I'm sorry this one is so short, guys. The next one will be better, longer, and have more Phemon. ;)

Chapter 13: Children of the Damned

In 1864, Katherine stops a horse-drawn carriage and asks for help because her "husband" has been attacked. A man is laying on the road and one of the two men from the carriage goes to help him. Katherine attacks the one left at the carriage and then the other one. Her "husband" gets up and it's revealed to be Damon who is still human. Katherine is teaching him how a vampire acts.

In the Present day – roughly 3 or 4 days after the decade dance - Damon enters Stefan's room without caring he is with Elena. He wants to start looking for Emily Bennett's grimoire and since Stefan promised to help him, that means Elena is also helping. He asks her to find Jonathan Gilbert's journal that is the key of where the grimoire is. Damon leaves the happy couple to wake his Gilbert twin, who is sleeping in her favorite room of the house: the library.

Phoebe woke up to the smell of coffee brewing a few feet away in the kitchen. She was working on building up the will power to get up and get the coffee, when she noticed the smell getting stronger.

"That must mean it's getting closer, which means someone is bringing it to me," she thought. She listened closely for sounds of someone walking into the library. She heard what sounded like dishes rattling, and someone swear under their breath. Recognizing the voice as Damon, she smiled to herself. Hearing him come closer, her smiled vanished, and she pretended to still be asleep. She heard Damon set something down on the coffee table then the room went silent for a moment.

"I know you're awake," said Damon.

"...no I'm not," Phoebe replied, keeping her eyes closed.

"Yes, you are," he told her.

"How do you know?" she challenged.

"You mean aside from the fact that you're arguing with me right now?" he questioned.

"People talk in their sleep all the time. Matt's mom once dated a guy that had full conversations in his sleep...he also giggled a lot," she argued.

Damon rolled his eyes, though Phoebe couldn't see, because her eyes were still closed.

"I saw that."

"Saw what? Your eyes are closed," said Damon.

"Just because I can't physically see you roll your eyes, doesn't mean I don't know when you do it," she replied. She openned her eyes to look up at his blurry outline.

Damon sighed, and handed her her glasses. She put them on, as she sat up on the couch. Once she was able to see, she took notice of what Damon had brought it. He had brought her coffee on a serving tray, complete with cream and sugar.

Damon noticed the surprise on her face and explained, "I didn't know how you like your coffee."

Phoebe smiled up at him, "Thanks."

Damon gave her a nod in repsonse, as she fixed her coffee. Though he was discrete about it, he watched how she made her coffee so he would know in the future. As part of his act, he had picked up a book of some kind from the table and began flipping through it. When he glanced down - to look as though he were actually looking through it - he noticed it was Phoebe's sketch journal. This one was full of newer events, but it had barely been sketched in at this point. The most recent sketch was of Damon in 1864, wearing his Confederate Army uniform. He smiled to himself, "These are very good. Where'd you learn to draw?"

Phoebe looked up, and for the first time noticed what he was looking at. Her face flushed, "I never had any special training. Just the usual art classes every kid has in elementery school."

"You mean, no one encouraged you?" he asked.

"Well, Matt encouraged me to keep with it, but for the most part I just started doodling because it's the only way I can really express myself," she answered. "I'm no good with words."

Damon put her journal back down on the table, "Words are overrated. You always have to know exactly what you want to say, but with images...images are open to interpretation. Images can convey the confusion you're feeling about something. They can allow you to take a step back and look at the possibilities."

Phoebe just stared back at him in awe. It was like he was in her head. Like he really understood her. Damon stared back at her, which made her begin to feel uncomfortable. Rather than continue to sit there awkwardly, Phoebe decided to change the topic, "So, you were in the Confederate Army?"

Damon gave a small laugh at her uncomfortableness, "Yes, I was."

"Stefan said you deserted to be with Katherine," said Phoebe. "Is that true?"

Damon shrugged, "I'd like to think I'd have left anyway."

"How come?" she inquired. She quickly added, "I-if you don't mind me asking."

"It okay. You can ask," Damon asured her. "I never agreed with the South, and I hated fighting for them."

"Then why join?"

"My father," he replied simply. "He ordered me to join, and since I didn't want to diappoint him, I did it."

Phoebe smiled, "I wish I could've known you then. Before you met Katherine."

