Ugh, thank you guys for reviewing! Like I think the reviews get more and more better the more I read them. I honestly think so. :)
I don't own anything but Raegan!
Chapter Three: Bad Moon Rising
"Thanks for coming, Ric." Damon said opening the door for the history teacher to come into the house. "Can I offer you coffee? Bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" Damon listed off the number of drinks.
I was curled up on the couch, waiting everything happening. I was still numb to the core since last night. Elena and Stefan were on the couch across from me. I was unable to go anywhere else but on the side of the room I was on. The sun light shined through the cracks of the window shades. I had to be careful. I still wasn't able to walk in the sun.
"Elena said you needed my help." Alaric responded to Damon before sitting down on the single chair next to Stefan and Elena. Elena looked up at me before looking away quickly. I sighed sadly when Damon sat down next to me. We weren't on speaking terms yet.
"Yeah." Stefan started. "We were, uh, hoping you would shed some light on the Lockwood family."
Alaric looked at all of us confused. "Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?"
"You wouldn't." Damon spoke up. "But you're dead- not dead vampire wife might." Damon raised his eyebrows at Alaric.
"Isobel's research, from when you guys were at Duke together." Elena explained a little bit further into details.
"You said that she had spent years researching this town?" Stefan questioned leaning up in his seat and placing his elbows on his knees.
"Isobel's research here, Mystic Falls, rooted in folk lore and legend. At the time, I thought most of which was fiction." Alaric explained.
"Like that amazing vampire story." I said sarcastically from my seat. Damon grabbed my hand lightly and pulled me closer to him.
"Aside from vampires," Elena started. "What else?"
"The lycanthrope." Alaric simply said.
We all looked at each other curiously before I leaned forward in my seat. "Wait, like werewolves?" I asked looking at Alaric with a raised brow.
"No way. Impossible." Damon shook his head.
"It's unreal." I shook my head agreeing with Damon.
"Is it?" Stefan questioned us with a raised brow.
"I've been on this planet a hundred and sixty some what years, and I've never come across one." Damon shrugged at Stefan before looking back at Alaric. "If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"
"Why do you expect the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked curiously.
"Because vervain didn't affect the Mayor on Founder's Day, but the Gilbert device did." Damon explained. "And it affected his son, Tyler."
"No kidding." I muttered under my breath. That stupid device is what started this whole 'me as a vampire' thing.
"And at the school carnival, his uncle, Mason, exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers." Stefan explained further to Alaric. "We suggested it was some sort of supernatural entity."
"We were hoping Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is." Elena explained leaning forward like everyone else was.
"Well, all of her things are still at Duke." Alaric sighed. "I mean, her office is still there. She's technically still missing."
Damon threw his hand up in the air. "So, can we get access to it?"
Alaric looked down for a moment. He didn't exactly answer but we could all tell that he didn't agree on going through Isobel's things.
"Ric, we don't know what we are dealing with here." I said with pleading eyes.
"If this wolf-man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good." Damon explained. "It means, Mason Lockwood is a real life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney Junior. Which means, Bella Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed."
I broke out of the conversation with my cell phone ringing on the table. I sighed and looked at the caller I.D. to see Caroline calling my phone. I got up from the couch, everyone's eyes on me, and I picked up the phone. I left the parlor room careful not to step in the sunlight before I went into the kitchen to talk without wondering ears.
"What's up, Caroline?" I asked into the phone.
"This sucks." She sighed sadly. "Matt just came over the house and started knocking on my door. I couldn't answer the door because the sunlight was in the way, blocking whatever way I had to the door. And it's not like I could have been like, 'Oh, come in.' because the door was locked. And then he called my cell asking if I wanted to hang out today. I can't because it's sunny."
"Okay, Caroline. Take a deep breath." I said calmly into the phone. "We can get through this."
"Really?" She asked unsure.
"I believe we can." I lied. "It'll all work out in the end, I promise."
"Okay. I'm going to get ready for nothing. I need something to distract myself. Bye, Rae." She said before hanging up the phone.
I shut my phone down before sliding it into my back pocket. I turned around to see Stefan leaning against the door frame. "You don't have to be so quiet." I said leaning against the counter next to the fridge.
