I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! And with over 4,500 words. No, I didn't write the Kol death scene because it actually happened in the series (but the difference is that it was under Damon's orders) and it was just easier.
I'm sooooooooo sorry for taking so long to update. RL has been kicking my ass and I've been going through some serious personal issues and some serious family issues (we also had a loss in our family so heaven has a new little angel), my dad had 2 heart attacks (and now has to take daily medication) and my mom went through surgery. Things should pick up a bit now, but no serious promises.
Also would like to give thanks to my bff for helping keep my head when writing for all these characters at once. I couldn't have done it alone. (Another reason as to why I took long to post because I desperately needed her help and had to wait for her busy schedule to clear up.)
But any ways on with the story!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters, but the plot and any original characters are mine! No copyright infringement intended. It's just fun to play with the characters ;)
Chapter Nine
"I can walk." Jen sighed as Damon carried her into the boarding house. She hated being babied.
"Well, you're still weak and shit so that's not your call. The doc said you were supposed to stay off your feet for 2 weeks." Damon reminded as he carried her to her room.
"But I took some of your blood, isn't that supposed to help?" She asked as he laid her on the bed.
"It is." He confirmed with a smirk. "It'll take you from 2 weeks of rest to just one. You'll be ok just in time for the Founders' Ball."
She rolled her eyes. "What about food for JD? And my job?" She reminded, folding her arms across her chest. "I can't just not show up, Damon." She argued.
This time it was Damon who rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I can cook, you know…" He waved his hand absent-mindedly. "Vampire Barbie already talked to your boss and told her you suffered an accident. She understands, and you're only going back to work after the Founder's Ball."
Jen sighed in defeat. There was no arguing with Damon; she knew that, but couldn't help it. It wasn't in her nature to sit around and do nothing. "Fine, but I'm making bathroom trips by myself." She stated resolutely.
"Aww..." Damon pouted, but a smile teased at the corners of his lips. "And I was so looking forward to assisting you in the shower." His trademark smirk broke beyond the pout. A smile tugged at her lips and though she fought it, Damon noticed. "You know you love my perversity." He sat down next to her.
Jen chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I tolerate your perversity."
"For real though," He sighed, his mood turning suddenly serious. "Never do that again. I can't…" He paused, trying to find the right words to use. "JD and I… We can't lose you. Hell, I think you've even wormed your way into Saint Stefan's heart." He smirked. "And you sure as hell, broke Barbie Klaus's walls. You're something else, Jen."
Jen blushed and smiled. "Damon…" His care and affection hit deep in her heart, although she fought it as much as she could. There was no reason to let it get to her when he belonged to another.
The abrupt opening of her bedroom door brought them both out their reveries. "Oh good, you're back. I need to talk to you." Caroline spoke rather franticly. "Get out." She turned to Damon.
"No." He responded simply. "You can't tell me to get out of my own house, Caroline. Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" He said with mocked shock, and turned to Jen. "See? I told you when we talked about Liz babysitting JD that it was a bad idea. Her own kid doesn't even have manners." He teased with a smirk.
Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed. "Out of the room, Damon. I really need to talk to Jen privately."
Damon rolled his eyes and checked his phone. "I'm gonna go, but not because you so impolitely asked me to." He stood up. "I gotta pick up JD from school. I told him he'd have a surprise when he came home." He made his way to the door and stopped, turning to Caroline. "Don't stress her out too much, alright blondie?" He asked, though Caroline noticed it wasn't exactly a request, and he left.
"What's wrong, Caroline?" Jen asked as Caroline sat down on the edge of the bed.
"So my friend, the one we talked about?" She reminded Jen, who responded with a nod. "Well the guy that she sorta likes and hates asked her to the Founders' Ball."
"And…?" Jen asked curiously. "What did your friend say?"
"She said yes." She answered with a panic. "But now she's freaking out because almost all of her friends hate his guts and she's afraid they'll hate her too." She rambled.
Jen rolled her eyes. "My advice remains the same. If her friends are really her friends, then they'll stand by her even if they don't like her boyfriend. You have to remember, your friend is the one going out with him, not her friends."