Damon twitched a smile, "So do I."

Back in 1864, Damon is with Katherine when Emily enters the room and announces that Pearl is here to see Katherine. Katherine meets with Pearl, who tells her that she worries about her being with both Salvatore brothers. Also that they know their vampire secret. She then gives Katherine an elixir made of vervain and informs her that people are beginning to drink it, because they suspect vampires are in Mystic Falls. Pearl wants to move to another town but Katherine's not ready. While they are talking, Pearl's daughter passes by and it's revealed that is none other than Anna.

In present day, Anna calls Jeremy trying to arrange a date with him, while Ben is getting ready for his date with Bonnie. Meanwhile, at the Gilbert house, Elena and Stefan talk about Damon as Elena is looking for Jonathan's journal. Jeremy shows up and tells them that he gave the journal to Alaric.

Back in 1864, Stefan and Damon's father, Giuseppe, is a vampire hunter and promises his fellow hunters that both of his boys will help them. He later talks to his sons about their plan and he asks for their help. When their father walks away, Stefan says that if they talk to him about Katherine, they can convince him not to kill her. Damon doesn't believe that and he makes Stefan promise that he won't tell. Stefan, despite his promise, tries to talk to his father denying though that he knows any vampires, but his father figures out that he is lying and spikes his drink with vervain. Later, Stefan is with Katherine who tries to feed on him but because of the vervain, she faints. Giuseppe enters the room and asks Stefan to call the sheriff. Stefan tries to change his father's mind but can't. They take Katherine away to burn her with the other vampires.

In the Present day, Alaric reads Jonathan's journal at the school, while Anna is watching him. Alaric hears something and calls to see if anyone is there. When he doesn't get any response, he goes to his locker and gets a gun that shoots wooden stakes. He returns to the classroom and finds Stefan there. He shoots him, but Stefan catches the stake before it hits him. Alaric tries to reload but Stefan stops him and takes the gun.

Elena, who is there with her boyfriend, asks Alaric to sit so they can talk and promises they won't hurt him. As a sign of good faith, Stefan gives Alaric his gun back. Alaric is confused but he trusts them and he tells them why he is in Mystic Falls. He admits that he witnessed a vampire, Damon, killing his wife but Damon had to hear him and he disappeared along with his wife's body. Stefan tells him that if he is here for revenge it won't end good for him and he offers to help him. He asks where the journal is and Alaric points the desk where he left it but the journal is not there anymore.

Anna got the journal and now she reads it to find where the grimoire is while Ben leaves for his date with Bonnie. Later, Ben tries to fish info from Bonnie about Elena and unsuspected Bonnie tells him that the two of them are like sisters and that she would die for her. Bonnie, decides to give it a chance and she kisses Ben. The moment she does, though, she senses evil and pulls back. She acts like nothing happened and tells him that she needs to go to the bathroom. Ben realizes that Bonnie is suspecting him so he follows her to the bathroom and kidnaps her.

In the meantime, Damon is at the Gilbert house cooking and talking with Phoebe, while Jeremy and Jenna play video games in the living room. Phoebe is setting the table, when Damon 'accidentlly' bumps into her. She laughs, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" he asked, innocently.

"You know what," she told him. "That move was deliberate."

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to...get to the sink," replied Damon. He had to think about that response.

"Mhmm."

"So, where are our siblings?" They're missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely," he asked, looking down at her. Phoebe was leaning over the stove to smell the food, which smelled amazing. But then what do you expect from a man who's had nearly 200 years to perfect his cooking skills?

"They'll be here," she asured him.

Damon became more serious, "Is it real?"

"Is what real?" Phoebe asked, confused.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood. Can I trust him?"

Phoebe looked up into his eyes, "Yes, you can trust him."

Damon looked away, "You know, there was a time when I trusted him more than anyone."

"What changed?"

"He told our father that Katherine was a vampire, because he foolishly thought he would understand, but he didn't," he replied.

Phoebe's eyes fell to the floor, "Well, if you won't trust him, then trust me. I wouldn't lie to you."

"I just want her back. I'm sure you can understand that," he told her.

"Yes, I do," Phoebe mumbled, returning to the table.

