A/N: Hey you guys! What's up?! Hahahaha! Okaaaay... Back to business!
So, I decided to write this chapter yesterday and I finished it then too, but I figured I should wait one day to post it after I spell check it and all and now that I've done so, I've decided to post it!
I want to thank all of those who reviewed on the last chapter: grapejuice101, aireagle92, SomebodyWhoCares, sadhbh2323, RockaRosalie and last but not least 1llu510n! Thank you to all of you for your lovely reviews, pushing me to write more chapters and all! Thank you!
And a thank you to those who put the story on alert/favorite and who put me as a writer on alert/favorite too! It really means a lot! Thanks!
So, back to the story now: It's ROAD TRIP TIME! Yeah! I've had this chapter stuck in my brain for so long that I just needed to get it out before I could start writing on my Swedish-presentation for Wednesday! Hmm... I really need to start working on that now...
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please review and if there are any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes please tell me since English isn't my first language!
Have a good read!
Chapter 11: Bloodlines
My eyes slowly fluttered open. I breathed in and suddenly it felt like my lungs were on fire. Why couldn't I breathe? I tried inhaling through my nose, feeling how the burning slowly ceased. I looked to my right and saw Elena, hanging unconscious from the ceiling... That's when I realized that I too was up-side-down. I looked to my left and saw the man we had hit laying in the middle of the road. Was he dead?
I tried to reach my seatbelt, but my fingers felt frozen for some reason. I coughed, feeling a coppery taste in my mouth. I looked at Elena again and then back at the man. Suddenly, he began moving. I heard bones cracking and realized he was putting back his dislocated limbs.
"Oh my God..." I whispered as the man stood up completely. It wasn't possible. How could he be alive...unless... "Vampire..." I whispered and began struggling to get out of the car. He was approaching me and I felt panic rise inside of me. He was going to kill me. And probably Elena too! I fiddled with the seatbelt again, but once again I couldn't remove it. Soon, the vampire was by the car and I found myself screaming. The next thing I knew, the vampire ran off. I calmed down for only a second, letting out a breath but a second after that, Damon's face popped up in front of me.
"Ah!" I let out and he looked at me.
"How are the two of you doing in there?" he asked, inspecting the car.
"Damon?" I asked, not knowing if it was really him or if this was just some hallucination caused from the car crash.
"You two look pretty stuck," he told me and I felt like rolling my eyes.
"Elena's unconscious and I can't get my seatbelt off," I told him and he reached for it. "No! Get Elena out first," I demanded, letting out yet another cough.
"You look more hurt than she does," he argued, looking at my hand and arm that were bleeding from the shattered glass.
I shot him a glare. "She's unconscious Damon. I'm not," I said sternly and he sped over to Elena's side, getting her out quickly. He disappeared for a moment, probably letting Elena down on the side of the road and then he was back at my side.
"Put your hands on the roof so I can get your seatbelt off," he instructed and I obliged without any arguments. He put his hand over my stomach and looked at me. "You ready?" he asked and I nodded. "1,2,3-" I felt him pull on the belt and suddenly I fell onto his arm. He pulled me out, mumbling an "I got you" before picking me up. "Are you okay? Can you stand?" I nodded and he put me down but almost immediately I fell back into his arms. He forced me to look at him. "Steph, are you okay? You're fading pretty quickly. Look at me." He put one of his hands on my cheek while his other arm was wrapped around my waist. "What happened?" he asked.
"Elena..." I managed to get out. "S-She said something about Katherine... Katherine looks like Elena..." I mumbled as I once again fell into darkness...
I could hear the sound of an engine in the distance. Hadn't Elena and I crashed? I slowly opened my eyes, groaning as I moved my arm lightly, feeling a stinging pain in it.
"I suggest you don't try to move around too much," a voice beside me said. I turned to my right and saw Damon sitting there, driving his car as if nothing was wrong.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking around, not recognizing my surroundings.
"Morning to you too," he replied and I shot him a glare.
"Damon..." I said in a warning tone.
"We're in Georgia," he told me and I looked around again.
"Georgia?" I repeated and he nodded. "No, no, no! Damon, we can't be in Georgia!"
"And why not?" he asked amused.
"Because we hit a man! Because we were in a car crash and my aunt is probably worried sick," I told him and he let out a low chuckle.
"How are you feeling by the way?" he asked, ignoring me completely.
"My arm hurts, but I've been through worse," I told him honestly and he nodded.
"I noticed the scars on your arms and back when I checked on you," he said and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"You undressed me?" I asked angrily and he shook his head.
"Nope, but you pretty much admitted to having them so I'm just assuming I'm right," he replied smugly and I glared at him. Instead of defending myself and trying to cover up my tiny slip-up, I looked at him curiously.
"So how did you know about them then?" I asked him and he shrugged.
"I saw the way you kept wincing every time Caroline or one of your friends hugged you," he told me. "Besides, I thought I smelled blood around you the night of Stefan's birthday, so I guess that gave it away too."