He shrugged. "You were on the phone." He said before straightening up. "I have a surprise for you."
(BREAK)
I twisted the ring that was in my hand around between my fingers. "So, this is the ring that I will be stuck with for all eternity." I sighed looking down at the bulky ring.
"If you don't want it..." Bonnie shrugged at the end of the bed.
"No, I want it. I do. I'm just saying." I said looking up at Bonnie. Stefan sighed from the chair.
"Now, what?" I asked looking at the both of them.
"Now's the part where I explain the rules." Bonnie started.
"Rules?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Bonnie said with a serious tone. "The witch who spells the ring, has the power to de-spell it. So, if you do anything to hurt anyone-"
"Thanks for the confidence, Bon." I said sarcastically. "I've been holding my own this far, I think I'll make do."
"You're a vampire." Bonnie said the obvious. "That means the urge to kill is a part of who you are."
I sighed and looked away from Bonnie. "I'll be fine."
"The minute you let it take over-"
"I said, I'll be fine." I snapped with a glare at the Bennett witch.
"Raegan..." Stefan warned softly.
"No, this is ridiculous. She's acting like I destroyed the world. I'm still the same Raegan." I said looking between the two figures.
"You need to prove that the Raegan I know is still there." Bonnie stated making me sigh again.
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." I sighed putting the ring on the edge of the bed.
Bonnie sighed before going over to the window shade. She opened it a crack but some of the sunlight landed on my skin. I hissed and slid all the way back. Bonnie didn't apologize, not that I expected that she would. I watched as she recited a spell quietly to herself before she stopped. She picked up the ring off the bed and handed it out to me. "All done." She said with a wicked glare.
I carefully grabbed the ring from her hand. I slid the big ring onto my thumb, since it was the only finger that I really could stick it on without it falling off. "How do I know if it works?" I asked looking down at the ring.
Bonnie sighed and walked over to the window before opening it up all the way. I flinched when the sun hit my skin, but it didn't burn it like I was used to. It warmed my skin to the touch and I smiled for the first time for a week.
Bonnie turned to walk out of the room. I stood up from the bed. "Bonnie." I called out to her and she looked back at me with a curious look. "Thank you." I said with a sincere smile.
"You're welcome." Bonnie smiled softly back before leaving the room.
I looked down at the ring and smiled to myself. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed Damon's number by heart. He answer on the first ring. "Did it work?" He asked right away.
"Yup." I smiled into the phone. "I won't burn in the sun anymore." I laughed.
"I'm over your house right now, waiting for Elena to get done with packing. If you hurry up, you can come with us to Duke." Damon suggested.
"I'll be right there." I smiled before hanging up.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Stefan asked curiously from behind me. "Risking being a newly changed vampire with, not only two humans, but your sister being one of them?" Stefan wasn't being rude about what he was saying. He was just simply curious.
"I can handle myself." I promised. "I wouldn't hurt either of them, even if it costed my life."
Stefan seemed to be pleased with the answer, because he smiled softly at me. I smiled back at him before turning around. I stopped when I was in the door way. "Thank you." I said turning my head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at me in wonder. "For the ring. Thanks."
"You're welcome." Stefan smiled.
"You coming?" I asked nodding my head out the door. He nodded before we both walked out the door. He grabbed his keys from the table but I shook my head at him. "Race ya?" I asked with a devious smile.
He shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Oh, come on, old man. Live a little." I smirked over at him with he rolled his eyes. "It's not going to kill you to have fun once and a while."
"Last one there drinks rats blood for a month." Stefan smiled at me before taking off. I scoffed before catching up with him.
I stretched my legs to run a little bit faster than he did and almost tripped on a tree root because I wasn't looking where I was going. Stefan laughing at me, pulled him behind a little. Enough for me to run right into my yard and beat him.
"Rats for a month." I smirked up at Stefan's face. He rolled his eyes before pushing me out of the way. "Sore loser." I muttered before following him into the house.
"School's been keeping me." I heard Alaric start to explain in the living room. I put my finger to my lips at Stefan before pointing upstairs. He rolled his eyes before quietly making his way upstairs, not making a sound. "I've been busy." Alaric continued.
"I want you to know that Elena has someone that has a connection to her mother. I wish someone would do the same for Raegan." Jenna sighed softly. "I appreciate you bringing her along today."
