Bonnie and Caroline to the side of the bed. Damon was looking down at her, then reached out with great tenderness and touched the girl's exposed cheek.
The others in the room, seem to disappear to him as he ran his finger down her cheek, and ending at the base of her neck. She never stirred, nor did she seem to care. The others in the room was mesmerized by his gesture. It was so not a Damon act. Stefan perked up and looked at his brother. "Damon. You and I need to talk about the meeting. Let the girls do their work on cleaning her up. Come on." he told him mystified that his brother seem to space out into another world.
Damon did not hear him right off, but shook it off. Silently he said to the girl, "Sleep my angel." he looked up at Stefan and nodded. His silence only followed as he stepped to his dresser and pulled out a pair of his shorts and a tee shirt. 'These should fit her' he thought to himself. The girl was not so full that she could not fill them out good. He brought the close over to Elena who took them and only stared at him.
"Damon, you okay?" Elena asked him staring at him.
"Yes Elena, I am fine. Those should fit her. I know she is a little thick around the middle, but they will fit her. Let me know, if she wakes. Please." he said walking to the door, which Stefan had just left out of and was standing in the hall, waiting.
He closed the door, and Elena just looked at her friends. "What just happened?" she asked them.
They, who was still amazed that Damon showed the girl, total tenderness, just shrugged. They quickly kicked into gear doing the cleaning on the girl.
After a half hour of maneuvering, washing, and then dressing the girl was done. Elena pulled the blanket to the girl's neck, that she had just bandaged. Standing up tall, she sighed out hard. She looked at Caroline and Bonnie who was sitting on the bed. "Well that was quite a workout." she looked down, glad the girl was done and wondered within herself who she was, but stopped and looked back to the door of the room. "Look, I am going downstairs with Damon and Stefan. Maybe I can help in the explaining what all was said today. You two coming?"
Bonnie smiled at her. "Think I will stay up here with her a little while. Maybe I could use my senses to pick up on who she is. Caroline, you can go if you want."
Caroline looked at her, and shook her head. "No, I think I will stay for a few more minutes. Elena, I will be down shortly."
Elena looked at them both and shook her head. "Alright. She will probably sleep for a good while, she lost a lot of blood, so come down in a bit. By then, Damon should be caught up to speed." Elena grabbed her outer shirt and put it on, then walked out the door. She looked back before leaving, looking at the bed, to her friends, both seemed a little preoccupied in their thoughts. The girl lay there peaceful, and Elena got the sneaking suspicion, soon they would find out who she is.
Bonnie and Caroline looked at the girl. They both heard the door shut, then looked at each other. They had the same thoughts apparently.
"Caroline, did you sense that?" Bonnie said outright.
"I sense something. My new spidey senses picked up on it." she told her.
"What did you feel?" Bonnie asked her trying to read Caroline's expression.
"Well, she is human, but something extra added. Never smelt it before. Like a really rich dessert. I have the feeling that Stefan senses it, but not as much as Damon. She reeks of the sweetness. But not pungent. She is definitely human, that I will say. I just wonder who she is." Caroline said picking up a comb and combing the girl's hair.
"I sensed it too, but differently. More on a powerful level. She is different but not harmful. Do you think that Elena picked up on anything?" Bonnie asked quizzically.
"She would have said something if she had, but you know, she is not like us. So in tuned with it. Do you think we should say anything?" Caroline asked furling a concerned brow.
Bonnie thought a moment, biting her lip in that thought. "No. Let's just wait and see. If need be, we'll mention it then." The both looked at the girl curiously. Bonnie reached out and touched the girl's arm, then concentrated. Closing her eyes, she tried to see anything. Blackness, nothing. She pulled back, and opened her eyes.
Caroline watched her friend, try her touch thingy on the girl, trying to figure out the identity, but Bonnie just sat back. "Did you see anything, Bonnie?" she asked curiously.
Bonnie looked at her, "No. Nothing. The girl's mind is closed off. I can't make anything of it. But I did sense something, but I am not sure what it is."
Caroline perked up at this. "What did it feel like?"
"Something, she had buried. When I touched her at first, it was a slight hum. Like a power in her. I felt it around my Gram and around Lucy. I think this girl has abilities, but they are raw and unused. I am not completely sure. She would have to be completely awake to be certain." Bonnie took a deep breath and huffed it out.
"You mean she is a witch?" Caroline asked I her usual Caroline-the-chipper-girl tone.
"No. Could be mental abilities, extra sensory perception type abilities. I do not know, like I said, they are unused or just buried. I can't make it out." Bonnie concluded. "Whoever this girl is, she is important. I can sense it."
Caroline did not ask more questions, just sat there finishing on combing the hair. Bonnie just stared, trying to figure out the mystery. Then it happened.
She stirred. Fitfully and groaned a little.
Caroline stopped the combing and grabbed the girl's hand, Bonnie leaned forward and tried to comfort the girl. She was frightened from a nightmare. The second Bonnie's hand touched the girl's arm. There was a flash. Bonnie pulled back like she had been burned. The girl still fidgeted. Bonnie decided to push through it and touched her again.