"Oh," I managed to get out. I decided to go back to the original topic. "But the man Elena and I hit? H-He stood up again and then ran off just before you got to us... Who was he?" I asked and Damon frowned, keeping his eyes on the road.
"That's what I would like to know," he told me.
"Where is Elena?" I asked and looked in the backseat only to see her laying there, still unconscious. I looked at her worriedly. "Is she okay?" I asked Damon and he nodded.
"She woke up once, mumbled something about Katherine and then fainted again. I've checked her too and I have to say, she got out way better than you did," Damon told me and looked at him confusedly.
"How come? The only thing that hurts is my arm," I told him and he nodded.
"Exactly," he said. "Your arm and hand were cut by the glass and both your nose and your lower lip were bleeding when I found the two of you." I remembered the coppery taste in my mouth.
"Well, I'm better now," I told him.
"If you want, I could give you some of my blood," he suggested. "Just in case there's any internal bleeding that we don't know about." He had a smirk on his face but I shook my head.
"I don't want any," I told him.
"It'll help you heal. You saw what Stefan's blood did to Bonnie the other night," he argued, but I kept shaking my head.
"I said I didn't want any so just stop offering," I told him.
"Are you always this stubborn?" he asked, sounding annoyed.
"Only when I'm around you," I replied sarcastically and he smirked.
"That makes me feel very special, Stephanie." I liked the way he said my name...
"Shut up already and turn around. I'm not coming to Georgia with you," I told him and he laughed.
"But we're already in Georgia," he said. I heard a groan from the backseat. I turned around and looked at Elena, who was waking up.
"Georgia?" she mumbled. "Who's in Georgia?" she asked. She looked at me and then at Damon.
"Morning Elena!" Damon said in a cheery voice.
"We are in Georgia Elena," I told her and suddenly she sat up.
"We can't be in Georgia!" she exclaimed.
"That's what I said!" I told her, shooting a glare at Damon. Elena looked at me and then at Damon.
"Pull over Damon," she demanded.
"We've already come this far-" Damon began, but I interrupted him.
"Pull over Damon! She looks as if she's going to be sick," I told him and he abruptly hit the breaks. Elena jumped out of the car and I followed her, holding back her hair as she threw up on the side of the road. I had to look away because I was actually feeling quite nauseated myself.
"You two were much more fun when you were asleep," Damon pouted at us. Elena stood up, wiping her lips and looking at me gratefully. She looked over at Damon.
"Where's my phone?" she asked and on reflex I reached for my own in my back pocket.
"Where is my phone?" I asked, realizing mine was gone as well. Damon pulled out a phone from his pocket, holding it up for us to see.
"You, Stephanie, have several missed calls from your aunt and your cousin," he told me, throwing the phone to me. I caught it quickly and looked at the messages Caroline had sent me, asking me where I was. I looked up at Elena and then looked at Damon.
"We need to go back Damon," I told him. "Caroline and Liz must be worried sick about me."
Elena nodded. "We need to go back," she repeated, looking at Damon as well. He rolled his eyes at us.
"Look, we've already come this far," he told us and I glared at him.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked suspiciously. It wasn't as if he couldn't have left us at home or something before taking off.
"I wrecked my car Damon," Elena said. "I need to go home! This is kidnapping." Damon rolled his eyes at her.
"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" he asked and I let out a chuckle but Elena kept glaring at him.
"You're not funny," she stated, but for some reason he was looking at me and I was still stupidly smiling at him after his joke.
"Stephanie seems to think I am," he retorted. I shook my head and looked away, afraid that I might burst out laughing after seeing Elena's expression.
"You can't do this. We're not going to Georgia," Elena said, once again stern.
"We're already in Georgia," Damon repeated. "You, without your magical little necklace, I might add," he said and my eyes drifted to Elena's neck. Her vervain filled necklace wasn't there. "I can very easily make you...agreeable," Damon finished but then his eyes flickered to me.
"What are you trying to prove?" Elena asked, just as a phone began to ring. Elena frowned. "That's my phone," she said and Damon picked it up from his pocket. Damon looked at the called-ID and smirked.
"It's your boyfriend," he said. "I'll take it." He picked up the phone and started talking to Stefan. I watched him and Elena and then slowly walked away a bit so that I wouldn't bother the two of them. I sat down by the side of the road, just a few meters away and picked up my own phone. I texted Caroline:
"I'm okay Care. I just went to visit some friends. I'll probably be back later today." I pressed send and only a few seconds later, I got an reply:
"You had me worried sick! Call me?"
I typed an answer quickly.
"Can't. Bad reception. I'll call you as soon as I can. Tell Liz I'm okay and that she doesn't need to worry."
Caroline replied with an "okay" and I put my phone back into my pocket. I looked back towards Damon's car. Elena had gotten into the car again and I could see that she was fuming and annoyed by Damon. He was nowhere to be seen. I stood up and suddenly, I felt someone putting an arm around my waist. I jumped and turned around to see Damon smirking at me.