"Well, I figured it was time to take care of my wife's things. You know?" Alaric sighed and looked up at Jenna. "Look, Jenna. I know things between me and you have been a little start and stop, and I'm sorry for that. But maybe once I can-"
"Uh, no." Jenna shook her head. "Don't do that. Not the 'half-maybe' apology. No 'hope for the future' thing."
Alaric smiled understandingly down at Jenna when a beeping for a car outside happened. I shook my head at Damon before coming out from hiding behind the kitchen wall.
"Elena, you coming?" I yelled up the stairs as I pretended that I was at home for a while. Jenna and Alaric looked over at me confused but I just smiled brightly at them both.
"I didn't know that you came home." Jenna said confused.
"I got out last night. I came home last after the carnival at school." I shrugged.
She nodded her head, believing me for now. I nodded my head at both of the adults before going outside. I smiled brightly at Damon leaning against the car. I heard Stefan and Elena coming up behind me and I made my way down to meet Damon.
"Look at you all happy." Damon smirked down at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"It's not everything, but I can still do normal everyday things now." I flashed Damon my daylight ring. He rolled his eyes at my choice of ring.
"Sorry, you can't come too, Stef." Damon smirked at Stefan and Elena. I rolled my eyes and smacked Damon's arm. He actually flinched from the power behind the hit. "Aye, watch it there, Sunshine. You're stronger than you think."
"Sorry." I snorted a laugh before climbing in the back of the car. Damon rolled his head on his neck before climbing into the front seat as we waited for the two love birds to be done making out. "You started this." I muttered to Damon before leaning over the driver's seat and honking the horn.
They finally pulled away. Elena rolled her eyes at me before getting into the car. I sighed and leaned back into the seat. This is going to be a long ride.
I locked my phone and slipped it into my front pocket and sighed. I looked out the back passenger side window.
"How you doing back there?" Damon asked turning around to look at Elena and I. He gripped my thigh quickly before turning back around.
"Peachy." I mumbled softly knowing that Damon would be able to hear it. Things haven't gotten any easier being around Elena. This whole car was full of tense moments. They haven't let up yet, neither one of us being the bigger person and actually speaking to each other.
"You know this whole pretending to hate each other thing is getting pretty old." Damon rolled his eyes at Elena and I.
I kicked the back of Damon's seat.
"Hey, watch the seats." Alaric said from the driver's side.
"Fine." I said before leaning forward and flicking Damon's ear.
"Don't push my buttons." Damon growled from the front.
"'Don't push my buttons'" I mocked Damon with a smirk.
"Children." Alaric warned playfully.
"Sorry." Damon and I said at the same time. He turned around and flicked my bare knee. I smacked his hand away from me. He smirked at me before turning back around and facing the front.
"What are we five?" Alaric sighed.
"Um, I prefer five and a half?" I replied sarcastically from the back.
Alaric rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
"So, Isobel was officially employed by the Anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenons rooted in folk lore." Alaric explained as we entered the Duke's campus. It wasn't anything special, it looked like any other college that you would visit.
We turned a corner and Alaric started to speak with a young woman. "Excuse me? Hi." Alaric said to some girl with medium brown hair. "I'm Alaric Saltzman." He introduced himself. "I called earlier."
"Yes." The girl smiled at him. "Of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant." The girl, Vanessa explained. "Comparative folk lore." She smirked over at Damon. I glared down at the girl and grabbed Damon's hand in warning. She glared back at me before looking back at Alaric. "Let me just grab Isobel's keys." She said pointing to the back door.
"I'm sorry." Alaric spoke up. "These are my friends, Elena, Raegan, and Damon." He introduced each of us. "I hope this isn't too much of a infliction."
Vanessa shook her head. "Please. Isobel's office is right through there." She pointed to the brown door. "Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad-student. She was brilliant and one of the reasons I went into folk lore." Vanessa explained. "I... have to ask," She started. "Um, has there been any news?"
"No." Alaric said quietly. "No, I'm afraid not."
Vanessa sighed and got up from the desk. "It's right this way." She said getting up and unlocking Isobel's office.
We all walked in the office. Damon switched my hand from wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I looked around the book filled office and sighed. Isobel was sure into her work.
