Surprise Update! Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the lovely Scarlett. Enjoy...
Scarlett groaned as she started to wake up, her dream fading to a haze as the early morning sunlight filtered through her closed eyelids. She rolled away from the light and found herself resting against something warm and solid. Smiling slightly she snuggled into it, wondering if maybe she'd be able to sneak another ten minutes sleep before someone came to find her.
"Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty." Scarlett's forehead creased in frustration as she burrowed herself closer to her new pillow, trying to escape the voice that was trying to drag her into consciousness. "As much as I'd love to spend the day in bed with you, I think my brother might have a problem with it." That voice… Scarlett recognised it. Slowly, she cracked open her eyes, searching for the owner of the voice, and found herself face to face with none other than the eldest Salvatore brother.
The redhead let out a shriek and pushed herself away from him, but she was much closer to the edge of the bed than she had realised, and tumbled to the floor in a tangle of bedding. Damon chuckled at the sight of Scarlett trying to extricate herself from her duvet, and crossed his arms behind his head as he leant against the headboard to watch the show. After a brief struggle, her pale face emerged from hiding and she fixed him with an angry glare.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" she asked, her voice still cracked from sleep. One corner of Damon's mouth quirked up in a half-smile as he glanced around her room, taking in the photos on the walls and the fairy lights wrapped around the roof beams –just like he remembered.
"I thought you might like a wake up call… Plus, it's Halloween, and I'm sure you need to figure out a sexy costume for the party." Scarlett huffed as she stood up, and Damon noticed she was still wearing her clothes from the day before. "Rough night?" he asked sarcastically as his eyes strayed to her stomach where the t-shirt had ridden up. Scarlett leant forward and grabbed a pillow, before hitting him in the face with it.
"Get out of here, Damon!" she yelled as she hit him again. Damon quickly stood, his hands held up in surrender as he continued to smirk at her, his pale blue eyes twinkling mischievously.
"All right, all right, I'm going." He reached the door and turned on his heel to grin lustfully at Scarlett. "I have to say, I prefer your cute little pj's to jeans," he said teasingly. Scarlett's cheeks flamed red with a blush, and she hurled her pillow at him. Damon caught it easily and raised it to his nose, inhaling her spicy fragrance, before tossing it lightly onto the bed. "Delectable," he murmured, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Scarlett growled in frustration as she ran her hands through her tumbled waves. How did he do it? Damon always managed to get a reaction out of her, with just a few words or an action. What made it worse was that she liked it. She enjoyed his teasing, and the banter that went back and forth between them. She didn't know if it meant anything, but it didn't seem to matter. There was something about Damon that drew her in, like a moth to a flame. He was right. Scarlett may tell him to stay away from her, but she always went back for more.
Shaking her head vigorously, Scarlett thrust all thoughts of the dark haired, blue eyed vampire out of her head and stalked to her bathroom for a relaxing shower. She let the hot water wash away her troubles, and when she emerged twenty minutes later, she felt invigorated. Scarlett dried her hair so that it fell in loose waves down her back, then dressed in thick black tights and a long sleeved burgundy dress that reached just above her knees. Black ankle boots completed the look, and with a quick glance in the mirror, she grabbed her school bag and headed out of her room to locate Stefan and their new house guest.
Thinking the best place to find the two vampires would probably be Stefan's bedroom; she jogged up the stairs and waltzed through the door, a smile gracing her full lips.
"Here's sleeping beauty." Scarlett turned towards the desk to find Damon smirking at her over the top of the newspaper. She completely ignored him as she turned to her godfather and Vicki. The newly turned vampire was curled up in a chair and looked less than happy to be stuck inside.
"Hey Vicki," Scarlett said quietly, offering her friend a small smile. Vicki smiled in return before facing Stefan.
"I don't understand why I have to stay cooped up here, why can't I just go home?" she asked, obviously frustrated with the situation. Stefan glanced at Scarlett as she perched on a chair next to him before returning his gaze to Vicki.
"Because you're changing, Vicki, and it's not something you wanna do alone," he said. Scarlett could tell that her godfather was stressed; evidently Vicki wasn't taking to the transition as well as he would have liked. Across the room, Damon lowered the newspaper and huffed in annoyance.
"There's nothing about that Logan guy I killed in here – not a word. Someone's covering it up."
"Probably the Council," Scarlett said simply, causing Damon's intense gaze to fly to her face. He frowned at her comment, picking up a golden pocket watch and twirling it in one hand as he tilted his head in question.
"The Council?" he asked. Scarlett nodded as she realised everyone in the room was staring at her.
"Yeah, the Founders Council. Members of the Founding Families; they organise all of the events in town. Zach and my mum were members before they…" Scarlett trailed off and lowered her gaze to the floor as a surge of sadness flooded through her. A hand grasped her own, and she looked up to see Stefan gazing at her, his eyes filled with warmth. She smiled slightly at him, before looking at Damon who was staring at her with the oddest look in his pale blue eyes. Before she could question it, he turned back to the newspaper, his long fingers still fiddling with the pocket watch.