"But they're not boyfriend and girlfriend." Caroline corrected, crossing her arms.
"Well, whatever." Jen rolled her eyes. "Friends will support friends no matter what. And if my friend was dating someone I didn't like? I'd still have her back, no matter what."
"Trust me…" She sighed. "Her best friends will hate it."
"Then tell them to fuck it." Jen smirked in a very Damon-esque way.
Caroline smiled. "I thought I was talking to Jen, not Damon." She pointed to the smirk on the older girl's face.
"Prolonged exposure to Damon will do that to you." Jen chuckled.
"I guess it's due to the unfortunate effect of having Damon in your head for years." Caroline laughed, lying next to the brunette. "Jen?"
"Yes, Care?"
She turned to look at Jen. "I'm glad you're ok."
"Thanks." Jen smiled. "How has it been, planning the ball?"
Caroline smiled and began telling Jen in extreme details how the planning had been going while Jen listened on with a smile. 'She reminds me so much of Natalie.' Jen thought to herself.
About 20 minutes later, a little voice was heard from the hallway. "Daddy, what's my surprise? I wanna know! Is it a puppy? Is it a kitty?" JD's curious ramblings broke through their conversation.
Damon could be heard chuckling from outside the door. "No, kiddo. It's not a puppy or a kitty. We can't tempt Uncle Stef like that." Jen could just picture the smirk on Damon's face as Caroline rolled her eyes. "Now close your eyes and keep 'em closed, ok?" Damon asked.
"Ok, Daddy." JD responded and the door opened, revealing Damon holding JD in one arm.
"Keep 'em closed, kid." Damon reminded as he walked over and placed JD on his mother's bed. "Open 'em."
Jen watched JD's eyes shoot open at Damon's command and his face lit up upon seeing her. "Mommy!" He squealed, launching himself into her arms.
"Hey, baby." She hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much, my little man." She kissed the top of his head.
"I missed you too, Mommy." JD said pulling back, but stayed in her lap. "I missed you lots and lots, especially when it came time to go to bed. I missed my lullaby." He said and a cheeky smile appeared on his face. "Daddy tried to sing it to me, but he wasn't very good." He explained, making Jen and Caroline laugh. "Daddy sings bad."
Jen laughed and Damon crossed his arms. "Hey, you little traitor. You weren't supposed to tell your mom that." Damon said slightly indignant, but a smile tugged at his lips.
"Sorry, Daddy." JD giggled.
Damon sat next to the 2 of them on the bed. "No, you're not, you little rugrat." He tickled him and JD laughed. "You're not sorry at all." Jen laughed at their antics as Damon continued ticking their son and JD squirmed and squealed under his father's hands. "Let's go get you something to eat, traitor." Damon picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder. "Then we'll come back and hang out with mommy."
"Ok, Daddy." JD responded as his breathing began regulating again.
Caroline watched the interaction between Damon, Jen and JD in awe. 'Being a father really is making Damon into a completely different person.' She could hardly believe it. Her eyes followed the father and son duo till they were out the door.
"What is it, Caroline?" Jen asked, having noticed the look on the younger blonde's face.
"He's like a completely different person with JD." She answered, shaking her head and looking back at the brunette.
Jen chuckled. "No, he's not, Care. He's the same Damon. This is just a different side of him. This is a side of him that you don't know, but has always been in him."
A few days later, the entire gang had come over to discuss the cure in the parlor as JD colored in the kitchen and Jen rested upstairs. A desperate banging was heard on the front door, bringing the toddler out of his reverie. JD jumped off of the chair and ran to the front door, seeing Stefan there. "Who is it, Uncle Stef?"
"I dunno, JD." Stefan shrugged and opened the door, revealing Rebekah and Klaus. "Oh sh… shiz." Stefan's eyes widened, he turned in direction of the parlor. "Damon!"
"Auntie Bex!" JD smiled. "Who's your friend?"