"I'll grab the light. Feel free to look around." Vanessa explained to us. "It's fascinating, isn't it?"
Damon hummed and we all went our separate ways to look around the room. I came up close to Elena and started looking at the book shelves with her. "Wow." I whispered to my sister.
She nodded her head at me in awe.
"Where'd she go?" Damon asked about Vanessa cautiously. I looked back at the door and didn't hear anything.
I turned around just in time for Vanessa to come back into the room with a crossbow. Elena and I gasped at the same time. Vanessa pointed the arrow at Elena and shot it. I rushed in front of my sister the same time Damon rushed in front of me. I gasped as Damon groaned in pain from the arrow in his back.
Alaric ran into action and grabbed Vanessa and pulled her out of the room. Damon gripped the book shelf and I helped him stand up. He started falling to the floor and I helped him lean on me before pulling him over to the table.
"Pull it out." Damon said with a sigh. "I can't reach it, Elena." He turned his head to look at Elena. "Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts." Damon smiled sarcastically.
I sighed and moved Elena out of the way. I gripped onto the arrow and pulled it out of his back. He took in a sharp breath of air and I dangled the arrow in front of his face. "Should have just asked me in the first place." I said into Damon's ear before dropping the arrow onto the table.
Damon shook himself. "Ooo, that bitch is dead." He said turning around to look at me. I raised an eyebrow at him, not pleased with his thoughts.
"You're not going to kill her." Elena said with her arms crossed.
"Watch me." Damon smirked down at her. He pushed her gently out of the way and started walking towards the other room.
"Damon, you touch her and I swore to God, I will never speak to you again." Elena threatened. Damon turned around to look at Elena with his brows furrowed.
"What makes you think that has any power of me?" Damon asked. I snorted a laugh. "Because I took an arrow in the back for you and your sister? You are severely over-estimating yourself." Damon wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Right, I forgot. You're Raegan's man." Elena smiled sarcastically. "Not to mention, you have a psychotic mind who snaps and kills people impulsively." Elena shrugged with a sarcastic tone. "Fine, go ahead. Do whatever you two want." Elena looked at me.
"Hey. I'm not the one wanting to kill her." I held my hands up in surrender.
"You're trying to manipulate me." Damon looked down at Elena with calculating eyes.
"If manipulate you mean; tell the truth? Than okay." Elena shrugged. "Guilty." Damon and I looked at Elena with raised eyebrows. She looked between the both of us before moving past us. "Okay." She mumbled before leaving into the next room.
"Just so we're clear," I started and turned to Damon. "You're not killing her."
"I thought you'd be all for it with the glares you two were giving each other earlier." Damon smirked down at me. He obviously enjoyed the show a little too much.
I hummed sarcastically before following after my sister into the next room.
"I'm Elena Gilbert. Isobel's daughter and descendant of Katherine Pierce." Elena started to explain to Vanessa. I stood away from the woman and next to Alaric. She looked startled from Elena to Ric to back to Elena. "This is my sister, Raegan Gilbert. She just recently turned from Katherine Pierce." Elena pointed to me.
"Guilty." I waved sarcastically. Vanessa turned away from me with a nervous look.
"And this is Damon Salvatore." I pointed to Damon who was over my shoulder. "The one you shoot with the arrow."
"I'd be extra nice to me right now." Damon threatened with a devious glint in his sharp eyes.
"Look, we need your help." Elena started. "Okay, we need to see all of Isobel's research. Anything related to Mystic Falls."
"This," Vanessa picked up a large box. "Box tracks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864." She landed the box on the table. Elena and I stepped away from the books again and looked into the old box to see even older books sitting in there.
"Is that all there is about her?" I asked looking at the little things.
"That I'm aware of." Vanessa sighed. She looked up at Elena and I.
Elena grabbed some vervain out of the box and I immediately snapped my hand back. I wasn't looking forward to burning my hand on a plant. Elena handed the vervain to Vanessa. "Here. Take this." She whispered.
Vanessa looked down at the old plants curiously. "Does vervain really work?"
I nodded my head with a smirk. "Yes." "Nope." Damon and I said at the same time. I rolled my eyes at the male across the room. "Not at all." He continued.