"What is that?" Vicki asked, voicing Scarlett's own question.
"It's a very special, very old compass," he said as he raised his head to look at Stefan. "What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren't you curious?" Stefan gazed at his brother, his expression dark.
"Well if you're so worried that somebody's on to you, why don't you just leave town, Damon?" he asked. Scarlett felt her stomach drop at Stefan's question, and lowered her gaze to the floor, waiting on tenterhooks for Damon's response.
"We should all be worried," the elder Salvatore said simply as he smirked at his brother. He hadn't failed to notice Scarlett's reaction to his brother's question, and felt a certain sense of satisfaction that at least one person would apparently miss him if he left.
"Great, um… I'm hungry; do you have anything to eat?" Vicki's question pierced the tension in the room, and three pairs of eye turned towards the new vampire. Stefan stood up, walked towards his desk and picked up a mug which he then handed to Vicki. Vicki glanced at the mug's contents in distaste. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's what you're craving," Stefan replied, but he was interrupted by Damon's derisive snort.
"Ha, don't lie to the girl. It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right Stef?" Damon caught Scarlett scowling at him and winked cheekily at her, causing a blush to rise in her cheeks.
"What is it?" Vicki asked again, her curiosity peaked.
"Yeah, what is it?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Skunk? St. Bernard? Bambi? Or did Scarlett manage to trap some cute little bunnies for you?" Scarlett rolled her eyes at Damon's immaturity.
"You know, for a hundred and sixty something year old vampire, you have a seriously bad sense of humour," she said dryly as she watched Vicki take a hesitant sip of the liquid in the mug, her nose turning up in disgust.
"Go on, give it a try," Stefan said encouragingly, ignoring his brother's attempts to rile him.
"She's new –she needs people blood, she can't sustain on that stuff," Damon said matter-of-factly as he continued to peruse the newspaper. Vicki drained the mug's contents before nodding happily at Damon.
"Yeah, why can't I have people blood?" she asked, her eyes trailing towards Scarlett. The redhead sat back and shook her head violently.
"Oh no, no way. No vampires are gonna be biting me," she said firmly as she gave Vicki a hard stare.
"Not yet…" Damon murmured in a sing-song tone, causing Scarlett to turn her glare on him. Stefan leant forward, drawing Vicki's gaze away from his goddaughter.
"Because it's wrong to prey on innocent people, Vicki," he explained. Damon turned away from Scarlett's dark blue eyes to roll his eyes at his brother.
"You don't have to kill to feed; just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy," he finished with a smirk, causing Vicki to giggle.
"No, no, there's no guarantee that you can control yourself; it takes years to learn that. You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which if I haven't made clear, is eternity," Stefan lectured. Scarlett frowned at Vicki, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to Stefan's words.
"Don't listen to him," Damon said calmly. "He walks on a moral plain way out of our eye line. I say snatch – eat – erase."
"Like it's ever that simple," Scarlett retorted, her dark eyes narrowing at Damon as he turned to smirk at her.
"And how much experience in vampire feeding habits do you have, little miss empath?" the blue eyed vampire asked sarcastically. Yet again, Stefan ignored the bickering between Damon and his goddaughter to draw Vicki's attention back to him.
"Hey, look at me. We choose our own path; our values, and our actions, they define who we are."
"Okay Count Deepak… I'm outta here." With that, Damon pocketed the compass and left the room, throwing a wink at Scarlett as he walked past her. The red head mentally shook herself before standing up.
"I should go too; I've already missed way too much school this semester." Stefan nodded absently and Scarlett slung her bag over her shoulder and strode out of the room, skipping down the stairs to the hallway. She could hear voices from the front door and frowned, wondering who could be calling this early. Rounding the corner, she stopped in her tracks as she saw Elena stood on the porch with Damon. Neither of them looked happy.
"Elena, hey," Scarlett said as she walked towards the pair, forcing a wide smile onto her face. The brunette glared at Damon before turning to Scarlett.
"Hey Scarlett – is Stefan here?" Damon sighed loudly, causing Scarlett to frown at him.
"Didn't I just tell you he was?" he asked mockingly. Elena glared at him again.
"Excuse me if I don't believe you," Elena replied, her tone derisive. Scarlett rolled her eyes at the pair of them, before elbowing Damon in the ribs. He glanced down at her, a dangerous glint in his frosty eyes.
"Behave," Scarlett murmured. Damon leaned down so that his mouth was a breath away from her ear.
"Make me," he whispered suggestively, causing a tingle to run up Scarlett's spine. She turned to glare at him, but instead found herself staring into his ice blue eyes and her heart began to pound loudly in her ears. A discreet cough broke the spell, and Scarlett spun back to Elena, her cheeks heating once again.
"Uh, Stefan's in his room. Up the stairs, turn left and then through the door on the right," she said quickly, her voice quavering slightly. Elena studied her friend, noting everything from the blush in her cheeks to her nervous stammer, before her eyes turned to Damon who was staring down at Scarlett with an unreadable expression on his face. Hesitantly, she stepped inside, walking between the pair to force them apart.