"I'm Auntie Bex's big brother." Klaus smiled, but JD couldn't see the rage in his eyes. "Can we come in?"
"A' course you can come in." JD smiled as both Damon and Stefan shouted: "NO!"
Klaus strolled in with Rebekah behind him. "Children… so trusting."
"JD, what did I tell you about answering the door?" Damon scolded angrily, picking him up.
"But I didn't, Daddy. Uncle Stef did." JD responded, confused. "I just invited Auntie Bex and her brother in… Was I not supposed to?"
Damon exhaled heavily. "No." He shook his head with narrowed eyes. "Now go upstairs to your room and don't come out till I say so." He placed him on the stairs.
"Yes, Daddy." JD replied despondently and made his way up.
Damon turned to Klaus and narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't you dare think about laying a finger on my kid. If you try, I won't need a white oak stake to end your miserable life, you asshole."
Klaus laughed "Oh, scary daddy. But... I can take your son from you like you took my brother from me." Klaus and Damon took a step toward each other. Neither said a word, but sized each other up.
"No, Nik." Rebekah placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I'm not letting that little boy pay for the crimes of his father."
"Do not try and tell me what to do Rebekah... Or you will be meeting the end of a silver dagger." Klaus pressed his lips in a straight line.
"What crimes do you assume I've committed?" Damon asked, looking at Rebekah.
Rebekah narrowed her eyes at Damon before turning to her brother "I will not let you harm an innocent baby, Nik." Rebekah growled, standing before her brother. "Even at the threat of a dagger," She turned to Damon. "I know you set up the situation for Elena's little brother to kill Kol, Damon." She crossed her arm. "Don't take me for a fool."
"Oh I would never do that, Barbie Klaus, but then again it wouldn't be hard to do." Damon smirked.
Jeremy walked out of the parlor with his arms across his chest, his hunter marks were clearly crawling up his arm. "I wouldn't mind adding a couple other Originals to my resume." Jeremy smirked confidently.
"I won't think twice of snapping you neck, little Gilbert. In fact, it would make me down right jolly." Klaus snapped back, his eyes murderous.
"You don't scare me much anymore, Klaus." Jeremy stepped toward Klaus, and Damon held out his arm in front of Jeremy to stop him.
"Hold your steroids, Baby Gilbert. I don't need Elena pissed at me because you went all 'roid rage on the Original asshole." He rolled his blue eyes.
"We had no choice, but to kill Kol, Rebekah." Stefan finally spoke up. "He nearly killed Jen."
"Plus, you said that you wanted the Mark done as quickly as possible." Jeremy added with an arched brow.
Damon smirked. "Kill an Original, and all their little fledglings bite the dust with 'em."
"So the Mark is complete, goody..." Klaus remarked with mock enthusiasm.
"I thought we all wanted the Mark completed, right Klaus?" Stefan challenged. "You don't approve of our methods, but we got the job done."
"The job cost the life of my brother..." Rebekah said staring back at Stefan. "Now because of you, he is gone forever! For centuries my family and I have lived, not once did it ever cross my mind that I would lose one of them permanently. Finn forfeited his life, but you took Kol's."
"Now, I believe a brother for a brother would suffice." Klaus started walking toward Stefan.
"Maybe no one has to kill anyone else." Caroline spoke up, walking into the foyer. "Kol was a casualty and Jen was almost one too. We all have a common interest: the cure. Maybe we should deal with that first?" She asked hopefully.
Klaus paused in his tracks at the sound of her voice. "Perhaps revenge can take the backseat… for the moment." He turned to Caroline. "Don't you look lovely?"
Caroline fought the blush. "Well then… let's talk about the cure." She gestured to the parlor. Jeremy, Klaus, Rebekah, Damon and Stefan followed her in.
"Bonnie knows how to get there." Elena spoke up, clearly unhappy with the Originals' presence.
"Oh good…" Rebekah rolled her eyes. "The powerless witch is good for something."
"Oh, I'm not powerless." Bonnie snapped back. "Shane's been training me in something new. It's called expression."