"What are you doing?" I asked and he looked at me innocently.
"I'm helping you walk back to the car," he told me.
"I'm not coming with you. You can't compel me, remember? No one knows where I am so can we please just go back?" I pouted and he looked at me.
"But we're almost there Steph," he whined. "Just a little bit further."
"Where exactly is 'there'?" I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.
"A little place right outside of Atlanta," he told me and I glared at him. "Come on, Steph. You don't wanna go back right now. What's the rush anyway?" he asked and I shrugged.
"I just..." I trailed off, remembering where I had been going last night before getting into the car with Elena. I had been going to visit Damon. I had been about to tell him that I was apparently a witch and I had been about to tell him what I was afraid of so that maybe my nightmares would stop.
Damon looked at me. "Time-out," he told me. "Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home," he said. "Just step away from your life for 5 minutes." He did make a point. I might aw well take the day off and not think of anything supernatural before admitting that everything around me is crashing down.
"Am I going to be safe with you?" I asked him and his eyes seemed to soften for a moment.
"Yes," he replied, putting a strand of hair behind my ear, like he had done so many times before.
"And you wont try to compel Elena?" I asked and he nodded again. "Fine," I said. A grin slowly spread across his face. "I'm trusting you," I told him. "Don't make me regret it." Once again, he wrapped his arm around my waist and then picked me up swiftly. "What are you doing?" I asked, closing my eyes as he sped back to the car. He put me back down again and then put a hand on either side of me. My back was pressed against the car as he leaned towards me. His eyes flickered down for a moment and suddenly he smirked.
"I was just helping you," he whispered in amusement.
"I didn't need any help," I whispered back angrily. I pushed him away and got back into the front seat. Elena looked at me with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised.
"What was that about?" she asked and I looked at her.
"Damon is just being stupid as usual," I told her, just as Damon got back into the car.
"You know you love it," he told me and I smacked his arm.
"Just drive. The sooner we get home, the better," I said and turned to look out the window. I couldn't however hide the small smile that was playing at my lips as I heard Damon chuckle beside me.
A while later, the scenery had begun to change. More road signs turned up and I realized we must be getting closer to Atlanta. I wonder where we're going...
"So," Elena said, interrupting my thoughts. "Where's my car?" she asked Damon. I looked at him, quite curious to find out myself. My aunt would probably be on that case since it was in her jurisdiction and I couldn't help but imagine the worried look on her face when she found out that it was my blood in it.
"I pulled it off to the side of the road," Damon said. "I don't think anyone will bother it there," he told her.
"And the man I hit?" Elena asked. "Was he still alive?" She sounded worried. I realized that we still hadn't told her that he had woken up again and charged towards us while she was still unconscious.
"He turned out to be a vampire Elena," I told her and she looked at me.
"A vampire?" she asked, looking at Damon for confirmation.
"From what I could tell, yeah," he replied.
"You didn't know him?" I asked and Damon shook his head.
"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him," he told me. "It's not as if we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill," he said, pulling up in front of a place called "Bree's Bar".
"Where are we?" Elena asked, looking outside.
"You brought us to a bar?" I asked Damon sceptically. "Damon, both Elena and I are underage. They are not going to let us in."
"Sure they will," he replied and I realized how stupid I was being. Damon was a vampire. He could compel the people inside the bar and they wouldn't ask us anything about our age.
We got out of the car and headed towards the bar. As we entered a tall woman with curly black hair turned to look at us. She grinned widely as we approached the bar, quickly jumping over it.
"No, no. It can't be," she said as she headed towards us. "Damon," she said. "My honey pie." As she spoke the last words, she grabbed him and pressed her lips against his in a heated kiss. I felt a pang in my chest and looked away from them. I felt sick to my stomach for some reason. As they pulled apart, Damon smirked at the woman and turned to me and Elena who were still awkwardly looking away.
"Bree," he said to the tall woman. "This is Elena Gilbert and her lovely friend Stephanie Blake," he said. "Elena, Steffy, this is Bree." Bree turned to look at me and instantly I felt as if something was wrong.
"Hi," I said, waving lightly at her, trying to push away that awful feeling in my gut.
"Let's go to the bar and have a drink," Damon suggested, not sensing the awkward situation at all. Bree led us to the bar and we all sat down on the stools. Damon sat down in between me and Elena and I glared at him when he put his hand on my thigh. I smacked it away, but he just grinned at me as if I was amusing him.
"Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" Bree exclaimed as she poured shots for everyone. "Drink up," she said and both she and Damon took their shots. "Whoo!" Bree exclaimed. "So, how'd he rope you two in?" she asked, pouring me and Elena two shots.
"Actually, he hasn't roped us in. Elena's dating his brother and I-"
"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride," Bree told me, pushing the shot towards me. I looked at it and pushed it away.