"Thanks Scarlett. I'll see you later?" The redhead gave her friend a small smile and inclined her head in agreement, before turning to leave.
"Need a ride to school?" Damon asked as he walked along beside her. Scarlett rolled her eyes and dug around in her bag for her car keys.
"I'm perfectly capable of driving myself to school," she said, her voice tinged with annoyance. After their little 'moment' in front of Elena, Scarlett wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Damon as she could.
"Come on; let me do something nice for you, Scar." Scarlett stopped walking and looked up at Damon, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"What do you want, Damon?" The vampire smiled at her innocently, but Scarlett wasn't buying it. "What do you need from me that's so important you'd actually attempt to be nice to me?"
"I'm always nice to you," Damon said, his eyes twinkling with amusement, but when all Scarlett did was raise one delicate eyebrow, he dropped the smile and stared down at her seriously. "What do you know about the Founder's Council?" he asked, his gaze never once leaving hers. Scarlett shook her head slightly, tossing her hair over one shoulder.
"Only what I told you this morning… Zach and my mum didn't really talk about it." Damon considered her words, his gaze lowering to the silver locket around her neck before returning to her sapphire eyes, which were alight with curiosity. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Damon said quickly, his lips curving in his trademark smirk. He turned and sauntered to his car, pulling on his leather jacket as he moved. "Oh, and Scar?" He glanced over his shoulder to see the redhead pause as she opened her car door. "Make sure you and Vicki are never alone." Her eyebrows curved down in a frown.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want her anywhere near that pretty little neck of yours," he said with a shrug, before hopping into his car and driving off, leaving Scarlett frozen in the drive, completely bemused. Was Damon worried about her? Impossible. Forcing his comment to the back of her mind, Scarlett clambered into her car and headed towards school. She couldn't risk being late.
Mystic Falls High had definitely got into the Halloween spirit. Students were sat outside carving pumpkins and painting signs for the party that was being thrown. Scarlett hurried through the bustling crowds as she made her way to her locker, and smiled widely when she saw Bonnie waiting for her.
"Scarlett, where have you been? You didn't reply to any of my texts," the young witch said as she pulled her friend into a hug. Scarlett drew back and opened her locker, filling her bag with the books she would need for the morning.
"I know, I'm sorry. Just some family drama – Zach had to go out of town for a while, so I was spending time with him before he left," Scarlett said, the lie slipping easily of her tongue. Bonnie smiled at the redhead in understanding, before glancing over her shoulder. Scarlett turned to see what had caught her friend's attention and was immediately greeted with the sight of Caroline holding out two large shopping bags.
"I have got your costumes," she said in a sing-song voice as Bonnie and Scarlett reached for the bags. "It's all here." The girls grinned at each other before opening the bags to see what Caroline had brought them. Reaching in, Scarlett drew out a white apron and a dark green headband.
"Um, Care… What is this supposed to be?" she asked hesitantly. Bonnie, who was frowning into her own bag, glanced at the items in Scarlett's hand with raised brows.
"Malice in Wonderland – I thought it'd suit you more than the classic version." Scarlett gazed blankly at the dark green material pooling at the bottom of the bag. She glanced at Bonnie who shrugged and pulled her own costume out with a sigh of annoyance.
"Seriously?" the witch asked, frowning at Caroline. The blonde huffed and leant heavily against the lockers.
"Come on! Can someone please be excited that it's Halloween? I just wanna have fun. You know just some silly, fluffy, Damon free fun." Scarlett ducked her head at Caroline's mention of Damon, pretending to examine the witch's hat that went with Bonnie's costume.
"Hey isn't this the one you got from Damon?" Bonnie asked Caroline, holding up an ugly amber pendant. Scarlett reached forward to take hold of it and turned it over in the palm of her hand. It seemed very ordinary; why had Damon given it to Caroline, she wondered.
"Yep," Caroline relied easily, popping the p. "Wear it, toss it – I don't care. I just want it gone." Bonnie and Scarlett exchanged worried glances before Caroline suddenly straightened, her face becoming serious in an instant.
"Have either of you seen Elena? Do we know what she's wearing?" Bonnie shrugged her shoulders in response.
"I've been with Grams all weekend – I haven't talked to her. Maybe she's with Stefan." Caroline huffed again and leaned back against the lockers, glaring across the corridor at nothing in particular.
"Riding to his castle on his white horse," she grumbled sarcastically. Scarlett poked her gently in the ribs, causing the blonde to smile.
"Don't be bitter – it provokes wrinkles," the redhead said with a wink. Smiling brightly, the three girls walked to class.
After school, Scarlett drove back to the Boarding House, her costume bag resting on the passenger seat. She was excited about the party that evening; after all the drama of the last few days, she needed to let her hair down and have some fun. Parking in the drive, she quickly gathered her things and walked around the back of the house to the kitchen door. The kitchen was empty when she walked in, so she dropped her bags on the counter and strolled to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and something to eat.
"What's in the bag?" Scarlett shrieked, dropping a plate of left-over pasta on the floor as she spun around to find Damon leaning against the counter behind her.