"Can he hear us?" Vanessa asked quietly again. I nodded my head at her silently.
"No. That would be creepy." Damon whispered loudly.
"We don't need comments from the peanut gallery over there." I said throwing a paper ball at the back of his head. He turned around and glared at me before going back to his research.
"Can he read minds too?" Vanessa asked sarcastically.
"No." Damon said and turned around. "But if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask."
I sighed at the male. I took a heavy book before throwing it in his direction. He caught it in his hand with a smirk. "Grow up." I commented with a glare.
"He's very capable of being a first rate jackass." Elena looked at Vanessa before picking up a book from the book and opening it.
Damon smirked over in his corner and I laughed before getting back to work.
I slammed down another book as Damon sneaked up behind me. "Any luck?" He whispered into my ear as he looked over my shoulder at the books and papers.
I rolled my eyes as I sighed. "No. There's nothing in here about Katherine that we don't already know." I explained.
"Oh, man. It's a bummer that Elena and I aren't friends anymore because I could tell her what I know." Damon said with a teasing tone. We both looked up at Elena's frozen body. She turned around to look at the both of us.
"Now, who's manipulating who?" She asked crossing her arms against her chest. I laughed before leaning against the table. Damon slipped an arm around my shoulders as he shrugged.
"Hey, guys." Alaric said pulling us all out of our thoughts. "Check this out." He said holding out a book to us.
Vanessa being the closest to Alaric grabbed the book from him. "There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls," Vanessa started as we moved closer to the table they were settling at. "But here are some records of some of the lesser known legends. From the skin-walkers to the Aztecs."
Damon grabbed the book from Vanessa and looked at the page they were on. Vanessa recited a couple words that were on the paper in some other language. "It roughly translates into the curse of the sun and the moon." Vanessa explained further.
"It's Native American." Alaric commented with a focused look.
"Aztec." Vanessa and I corrected at the same time.
"It explains one version of the vampire curse traced through Virginia." Vanessa explained. "The short story; Six hundred years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the country side, made farming and hunting impossible. Until," Vanessa sighed. "An Aztec sharmin cursed them. Making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants to the moon. As a result, vampires could only prail at night, and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon rests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse, turns into a wolf."
"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked.
"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse." I replied with a bored voice still looking at the book. Elena was reading over my shoulder.
"Werewolves will attack humans but instinct, centuries of rivalries have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice." Vanessa started up again. "Vampires." She looked at Damon and I.
We both looked over at each other. I held fear in my eyes that only Damon could see. Damon looked nervous before he gained control.
"Well, if werewolves are hunting vampires, why don't I know about it?" Damon asked coming back over to the table.
Vanessa hummed. "Well, there aren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundred of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction."
"Why would they do that?" Elena asked.
"To protect themselves." Vanessa shrugged. "Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires.
"Oh." Damon and I said at the same time. We both look at each other with the same fearful expression.
It was dark outside now. I sighed at the contact of fresh air. I could feel the hungry starting to really make me cranky. I needed to eat. The last time I did was yesterday evening. I haven't had anything since. It was really starting to affect my mood.
Elena came back over when she got off the phone with Stefan. "I warned him about what we found out about the werewolves and how the bite is fatal to vampires." Elena sighed. She turned around to start walking back into the school but I called her back. She looked back at me.
"We should be able to talk about this." I said quietly but I knew that she heard me from where she was.
"There's nothing to talk about." Elena shrugged.
"There's plenty to talk about, Elena." I shook my head. "You've been trying to avoid ever since you've found out about me being a vampire."
"That's not true." Elena shook her head.
"Isn't it?" I asked with furrowed brows. "Because I've barely gotten three words out of you today, that's aimed towards me, Elena. You're upset-"
"Of course, I'm upset." Elena scoffed. "My ancestor/doppelganger killed my sister and turned her into a vampire. Why wouldn't I be upset?"
"I'm upset too, Elena!" I pointed my finger to my chest. "I didn't want to become a vampire, but it happened. I can't change the fact that I am what I am." I sighed. "If you can't see that, then I'm sorry."
Elena sighed. "I know you can't. It's just going to take some time to get use to the fact that my sister is a vampire."
"You can say that again." I sighed.