As the night continues, Damon and Jeremy play video games, and Jeremy tells him about Anna. While in the kitchen, Jenna and Phoebe talk about Damon.

"So, Elena tells me you and Damon have been spending a lot of time together, lately," noted Jenna.

Phoebe glanced over at Damon, then back to Jenna, "So? We're friends."

Jenna leaned in closer to Phoebe, and lowered her voice, "He is ridiculously hot!"

Phoebe's face flushed, as she shushed her aunt.

"I'm sorry, but he is!" said Jenna, in the same hushed voice. It didn't matter, Damon was listening to every word. "How can you be 'just friends' with someone that hot?"

"Because he's unavailable," Phoebe answered.

Jenna looked over at Damon, "For now."

Phoebe gave her aunt a look, "I doubt it. He and his...girlfriend have been together for a long time."

"I don't see her here, with him," noted Jenna.

"They're separated, right now," said Phoebe. She saw Jenna gearing up to argue, and cut her off, "It's not by choice. Circumstances forced them apart, and now they're trying to be reunited after a long time."

Jenna gave Phoebe a look, "That's worse. If they've been separated for a long time, then they've both changed. They aren't the same people that fell in love, however long ago. Trust me, that reuniting is gonna be short-lived."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, and shook her head in defeat. She was assuming – and correctly so – that Damon was listening in, and didn't want to talk about this within his hearing range. She walked upstairs to her room, and began texting Matt. He was on his lunch break at work, so he called her. As they talked about nothing in particular, Stefan and Elena arrived downstairs. They tell Damon about someone taking the journal from Alaric, before they got there. Damon wants to know who else wanted the journal, and so asks Jeremy about it. He tells Damon that the Anna chick he was telling him about was asking for it. Curious to see who Anna is, Damon takes Jeremy to the Grill to meet up with Anna; who he then recognizes as Pearl's daughter.

While Damon is off to track Anna, Stefan tells Elena that he has a copy of the journal from Alaric. They start reading it, but can't find any mention of where the grimoire might be. Stefan remembers a conversation he had with his father and realizes where the grimoire is; buried with his father. The two of them go to Giuseppe's tomb and start digging it up.

Damon follows Anna at the Grill's restroom and attacks her but she fights him back and they both give up. Anna tells him she was wondering how long it would take him to find her and they go to her motel to talk. She tells Damon that the key to open the tomb is hidden in his dad's journal and asks for his help. Damon takes the journal for himself and walks away telling her that he works alone.

Meanwhile in Phoebe's room, she finishes her conversation with Matt, and returns downstairs to find everyone gone. She asks Jenna where everyone went, but Jenna only know where Jeremy and Damon went – to the Grill. Stefan and Elena just left. Confused, she heads back upstairs to call her sister; but as she passes her sister's room, she notices a stack of papers on her window seat. Phoebe, curiously, examined the pages, reading through them quickly. She thought for a moment, them smiled to herself, "I've got it!"

Phoebe raced to get her shoes back on, grab a jacket, and head out the door. Despite her recent accident with using her phone while driving, she tried calling everyone. Elena, Stefan, and Damon. Unfortunately, they all ignored her calls, assuming she was just wondering where they were.

As Phoebe arrives at her destination, she calls her sister one final time, "Okay, I get it, you're spending some personal time with Stefan. But when you finally decide to call me back, just know I think I found the grimoire."

After hanging up on her sister's voicemail, Phoebe headed for Giuseppe Salvatore's grave, with a shovel in hand. As she closed in on the grave, she decided to call Damon, again; but only reached his voicemail. "Geez, what is with everyone ignoring me tonight? Stefan and Elena won't answer me either. Anyway, I found a copy of Johnathan Gilbert's journal in Elena's room. It didn't say exactly where the grimoire was, but it did say that your dad would take it to his grave. I think he may have literally been buried with the grimoire. I'm on my way there now to see if..."

Phoebe stopped short and dropped her hand to her side, Damon's voicemail still recording. Stefan and Elena had already dug up Giuseppe's grave, and retrieved the grimoire. When they saw Phoebe, they both froze in shock that she was there.

"Phoebe. What are you doing here?" Elena asked her sister.

"I could ask you the same thing," Phoebe countered, looking between the two suspiciously.

Stefan looked as though he were mentally kicking himself, "You found the pages."

