The day after Damon's capture, Josie drove over to the Boarding House. Damon was going to kill Zach soon and Zach was a good guy. He'd bought her coffee and made sure she was included in the plans for the Founder's Party. She wanted to save him. He didn't deserve to die.
"How's it going?" she asked, when Zach answered the door.
"Stefan has him in the basement," Zach said, as they walked into the house. "He's been injecting him with vervain."
"Hey Josie," said Stefan, coming up from the basement.
"Hey, how is he?"
"Still passed out. Has your sister?"
"Talked my ear off about what happened at the party? Yes, you should call her," said Josie.
"And tell her what?" asked Stefan. "There's no excuse for what Damon did to Caroline. I'm not leaving for a few days anyway."
"At least text her and tell her you're going out of town or something. Speaking of," continued Josie. "I don't think anyone except you should be here until Damon has desiccated. Just to be super safe."
"Josie, I appreciate your concern…" started Zach.
"I think she may be right," said Stefan. "Damon's threatened you before, Zach. He'll be desiccated in a week. I'll call you the minute I move him to the family crypt."
"Please, Zach," said Josie. "I'll sleep a lot better knowing you're safe. Please."
Zach sighed. "Alright. I have friends in Virginia Beach that keep asking me to visit them."
Josie smiled. "Perfect. Well, I should go. I'm having lunch with Derek."
That night, Josie tried to figure out the best way to free Damon. Caroline freed him in the show, but she couldn't remember how she got away. Now that she thought more about it, she realized it was Zach who intervened, was killed, and gave Caroline the time she needed to get away.
Now that Zach was gone, Damon would probably kill Caroline. But if Josie stopped Caroline, then Damon would be desiccated. She couldn't let that happen. He was instrumental in every major plot point of the whole show. And more often than not, he saved people. Damon had to live. It was better for everyone.
Finally, Josie decided she would just have to free Damon herself. With Zach gone, the house should be empty when Stefan was away. Damon didn't have his daylight ring, so she just needed to get out of the house to be safe. She started drinking extra doses of vervain just in case.
Stefan came to school after a few days. That day after school, she snuck off to the Boarding House, only to realize that Caroline was there too. Wow, Damon moved fast. Josie grabbed a bat from her back seat and ran into the house. She seriously needed her head examined. She couldn't help but feel responsible though. She'd basically doomed Caroline by saving Zach.
"Caroline, stop!" she shouted, just as Caroline was at the door to his cell. But it was too late. Damon tore the door open. He snarled and both girls screamed.
"Damon, stop" shouted Josie, moving forward holding the bat, adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Damon lunged for them. "Caroline, run!" Josie said, stepping back and hitting him with the bat. He stepped back. Not enough for her to turn her back though. She couldn't remember if he'd had vampire speed at this point.
Damon seemed to remember himself and saw that it was her.
"Josie?" he said, his voice a growl. "Josie, why did it have to be you?"
She was actually a little touched. "Damon, I…"
"Just.. just a little," he whispered, lowering his head. Okay, less touched.
Josie struggled, but couldn't get out of his iron grip. He bit down on her neck and she screamed. The pain was unimaginable, but with the extra vervain she'd been drinking, he didn't bite for long. His grip loosened and she sprinted up the stairs and out the front door.
She didn't see Caroline, so she just drove home and bandaged her neck as well as she could. She hoped she healed quickly. October in Virginia wasn't exactly scarf weather.
She didn't know what to do about Damon. She remembered that he'd attacked Vicky again at this point, but didn't kill her. Just brought her back to the Boarding House and made her a vampire.
Josie had to make sure that second part at least didn't happen. Vampire Vicky had been awful.
She thought Vicky had been his only victim, so she waited until sunset and then called Stefan to let him know that Damon had escaped.
Elena returned home from the carwash in a strange mood. She asked Josie if she had ever noticed anything strange about Damon and Stefan. Josie shrugged and gave some non-committal answers. Clearly, Elena was close to discovering the truth.
When she didn't hear from Stefan for an hour after sunset, she called him. He didn't answer. Oh god. What had Damon done? She should never have released him. What was she thinking? He was so dangerous now. She was so used to the Damon of the later seasons. Had he killed Vicky? Had he killed someone else? A bunch of someone elses?
Finally, after what felt like a million phone calls, Stefan answered.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm at home, why? Where is Damon? Did you find him?"