"Can we please not fight?" Caroline asked with an exasperated sigh. "We need to figure this out."
"Well obviously, Elena is taking the cure." Klaus stated, pouring some scotch.
"Well, I want the cure." Rebekah stated resolutely.
"Well too bad, dear sister." Klaus smirked at her. "Elena is getting the cure."
"Exactly." Stefan agreed. "Elena deserves it. She came into this life because you killed her."
"Well, she wouldn't have died in the first place if you'd saved her instead of Matt." Damon shot at his brother.
"Well I wanted him to save Matt first, Damon, not me." Elena rebutted, coming to Stefan's rescue and making Damon roll his eyes. "Plus, there are plenty of people who deserve this cure." She turned to Stefan. "Like you, Stef. If there's anyone who hates being a vampire more than I do, it's you."
"No, Elena." He shook his head. "You deserve it."
"Well, I don't want it." She shrugged. "I want you to have it. I'm actually getting a handle on feeding, while you subject yourself to animal blood to stay in control."
"Well, Nik," Rebekah turned to her brother. "It's clear that the little doppelganger doesn't want to be human again."
Klaus gave his sister a crooked smile. "Well, I don't care what she wants. It's what I want, and I'll shove the bloody cure down her throat if I have to."
"You can't make me take the cure, Klaus." Elena crossed her arms resolutely.
"Well, she's decided." Damon rolled his eyes and turned to his brother. "Elena wants to stay a vamp so let her. The only reason she's a bloodsucking monster? Well, it's because you, brother, were stupid enough to let her die."
"You're all insane. D'you know that?" An annoyed voice came from the parlor's entrance. Everyone turned to look and found Jen leaning against the wall.
"You're supposed to be on bed rest." Damon's blue eyes narrowed at the young mother. "Which means: you're supposed to stay in the damn bed unless you're in the bathroom."
Jen rolled her eyes. "Well JD came into my room and told me you were mad at him, and then I heard all the arguing down here so I decided to check it out."
"I'm this close," Damon held his thumb and his pointer finger less than an inch apart, "to throwing you over my shoulder, and tying you to your bed." Damon crossed his arms. "And not in the kinky way."
Jen huffed and rolled her eyes as she walked over to the couch. "There. I'm sitting. You can stop helicopter-ing me, Damon." She sighed in annoyance.
"Well, maybe if you'd listen and stay in bed, I wouldn't have to." He retorted.
Before Jen could open her mouth to respond to Damon, Elena stepped in. "Why'd you call us all crazy?"
Jen sighed and turned to the younger Petrova. "Because Elena, you guys know absolutely nothing about this cure. I heard that Kol was campaigning against it because of some super powerful being named Silas, you guys know nothing and so eagerly write off Kol's reasoning when he seemed genuinely concerned." She explained. "You have no idea how much there is of this cure, or if it's a recipe with ingredients that no longer exist. You guys also have no idea what this Silas guy is actually capable of. Do you really want another super immortal that you can't kill and may be the root of all evil on your hands when you guys can't even deal with Klaus, who, for now, is currently on your side?" She shook her head. 'From what I've seen in my Damon updates vision they have a tendency to forget to check all the angles and go around half cocked.' Jen thought to herself as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Apparently you guys have to keep losing people before you learn to keep your noses out of unnecessary supernatural shit. Bonnie's lost her grandmother and her mom is now a vampire. Caroline lost her dad, Bex and Klaus lost their brothers, and well who haven't Jeremy and Elena lost? Elena's even lost her human life." Jen shook her head as everyone looked at her in shock and then at each other.
"But this cure could change things for Elena." Bonnie spoke up.
"Are you people deaf? Elena doesn't want the cure." Damon interjected. "She's fine with being a vampire."
"Well, I want it." Rebekah folded her arms across her chest. Determination to have her way was clear in her eyes.
"Why Bex?" Jen asked her friend, curious as to why she'd want to be human again after being a vampire for so long, would want to be human again.