"I'm sorry, but I don't drink," I told her. "And I am certainly not, going to enjoy the ride," I said, looking straight at Damon who had been smirking when Bree had told me that.
His smirk was still on his face. "Why don't you have a few shots and we'll see about that later?" he suggested shamelessly and I could feel myself blush.
"As I said, I don't drink," I repeated.
"And why not?" he asked curiously.
"Because," I said, not wanting to get into it. We stayed quiet, not taking our eyes off of each other before Elena cleared her throat.
"So, how did you two meet?" she asked Bree. I turned away from Damon's gaze and looked at Bree again.
"College," she answered and I scoffed looking back at Damon.
"You went to college?" I asked sceptically.
"I've been to a college campus, yes," he replied, a tiny glint in his eyes as he said. I nearly shuddered after I realized that he must have just been there to pick up girls.
"Creep," I muttered, looking back at Bree again. I knew Damon had heard me, because once again, his hand was on my thigh. I slapped it away, just like last time and he once again chuckled.
"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love," Bree told us, never taking her eyes off of Damon. "And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more," she said. "Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody." I looked at Damon, who leaned closer.
"She's a witch," he whispered to me. I looked at Bree again. Maybe that had been the strange feeling when I had met her? If I was a witch too, I might have just sensed that Bree was one. Like I had done with Bonnie's grandmother.
"Changed my world, you know," Bree said and Damon smirked.
"I rocked your world," he said, once again shamelessly. Bree for some reason turned to look at me.
"He is goo in the sack, isn't he?" she asked me and I shrugged.
"Wouldn't know," I told her.
"Maybe you should try and find out?" Damon suggested.
"Maybe you should try and stop being an ass?" I replied, shooting daggers at him. Elena looked at me from behind Damon. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at us and I looked away.
"Mostly he's just a walk away Joe," Bree told me with a smile. "So," she turned to look at Damon again. "What is it that you want?"
"I need to go call my aunt," I said, getting up. "I'll be right back."
"I'll come with you," Elena said. "I need to call Jenna anyway."
We walked outside and I called aunt Liz.
"Stephanie, where are you?" my aunt asked as soon as she picked up.
"I'm with some friends," I told her honestly. "I'm alright."
"With some friends? I haven't seen you for two whole days and all you tell me is that you're with some friends?" she asked, sounding worried.
"I'm okay aunt Liz," I told her again.
"I was worried. We found Elena's car on the side of the road and I was worried you might have been with her," she said. "Caroline said that you texted her that you were okay and that you would be back tonight."
"I promise I'll be back," I said. "I'll probably be fast asleep when you get home after work." She let out a small laugh.
"Please don't let me get this worried again," she said.
"I wont. I'll see you tomorrow morning," I told her and said good bye. I looked over at Elena who was still talking on the phone. After she hung up I walked up to her.
"Let's head back inside," I told her but she grabbed my hand, looking at me suspiciously.
"Wait," she said. "What's going on between you and Damon?" I looked at her and frowned. I was taken aback by her bluntness.
"What?" I asked and she looked at me.
"He has been touching you way to freely... You haven't slept with-"
"Oh my God Elena! No!" I exclaimed, covering my eyes in embarrassment. "No, I haven't slept with Damon and I certainly haven't been planning to either," I told her.
"So the looks you two are sharing mean nothing then?" she pressed with her arms crossed across her chest.
"What looks?" I asked confused.
"The 'I-want-to-eat-you'-look," she said and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Trust me, the only looks he's getting from me are the 'you're-an-ass'-looks," I told her. "And if Damon is looking at me that way, it's because he's a vampire, nothing else." Elena still didn't looked convinced. "Let's just go inside please," I said. "I have this uneasy feeling in my gut. Something is off with that Bree-chick," I told Elena who smiled slightly.
"It's not jealousy speaking now, is it?" she asked and I shot her a glare.
"No, it's not," I told her. "Let's go inside." Elena's phone began ringing again. She checked the caller-ID.
"It's Stefan, I need to take this," she said and I nodded.
"I'll be inside," I told her and walked back inside the bar. As I approached Damon and Bree, I picked up on their conversation.
"After all these years, it's still only Katherine," Bree said. "How do you even know she's still alive?"
Damon gave her a look. "Well, you help me get into that tomb and we'll find out," he said simply. I felt yet another pang in my chest. What was that?
"I already did. 20 years ago. Remember?" Bree asked. "Three easy steps—Comet. Crystal. Spell."
Damon shifted in his seat. "There's a little problem with number two," he said. "I don't have the crystal."
"That's it Damon," Bree said. "There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."
"What about a new spell with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?" Damon suggested.
"It doesn't work that way baby," Bree replied. "Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb." Her eyes flickered to me before she walked off to serve some people at the bar. I turned away and walked over to the window to watch Elena as she spoke on the phone to Stefan. She looked upset and angry. I decided I should walk outside and try talking to her about what happened at the boarding house before I got there last night. As I turned around, I walked straight into Damon.