"No. He said he was covering his tracks which means we've got several more bodies." Oh, no. "He threatened Elena unless I hand over his ring. Is she okay?"
"I can hear her complaining about you to Jenna," she said, opening her bedroom door. "She's fine, why don't you hand over the ring? Before she becomes unfine."
"The ring is the only leverage I have over him now."
"So? He has an invite to this house."
"Don't worry. I'm coming over. I'll watch over the house tonight."
"And are you going to do that every night from now until eternity?"
"I'll figure something out," said Stefan.
She scoffed, but didn't respond.
"There's something else," he said. "Elena knows. About me and Damon. What we are."
"Okay," said Josie. That felt fast, she expected it. "Does she know that I know?"
"No, we didn't exactly have time for a long chat. She ran away from me."
"Well don't take it too personally. She wouldn't be giving Jenna an earful if she didn't care. Doesn't sound like she's using the v-word though. Just how you're keeping secrets and blah, blah, blah."
"I offered to answer any questions she has. I have a feeling her curiosity is going to get the better of her."
"And soon, too. Probably," agreed Josie. She bit her lip. She wasn't sure when the right time to tell Elena that she knew was.
"I won't tell her that you know, if you don't want," offered Stefan.
"I'll tell her soon," promised Josie. "After you talk to her."
"Okay, I'll let you know when we talk."
"Okay. Uh, pack coffee, I guess," she said, before hanging up.
Afterwards, she thought about Damon and those innocent people he killed. She cried. A lot. She had been so focused on making this world the way she thought it should be, she ignored doing the right thing. Saving Zach seemed insignificant now. As much as she hated it, this world was starting to feel more and more real.
She had to fix this. Starting with Vicky Donovan. It was now hours after sunset. Instead of crawling into bed like she wanted, she went to the bathroom to get ready.
She took a shower, did her hair/makeup and put on what she thought was her most mature, but slightly sexy outfit. She threw on a coat and snuck out of the house.
Stefan didn't interrupt her as she left, even though she knew he must be nearby. He probably figured she was going to meet Derek. If he only knew where she was going.
She got in her car and headed to the Boarding House. Breathing deeply, she knocked on the door. Damon answered.
"Hello," he said, leaning against the door. "Didn't think you'd come back here. Just because you're on vervain doesn't mean I can't snap your neck."
Josie gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"Though I suppose I should be thanking you," he continued. "You didn't tell Stefan I was out until it was too late."
"I was a little distracted," she said, fingering the scarf that was hiding her wound. "Nevertheless, I think you owe me one. Otherwise, you'd be back in your little cell."
"What do you want?" growled Damon, angrily.
"Vicky is missing. Jeremy hasn't heard from her for hours," she lied, as she already knew Vicky was here. "You attacked and kidnapped her before. You didn't…"
"She's still alive," shrugged Damon.
"Let her go. Please."
Damon looked like he was pretending to think about it. "I know Stefan has your daylight ring," Josie said.
"I didn't realize you and my brother were so close," said Damon, narrowing his eyes.
"I told him a while ago that I knew about him. He called me tonight to make sure Elena was safe at home. Apparently, you threatened her unless you got your ring back."
"I don't like being housebound," growled Damon.
"What if I told you I could get your ring back?" she asked. "What's that worth to you?"
"What do you want?"
Josie had already thought about this on the ride over.
"Two things," she said. "First, you stop killing people in Mystic Falls. While you're here, you catch, you feed, then you compel and release. As long as you feed on young, healthy people, it shouldn't be a problem. And it's less of a mess. For everyone. And no hurting me, my family or my friends."
"And the second?"
"You let Vicky go. But first you compel her to say goodbye to her brother, in person, so he knows she's okay, and then to move away from Mystic Falls and never contact my brother again. And no one can know that I asked you to do this."
Josie didn't want Vicky dead, but she didn't want her around Jeremy either.
Damon looked at her thoughtfully. "How do you know I'll live up to my end of the bargain? I am an evil, murderous vampire, after all."
"Ever heard of the Founder's Council, Damon? A secret society that dates from the founding of the town, to monitor supernatural activity in Mystic Falls. If I hear even the faintest hint that you're killing people again, or if something unfortunate like death or missing persons should happen to me, the first people who'll be made aware of who and what you are will be the Council."
She paused for effect. "You remember what happened the last time vampires were common knowledge in Mystic Falls, don't you Damon? If I read my ancestor's journals correctly, vampires weren't exactly on the winning side."