"Stop creeping up on me!" she exclaimed as she waited for her heart to slow to a normal rhythm before kneeling down to clean up the broken plate of food.
"But it's so much fun making you jump," Damon said with a smirk as he crouched down beside her to help clean up. Their hands brushed as they reached for a shard of plate, and Scarlett felt a tingle go up her arm and spread through her body at the contact. They finished tidying up in silence, then Scarlett grabbed her bags and headed towards the hallway. "You never answered my question," Damon said behind her. Scarlett paused to glance over her shoulder.
"It's my costume," she said simply as she continued to walk through the house to her bedroom. Damon didn't follow her, and she was both relieved and disappointed by his seeming lack of interest. Once in her bedroom, she locked the door to make sure there would be no unwanted interruptions and emptied the contents of her costume bag onto her bed. Her jaw dropped in astonishment; Caroline had really gone to town this time.
The costume consisted of a dark green corseted dress that would probably reach to about mid-thigh when Scarlett put it on. With it was a frothy white petticoat, a pair of thigh high black and white striped stockings, black heels and the apron and headband that she had seen earlier. Scarlett couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face, and she made a mental note to get Caroline an amazing birthday present in return for finding her such a brilliant costume.
Grinning happily, Scarlett set to work on her makeup, doing a dramatic smoky look on her eyes and layering a pale lipstick onto her lips to complete the mysterious look. She curled her auburn tresses into messy ringlets, then slipped on her costume. Looking in the full length mirror, Scarlett grinned at the end result. She put her phone and purse into a small black bag which she slung over her shoulder, then skipped downstairs. Stefan was in the parlour, and when he caught sight of her, both his eyebrows rose towards his hairline.
"You can't tell me off for this, Uncle Stefan, it wasn't my idea," Scarlett said immediately, sure that he was going to get angry about her somewhat revealing costume. Instead, he just smiled, his forest green eyes sparkling in the dimly lit room.
"Actually, I was going to say you look lovely, even though I'm not exactly sure who you're supposed to be…" Scarlett smiled as she stepped further into the room, her eyes quickly scanning it to make sure they were alone.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to the party?" she asked her godfather. Stefan shook his head sadly.
"I really need to stay with Vicki; Elena's worried that she'll try and get to Jeremy." Scarlett chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she fiddled with the apron of her costume.
"Okay, well… Have a good evening, I guess," she said finally. Stefan smiled gently and pulled his goddaughter in for a quick hug before the redhead left. Once again, Scarlett drove to the school, leaving her car in the parking lot as she tried to find her friends. She saw Caroline and Bonnie stood by a witch's cauldron full of sweets and smirked slightly at the irony of it. The blonde turned as Scarlett walked towards them, and her grey eyes lit up in excitement.
"I knew you'd look amazing in that costume!" she said happily. Scarlett did a little twirl and Bonnie and Caroline both applauded.
"Well it's all down to you, Care," Scarlett said with a bright smile. There was a tap on her shoulder, and Scarlett turned to find Tyler stood behind her wearing little more than a red cloak and a pair of shorts.
"Cider for the ladies?" he asked, holding out three cups of alcohol. "It's a Lockwood special." Bonnie groaned and shook her head.
"No way, last year I was hung-over until Thanksgiving," she said, frowning at the memory. Tyler turned to Scarlett, who smiled and shook her head.
"Designated driver," she explained. Caroline rolled her eyes as she reached forward to take a cup from Tyler.
"Honestly, you two are going to be no fun this evening. I, however, am going to drink until someone is hot enough to make out with," she said with a suggestive smirk.
"Sounds like a plan," Tyler agreed, and he tapped his glass against Caroline's before winking at Scarlett. Scarlett ignored his flirting as she turned to Bonnie and Caroline.
"I'm gonna check out the rest of the school," she told them. The two girls nodded and Scarlett left them outside to go exploring.
Inside she found Jeremy, Elena and Matt talking, the latter two wearing the same costumes as last year. Creeping up on them, she tickled Matt's sides, causing him to jump.
"Honestly, you two have no imagination," she teased. Matt laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Unlike you, it would seem. What are you supposed to be, again?" Scarlett elbowed the jock gently in the ribs as Elena watched on, her lips stretched in a grin. Jeremy just rolled his eyes and pulled his hood lower over his forehead.
"Malice in Wonderland, obviously," Scarlett said, striking a pose. Elena and Matt laughed at her antics.
"I never would have guessed," Elena said playfully.
"So, what's with last year's costumes?" Scarlett asked, stealing Matt's stethoscope and wrapping it around her neck.
"I didn't know I was coming until an hour ago," Elena explained with a sigh.
"Me neither," said Matt, and the two smiled at each other before tapping a plastic hand and foot together in a weird high-five. Scarlett turned to Jeremy, looking him up and down with a slight smirk.
"And you're going as… You?" she asked teasingly. Jeremy threw her a unimpressed glare before stalking away from the group, his hands thrust into his pockets. "Wow… Moody teenagers…" Scarlett muttered, turning to Elena to find her frowning at her brother's back.