"You okay?" he asked and I stared at him.
"I'm fine. I was just walking outside to talk to Elena. She's upset with Stefan and she needs a friend," I told him.
"I'll come with you," he offered but I put up my hand to stop him.
"Don't pretend you care Damon," I told him before walking outside.
"What do you mean?" he asked, appearing in front of me with his vamp-speed.
"Don't do that," I said in a hushed tone. "Someone might see you."
"What do you mean Stephanie?" he asked again and I rolled my eyes.
"I know why you came here. You just wanted to find out if there was another way to free Katherine from the tomb," I stated and he raised an eyebrow.
"So?" I couldn't help but glare at him.
"I don't know," I told him. "I'm just feeling strange about everything."
He chuckled at me. "Is that jealousy I hear in you tone?" he asked and I glared at him again.
"No, it isn't," I told him. "There's just something off with Bree. I don't know what it is, but I suggest you don't trust her as much as you seem to be doing."
"You're imagining things Steffy," he told me. "If there was something off, I would have sensed it. She's all over me, just like she was twenty years ago," he smirked, putting his hand on my hip. I pushed him away.
"Fine," I said. "Don't listen to me." I walked past him and walked towards Elena. Damon followed, probably just to annoy me even more.
"You okay Elena?" I asked as I reached her. She shook her head.
"I don't know," she replied. "I don't understand how Katherine and I can look exactly alike and Stefan has been lying about it." I stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
"It'll be okay. If you can get past Stefan being a vampire, you'll get past this too," I told her. She nodded slowly.
"I'll just have to talk to him when I get home I guess," she said and I gave her yet another reassuring nod.
"Well," Damon interrupted. "I know that food might help you think of something else."
"I'm not hungry," I said, just as my stomach growled. "You heard that coming!" I accused and he put up his hands in defense.
"I was just making a suggestion," he said. "It was your stomach that decided to make it's voice heard." He smirked at me as I brushed past him.
"Fine," I said. "But you're paying."
"Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine," Elena said as she ate. "Does that make me part vampire?"
Damon shook his head. "Vampires can't procreate," he told her. "But we love to try," he added, looking at me suggestively. Elena, who was sitting between us this time, looked from him to me and then back to him again. His suggestive tones were probably just making her suspicions stronger. "If you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned," Damon continued, looking back at Elena.
"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?" Elena asked.
"Kinda creepy if you ask me," Damon said and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't listen to him Elena," I told her. "Stefan loves you for you and not because you look like Katherine," I said, removing the pickles from my burger.
"Come on, what?" Damon said, reaching over and taking my pickles. "You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?"
"I just don't like them," I defended.
"How can you even eat?" Elena asked, interrupting Damon before he could reply to me. "If technically you're supposed to be..." She trailed off.
"Dead?" Damon asked. "It's not such a bad word Elena," he told her. "As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally," he then explained.
"And this nice act. Is any of it real?" Elena asked. "Or are you just nice because Steffy's here?" I choked on my burger.
"Elena!" I exclaimed, looking at her. Then I looked at Damon, who for some reason seemed to have frozen for a moment.
"Here you go," Bree said, handing Damon a beer. He took it and took a sip from it.
"Thank you," he said, ignoring Elena's question.
"I'll have one too," Elena said.
"Elena?" I asked, surprised by her request. Was I going to be the only sober one here?
"Time out, remember? If we're having a time out, it's going to need a beer," Elena said.
"There you go," Bree said, handing Elena a beer. I watched as Elena took a swig.
This was going to be a long day...
It didn't take long before everyone in the bar got into a drinking game. I was still sitting there, watching them awkwardly as they took shot after shot.
"Ready...Go!" Bree said and they all took another shot. Elena clapped her hands excitedly.
"That's three," she said, grinning at Damon. "Do you need a bib?" she mocked and Damon let out a laugh.
"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol," he replied.
"Whatever," Elena said. She seemed to have loosened up a lot. "Alright, who's next? Another round Bree," she said and I rolled my eyes.
"I'll have a glass of water Bree," I said and Bree handed me some. "Please don't give Elena anything," I added and Elena laughed.
"I'm not even drunk," she said. "My tolerance is like," she reached for the sky, "way up here."
"Alright. Here you go," Bree said, pouring another round of shots. I rolled my eyes and stood up. I took my glass of water and walked off to the window, looking outside. It was getting dark out there. The sun was already setting.
I turned around when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Damon, what do you want?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be watching Elena so that she doesn't do something stupid?"
"Actually, I was more interested in finding out why you aren't joining us in our drinking game," he admitted. I rolled my eyes at him.
"I told you already that I don't drink," I said.
"Oh, please don't tell me you're one of those goody-goody's that refuse to drink alcohol," he groaned and I shook my head.
