I'm home. Scarlett couldn't help but think to herself as she crossed the threshold of the boarding house, her shift had seemed to drag on for what seemed like forever even after her little visit from Elena. Between Stefan deciding to go back to school and Damon turning up out of the blue, Scarlett wasn't sure how many more surprised she could deal with. Her whole life seemed to be turning into some huge circus and now thanks to Elena, she had been somewhat further dragged into this whole Damon and Stefan mess than she was already in. She been planning on keeping her distance from Damon but it was kind of hard to do that when people were asking her about him, not to mention when he was sitting in her living room idly drinking a scotch like he was doing right now. Scarlett couldn't help but grimace in dismay as Damon was currently the last person who she wanted to see especially coming home after a long day's work. It seemed that Scarlett really couldn't catch a break as of late and now she was going to have to play nice with Damon in order to be polite as even though Stefan had assured her that his mad brother wouldn't kill her but he did warn Scarlett that she did have to be careful with him. She didn't need to be told that twice as all throughout the family journals were tales of Damon's exploits whenever he came home to visit, the most recent being back in the fifties. Back then Damon had caused a bit of a bloodbath and had killed a few people including Scarlett's great-grandfather Joseph. It was in this very house as well which made Scarlett quite apprehensive about being alone in a room with Damon. He reputation proceeded him and themselves and just knowing that she was living under the same roof as him was making Scarlett quite uneasy. There really was nothing stopping him from just deciding to kill them all one day, his part history made it clear that he bore no real sentiment towards his own family. It was hard to believe Stefan when he said that Damon hadn't always been like this, that the man in front of Scarlett used to be normal and so happy, full of life and always with a grin on his face. If that had truly been the case, Scarlett could only figure that becoming a vampire had given Damon one mega personality adjustment and it hadn't been for the better. The man in front of Scarlett was perhaps the dirtiest rotten scoundrel that she had ever come across in her short life.
"Hey, Uncle Damon…" Scarlett began as she made her way through the foyer towards the lounge, greeting Damon in order to be polite although her tone of voice didn't exactly express that, given that she was gritting through her teeth for the most part. Having to play nice with Damon wasn't exactly something that Scarlett was looking forward to but if it was going to keep her alive, she was going to have to do it albeit with some reluctance.
"You look like him you know? Gabriel, I mean." Damon commented from where he sat on the couch drinking a scotch and holding up a picture of Scarlett's father from when he was in his early twenties. To be honest this wasn't exactly the conversation she imagined she would be having with Damon. Scarlett couldn't actually believe that this was happening, that Crazy Uncle Damon was making idle small talk with her and about her father of all people. This was frankly quite a weird conversation especially since he was telling Scarlett that she resembled her father especially when there was a glaring physical resemblance between her and Damon, she looked more like his sibling than Stefan did. It rather unnerved Scarlett how much the two of them looked alike.
"Are you serious? Have you not looked in the mirror as of late? I look more like you than my own father." Scarlett retorted, the words flying out her mouth before she knew what she was doing. Immediately Scarlett's hands flew to her mouth as the last thing she should be doing was poking the bear with a big stick. She just couldn't help herself, her mouth generally operated on auto-pilot and the only speed it knew was full throttle. Scarlett knew the only real skills she had in this world was sarcasm and a decent left look. They tended to get her in trouble a lot and right now she really didn't need to get herself into trouble with a volatile vampire.
"I must admit that the resemblance is rather uncanny, we get it from my mother but you do look like Gabriel, It's the eyes and your mannerisms Red, the way that you hold yourself just seems to scream your father. So certain of yourself and unwavering…" Damon quipped and Scarlett's heart constricted when he mentioned her father by first name, she knew that she resembled her father even more so as every year passed. But to be told that by somebody who had known her father, even if it was Damon meant a lot to Scarlett. But that didn't mean she was going to forget that distasteful comment that that Damon had made about her father. Scarlett wasn't in the forgiving or forgetting business. She laced the capacity to forgive anyone who had wronged her, no matter who they were.
"Thanks I think." Scarlett replied, awkwardly looking away towards an ugly wave that her belonged to her great uncle as she really didn't know what else to say. Awkward small talk was something that she had never really been good at.
"C'mon Red, would it kill you lighten up a bit? I know I haven't really visited much over the last sixteen years a bit and you clearly don't want me here but there's no need to pretend to like me. I don't know what my brother Saint Stefan has told you about me but he's clearly said something that has made you into the Ice Queen. But ignore Stefan, I know I do kiddo… So relax and be yourself, Red you are way too young to be walking around with a stick up your ass." Damon stated in a rather cheerful manner that creeped Scarlett out, she could totally see the sadistic killer that Stefan had told her about. Again with the Red thing. Scarlett couldn't help but frown in annoyance as Damon referred to her by the colour shade of her name rather than her actual name. She didn't quite get why he was doing that but then again it seemed like nothing Damon did made any sense. It seemed to be a common denominator with the Salvatore brothers.