Damon looked hard at her. He was obviously thinking about Katherine. "And if I agree to your terms? How do you plan to get my ring?"
"Doesn't matter," she said. "If you don't get your ring back, feel free to not comply with my terms."
Damon looked her over. She was glad she had gotten dressed up. She had a feeling he was going to want more for her terms than just his ring.
"You have a deal…. as long as you agree to do a favor for me."
"And what's that?"
"Well there isn't anything I really want from you at the moment," he said. "Other than the obvious. And that would be a favor to you." Wow, he was cocky, Josie thought with a roll of her eyes.
Damon shrugged. "At some point in the future, I may want your help. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, you have to do it."
Ugh. She didn't not like giving Damon some future, unspecified favor. But if it stopped him killing people, she would do it.
"Deal," she said, holding out her hand. He shook it, then tugged at it. She fell forward into him, but he pivoted, dipping her like they were in the middle of a dance and pressed his lips to hers. Before she could protest, she was upright again, standing in front of him.
"Is that how you seal all your deals?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Damon just smirked. "Hey Vicky," he called. She didn't respond. He sighed and Josie followed him into the living room. Vicky was lying on a couch, still breathing, but not conscious.
He bit his wrist and shoved it into Vicky's mouth. Once she was conscious, he compelled her to say goodbye to Matt, leave town and never contact Jeremy again. After she'd left, Josie told Damon she'd be back with his ring.
She could have just told Damon where Stefan was, but she had to be the one to get it. So it looked like she was in control. She drove back to her house, where she knew Stefan was on the lookout.
"Where's Damon's ring, Stefan?" she said, walking up the sidewalk. "I made a deal with Damon. He promised that he won't kill anyone else in Mystic Falls if you give it back."
Stefan walked down the steps of the porch. "You can't trust him, Josie."
"I told him I'll expose both of you to the right authorities if he doesn't stop killing people. I have safeguards in place in case anything happens to me. He'll stop. But you have to give him his ring back."
Stefan sighed. "I know. I can't protect her all the time." He paused. "So he just agreed to stop killing people in exchange for the ring? When he was already threatening Elena?"
"I can be very persuasive."
"What else did you promise to do for him?" Stefan asked.
"You let me worry about that."
"No, Josie. Damon is dangerous, what else did you promise to give him?" His protectiveness would be kinda cute if it weren't so annoying.
Josie shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "An unspecified favor in the future."
Stefan sighed and shook his head. "Knowing Damon, it could be anything. At least it wasn't…"
"He's not that much of an asshole," she said, shaking her head. "But it's worth it. Whatever it is in the future, it's worth it to keep this town safe."
She was surprised to realize it was true. The thought of anyone hurting her family and her friends, even if they weren't her real family and friends, was… unsettling. Plus, once she figured out a way to escape, she wouldn't have to do Damon any favors anyway.
"What's done is done," he said after several seconds. "Let's go." They drove to the old Salvatore house, where Stefan got Damon's ring.
Josie insisted that she be the one to deliver it to Damon, so she drove herself and Stefan back to the Boarding House. Damon was in his room when she knocked on the door, loudly. Thankfully, Stefan was standing just behind her, so Damon would behave himself.
He was shirtless when he answered. Damn him. "Hello, Josie," he said, smiling. "Where's my ring?"
She held it out and he snatched it and put it on before she could blink.
"I meant what I said, Damon," she said. "You kill, I spill. Clear?"
"Crystal," he smirked. "So, did you decide that now was the time or?" Josie scoffed, turned and left, without saying goodbye to either vampire. She got in her car and went straight to bed, exhausted.
A little while later, Josie sat up in her bed. She looked up and saw the stars. There was a dark-haired woman in a black suit crouching by a fire.
"Help!" she screamed. "You must help me!"
Josie sprang from her bed. "What's wrong? What can I do?"
"You must save him," the woman cried, cradling a baby in her arms. "He is everything I have in the world."
"Of course," Josie nodded. "What can I do?"
Then, the woman's face changed. Her eyes became black and fangs descended from her mouth. "You can die!" She sprang up and attacked Josie.
Josie sat up, panting. Looking around her room, she realized it must have been a dream. There was no woman, no fire. She rolled back over, falling fast asleep. But it wasn't the last time the dark-haired woman in the black suit would haunt her dreams.