"I used to drink Damon. I'm not as innocent as you think," I told him and he smirked.
"Oh, and here I was, hoping that I would get to be the one to corrupt you," he said seductively, trailing a finger across my collarbone.
"Well, I refuse to drink, it's as simple as that. Nothing you say or do can make me change my mind," I told him.
"Why not? Tell me why you don't drink," he said. His tone wasn't demanding, but he was obviously curious.
"It's none of your business," I told him.
"Come on Steffy," he pressed.
"Fine," I snapped. He looked at me strangely, almost as if he hadn't expected that to be my reply. I was just trying to get him off my case. "My mom was killed by a drunk driver," I told him. "Since she died, I haven't touched alcohol and I never will." It felt as if a knot was being untied slowly inside of me. My breath hitched and I looked out the window again. "Now you know. Please, just leave me alone," I whispered. I could see his reflection in the window. He had raised his hand, almost as if he was going to put it on my shoulder, but then stopped. I heard him sigh and then watched him walk away. I took another breath and then walked off to a pool table, beginning a new game on my own. Once in a while, I felt as if someone was watching me. One time when I looked up, I saw Damon gazing at me from the bar while Elena drank. The other time, it was Bree, with a suspicious look on her face. I still hadn't gotten rid of the feeling that something was wrong.
After a while Elena had walked over to join me. Damon was still at the bar and he wasn't looking our way anymore.
"I'm winning," Elena said but I shook my head.
"No," I told her. "You're drunk and you're imagining things." Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She stumbled over to pick it up.
"Hello?" she answered. "Jenna! Hold on, it's loud in here," she said and walked off. I watched her as she stepped outside of the bar. I figured it would be better if I followed her to watch her, in case she fell over or something. I walked outside and looked around, but Elena was nowhere to be seen. I looked down and saw her phone on the ground.
"What the hell..." I mumbled, just as someone grabbed me from behind. I struggled, trying to get loose, but the person was too strong for me. Something inside of me was screaming vampire and suddenly, that bad feeling inside of me was back again.
The man who had grabbed me sped to the back of the bar, over to an electrical building where Elena was holding on to a tank.
"Steffy!" she exclaimed when the man dropped me to the ground. I turned around to look at our abductor but he was gone. Seconds later, I heard footsteps. I turned to see Damon approaching.
"Damon, no!" I yelled, just as the man attacked him with a wooden plank. This was all a trick! A trick to get Damon. The man kept hitting Damon and I saw Elena jump down from the tank and running towards them. I jumped to my feet too.
"What the hell," Damon groaned.
"No!" both Elena and I yelled at the same time as the man poured gasoline on Damon.
"Who are you?" Damon asked and the man glared at him.
"That's perfect. You have no idea," he said.
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked. "What did he do?" The man turned to glare at us. Panic was rising inside of me. Was he going to kill Damon?
"He killed my girlfriend," the man growled. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?" the man yelled at Damon.
"Nothing," Damon managed to get out. I was still frozen. I could barely breathe as the man poured gasoline over Damon again.
"I don't understand," Elena said. At least someone was able to talk. I kept staring at Damon who was still helplessly laying on the ground. Why wasn't he even trying to defend himself? Was this vampire stronger than him?
"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" The man hit Damon with a bat and Damon groaned. Suddenly something inside of me clicked.
"Lexi?" I asked and the man looked up at me. "Damon killed Lexi?" I looked from the man to Damon, who was still on the ground. Damon's eyes met with mine and I gasped when I realized it was true. I didn't want to believe it. Lexi was a vampire and Damon killed her? His brother's best friend?
"Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?" Elena asked. "She told me about you. She said that you were human." The man looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"I was," he told her and instantly a cold feeling ran through me.
"Lexi turned you?" I asked and he nodded.
"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever," he told us.
"She loved you." Elena said. "She said that, 'when it's real, you can't walk away.'" My eyes drifted towards Damon again.
"Well, that's a choice you're not going to have to make," the man said.
"Don't. Please don't hurt him-" I begged as he lit a match.
"I'm doing you a favor," he told me and held the match over Damon. Damon looked over at me, his eyes wide. Panic rose again. Just as the man was about to drop the match, I felt a warmth running through me. "STOP!" I yelled, holding out my hand. My heart was racing and I watched as the man froze in his place.
"Why can't I move?" he asked angrily. I frowned. What did he just say? "Why. Can't. I. Move?" he demanded again. I looked at my hand and then at him again.
"I'm not going to let you move until you calm down," I told him. Elena looked at me strangely.
"Are you doing this?" she whispered and I found myself automatically nodding.
"Talk to him Elena," I said, feeling how I needed to concentrate on whatever I was doing at the moment.
"Lexi loved you," Elena said. "And she was good. That means you're good too," she told the man. "Be better than him. Don't do this. We're begging you! Please." The man took a few breaths.