"What are we going to do?" Elena whispered softly.
I looked away from Elena's sad dark eyes to the ground. "I don't know."
"Do you have anything on doppelgangers?" Elena asked looking up at Vanessa. I looked up from the old book I was searching through to listen to what she had to say.
"The word means a lot of different things to different cultures, but typically, a doppelganger is a living, breathing, double of oneself." Vanessa explained looking up at Elena. I saw Damon look over from the book shelf.
"Does Isobel have anything that explains that link between Elena and Katherine?" I asked coming closer to my sister.
"That's all she had on Katherine, unfortunately." Vanessa sighed with a finger pointed to the box Elena was looking through. Elena and I both sighed simultaneously. "But, I can tell you that doppelgangers usually torment the people they look like. Trying to undo their lives. It's not exactly uplifting."
"You don't say." I muttered under my breath sarcastically.
"More things that we already know." Elena sighed before going back to the book. "Just... I wanna know why we look a like."
"Head scratch-er isn't it?" Damon said sarcastically. He leaned against the bookcase and looked over to us. I rolled my eyes at him before leaning against the table across from him with my arms crossed over my chest.
"Do you know something?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Or are you just being yourself?" Elena asked turning around to look at him.
"Well, if I know anything, I'm not going to tell you with an attitude." He looked over at Elena.
"That's good." Elena said sarcastically. "And this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend." Elena pointed out bluntly to Damon.
I shook my head at the two before turning back around to the table. I wasn't about to get into this confrontation.
"You know what?" Elena asked looking at Damon. "Friends don't manipulate friends. We help each other."
I bit my tongue after Elena was speaking because I could bring up the time when her and Stefan went behind Damon's back after manipulating him to believe that he could trust his own brother before digging up their father's grave and failed to take the Grimoire. But that could cause some unneeded issues.
"Let's drop it, okay?" I spoke up looking over my shoulder at the two of them. Elena sighed before going around Damon and over to another bookshelf. Damon looked over at me with a concentrated look. I sighed and shook my head. "Don't worry about it." I said quietly so only he could hear it. He nodded before going back to his bookcase.
I walked up behind Elena trying to open the back door to the car. Before I was able to offer my assistance to her, Damon stepped up to the plate. "Here." He said with his hand out. Elena sighed with an annoyed under tone. "Allow me." He said as he unlocked the doors with the power lock button. The car beeped and Damon opened the back door for Elena and I to step into.
I jumped into the car and waited for Elena to get in also. Before she was able to get in, Damon stopped her and looked down at her with his cryptic eyes.
"You're not going to be able to hate me forever." Damon stated.
"Could we just go?" Elena asked with a strong voice. Damon looked down at her before letting her go into the car.
He pulled something from behind him. "You didn't dig deep enough." Damon stated and handed Elena a big book that said 'Petrova' in cursive writing on the front.
"Petrova. I saw this on the shelf." Elena shrugged.
"Katherine originally came from Europe." Damon stated. "Petrova was her real name." Damon shrugged. "Katerina Petrova; to be exact."
"How did you know that?" I asked looking up at the two of them with a question stare.
"Back when; I saw it engraved on an heirloom." Damon shrugged at him. "I snooped too. Let me know what you find. Very curious, myself."
Elena tried getting into the car again but Damon held his hand out once more. "You have every right to hate me. I understand. You hated me before and we became friends. It would suck if that was gone forever. So, is it?" Damon asked looking down at Elena.
Elena looked down at me and I raised my brows confused on why she was looking at me. "Have I lost you forever?" Damon asked again.
"Thank you for the book, Damon." Elena said sincerely. I sighed along with Damon. We both knew that it was the best that he was going to get tonight.
Damon let Elena get into the car this time. When she was seated next to me, Damon closed the door for her.
"Don't." Elena shook her head at me.
"I wasn't going to say a word." I promised with a shake of my head. She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder, just like she would about a week ago. I knew that to anyone else, it wasn't much, but considering we went from not talking this morning, to her being comfortable around me to lean on me, was big.
I threw my bag on the couch as I listened to the conversation between Elena and Damon outside.
"Road trips work well for us." Damon commented with a smirk, no doubt.
"This doesn't mean things are back to the way they were." Elena disagreed.