"He's not talking to me right now," she said, resting her hands on her hips in frustration. "We got into a fight." Matt sighed in sympathy.
"Yeah, I got into it with Vick to when she got home," he said, causing Scarlett's dark blue eyes to snap towards him. Vicki shouldn't be at home – she should be with Stefan. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. "I'm trying not to smother her tonight, but part of me didn't want to let her out of my sight."
"She's here?" Elena asked him, her wide eyes flying to Scarlett who was already scanning the corridor.
"Yeah. You can't miss her; she's a vampire." Scarlett laughed nervously at Matt's comment – if only he knew. Closing her eyes, Scarlett reached out with her mind in an attempt to locate the newly turned vampire. She thought it might be easier considering she'd already formed a link with Vicki's mind, but Scarlett couldn't get a read on her with all the other people crowding around.
"Where did Jeremy go?" Elena asked worriedly, causing Scarlett to open her eyes and look around, searching for her friend's brother. "I gotta find him." She felt Elena grab her hand, and the two of them hurried into the crowd, ignoring Matt who was calling after them.
The strobe lights and the crowds made it difficult to see properly in the dimly lit corridor, and the two girls stumbled several times, knocking in to strangers as they rushed through the school. Once again, Scarlett opened her mind, this time finding a familiar surge of emotions pressing against her consciousness.
"Stefan's here," she told Elena, yelling over the pulsating music. The brunette nodded to show that she had heard, and Scarlett led her down a corridor until she found her godfather, who had a tight grip on Vicki. "Thank God," she muttered as they came to a stop beside Stefan.
"What's the matter?" Stefan asked quickly, his eyes skimming over both Scarlett and Elena to make sure neither of them was hurt.
"I lost track of Jeremy; I was worried," Elena explained, glancing darkly at Vicki as she stood next to them. Just then, Matt came up to the group, standing next to Scarlett. His eyes lowered to Stefan's hand on his sister's arm and he frowned.
"What's going on?" he asked. Scarlett and Elena shared a nervous glance as Stefan attempted to explain.
"Hey, uh, everything's fine," he told Matt. He didn't try to compel him; it would be too risky in such a crowded place, and there was no guarantee it would even work. Suddenly Vicki pulled her arm out of Stefan's grip with a glare.
"I told you to quit bothering me," she said loudly, causing Scarlett, Elena and Stefan to frown at her in confusion.
"No, Vicki, don't do this-" Elena started, but Vicki cut her off.
"Matt, he won't leave me alone," she told her brother quietly, looking at him with wide, scared eyes. Scarlett scowled at Vicki as her temper began to rise.
"Vicki, don't be stupid," she said harshly, causing Matt to glower at her.
"Don't talk to my sister like that," he said, pushing Vicki behind him in a protective stance before turning to Stefan. "And you need to back off, man," he warned him. Elena forced her way between them, placing her hands on Matt's chest to try and calm him down.
"Matt it's okay," she said, but he was having none of it.
"No, it's not okay," he said loudly, pushing past Elena to take a menacing step towards Stefan. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked as he focused his angry gaze on the vampire. A pulse of wind set Scarlett's hair dancing, and when she looked around, Vicki was nowhere to be found.
"Stefan, she's gone" she said quickly, before pulling Elena away and running down the corridor. Stefan soon followed, and the three of them continued to search for Vicki. The trio split up, Scarlett and Elena leaving Stefan to track her in his own way while the girls relied on Scarlett's empathic abilities to try and find Jeremy. Elena saw someone wearing a hoody similar to her brother's and immediately went up to him, only to find it was someone she had never met. Scarlett was about to follow her when a tidal wave of emotion flooded her body and she fell to her knees in pain.
"Elena," she gasped. The brunette turned and, seeing her friend on the floor, hurried to her side, crouched beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"What is it, Scarlett?" she asked quickly, filled with worry for the redhead. Scarlett felt sick. She placed a hand to her stomach to try and calm the churning feeling there, but it did little to help the overriding feeling coursing through her.
"Hunger," she whispered. "I feel hunger." Her dark blue eyes rose to meet Elena's. "Vicki's outside… with Jeremy." Elena masked her shock at this first obvious use of Scarlett's powers and helped her friend to her feet before the pair stumbled towards the fire exit. They found themselves at the back of the school, where the school buses were parked when they weren't needed. Scarlett felt another crippling wave of hunger and almost collapsed, but the sound of Jeremy's cries helped her force her emotions back.
Elena grabbed a plank of wood from a nearby barrel and ran towards her brother, Scarlett right behind her. They saw Vicki holding Jeremy against a bus, her fangs exposed, ready to bite into his neck.
"Vicki, no!" Elena yelled, drawing the vampire's attention away from her brother and towards her and Scarlett. Vicki thrust Jeremy to the ground before advancing on Elena, who stepped forward and swung the plank of wood in her hands. Vicki smirked before tearing the wood out of Elena's grasp and throwing her back into a pile of rubbish before proceeding to stalk towards Scarlett.