"You can let go of me now," he said calmly. I hesitated for a second, but I knew that what Elena had said had convinced him. I let my hand drop, feeling how the warmth disappeared again and the man threw the match, which had stopped burning, to the side. He then picked up Damon and threw him against the building. I gasped at the sudden movement, but he then stopped attacking him. I ran over to Damon and sat down on the ground beside him, putting my hand to his cheek. I turned to look at the man.
"Thank you," I managed to get out.
"It wasn't for you," he said and then sped off. Elena ran towards us and Damon put his hand over mine that was still resting on his cheek. He was breathing heavily, but I knew he would recover. I looked up at Elena, who was watching me warily.
"Let's go home," I said and they both nodded in agreement.
A couple of minutes later Elena walked to the car and I followed her.
"This was an interesting day," I muttered as we reached the vehicle.
"Yeah," she agreed. "What happened back there? How did you manage to stop Lexi's boyfriend like that?" she asked me and I turned to look at her.
"I have something to tell you Elena," I said. "Yesterday, I went to visit Bonnie's grandmother. I've been having nightmares ever since I arrived in Mystic Falls and I wanted her help. She..." I trailed off for a moment. "She told me that I was a witch," I finally admitted. Elena gaped at me.
"A witch? You mean, like Bonnie?" she asked and I nodded.
"I suppose. My family lineage however is different and apparently I belong to a special kind of witches... I'll tell you all about it tomorrow though, I think I forgot my cardigan in the bar," I said, rubbing my right arm with my left hand.
Elena nodded. "I wont tell anyone until you're ready," she told me and I smiled gratefully at her.
"Thank you," I said before walking towards the bar again and entered without a sound. I found my cardigan and began walking back but stopped abruptly when I heard Damon's voice.
"Good to see you again Damon," I heard Bree say.
"No kiss?" Damon asked and I frowned. Why was he meeting up with her again? I thought we had agreed on leaving.
"I'm full of vervain. I put it in everything I drink," Bree said. Why was she suddenly so sad and...scared?
"And you're telling me this why?" Damon inquired.
"Lexi was my friend," Bree said. "How could you?" Suddenly it all made sense. That strange vibe I got around Bree. She must have called Lexi's boyfriend as soon as we entered the bar! My suspicions were right... I hurt a noise. It sounded as if someone had torn into someone elses flesh. I didn't even dare to look around the corner. "The tomb can be opened!" Bree suddenly said. Her voice sounded strained.
"You're lying," Damon said.
"Emily's grimoire, her spellbook. If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book. You can open that tomb," Bree said.
"Where is this book?" Damon asked.
"I-I-" Bree stuttered.
"You have no idea," Damon said.
"No! I'm telling the truth! You can ask the Blake girl to come and hear me out, she'll know I'm telling the truth!" Bree said. I was shocked that she would mention me. Had she sensed that I was a witch as I had sensed it about her? Why was she telling Damon this?
"I don't need Steffy to check anything. I already believe you," Damon said. "My dear, sweet Bree," he cooed. "That's why I'm almost sorry." I heard Bree groan and I loud thud as she fell, probably dead. I heard water running and decided to step out. Damon looked up at me and I looked at him and then at the floor.
"I'll be in the car," I said quietly, walking off before he could say anything.
Halfway home, Elena had fallen asleep. Damon and I hadn't talked much and I knew he knew that I had heard him kill Bree. I however, didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to ruin the nice, quiet moment we were having. I also wanted to show him that he could trust me and that I wouldn't go running as soon as someone died...
"So," I said after a while. "Why did you bring me with you?" I asked . "You could have just left me at my house or whatever."
Damon smirked. "Well, you're not the worst company in the world Steffy," he told me. "You should give yourself more credit."
"Seriously? What about Elena then?" He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
"You two were there in the middle of the road, all damsel in distress-like," he argued.
"And...?" I pressed.
"And, I knew it would piss off Stefan," he finished. I grinned at him for some reason. "And, you're not the worst company in the world, Steph."
"Well, I used to be more fun..." I mumbled.
"You did okay," he told me. "Now I just need to get you to loosen up a bit more and then you'll be amazing." I smirked at him.
"Elena and I saved your life," I sing-songed.
"I know," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.
"And don't you forget it," I said, smiling back at him.
We stayed quiet for a while longer until he decided to speak. "Are you ever going to tell me how you managed the stop that vampire from killing me?" he asked and I looked out the window, up at the moon.
"When we get home," I promised. It was strange what happened next... My hand was resting on my seat when I felt a big hand cover it. I glanced at Damon, who was still looking at the road ahead. I smiled to myself, when I felt him squeeze my hand and this time, I didn't push him away.
"We're here," Damon said, pulling up by my house. We had dropped off Elena at the boarding house earlier and Damon had offered me a ride home as well.
I looked at the clock, realizing Caroline was probably home but that aunt Liz wouldn't be in at least a couple of hours. She always worked late these days. I stepped outside of the car, but stopped when Damon appeared in front of me. We just looked at each other for a while.