Rebekah sighed as she walked over, and sat next to Jen. "Because I want to be happy." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "I want to find love and I want to have a family." She turned to look up at Jen. "Obviously my family is utterly dysfunctional. Nik just threatened to stab me again not too long ago." She gestured to her brother. "I just want to be happy."
Jen gave her a sad smile. She felt truly sad for Rebekah, and she realized that she, Elena, Stefan and Caroline would forever be stuck as teenagers. Yes, they'd live and experience life to its fullest and learn new things, but to a certain extent their minds, train of thought and reactions to things would forever remain as teenagers. 'An eternal teenager? I'd hate that. There are so many things that they will never truly grasp.' She internally sighed. 'Now I also understand why they're all so dramatic.' Jen took Rebekah's hand. "Bex, I haven't lived as long as you, but I've lived enough and been through enough to learn that happiness isn't a situation or a circumstance. Happiness is a choice, a state of mind, Bex." She explained. "If you want to be happy, Bex, you will be. And family? Well family is more than just blood, trust me. Family is people who love you despite what's going on in your life and who or what you are; who will have your back no matter what choices you make and be there to pick things up if they fall apart. Family is love, and I do love you, Bex." She smiled. "I consider you my family for everything you've done for me and JD, especially when I've done nothing in return."
Rebekah's eyes filled with tears. 'Jen considers me family...' Rebekah pulled her into a tight hug. "You've done more for me than you can imagine, Jen." She said into the brunette's shoulder through a choked cry.
Jen smiled with teary eyes herself. "Oh Bex…" She hugged her back tightly.
Rebekah composed herself before pulling back. "I've always wanted a sister, you know." She smiled.
"Me too." Jen laughed, and the two of them hugged again.
The rest of the gang looked at each other with surprise among them. It was easy to see that Jen had conquered Rebekah, whose walls were harder to penetrate than the Wall of China. The 2 of them certainly had a special connection, and Klaus could clearly see that Rebekah would kill for her new sister.
'Jen has achieved the impossible.' Damon thought with an inward smile. 'She's broken into the icy fortress that is Barbie Klaus's heart. She must have some kind of supernatural power in her.'
"Well regardless of Rebekah's wishes, the cure is going to Elena." Klaus tone showed no reaction to the bond between Jen and his sister. "She is the last doppelganger. She had no children or anyone to continue the Petrova line."
"While you are right about that Klaus, and the Petrovas, turned Pierces, had a knack for giving birth to women and only having one child," Jen looked at the Original. "About eighty years ago, my great-great-grandmother married a man who happened to also have the last name Pierce, though not from the Petrova line, and gave birth to a son, and then a few years later a daughter. The son was my great-grandfather and the daughter was Elena's great-grandmother. As it went, each only had one child, my grandfather and Elena's grandmother who were cousins, and they each only had one child: my father and Isobel. Elena, my brother, and my son are the last of the Petrovas. The next doppelganger could easily come from my brother, Luke's, children or mine, and if I have no more children they can come from JD." She explained. "Klaus, you can make more hybrids." Jen assured with a slight eye roll. "You'll just have to wait a few 500 years and keep track of all of my and Luke's descendents. Now let Elena live her life, and maybe you can focus the next 500 or so years on your love life." She smirked, giving Caroline a glance so quick that no one but Klaus saw it.
Klaus was impressed. Though the young Petrova had a point, he didn't want to give in to it so easily, but this wasn't the only reason she'd impressed him. She knew about him and Caroline, and as far as Klaus knew none of Caroline's friends were aware of their blooming relationship. Elena hadn't come knocking on his door, demanding that he stay away from his blonde beauty. Jen knew and she'd even seemed to approve. 'Could she be the reason Caroline accepted my invitation to the ball?'
Everyone else was shocked by Jen's ability to challenge Klaus's needs and call him out on his love life? As far as any of them, bar Caroline knew, Klaus didn't have a love life. Meanwhile, Caroline fought to keep her face neutral as to not give anything away.
"I will take your words into consideration." Klaus gave her his typical crooked smirk. "It seems you know more than all the idiots in this room combined. Perhaps I shall focus my attention on other things." He said and in the blink of eye, he was gone.
