A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. I had (and still have) schoolwork like crazy and had to write a 16 page paper on Crohn's Disease. I have quite a bit of this written, but have been sitting on it since I am a little up in the air about how to handle this part of the story. Let me know what you think!
I left the hospital breezing past Kurt even as he tried to flag me down. I was seeing red I was so angry. How dare he? I kept his secret against my better judgment, even after finding out about his killings and he has the gall to attack another in my town. Why did I keep his secret after all that? Was it just for Caroline or something more than that?
Why would he come back now? Why announce his presence so blatantly? Why hadn't he compelled the girl? So many questions and again I was lacking answers. The girl had survived, but she wouldn't have without medical treatment. As it was she'd be scarred both literally and figuratively for life.
In spite of the hard facts in front of me, her reaction at seeing Damon's picture, I still felt a niggling doubt in my mind. My cop sense was tingling, telling me something wasn't right about all this. I didn't know who to trust at this point but I had to talk to someone.
"Sheriff… Liz?" A voice brought me away from my thoughts. Kurt stood there, looking slightly out of breath. It was then that I realized that I was panting as well- I had run all the way out of the hospital, across the parking lot, and now stood on the edge of the foggy woods.
I didn't know what to say to him to explain my outburst, so I just stayed silent.
"Liz… I know you thought that the attacks were over. But this is why I'm here, so please tell me what I can do to help." He said softly. I looked at him and saw my own naiveté that the world was simple black and white. Vampires evil. Humans good.
"Just give me a minute." I muttered.
He nodded and stepped back. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes I had bought that night some weeks ago. I nearly crushed the filter between my fingers as I lit the damn thing. I offered one to Kurt and he accepted it.
"You know these things are bad for you." Kurt muttered.
"All things in moderation." I replied.
There wasn't much that could be done that evening so we headed to the 24-hour Waffle House Diner on the edge of town. Kurt ordered the chocolate chip pancakes. I got the Denver omelet. I wasn't making much headway on my food.
"Really?" I questioned drily as the waitress plopped the steamy pancakes in front of him with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
"What? Isn't it a little ironic for you to be questioning me on defying gender stereotypes?" He pointed out, taking a healthy bite for emphasis. I snorted. I was Mystic Falls' first female Sheriff so I suppose he had a point.
"Not so much gender as age… I haven't ordered chocolate chip pancakes since I was seven."
"Well you're missing out then." He said with a grin.
I found that in spite of the playful back and forth, I could not smile with him. We ate in companionable silence for a while (Well, he ate, I picked). Eventually we came to discuss the elephant in the room.
"So did you learn anything from the victim?" He asked me, pushing the syrup-stained plate aside.
"Just that it wasn't an animal that bit her, it was definitely a vampire and he didn't bother to compel her afterwards." I revealed carefully.
Kurt whistled low. "That's cocky, even for a bloodsucker. He probably didn't expect her to survive."
"That's just it though. Why didn't he finish draining her?" I thought out loud.
"Maybe he got interrupted?" Kurt mused. I shook my head.
"She didn't say anything of the sort and there was no one else when I got there." I sighed. "It seems cut and dry but something just doesn't add up."
Kurt shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "They're vampires, they aren't supposed to make sense."
If nothing else, that was true.
I was doing it again- that thing where I get quiet when something's wrong. It was a lazy Sunday and Caroline was not-so-subtly sneaking looks at me from across the room. I was at the kitchen table staring at lukewarm coffee and burnt pancakes soaked in maple-flavored corn syrup- not quite as good as chocolate chip I supposed, but my specialty nonetheless. I had no idea what to do at this point. Do I out Damon? Do I talk to Caroline about it?
"Hot coffee for your thoughts?" Caroline finally cut in, replacing my rapidly cooling mug with a fresh one.
I looked at Caroline, I saw my daughter looking at me with worry. "Do you know anything about the latest attack?"
"No, but we are looking into it. We'll let you know when we find something." We. Her band of children and monsters who were doing a better job of keeping the town safe through unconventional means than I ever had.
"The girl identified Damon as her attacker." I finally said. Caroline's breath, unnecessary thought it may be, hitched at the confession.
"It wasn't Damon." She said confidently. "He's not even in town."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just know okay? This isn't his style anyway. He would have compelled her to forget." She pointed out, confirming her knowledge of Damon's eating habits.
"You knew he fed on people?" I asked, feeling naïve again.
"Mom, does Damon strike you as the type to eat bunnies or bloodbags?" Caroline snapped in exasperation.
"…and you're okay with it." I said flatly.
"Mom, if people aren't dying, if they don't even remember what happened, isn't that the same as getting a blood donation… just, you know- more directly?" She said, waving her arms dramatically for emphasis.
"That girl would have died. And she does remember. And it's not a donation if it's not freely given." I pointed out angrily.
"Look, regardless of what's right or wrong, I'm telling you, I am absolutely positive that this is not Damon's work."
I took a deep breath, letting some of my anger out with the exhale and nodded, "I know he's your friend, Caroline… but I saw this girl's face when she saw his picture. She recognized Damon and she was terrified."
I saw doubt flicker in her eyes for the first time and she sighed. "Alright… I'll keep an eye out for him… just be careful, mom? In either case..."
I was on my way to investigate some of the foreclosures on the edge of town when my radio flared to life. "All units please respond, we have a fire at Irving and Delilah, multiple building involvement, at least one casualty…"
I frowned, flipping on my siren and turning around.
Arthur King, my vervain grower lived there.
As I pulled up my suspicions were confirmed as I found the house we had raided only weeks prior was ablaze and had set his two neighbors houses alight. I didn't have to wonder long if the drug dealer was still trapped inside. His body was suspended from two trees in the front yard with his front gutted and his entrails hanging out.
Onlookers were gawking and I scowled at Deputy Miles. "Why haven't you established a further perimeter? Do you want to be responsible if something explodes and hits someone?" I demanded. Miles flushed and beckoned a few officers to assist him in forcing the crowd back.
Too many people had seen the body, but since King was a known dealer, we ran with the story that the house and murder had probably been the result of his own seedy activities.
I felt guilt for bringing a civilian on the job in the first place, he had not even known about the existence of vampires, had no idea what would come after him if they found out what he was growing. In addition the fire left little hope that any seedlings had survived and Mystic Falls Council of Founding Families was once again left woefully ill-stocked.