Scarlett took a step back, reaching inside herself for the pain and confusion she could feel coursing through her from Jeremy, and thrust it into Vicki's mind. The vampire screamed, clutching her head in agony, but Scarlett was still weak and she couldn't hold Vicki down for long. Scarlett stumbled slightly as she felt the emotions draining from her body, leaving her empty. Vicki stood straight, baring her fangs at Scarlett, about to pounce, when suddenly she was shoved back against a bus, Stefan holding her in place. Jeremy and Elena stood up, tiptoeing towards the commotion.
"Vicki!" Jeremy yelled, his worry for his girlfriend stronger at that moment than his worry about what she was. Vicki pushed Stefan away with a growl before disappearing, leaving the rest of them in silence. Stefan glanced around, taking in Scarlett's pale, drained face, Elena's bleeding waist and Jeremy's confused expression. He turned to his goddaughter, who looked at him with haunted eyes.
"Scarlett, get them inside," he said quickly. The redhead nodded and grabbed Elena's wrist, ushering her and Jeremy towards the door.
"Hurry," she said quietly as she pushed the Gilbert's into a run. Scarlett watched as Elena opened the door before she felt herself being yanked backwards. A hand fisted in Scarlett's hair, pulling her head to the side as a set of fangs plunged into her neck, eliciting a scream of pain from the redhead. Scarlett could feel her blood being sucked from her body as her vision started to swim.
Vicki pulled back, growling in pleasure, before going in for another bite. Suddenly, she gasped in shock, her hands dropping from Scarlett's body as she staggered back. Scarlett raised a hand to her neck, her eyes lowering to the plank of wood protruding bloodily from Vicki's chest. The vampire attempted to breathe, wheezing as the air refused to enter her lungs. Behind her, Stefan pulled the makeshift stake from Vicki's body, his eyes full of sadness as he watched the teenager take her final breaths.
Scarlett barely registered Jeremy's tortured screams. All she could do was stand and watch as her friend slowly collapsed to her knees as the life drained from her eyes. A single tear slipped down Vicki's cheek and her skin turned a sickly grey colour, the veins protruding as her body desiccated.
The redhead stood over Vicki's dead body, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Finally, she glanced towards Elena to see her silently crying, her arms wrapped around her brother in an attempt to calm him. Her godfather was staring solemnly at Vicki's body, and Scarlett could feel his guilt radiating towards her.
"Stefan, get them out of here," Scarlett whispered. He raised his eyes to hers before nodding and steering Elena and Jeremy away from the scene, pulling out his phone as he went. Slowly, Scarlett knelt by Vicki's side as tears started to trace their way down her face. She reached forward to brush the hair back from Vicki's face and thought how strange it was that this was the second time she was kneeling over the girls' dead body. She could still feel the blood oozing from where Vicki had bitten her, but somehow it didn't seem so important at that moment.
A few minutes later, soft footsteps made their way towards Scarlett. She started to panic, wondering how she would explain this scenario to a stranger when a figure appeared in the corner of her eye and she realised who was approaching.
"You should go. I got this," Damon said easily as he stood over Scarlett and Vicki's body. Slowly, Scarlett raised her gaze to Damon's, her eyes narrowing in a cold glare. His smirk only angered her further as she began to rise to her feet.
"You did this," Scarlett growled, her eyes gleaming with an anger she didn't know she was capable of. "This is your fault." Damon raised a taunting eyebrow before glancing down at Vicki, wondering how he was going to move her without people asking questions.
"You confuse me for someone with remorse," he said calmly, throwing Scarlett a quick glance. He could smell her blood, and was finding it incredibly hard not to steal a taste. Seething with anger and hurt, Scarlett shoved him, causing Damon to step back slightly. She raised her hand to slap him, only to have him catch her wrist and squeeze, not enough to break but enough to cause her pain. His eyes were like chips of ice as he gazed steadily at her. "None of this matters to me. None of it."
"You seem to forget that I'm an empath," Scarlett whispered as she stared up at him. He looked momentarily confused before she continued. "I'm the one person in this town who knows you're lying. It does matter – you know it, and I know it." Scarlett quickly raised her other hand and slapped him hard around the face. Damon's eyes held a dangerous glint as he turned back to Scarlett, a light pink mark blooming on his cheek where her hand had connected. He pulled her forward roughly so that her body collided with his and trapped both of her hands behind her back. Glaring down at her, he tilted his head slightly and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her blood.
"I'm gonna ignore your momentary lapse in judgement," he said quietly as Scarlett trembled in his hold, her breath coming in small gasps that caused her breasts to press temptingly against his chest. "I need to borrow your car, and then I'm going to drive you home and we'll forget this whole little affair." Stealing her car keys from her bag, he let her go and began to walk away. "Wait here," he called over his shoulder before striding towards the parking lot.
Damon took deep breaths through his nose as he got into Scarlett's car and turned on the ignition. He had to get a handle on his self-control. Not only that, he had to start remembering why the hell he had come back to Mystic Falls after all these years; it wasn't so that he could flirt with his brother's seventeen year old goddaughter. But Scarlett was more than tempting. Not only was she smart and beautiful, but she challenged him and she didn't fall for his bull shit. Unlike everyone else he knew, she tried to understand him and she didn't try to change him.