"Are you okay?" he asked and I bit my lip before nodding. Damon stepped forward. "What happened tonight?" I inhaled sharply and he looked at me concerned. "Are you okay?" he repeated.
I nodded once again, but my lips betrayed me by saying "no". I began shaking my head.
"No Damon, I'm not okay," I finally said. "You're a vampire. You're brother is a vampire too! One of my friends is a witch... And yesterday..." I trailed off. "Yesterday I found out that I was one too," I finished, but Damon for some reason didn't look surprised. "You asked me about the scars Damon," I said and lifted up my shirt slightly to show my stomach. Across it, were three claw marks. Damon's eyes widened for a moment. "I've been having nightmares about a creature hurting me and whenever I wake up, the cuts I receive in my dream appear in real life," I explained. "Bonnie's grandmother told me it had to do with my fear and that I needed to face my fear before the nightmares could go away."
"When did all of this start?" Damon asked.
"When I moved here," I answered. "After my mom died." Once again there was silence.
"Why are you telling me this?" Damon finally asked.
"Because on some strange deep level, I feel like I can trust you," I answered before I could stop myself. I looked away from him when I saw a smile tugging at his lips.
"What do you fear, Steffy?" Damon then asked and I looked back at him. He was watching me seriously and I inhaled again.
"I fear..." I trailed off. "I fear that I will be alone forever," I finally admitted. I realized this just now, as Damon was standing in front of me. "My dad died when I was just a baby and my mother was all I had while growing up," I told him. "When she died, I fell into a zombie-state, I think. I wasn't able to cry. I was just a shell without anything inside. I had no emotions at all."
I looked up in the sky after feeling a drop of rain fall onto my hand. I looked back at Damon, who was watching me intently. "When I moved to Mystic Falls, I didn't know my cousin very well and I didn't know my aunt that much either. I figured I would stay with them until I turned eighteen and then leave, but now they've become the only thing I have left," I said. "When I realized that you were hurting Caroline, I realized that there was no way that I could keep her safe, all I knew was that I had try because I was afraid to lose her, like I have lost my parents. She and my aunt are all I have left Damon," I said and wiped the raindrops off of my hands. "If I lose them, I'll be all alone and I wont be able to handle that." I looked up again, frustrated. "Oh God!" I exclaimed. "Why is it raining?" I asked and suddenly Damon stepped forward. He cupped my face and made me look at him.
"It's not raining Stephanie," he told me. "You're crying." I stared at him for a moment as he wiped away the raindrops- my tears with his thumbs. I was crying? I felt a sob shake me.
"I-I can't do this alone Damon," I cried. "What if I do something that hurts my aunt or Caroline? What if I can't handle being a witch?" Damon didn't say anything as I walked into his arms and sobbed. He held me tightly against him and softly rubbed my back in a soothing motion. "I don't want to be alone Damon," I sobbed into his chest, desperately clinging onto his shirt. I had never felt such pain before. It was as if my world had been turned up-side-down and everything was wrong. It felt as if I was dying inside...
Until... Somewhere inside of me, I felt a warmth beginning to spread. I was still crying and I hadn't realized that Damon had picked me up in his arms and carried me to the house. I vaguely heard Caroline ask what was wrong with me when she opened the door, and I think I heard Damon compel her to go to bed and forget that he had been here. Damon carried me upstairs to my room and removed my cardigan as he laid me down on the bed. I felt his hand on my cheek and I put my hand over his, just like he had done to me when I had crouched next to him after the vampire had hurt him earlier tonight. I looked into his intense blue eyes and for a moment, something strange happened inside of me.
I felt alright again.
Something flashed in his eyes and he kept looking at me.
"You're not alone Steffy," he told me and put that loose curl behind my ear again, like he used to. I smiled weakly at him as he covered me with my blanket. As he walked towards to door, I reached for his hand.
"Please just stay until I fall asleep," I begged and he nodded, surprising me. He laid down on the bed next to me and I felt him wrap an arm protectively around my waist. Then I felt his thumb running across my hand and I realized something as I slowly drifted off to sleep...
I was enjoying being in his arms a bit too much...
A/N: So... What did you think?
Before you throw a virtual chair or something on me: I KNOW Damon was a bit out of character in this chapter! However, I just wanted to show that as much as something is pulling Steffy towards him...something is pulling him to her as well... If you didn't like him showing "emotions" or whatever like this, I'll stop with it, at least until season 2 when Damon becomes "softer" or whatever... I just figured it would be natural for Damon to react like that to Steffy crying in the end of the chapter. I mean, it's not like he's seen this side of her that has been locked up since her mother died...
Anyway, I hope you liked it and if you have any questions, feel free to ask (as I've said like 500 times already).
BTW, did you like suspicious Elena in this chapter? ;)
Please review and I'll love you so much that I'll update faster!
Lots of love!
xoxo
Spicy