The vision came in flashes. She saw a small child, maybe at age seven with a young man, fifteen maybe, with dark hair, familiar yet unnatural blue eyes. Bonnie's eyes grew wide, it looked Damon, but younger version. They were separated and he was looking for the girl. Flash. Then the same girl, she felt, at sixteen, men and women staring at the girl on a table, tied down. Dressed in period clothing of the early to late 1870s. One came forward and bit the girl on the neck. Flash. The scene changed the girl at twenty-one, this time tied down, ten to fifteen of the men and women, all biting and feeding on the girl, as she screamed. The first of the them stopped and another set came and bit. Blood pouring from the girl, her screams weaker now. This went on as several more sets of ten to fifteen fed on the girl. Then the screams silenced. She noticed in the vision, that the people would rip their wrists and force the blood to the girl's lips, but she was weakened and could not hardly moved. Flash again, the girl was seen in modern times. A man before her evil in mind, forging a plan. The Vision ended.
Bonnie gasped and pulled away from the girl. Looking down at her horrified. Caroline seeing this, placed a concerned hand to her arm. "Bonnie, what is it?" she looked at Bonnie, her face was stricken. "Bonnie?" she said worried and concerned again.
Bonnie did not know what to think of it. It was so sudden and so fast. She looked at the girl, who was now calm again, and sleeping peacefully. The girl, through the flashes, she gathered was old, and had been tortured. But how? Those men and women were not human that did that to the girl, they were.. Her mind trailed for a moment. Almost as if to not admit it. Vampires. She could not say anything, she felt that she should process it first. Looking at Caroline she smiled nervously, "I got a vision, but I can't speak it until I process it further." she stood and walked into the bathroom, with Caroline behind her.
Caroline watched as Bonnie washed her face and run her hands over her eyes. Her breathing finally slowing to normal. Caroline could hear Bonnie's heartbeat, and at first it had been fast, erratic, but now was slowing. Bonnie looked at Caroline through the mirror, "I am okay, Caroline. Just let me process it. I think she is fine now, and Damon is probably already brought up to speed. Let's go downstairs a while." she said throwing down the towel in her hand and walking toward Caroline. Caroline stepped out-of-the-way and followed Bonnie downstairs to the main parlor.
Caroline and Bonnie came into the main parlor, Stefan sitting on one of the couches, with Elena beside him. Damon stood there with a look of disbelief. Damon did not look at them, but Elena and Stefan did.
"How is she?" Stefan asked them concerned.
"She is sleeping. A little fitful, but she seems at peace now." Bonnie said taking up a seat on the opposite couch. Caroline sitting next to her.
"Did you happen to figure out who she is?" Elena asked.
"Got some feelings, but not to her identity. I need to process it a little more, before I can rightly say, what it is I saw." Bonnie said honestly. She looked up at Damon, who was clearly still processing what Stefan and Elena had told him.
He looked at her. "What are you staring at Bonnie?" he quipped out.
"You okay there?" she asked him.
"Yeah. I will be. Can't believe what I heard, but yeah." he stood and walked over to the bar and got himself a stiff drink.
An awkward feeling came into the room for a moment, the silence so thick it was like cutting through rubber. Damon chugged the last of the scotch and turned. "Well, alright. Big bad vampire after Elena, a Hybrid half human, half vampire. Mystic falls in trouble. Wow this keeps getting better and better. Now about the girl upstairs in my bed. What do we do with her?" he summed up.
"In the morning, when she is rested and awake, you compel her and send her on her way. No need to bring her into this." Stefan said simply.
"Stefan it is not going to be that easy." Bonnie said. Her response was a surprise to everyone, they looked at her. She looked at each of them. "Guys, she is not a normal human. Caroline and I both sensed it and after what I saw, I think it is best to keep an eye on her."
"What is it exactly that you saw Bonnie?" Elena asked curious.
"I am not sure. But it has something to do with vampires. Lots of vampires." Bonnie's answer was not what they expected.
"Yeah, but I would hardly think that four vampires would be considered a lot of Vampires." Damon smarted off.
"No, not them Damon. Others. Bad ones. They tortured the girl. I saw bits and pieces, but not sure what it is. I do not know, but there is more to her than we think." She warned them.
"She is just a girl. Damon saved her." Stefan said.
"Thank you Stefan for finally admitting and believing that I did not do that to her." Damon said to his brother.
"Shut up Damon! Bonnie, what did you sense about her?" Stefan asked curiously.
"All I know is, she is not a normal human. That there is something there. Something I have never heard of, but also something familiar. I do not think she can be compelled." Bonnie said to them.
"You are right, she can't be." came a familiar voice from the doorway. They all turned to see who it was entering the parlor.
N/A: Hey there...yet another Cliffy...sorry guys have to do it..Sorry for any little grammar problems. Working without a beta...So how do you like my story so far.
I want to thank all my reviewers and avid readers of this little fic. There is plenty more where this is coming from. Hopefully, I can get another chapter out during Thanksgiving. PLEASE REVIEW