"And you aren't here because you got my voicemails," repied Phoebe. She looked around, but didn't see Damon, "You're here without Damon."

"Phoebe-," Elena began.

"Why?" Phoebe snapped. "Why are you here without Damon?"

"Damon can't be trusted to-," Stefan began to explain.

Phoebe cut him off, as well, "Bull! Maybe before he was okay with letting the others out to wreak havok on the town, but not anymore. All he cares about is getting Katherine back."

"You don't know that, Phoebe," said Elena.

"Yes, I do. I know it in my gut. I trust him. He's earned my trust," Phoebe defended.

Before anything further could be said, Damon arrived, "Well, what d'ya know?"

Everyone turned to face him. He looked pissed.

"This is an interesting turn of events," he added.

"I can't let you bring her back. I'm sorry," said Stefan.

"So am I," replied Damon. "For thinking for even a second that I could trust you."

"You are not capable of trust," said Stefan. "The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course I was going to do it by myself, because the only one I can count on is me! You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan," Damon retorted, bitterly. He turned to Phoebe next, "But you...you had me fooled."

Phoebe struggled to find the words, "I-I didn't...I-I never...Damon..."

"Phoebe wasn't a part of this, Damon," said Stefan. "She just got here moments before you did."

"Save it," Damon snapped. "So what are you going to do now? Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out."

"You won't kill her," said Stefan. He stared his brother down, challengingly.

Damon flits forward, grabbing Phoebe. He holds her tight with his right arm across her neck. Phobe doesn't struggle, because – aside from there being no point – she knows he's just upset, and that he won't actually hurt her. Stefan and Elena both become nervous, because they believe he would hurt Phoebe.

"Okay, fine, Stefan. I won't kill her, but I will do...," said Damon. He stopped talking to feed Phoebe his blood. In this instance she did struggle a little.

"No!" called Elena.

"Give me the book, Stefan, or I'll break her neck," Damon threatened.

"Let her go, first," Stefan demanded.

"The book!" said Damon.

"I'm not going to give this to you, until she is with her sister," replied Stefan.

"The problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back," said Damon.

"You just did something that ensures I will," said Stefan.

Damon didn't budge, he just continued to stare his brother down.

"Stefan, please," said Elena.

Stefan tossed the grimoire at Damon's feet, then nodded for him to release Phoebe. Damon looked down at Phoebe and pressed his face to her head, lovingly. Phoebe closed her eyes for a moment listening to his breathe in her ear, and feeling his face against her head. Damon pulled his arm back, and moved his face away. Phoebe opened her eyes, and slowly moved forward. Damon petted her hair lightly and guided her, as she walked towards Stefan and Elena. Elena threw her arms around her sister, and Stefan put a comforting hand on Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe held her sister in return, but looked back at Damon. The two exhcanged apologetic looks, before Phoebe was taken away.

As Damon picks up the grimoire, he flashes back to the night he lost Katherine. He tried to stop his father, but his father told him that anyone who sides with the vampires will also get killed. Stefan finds Damon and promises to help him save Katherine, but Damon is so mad at him and he accuses him of it being his fault.

Also in 1864, Pearl, in her attempt to run away, runs into Jonathan Gilbert. His watch points to her, indicating that she is a vampire. Pearl is shot and captured while her daughter Anna watches with Emily. Emily promises Anna she will see her mother again. Stefan also sees Emily with Anna hiding, but doesn't say a word to the hunters.

Back at the Gilbert house, Elena asks Stefan to bring her an aspirin and he goes downstairs to ask Jenna for one. Meanwhile, Phoebe quickly brushes her teeth to get Damon's blood out of her mouth. After which, she sneaks downstairs, where Jenna tells Stefan about Jeremy's friend Anna being over. Phoebe sneaks out of the front door, and drives to the Salvatore House. She needed to explain how she didn't betray him. She didn't tell Stefan or Elena, because they would either stop her, or delay her long enough for Damon to do something stupid. Stefan, in a quick flashback to the night when Katherine was captured, remembers Pearl's daughter and realizes who Anna is. He runs upstairs to Elena's room but Elena is gone. He then checks on Phoebe, but she's missing too. Phoebe makes it to the Salvatore House, but before she can knock on the door or ring the bell, she's taken by Ben.