"Oh, come on. I know I chipped off a little of your wall of hatred." Damon commented.
"I need to know the truth." Elena said. "When you asked me if I wanted you to give Raegan your blood, were you going to do it anyways?"
"Yes." Damon said simply.
"Do you blame yourself for her death?"
"Yes." Damon answered again. I shook my head at his answer.
"Good." Elena sighed. "I do too."
I felt the table underneath me crack a little before I loosened my grip.
"Elena, I'm sorry." Damon said quietly. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I visited Raegan that night, and I knew that I shouldn't have left her alone because for some reason my gut was telling me to stay with her. But I didn't. I don't blame myself for her death the way you think I do. I blame myself because I knew something wasn't right and I left anyways. I am glad that my blood was in her system because Katherine would have killed her anyways."
"Thank you for being honest with me." Elena said. "And the answer to your question, about our friendship is yes; you have lost me forever."
"But you knew that already, didn't you?" Damon questioned. "You used me today."
"You had information about Katherine that I needed to know." Elena simply said.
"I thought friends don't manipulate friends." Damon accused.
No one said anything for a moment before Damon started speaking again. "You and Katherine have a lot more in common than just your looks."
I listened to Damon walk off the porch before I ran up stairs with my purse in my hand. I grabbed my phone charger and locked my room door. I opened my window and climbed out. It was a lot easier than it was when I was human. I jumped down and took off to the boarding house.
I walked into the boarding house and went straight up stairs to where I knew Damon was. I opened his door and closed it behind me before climbing into his king sized bed. I waited for him as he got changed in his bathroom. It didn't take him long before he came out with only his boxers on. He looked up at me confused before sighing and shutting off the light.
"You might as well move here with how much you spent your nights over here." Damon said sarcastically while getting into his side of the bed.
"It's more adventurous if I do it when it's not actually my house." I joked with a smirk. I felt Damon shake his head as he pulled me into him. I curled up into his side and rested my head onto Damon's shoulder. "It's not your fault, you know." I said quietly into the dark.
"Hmm?" Damon questioned with his eyes closed.
"Me, being like this; it's not your fault." I repeated.
I felt Damon sigh under my arm that was wrapped around his chest. "I should have known you were listening to the conversation." He shook his head at me again.
"It's kind of hard not to." I shrugged.
"I should have stayed with you that night." Damon opened his eyes and looked down at me with piercing blues. "You wouldn't be like this. You would be growing old and having kids, just like you wanted."
I sighed and shook my head. "I was the one that kicked you out, Damon."
"I was the one that let you kick me out." Damon replied.
"You were drunk." I pointed out.
"And you were human." Damon said back.
"I was." I agreed.
"Was." Damon sighed.
"And now I'm not." I stated.
"Exactly."
"It's in the past." I replied looking up at him. "We can't change anything now."
"I know." Damon sighed and looked up at the ceiling, turning his enticing blue eyes away from my own.
"You should teach me how to fight." I said with a small laugh. Damon shook his head.
"Not going to happen." He smirked down at me getting back to his old self.
"Fine, I'll just ask Stefan to teach me." I sniffed back at him.
"You'd have better luck asking a bunny to teach you." Damon stated with a sarcastic smirk.
"Probably." I shrugged, agreeing with him.
"Go to sleep, Sunshine." Damon rolled his eyes at me.
I laughed before snuggling more into him, getting myself to a comfortable position before sighing and closing my eyes. "Goodnight, Damon. And thank you."
"For what?" Damon asked quietly.
"For helping Elena." I said into the dark before yawning and tiredly hummed to him. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Sunshine." He said quietly before the world turned black and I was dreaming of sunshine and a California beach.
OOO la la. This is a long chapter for you guys! I think all you faithful readers deserve a good chapter to read. I honestly do thank every single one of you guys for taking your time to read my story. It's awesome to know that people actually want to read it, haha.
Question of the Day: What's the best road tip/vacation that you guys have been on? If you haven't been on a field trip, write where you'd like to go on a vacation. I've been to Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. (I live around these states.) But I would really LOVE to go to Washington. I don't know why. There's something about Washington that speaks to me. Haha.
Let me know what you guys think of this chapter in the reviews!
Love,
Swim-