"That was weird." Bonnie said, perplexed.
"Since when does Klaus have a love life?" Elena nearly snorted.
"I know right?" Jeremy laughed.
Jen could see Caroline's internal struggle to speak so she decided to save her. "Well now that Klaus has taken a chill pill with this cure thing, you should too, Stef."
"What do you mean?" Said Salvatore looked at her curiously.
"You want Elena to take the cure because you loved human Elena and you're not very fond of what you are. Now she's a vampire and can't fight what she felt for Damon like she used to as a human." She shrugged. "But people change, whether or not they become vampires. Life changes us every day. And loving someone? Truly loving, it's loving all of them. Not just the nice parts." She said and stood up.
Damon immediately flashed to her side. "Back to bed with you." She was going to fight him, but actually did feel somewhat worn out so she nodded instead. He picked her up and carried her back to her room.
"Maybe Jen is right." Caroline was the first to speak after Damon had walked out with Jen. "We've all already lost so much. We're all fine as we are. Should we really risk losing more of the people we love?"
Everyone looked at each other in silence.
"No, Caroline's right." Elena agreed. "We should just let this go."
"So you killed my brother for no reason?" Rebekah snapped.
"He was going to kill Jen, Rebekah." Stefan reminded.
She nodded. 'I may've lost a brother, but it seems I've gained a sister.'
Damon laid Jen down in her bed and JD was asleep in it. He tucked both of them in. "You're something else, you know that?" He whispered with a smile. "How'd you get so smart?"
She chuckled quietly, pulling the son close. "I grew out being a teenager." She returned the smile. "All of them save you and Klaus are teenagers or forever frozen as teenagers. They're initial train of thought will always be that of a teenager."
"You're right." He nodded. "Maybe that's why Stefan is always so broody." He joked and they both chuckled. "Get some rest, ok?"
She nodded, laying back into her pillow with her arm wrapped around JD. By the time he reached the door, she was already asleep. He looked over his shoulder at the mother and son duo. It reminded him so much of his relationship with his own mother.
-Flashback-
"Hurry, Ms. Pierce." The very human Damon said with a laugh as he led Jen thorough a lovely garden. "I want to introduce you to someone."
"I'm hurrying." She laughed back as he pulled her. After a few minutes they stopped under a willow tree. "Damon?" She looked around for the person he wanted her to meet.
"Jennifer," He stroked her cheek. "This," he pointed to a beautiful headstone, "is my mother."
Her eyes widened and she admired the headstone. It read: Laura Angelina Salvatore, Loving wife and mother
"Oh, I'm very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Salvatore." She smiled and turned to look at Damon through glassy eyes.
His eyes were focused on his mother's grave. "Mother, this is Jennifer. She is the love of my life. The love you promised that I'd find. I wanted you to meet her. I hope we have your blessing because I love her more than anything in this entire world." He turned to his love, his own blue eyes glassy as well.
A soft breeze blew through the green leaves of the willow, surrounding the 2 young lovers, and deep inside a warmth filled Damon as the breeze blew, and he knew that it was his mother. She approved of their union.
-End Flashback-
Damon shook his head, shocked. He'd introduced her to his mother. Well, as much as circumstances would allow. He'd been serious about being with Jen; that much was sure… especially after that particular flashback.
He flicked off the lights and walked out, ignoring the familiar warmth spreading deep inside.
Ok! I did it! This chapter was very hard to write. With all the characters and loose ends to be tied, it was mostly a filler. BUT the next chapter is the one I've been most excited to write! The Founder's Ball! Lots going on there! And I PROMISE it won't take nearly a year for chapter 10.
As for Daughter of Ipswich, that's still gonna take a while. I'm having serious issues with writer's block on the next chapter, but I'm NOT giving up.
PLEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEEE Review! I love hearing your comments and constructive criticism. And I'm also so glad that there's so much support for DamonxJen and so many JD fans. You guys are seriously my motivation to keep going. YOU ROCK
XOXO-
MajorJ.