"Do you really want me to be honest? Okay I will be if you insist Uncle Damon, do you think I like walking around on eggshells in my own home? I don't want to be walking around with a so called stick up my ass but I have to do that because I'm worried that the deranged vampire sleeping down the hall from me is going to one day kill me and my family. I'm sixteen years old and I sleep with a stake under my pillow because I know that don't see us as a family, all we are here for is to watch your house and keep it warm for you. I grew up hearing of your exploits and there was nothing that scared me more growing up than you turning up at my door. So don't tell me to lighten up Uncle Damon… Now is that honest enough for you?" Scarlett barked in annoyance and much to her irritation Damon just smirked,
"Much better Red." Damon quipped motioning for Scarlett to sit down and join him and she just rolled her eyes. Like hell she was going to sit anywhere near him. "I'm not going to kill you if that's what you really want to hear."
"Don't be offended if I don't believe you as your past history suggests that I should do nothing of the such. Plus, you really don't seem to be the trustworthy type and I would rather eat my own arm off than trust you Uncle Damon." Scarlett retorted with a rather forced smile on her face.
"That's what I like most about you Red, you are so dark and twisted that I wonder if you actually have a heart in your chest or just a lump of coal where your heart should be. Don't worry about a thing little one, I have no intention of killing you in the slightest as you staying alive is in my best interests so I'm not going to harm a single hair on that dark little head of yours. I'll of course need you to continue the family line in the future as the tree is looking a bit thin." Damon stated and Scarlett couldn't believe what she was hearing, first he had been treating her like his maid and now he wanted her to pop out a few kids to make sure the Salvatore line didn't die out.
"Well that's nice to know and I appreciate the sentiment although your word doesn't really mean much… But can I ask you something straight forward seeing as you've decided to not kill me?" Scarlett questioned, she was going to play ball with the dangerous and sadistic Uncle Damon for now but she was going to be very careful.
"Go right ahead niece of mine." Damon said motioning for Scarlett to go on and taking a deep breath, she took a couple of steps forward with some new found confidence. Now knowing that Damon probably wasn't going to break her neck because of her smart mouth, Scarlett felt like she was now capable of fully speaking without worrying about her life. It was somewhat a rather welcoming feeling as Scarlett didn't like feeling stifled in her own home. Although she knew that she needed to be very careful around Damon as the moment Scarlett let her guard down around him, everything would probably blow up in her face and she wasn't going to let Damon ruin everything in this family once again.
"I know we had a visitor a little today and she bares a somewhat more than passing resemblance to your formal lady love. Yeah… I know about Katherine and how Elena Gilbert is a dead ringer for her. I also know about that little plot of yours to ruin Stefan's life for as long as you live and a part of me understands that. It was real clever what you did with Elena, mentioning Stefan's ex that he wasn't quite over whilst forgetting to mention your own relationship with Katherine. You managed to plant that little seed of doubt in Elena's pretty little head and that will ruin any happiness that for the two of them. Kudos for that. But could you not do it here? This is my home, my life is here and I don't need your and Stefan's issues with each other messing that up. This family has suffered enough and I really don't want to be in the middle of your problems because I have enough of my own. I can't tell you what to do with your own life that is your prerogative but do not bring it into my life and most especially my home. Do not let Elena Gilbert back into this house!"
"She's welcome any time." Damon causally noted and Scarlett was so pissed off that the only thing that she could do was laugh.
"This is my house not yours and you would be wise to remember that."
"What is your problem Red? Aren't you two friends or something? Considering you are the same age?" Damon questioned and Scarlett sighed in exasperation as she had no clue what on earth was going on here. This conversation was on the opposite end of the spectrum and Scarlett had no idea how they got to talking about Damon not killing her, to her being friends with Elena.
"No we're not friends. I don't have any friends."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"Enough with the snarky comments already, my point is that after your little stunt today, Elena came and sought me out whilst I was at work to bombard me with questions about you and Stefan not to mention Katherine. We don't need people getting involved in this family's personal crap and asking questions especially people from the founding families. History cannot repeat itself and I will not let you ruin my life like you've ruined every other Salvatore's." Scarlett stated through gritted teeth as she wanted Damon to know that she wouldn't allow him to ruin what little happiness she had in this life.
"Little One, you can't exactly tell me what to do now can you? I am your Uncle not to mention a vampire and as you are probably well aware I don't drink animal blood like Stefan." Damon told Scarlett and it was clear that there was no veiled threat in the later part of that statement. It was a downright threat.
"I thought you said that you wouldn't harm me?" Scarlett couldn't help but point out and it caused Damon to smirk.
"Doesn't mean I can't threaten you."
"That's correct, you can threaten me all you like but you should really remember whose house that you are currently in Uncle Damon. The house that you were born and raised in, crumbled during the war and no longer exists. You've been dead for the last hundred and forty-five years, this house was built fifty years after you died. Uncle Damon you have no legal right to this house and you aren't exactly welcomed here." Scarlett quipped with a small smile, feeling rather might proud of herself.
"Very good Red but need I remind you that I've already been invited in and as such I can come in and out of this house whenever I want to and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me." Damon retorted and Scarlett just sighed, her and Damon just seemed to be going around in some huge circle.
"I wouldn't be too cocky about that Uncle Damon I'm sure that there are ways around that, so unless you want things to get to that point then don't do anything to draw any more attention to you being here and for god's sake don't let the Gilbert girl come back here."
Damon sat there and looked at Scarlett for the longest time before finally speaking "Like what? How can you stop me from coming inside?"
"I'm a Salvatore, I'll think of something."