Shaking his head, Damon forced those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had a game plan, and it was one he was sticking to. Pulling the car up behind the school buses, he climbed out and made his way towards Scarlett. She had stayed where she was, crouched on the floor beside Vicki's body, and when she heard him approach she looked up at him with wide, sad eyes. Damon gritted his teeth; there was no way he was going to say something to try and comfort her.
"Get in the car," he said shortly, and Scarlett immediately stood and darted away from him. She was scared of him – good, that would make things easier. He scooped Vicki's body into his arms and carried her to the boot of the car, placing her inside before closing the boot with a snap and sliding into the driver's seat. Scarlett was curled up in the front passenger seat, her arms wrapped around her knees. The blood had finally clotted at her neck and formed a messy scab, so Damon didn't have to worry about her fainting from blood loss anytime soon.
The drive away from school was silent. Scarlett leant her head against the window, refusing to look at Damon as silent tears trickled from her eyes. After half an hour of driving, Damon pulled over on the side of the road and turned off the car. Looking outside, Scarlett could see nothing but trees; no cars passed by them, and there was no other sign of habitation. Damon glanced across at the redhead, concern tinging his pale eyes for less than a second before his trademark smirk graced his lips.
"I suggest you wait in the car. The next bit is a bit messy," he taunted. Scarlett didn't respond, didn't even blink, so Damon climbed out of the car, grabbed Vicki's body and stalked further into the woods.
It didn't take him long to dig her a shallow grave near the river, and soon enough he made his way back towards the car. Scarlett was stood outside leaning against the bonnet, her arms folded across her chest as she shivered with cold. Damon scowled at her as he approached.
"Standing outside in that costume – really smart," he said sarcastically. As gorgeous as she looked, the short skirt and sleeves of her costume weren't exactly protecting her from the cold night air. Shrugging out of his leather jacket, he slipped it around Scarlett's shoulders and gently rubbed her arms to try and warm her. She didn't react, simply stood there staring blankly over his shoulder. "Scarlett?" Damon said gently. She blinked, as though waking from a dream, and focused on his pale blue eyes.
"Can you take me to Elena's?" she asked, her voice so soft that a human wouldn't have been able to hear her. Damon sighed. He wanted to take her home; what she needed was rest, not to spend more time worrying about her friend.
"Get in the car," he said shortly. Scarlett flinched at his tone and hurried to follow his instructions. Once in the car, she slid Damon's jacket from her shoulders and put it on the backseat. Damon didn't comment as he started the car again, but a muscle ticked in his jaw as he turned the heating on as high as it would go and drove back to town.
Scarlett didn't speak for the entirety of the journey. All she could do was sit and gaze out of the window, wondering what she was going to say if someone asked her where Vicki was. What if that someone was Matt? How would she be able to look him in the eye, knowing that his sister was dead and that she knew where Vicki's body was buried?
Vicki wasn't the only thing on Scarlett's mind. Time and again her thoughts strayed to the vampire sitting beside her. She wasn't going to lie to herself anymore; she felt something for Damon. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it certainly wasn't bad. Scarlett mentally shook herself. She shouldn't feel anything for Damon. He was an unfeeling murderer; and yet… There had been a moment, a fleeting moment as they stood gazing at Vicki's dead body, where Scarlett had felt a flicker of emotion from Damon. He did care, more than he let on and more than anyone else realised. That was why Scarlett cared; because underneath all of his sarcastic comments and sly smirks was a man with genuine feelings.
"We're here." Damon's voice drew Scarlett from her thoughts, and she looked out of the window to see the Gilbert house across the street. She and Damon climbed out of the car and walked towards the house side by side. Scarlett could see Elena and Stefan stood on the porch talking; she turned to Damon, a question in her blue eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked softly. Damon glanced down at her, ignoring the temptation to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
"Elena's want's Stefan to compel Jeremy to forget this evening," he replied just as quietly. Scarlett nodded to herself as she and Damon climbed the side stairs to the porch – maybe it would be for the best. She barely caught the end of their conversation.
"I don't have the ability to do it right," Stefan murmured. Scarlett looked up at Damon as an idea came to her head. She whispered one word.
"Please?" Damon stared into Scarlett's dark blue eyes before inclining his head and turning towards the couple on the porch.
"I can do it," he said, loud enough for Stefan and Elena to hear him. The couple turned towards Damon and Scarlett as they walked closer. "If it's what you want, I'll do it." Elena's eye's met Scarlett's, and when the redhead nodded in confirmation, Elena turned back to Stefan.
"It's what I want." Scarlett could tell that Stefan wasn't happy about the idea, but he inclined his head, bowing to Elena's wishes.
"What do you want him to know?" Damon asked matter-of-factly. Elena turned back to Damon and Scarlett, tears glistening in her dark brown eyes. She took a moment to think before she replied.
"I want you to tell him that Vicki left town," Elena said, her voice shaking slightly with grief. "And she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her, or worry about her. He's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best." Damon nodded and started to head inside when Elena's voice stopped him. "Scarlett, will you go with him?" she asked.
"Of course," Scarlett replied quietly, before leading Damon into the house and up the stairs. She opened Jeremy's door to find him on his bed, his knees curled against his chest as he sobbed into his arms. Scarlett perched on the edge of the bed, her hands on Jeremy's as he looked up at her with anguished brown eyes. "Jere, this is my friend Damon," she said softly as Damon came closer. "He needs to have a quick word with you, okay?" Jeremy nodded absently, and Scarlett moved back to the door as Damon took her place on the bed. His voice was so quiet that Scarlett couldn't hear what he told Jeremy, but when he stopped talking the boy instantly lay back and fell asleep, a small smile curving his lips.
"Finished," said Damon as he stood and faced Scarlett, taking in her limp hair, pale skin and the ugly bite mark on her neck. "Now, will you let me take you home?" he asked. Scarlett's only response was to turn and walk back downstairs, trailing her hand on the bannister for support. Her head was starting to feel woozy, and all she wanted was to fall into her bed and go to sleep.
Damon followed her onto the porch, where they found Stefan and Elena sat on the bench talking quietly. The couple turned when they heard them approach, and Elena's eyes flew to Damon.
"It's done," he said gently. Elena inclined her head before standing and walking towards Scarlett. The two girls stared at each other quietly for a moment before wrapping their arms around each other. No words were needed, just silent comfort and support.
"Thank you," Elena whispered in the redhead's ear, before pulling back and hurrying into the house, closing the door behind her. Scarlett, Damon and Stefan gazed at the door for a minute, and then they all wandered towards Scarlett's car, Damon climbing into the driver's seat. Scarlett let Stefan sit in the front, while she curled herself up on the back seat. No one spoke as Damon drove them back to the Boarding House, and when they arrived they all made their separate ways to their bedrooms.
Scarlett traipsed to her bathroom and gazed at herself in the mirror – she looked a fright. She quickly tied her hair into a loose bun before filling the sink with hot water and grabbing some tissue paper. The bite mark on her neck had turned into a congealed mess, and there were dried rivulets of blood all over her arm and chest. Soaking the tissue paper in warm water, Scarlett slowly began to clean herself up, wiping hard to remove the dried blood. She flinched when the scab over the bite started to break, and blood began to seep from the wound.
"Let me do that." Scarlett didn't even blink as Damon entered the room, placing a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the side before taking the bloody tissues from her hands. She jumped up onto the counter and tilted her head to the side to give Damon more room to work.
"What's that?" she asked, gesturing towards the mug as Damon gently cleaned away the fresh blood.
"You've had a trying day – I thought you might like something to help you calm down." Scarlett winced slightly as Damon rubbed an antiseptic wipe over her wound.
"You're being nice again, Damon," she teased as she closed her eyes. She felt herself losing her balance, and quickly rested her arms on Damon's shoulders in order to stay upright. Damon's hands slowed as he gazed at the girl in front of him. She should hate him, or at least be terrified of him, and yet her actions showed such trust that he couldn't help but smile a little.
"Shh, don't tell anyone," he whispered with a smirk. Scarlett giggled softly and Damon tensed, his whole being focused on that one sound. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Damon quickly fixed a large white dressing to Scarlett's neck, covering the bite mark. "All done," he said quietly. Scarlett opened her eyes and hopped off the counter, dropping her hands from his shoulders.
"Thank you. Now, will you leave so that I can change?" Damon smirked as he followed the redhead out of the bathroom and watched her grab her shorty pyjamas.
"Now why would I leave when the show's about to begin?" he asked, his trademark smirk firmly in place. Scarlett rolled her eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed.
"And there you go being a jerk again," she said with a small smile. Damon was about to leave when he remembered the hot chocolate in the bathroom. Fetching it, he handed it to Scarlett who frowned at him.
"Make sure you drink it," Damon said firmly. Scarlett looked confused as she took a hesitant sip of the drink.
"It tastes funny," she replied, turning her nose up at the exceedingly sweet taste of the hot drink.
"I put something strong in to help you sleep," Damon explained as he walked to the door. "Just, make sure you finish it. You'll feel better, I promise."
"Damon?" The vampire paused with his hand on the door. "How long is this nice act going to last?" Damon threw a smirk over his shoulder.
"What nice act?" he taunted, before closing the bedroom door behind him. Scarlett stayed where she was, her mind reeling at Damon's confusing behaviour. She had to try and figure him out, but that would have to wait until the morning. Deciding to follow his orders, Scarlett downed the overly sweet hot chocolate before changing into her pyjamas and crawling into bed. Her neck itched momentarily, but she ignored it and quickly fell into a deep slumber.
A/N: So, I know I said I wouldn't be updating for a while, but I hit a block on my NaNoWriMo project and decided to pop out a quick VD chapter to get my head turning. There's a link to Scarlett's costume on my profile page. Enough Damon/Scarlett fluff, or do you want more? ;) Let me know what you guys think - the more reviews I get, the happier I am!
Much love xx
